DS not gaining weight

[Tea4tea]

My DS is 27mo and barely eats. This has been the case for a year. Gradually he is slipping down the centiles (gone from 50th to 25th) and is barely gaining any weight. Have spoken to HV and had him weighed several times but all they do is give me advice on getting him to eat more… all of which we’ve tried to no avail.

I just want to know whether there’s any underlying medical reasons for his lack of eating and lack of weight gain. Has anyone gone straight to the GP to get a referral to paediatrician/dietician? Or anyone been in a similar situation who can share their experience?

Had the HV measured him as well as weighing him? The weight centile is pretty meaningless without the height centile.

Can I ask which milk he's on as well? Milks like follow on milk or toddler milks can be high in Orion which can suppress appetite quite dramatically.

How is he generally too? Does he have plenty of energy? Is he meeting his milestones?

*iron not Orion. Sodding autocorrect 🤦‍♀️

His height gain has slowed too… down from 50th to 25th centile. He just drinks water, a little bit of cows’ milk and breastmilk in the evening. He’s meeting all his milestones and generally active.

Has he any ENT problems such as enlarged tonsils?

@ENTnightmare yes, actually, he has large tonsils (grade 4) and been diagnosed with sleep apnea… we weren’t sure whether this could affect his eating?

Enlarged tonsils can apparently be a cause for poor eating in a child. Could be pain, discomfort or suppressed appetite.

I've a similar situation with my DC. Born on 0.4 centile, followed it pretty much as a baby went up to 2nd centile actually. However, had suffered greatly with ENT infection. Doesn't eat when sick and then they drop any weight they have gained.

It's a vicious circle.

Our DS had problems with his tonsils too. He only really grew properly once they'd been removed.