dd(4)hardly eating and im getting worried.

[karenanne]

my dd is nearly 5 and is hardly eating anything at all,its been getting steadily worse over the past few weeks.she had scarlet fever to start with and had a job eating because of her throat hurting but shes well now and her eating is just getting worse and now shes starting to lose weight.getting her to eat her breakfast in the morning is a battle ,she has packed lunch at school and only eats half a sandwich ,she has a small snack when she gets home from school then its another battle to get her to eat her tea.shes suddenly decidied she doesnt like anything anymore even tomato ketchup which shes always loved.i dont want to make too much of an issue unless it makes it worse but i cant ignore it either.
me and her dad split up a while ago ,she seems to have taken it well as we're still friends and see alot of each other but im worried this is how its affecting her.also last night her grandad asked her if she wantd some crumpets and she said "no thank you im not hungry and i dont want a big belly either" all the family have made sure we've never said anything about getting fat etc or had weight issues so i cant think where shes got this from.
im just getting worried ,any advice would be helpful.

for a start she's probably got it from school .. some parents aren't as careful as you are

You are COMPLETELY RIGHT to be ignoring the behaviour

but ....

how about trying a few alternative ways of eating .. try a carpet picnic in front of the TV? as a bit of a laugh / game you can play with her .. I think you're right to not make a fuss and ignore any none eating

or make a tent out of couch cushions and an old blanket and have a meal in there

You could consider having a meal with just sweet things / things she loves in it ... not nutritionally sound I know but it might help get over the hump of 'fear of eating' ... like a chocolate / sweetie / crisp meal

involve her in the choosing and the cooking .. make her helping you cook a fun thing to do and eat bits whilst you're cooking .. so make something like crudites and pitta bread and humous and munch as you go

HTH (don't worry too much)

bumping

think there's more people who could advise on this from personal experience

Is she OK with drinking, karenanne? Would she have milk shakes or smoothies? What about icecream? Things that slip down easily...maybe her throat is still hurting a bit, or she is afraid that it will?