2 year old has fever and loss of appetite

[dreamerkr]

Hey guys, my just turned 2 year old DS has had a fever for the past 3 days and he doesn’t want to eat anything at all. The fever is slightly better today, we took him to the GP yesterday and he has an ear infection so he’s taking antibiotics now too. I’m so worried because he doesn’t want to eat at all. He’s drinking well and having wet nappies too, but he doesn’t want to eat. He didn’t have much for dinner last night so he wasn’t able to sleep well at all last night, he kept waking up after every 30 mins or so and his sleep was so bad as was mine. I offered him so many foods in the middle of the night but he wouldn’t eat it because he was too tired but he was unable to go back to sleep as he was hungry and had an empty stomach. He’s taking a nap right now, he didn’t have breakfast this morning just two bites of toast. I’m worried that he won’t eat lunch or dinner either, and he won’t be able to sleep tonight either. Any advice? 🥺

I’m still breastfeeding, although it’s just once a day (at bedtime) now. But since he got unwell all he wants to do is breastfeed all night. He’s unable to sleep, I’m unable to sleep. He was waking me up after every half an hour last night and I felt so bad for him that he was unwell, I couldn’t see him like that, but I honestly felt like I would cry too with no sleep. My husband was trying to help me of course, but no, my DS just wanted to be with me at that time, on my breast. He’s not usually like this as he doesn’t usually ask for it in the middle of the night

As long as he’s taking in fluids it should be ok. People often don’t eat when ill with a fever. If he is getting worse get another opinion otherwise he sounds on the mend. At some point soon he’ll probably wolf down a massive meal if my experience is anything to go by!

Very normal, leave him be.

Thank you so much

Hi OP, sorry to hear your LO is poorly but definitely completely normal. In the last 2 months, 19 month old DS had a bad case of hand foot and mouth, sickness bug and now has a cough and cold. Each time he goes completely off solids and just wants to breastfeed round the clock. It’s hard but it does pass, by around day 5 he’s usually more interested in solids again and by day 7 usually has a full appetite again. It’s really worrying when they don’t want to eat, but this time of year seems to be full of the illnesses!

Sounds pretty normal - he's feeling rubbish so bf is comforting. He might also have a sore throat if he's not wanting solids.

Let him eat ice cream, ice pops or chocolate buttons whilst he is ill! Anything to give him a boost. When my DS has ear infections he would just want soft things he could suck as chewing hurt his ear.

He was starting to feel better yesterday and for most the day he didn’t have a fever and he was eating a little bit too (not much but a little), however he now again has a fever and he’s burning. He has a temp of 39 again. He’s been taking antibiotics for 2 days now too, I feel so bad for him as he’s not able to sleep well at all. Should we again take him to the doctor, or wait?

It’s been 4 or 5 days now since he got a temp

Yes I would call 111 today if he still has a temperature as Day 3 of antibiotics this should have resolved. Hope he’s ok

Thank you so much, I definitely will call them if he’s not feeling better by morning. I’m feeling so bad and wide awake right now thinking if we should have taken him to the hospital? Am I overreacting? A few months ago he had a high fever and he also had a viral wheeze caused by asthma and we didn’t take him to A&E at that time, thinking it would get better by itself with antibiotics that the GP gave, we thought we shouldn’t waste A&E’s time basically, we didn’t know how bad it could get. He got really bad (this was in May) and we had to take him to A&E and the doctors there even told us that we had left it so late and that we should have brought him in earlier. He was admitted for a day at that time. I hope it’s not the same thing again happening, my poor baby 🥺

He is just crying crying crying and not eating. His nappies are also not wet. He is having diarrhoea from the antibiotics I’m guessing, but isn’t having wet nappies. We are about to take him to A&E. We went to an out of hours doctor that 111 told us to go to, they checked him and said if his temp doesn’t go below 39C an hour after medication, then take him to hospital so that’s what we’re about to do.

Sorry to hear that Op, hope you get to the bottom of what’s wrong and he feels better soon. We have made that a&e trip many times and it’s such a worry, traumatising for them and you.

We are back home, he doesn’t have fever anymore and he’s drinking but he’s still not eating. I’m so worried. The only thing he wants to eat is vanilla ice cream. Apart from that, nothing.