Would you put up with this?

[Gracie123]

Ds (nearly 2) is very sick. He's on antibiotics and has had little/no appetite for over a week (gp says this is fine as long as he is drinking - which he is, barely).

Yesterday and today he has started demanding food, but when I make it he has one or two bites then demands something else. He normally doesn't get a choice in what he eats, but I'm indulging him because I'm happy to see him eat (and in fairness he only asks for carrot, peanut butter, raisins etc... It's not like he wants chocolate and icecream )

I'm concerned that this behaviour will continue when he gets better. How long would you let it go on for? Would you discipline him for a tantrum even if he is sick?

Can you tell he is my precious first born

I'd indulge him for a bit. It's good he's eating something for now. He's probably just starting to get his appetite back.

Can you do him a plate with little bits of all his favourite food on it? Just so he doesn't get into the habit of demanding stuff.

Personally (& I stress this is only my personal opinion) if he is well enough to start eating then he is well enough for you to start laying down the ground rules again. Nothing too harsh obviously. Just recently my DH pressed DS1 to eat when he still wasn't fully over a virus & DS1 promptly threw up all over DH & our living room floor! I had to excuse myself from the room, laugh & come back again, especially as I'd just told DH not to press him into eating

Hope your PFB feels better soon

I just went through this with dd who is 4 and had really bad tonsillitis. After 4 days of hoepelessly trying to get her to eat (just as you describe - one bite then wanting something else) I told her she could have ANYTHING she asked for and I would go to the shop and get it. She ate mainly jelly and cake for the next 3 days. When she started tyo get her appetite back I said this was the last day of eating 'party food' so make the most of it as it would be business as usual after that.

She did pester a bit but there was no more jelly and cake and things got back to normal.

Relaly if he's so sick - does it matter? And NO, I would not discipline for tantrums in thsi situation. It's common to think you want soemthing when your appetite is really off then not want it at all when you get it (went though this a lot when nursing both my parents).

I'd give him a week.

He has been on antibiotics for a week now. The course finishes this evening.

He is definitely not well enough for me to make him eat (still temperature high and vomiting) but I feel hopeful every time he says he wants something.

I think I might try make him a little platter of things for dinner and see how that goes. Wasting so much food today. Very depressing.

p.s. tantrums are over things like cutting the toast into triangles when he wanted a squares etc... really irrational stuff, and it's so out of character. I want to be nice but am starting to lose my patience

Bear with it. If he feels rotten, he doesn't really have any way of expressing it other than to have tantrums at you. I would indulge until he feels better and then lay down the ground rules again. If he's been sick, you're really just trying to get some calories into him to build him up.

Exactly what fernie said. It's so hard to keep your patience - don't about it. Everyone's the same. But as you say, it's out of character and he will be fine. Just been through a similar thing with mine only he was ill for about 2 weeks and I wondered where my sweet little boy had gone - he was replaced by a surly, grumpy monster! All better now, though, and he's back to being a sweet angel. especially when asleep .

I would suspect, if he's still so poorly after a whole week on antibiotics that either he has a viral infection that the antibiotics have no affect on, or he needs different antibiotics. I took dd back to the gp after 5 days and no improvement. He gave us a broader spectrum antibiotic and she pulled round in 48 hours. Of course it could still be a coincidence - its' really hard to know. If he is still really sick after the antibiotics are finished though I would go back to the gp or call the nurse.

It is frustrating to waste so much food. I knew dd was REALLY sick when she couldn't finish a chocolate lolly pop......

I would indulge him to be honest, my DD is quite little so I always worry when she doesn't eat as it's very noticeable very quickly. She pretty much lived on choc buttons, grapes and honey cheerios for a week when she was ill recently. Try and stick with it, I know it's really frustrating!

18mo dd is just getting over a nasty ear infection.

She barely ate or drank for days and then, like your ds, she started asking for different things.

We have let her have it as I would rather her eat. We finished her anti biotics today and she seems to be getting better with her food.

For us we let her off and even gave her chocolate (first time in her life!) but we just wanted to make sure she was getting something

get his reassed tomorrow by a GP if he's still vomiting with high temp.

that's more concerning than the food issue.

re-assessed.

re-assing him may be painful.

Thanks, we have an appointment, so will wait to see the outcome.

Hopefully no re-assing will happen.