DD not really eating at nursery and looks like she's losing weight - help!!

[curlyLJ]

DD has now done 2 weeks at nursery (she attends 3 days p/w) and although she seems to be settling in OK, she isn't really eating much and is, I think, losing a bit of weight. This of course may also be down to the fact she is moving about much more and is more active, but I am getting worried...

Her day sheet always states how much she's had at each meal and the word 'little' is usually what's circled. I know she can really put it away when she wants to and she has been coming home and eating her tea with gusto so I don't know why she doesn't eat there.

We did BLW and she took to food really well right from the start and has always eaten well, except she's not a kind of 'pick hanfuls of mushy food up and stuff it in' type of girl. So, today for example they had some sort of savoury mince and rice for lunch and she just didn't really pick any up, she just played with it. They tried to 'help' her with a spoon which she flatly refused - she always has! She's not a great fan of loaded spoons unless it's yoghurt

She seems to be a bit better if the meal lends itself better as a finger food, eg fishcakes, but she still doesn't eat anything in great quantities while she is there.

I don't know what to do except give her a packed lunch, especially on the days when the menu is something she might struggle with. I don't really want to do this though if I can help it as it means I have to be much more organised, and I am paying for the nursery food whether she has it or not.

She is 1 next week, so I am hoping she might move on to cutlery sometime soon - what age does this happen?

She is downing an afternoon bottle at nursery like a shot because obviously she is still really hungry - I was hoping to drop the daytime bottle soon, but I am reluctant as I need to make sure she gets some calories!

Does anyone have any experience of this? Am I right to be worried? Will she get better as she settles in more...?

My dd is nearly 12 months. She will not have milk at nursery but does okay at food there generally. She does always have lots of milk and a snack when she comes home. She goes 2 days a week and has 2 meals there so 4 meals a week and 4 bottles there.
Am I reading it right to say that your dd has just three meals there - three lunches a week? I think being more active will be contributing more to any weight loss that three small lunches a week. DD has started losing weight and I think it is partly activity, partly bugs from nursery and partly genetics (from dh who finds it hard to keep weight on, grr!).

thanks pommedeterre. Yes DD goes 3 days a week, but she has her breakfast there as well as lunch, and they also do an afternoon tea (at 3pm, so equivalent to the snack-time we have at home). So although it is only 6 meals (plus snacks) over 3 days, if she's not eating much at each meal, surely this could contribute to some weight loss?

She's been at home with me for 4 days now and she has eaten loads at virtually every meal/snack time so she obviously needs the amount I am giving her, so it does make me worry that she wont consume the same amounts at nursery...

Just a thought but could they be circling 'little' because she eats less than a spoon fed baby not because she is eating a minute amount of food.

Could you ask the nursery to quantify 'little' - is it one slice of apple or 6 slices, a 1/4 of a sandwich or one bite of a sandwich.

Are there any tips you could give them to help? My dd loves to have her own spoon and have a go too when I'm spoon feeding her things for example.
Is she slow? My dd is really slow on finger food meals (I guess if you're doing total BLW then prob less likely) and I don't think tohers would be as patient as I am in giving her time to get warmed up iyswim.
Maybe ask if they can offer her bread and butter (or anything else simple they are likely to always have) if she does really poorly on a meal?