Sienna\u00a0uttered the words “num num<\/em>” (translation: “I want food<\/em>“).<\/p>\n When offering her a bite of anything edible, 99.95% of the time her response is “No num num<\/em>”\u00a0(translation: “I don’t want food<\/em>“), so I asked her to clarify.\u00a0 Turns out it wasn’t my imagination…<\/p>\n Sienna was indeed asking for something to eat.\u00a0\u00a0These words were music to\u00a0my ears.<\/p>\n In fairness to my daughter, she doesn’t experience feelings of hunger like the average person.\u00a0 From what we know thus far, her appetite is significantly diminished as a result of her RSS diagnosis<\/a>.\u00a0 While my little one has a medical condition limiting her desire to eat, children like her aren’t the only ones with a dampened appetite.<\/p>\n UPDATE AS OF AUG 2018:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Sienna is now 5 years old and her appetite is going strong.\u00a0 This child is always hungry, loves all varieties of food, and she’s costing me a fortune.\u00a0 But I am not complaining!\u00a0 Every time I read this post from a few years ago I’m reminded of our former struggles at the table.\u00a0 And I’m so grateful I made these changes then<\/a>.<\/p>\n Had we continued down the same path of giving Sienna her favourite foods, sneaking veggies, and bribing her with TV\/toys\/cookies, we would not be where we are today…<\/p>\n Enjoying mealtimes with a little girl who loves to eat.\u00a0 Even mixed textures like this fish stew (wha!).<\/p>\n Let’s look at\u00a0a few ways to increase a child’s appetite.<\/strong><\/p>\n While a more in-depth nutritional assessment helps parents identify underlying reasons for poor eating, let’s start with a few tips to improve appetite.<\/p>\n You would think that letting our children snack all day would result in them eating MORE food.\u00a0 Right?<\/p>\n Researchers tell us the opposite is true.<\/p>\n If your little one is given a bite of food throughout the day, he\/she won’t have the opportunity to truly experience hunger.\u00a0\u00a0 So his or her appetite may simply be a result of the current feeding structure (or lack thereof).<\/p>\n Toddlers should have\u00a0a\u00a02-3 hour gap\u00a0between each meal or snack, and 3-4 hours for older children.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n That means no nibbles, no milk, no juice, not even\u00a0one itsy bitsy\u00a0Gold Fish.<\/p>\n Nada.<\/p>\n Just offer water.<\/p>\n To save you from temper tantrums, I recommend making the transition slowly if your child is used to grazing.\u00a0\u00a0Start by stretching the non-eating window by 15 minutes every few days, or if your little one is old enough, simply explain that “we are making some changes to how often we eat,\u00a0so\u00a0you can spend\u00a0more time playing”.<\/p>\n You’d be surprised how an appetite miraculously appears when we remove the all day nibble sessions.<\/p>\n Iron is a buzz-word these days when it comes to children’s nutrition; your pediatrician is likely encouraging you to feed your little one meats as a first food when introducing solids.<\/p>\n Why\u00a0this iron push?<\/p>\n Well, an infant’s iron stores decline around 6 months of age<\/strong> and studies show that at least one in eight toddlers<\/strong> is anemic<\/strong> before they are 2 years old.<\/p>\n While iron\u00a0deficiency\u00a0tends to diminish appetite,\u00a0the risks for our kiddos does not stop there.\u00a0 Iron deficiency\u00a0in the first years of life has also been linked back to\u00a0cognitive, motor, and behavioral deficits (Lozoff et al. 2006<\/span><\/a>).\u00a0 So lots of good reasons to keep an eye on iron.<\/p>\n Iron boosters:<\/strong><\/p>\n Iron Sources:\u00a0 <\/strong>(extensive list here)<\/a><\/p>\n Zinc is an essential mineral required for many physiological functions, including immunity (i.e. fewer colds and illnesses), antioxidant function, growth and reproduction.<\/p>\n A mild deficiency can lead to poor appetite, weight loss, diarrhea and increased susceptibility to infections.\u00a0 As a zinc deficiency progresses it can lead to growth failure<\/strong>, delayed healing of wounds, short stature, and hair loss.\u00a0 Acute depletion of this mineral can cause an altered sense of taste and\u00a0smell, and given that zinc stores\u00a0decrease with age, we can understand why\u00a0elderly people experience a loss in appetite.<\/p>\n Zinc boosters:<\/strong><\/p>\n Zinc Sources: <\/strong>(extensive\u00a0list here)<\/a><\/p>\n If you’re wondering what a sample meal<\/strong> would look like for your toddler, see below.\u00a0 You’ll notice that there are similar food sources of\u00a0iron and zinc, so you can kill two birds with one stone!\u00a0 Note: italicized foods<\/em> are high in vitamin C for better iron absorption.<\/p>\n Our Sienna LOVED her ‘milk’.<\/p>\n While I loved it too, because\u00a0it’s a homemade\u00a0hemp formula<\/a> chalk full of\u00a0nutrients, I don’t want it to be her only source of nutrition.<\/p>\n If Sienna\u00a0had the choice, she would have her ‘milk’ at every\u00a0meal.<\/p>\n And it would BE her meal.<\/p>\n Eventually we had to reign it in\u00a0and restrict milk times to optimize her eating.\u00a0 With consistency and some hard ball by mom and dad, Sienna learned that she got milk 3 times a day (upon waking, before nap, and before bed) and that alone improved her appetite.<\/p>\n What’s the message from my little rant?<\/p>\n Limit the liquids.<\/p>\n As mentioned in point #1, no food or drink\u00a0(except water) should be permitted between meals\/snacks.\u00a0 During those meals\/snacks, nutrient-dense liquids (i.e. smoothies)\u00a0and water are OK depending on the child.\u00a0\u00a0And, limit the juice<\/strong>.\u00a0 I’d go so far to say avoid juice if you can<\/em>, especially with selective eaters.\u00a0\u00a0The sweetness will be satiating and subdue their appetite, without any of the benefits.<\/p>\n There you have it!\u00a0 \u00a0These are the main reasons your little one seems to be able to run off fumes most days.\u00a0 But don’t panic!<\/p>\n They are likely taking in exactly<\/em> how much they need.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n That is, as long as we don’t interfere with their innate hunger cues.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Still concerned, let’s chat mom-to-mom<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"picky](\"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/FREE-WEBINAR-FB-Ads-1-1024x536.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"boost](\"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_0493-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
Are you wondering why your little one never seems hungry?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n
1) Avoid all-day grazing<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
2) Keep an eye on iron <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"Cast](\"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Cast-iron-skillet.jpg\")
How much does your child need daily?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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3)\u00a0Keep an eye on zinc<\/span> <\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Oysters](\"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Oysters-zinc.jpg\")
<\/a>How much does your child need daily? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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![\"Sample](\"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Sample-meal-Iron-intake.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n4)\u00a0 Limit the liquids<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n