My son lately hasn’t been eating too well, he only eats 1/5 of what he use to eat. It’s been going on for about 11 days and now he’s sick with bronchitis. I don’t know whether he lost his appetite because he was getting sick or vice versa. He’s lost so much weight from not eating that his shorts now just slides down between his knees.
I spoke to his pediatrician yesterday and she recommended that I give him PediaSure, but I’m reluctant to as I’m concerned that he may enjoy the taste and continue wanting it, also the the fact that it’s artificially flavored. From when my son started on solids, I have only fed him organic home made food (until recently, the occasional pieces that was not home cook/organic), he has never had a piece of cake, cookie or tasted anything artificially sweetened, the only things he’s eaten that is sweet is fruits, or fruit puree which I make.
I can’t decided whether I should give him the PediaSure, so we can put some weight back on him or wait for a few days to see if he’ll start eating again. Is it very sweet? I find that a lot of food here in the States for children are very sweet…
I gave it to my son for some time b/c the ped. was concerned that he had fallen off the growth curve. It definitely helps gain weight and has a lot of nutrients and calories. It is pretty sweet. I think it has to be or it would taste horrible with all the vitamins in it. If you have ever drank a slim fast or ensure shake, it probably taste like that. My son loved drinking them, but when I stopped, he had no problem with not getting them.
It is sweet tasting, but not very much. Ive tasted it. But you may think it is super sweet because he has never had anything artificially sweetened. If he is loosing weight then I would definatly give it to him. His body needs the nutrition to help fight off the illness. Hope your son gets well soon
I wouldn’t say artificially sweetened. It is sweetened with sugar…artificially flavored, yes. The sugar is one of the things that adds calories, which is what makes it a meal replacement or substitute.
Thank you for your advise, I think I will get some today and try them out with son (hopefully he won’t miss it when the time comes to stop giving it to him). Any ideas on how many bottles I should give a day and for how long? Should I give it to him until he starts eating regularly again or until he puts his weight back on?
I would probably just stick with one a day until he is eating better. You can always ask the doctor for advise. He may recommend 2, which is what my son was on, but this is a more temporary situation than mine, so I don’t know.
My friend has her daughter on it because she is pretty under weight for her age. The doctor said she should be drinking 4 a day!! But her mom is not forcing her to drink it or it she wouldn’t even be drinking enough water. So I guess ask your doctor how much he should be drinking, but make sure he has still water of course. Probably give it to him until he starts to put on more weight. Just in case he starts eating again but then gets sick some more. Really do whatever you feel is best : )
4 a day! That’s outrageous! 2 was a lot. They are full of sugar and calories. I can’t imagine anyone recommending 4 a day unless the kid was not eating anything else. Plus, that’s pretty much all the liquid a little one would drink in a day.
We both thought it was crazy. Because she still eats. I guess not as much as she is supposed to because she is pretty under weight. And she’s tall too, so she looks very thin.
My son’s appetite dropped dramatically when he was drinking 2 a day. I still wanted him to eat food b/c nothing can replace the nutrients in food. I can’t imagine how his appetite would have been if he drank more pediasure. Anyways, it worked great. He caught up and has stayed a good size ever since.
In Canada we have Pedailyte - it comes unflavoured. It almost tastes like water but a little thicker and a little stanger. When my dd was sick for a few days I mixed the Pedialyte with juice and gave it to her. She never really knew she was drinking it because I gave it with juice. It takes a little more liquid overall to get the correct amount of Pedialyte into a child, but this way I didn’t have to worry about her thinking about taking ‘medicine’.
Yeah, 4 a day that does sound like a lot even though I don’t know much about it! I think I’ll be sticking to one a day and like Nhockaday I want my son to continue eating as well.
Pedailyte and Pedisure are too different things. We have both in Canada. Pedailyte is for kids that have lost alot of fluids from vomiting and loose stools. Its like an electrolyte drink for kids. Pediasure is a milk substance used to help kids get the vitamins and minerals, kind of like Boost for adults.
We have Pedialyte here in the US too, but I believe that’s to help replace lost fluid and electrolytes from when they’re have diarrhea and vomiting. Where as PediSure is to help put on the calories and bulk up the child’s weight. I think they might both be made from the same company.
Which reminds me I have to get a new bottle of Pedialyte, my DH finished the first bottle I ever bought… haha,he was quite sick that day… he told me afterwards that it really did help.
My son use to LIVE on Pedialyte when he was a kid. He was always sick. It ticked me off it was only good for 72 hours after opening. So if he only needed half a bottle I had to throw out the rest then 1 week later he would get sick again and I’d need to go out and buy another.
Hi, I also give my baby Pediasure when she is 1 years old. From birth, she is underweight. When she is under 1 years old, she is taking Snow, after that I change to Pediasure. Although she is taking Pediasure, she still underweight for 1 kg compared to normal weight. The doc said sometimes the baby is too active then is difficult to gain weight.
Daily I give her porridge, fruits, milk(Pediasure-4 to 6 times), some cookies. Is it to say that if my baby is getting to normal weight, then I need to change the milk powder ?
If you prefer natural things, and do not want to introduce sugar to your child, which would have it minuses. I would suggest what we recommend to the babies we are working with. My little girl also gets it as an addition to her diet and it is healthy and full of nutrients formula which is very nutritious.
Goat milk ( best raw, if not raw try to get non-homogenised one), a little bit of goat cream, avocado, banana, nutritional yeast flakes ( for extra vitamin B), acerola powder (natural vitamin C, which can be used with milk), a little bit of natural gelatin ( for digestion), natural lactose ( from health food store), you also can add a dropper of liquid children vitamins if you want. Blend it for about 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy, you can make it warm by adding a little hot water to it before giving it to your toddler.
It is healthy, highly nutritious, tasty, rich in calories naturally, you can give it in the sippy cap before the nap or for a meal, it is quite creamy, so you might want to see whether he likes it more liquid or creamy and just adjust it with extra goat milk
At 18 monthw my grandson was change to evaporated milk but the pediatrician recommended to use ENFAGROW. They say that for a long time, health professionals have recognized the importance of good nutrition during the first five years of life, because it is at this stage, when the child absorbs knowledge if it were a sponge. Your brain is developed in more than 85%, which is the best time to promote their mental development and prepare for learning multiple skills.
So he was change to ENFAGROW and till now, 3yrs 5 month he takes 3 cups of milk daily (at morning, at 3pm and at night with a spoon of cereal.
It has such a good flavor, that even my son (35 years today) sometimes tries a little spoon of it. :laugh: :laugh:
I think he will continue till year 5 (maybe only 2 cups daily)
are you giving that to your son on prescription or just when his appetite changes.
i think i have to use that for e. some times i find so difficult give her meals. she refuse eating