So, err... how DO you get your toddler to eat enough food, because I'm at my wit's end here.
She was sick a few times recently. That may affect her weight for a while. Chris is finally back to what he was before Christmas, as of this month. He lost a few lbs with the first post-Christmas illness, and the next ones came soon enough after that they screwed with his appetite. He now has no ass, whatsoever. Neither Scott nor I are assless. None of our kids (including Chris) have ever been assless before. You can imagine my alarm! My father, who Chris resembles, was so assless, I think he owed the ass fairy money.
Most kids seem like they're going to waste away at Lillian's age. But they don't. See if your mom remembers how big you were at Lillian's age. I know you were wee. I bet she's about the same size you were.
You mostly can't make her eat. Most of the things you can "try" end up in a struggle of the wills, and Lillian will win, because she is a toddler who doesn't have to work and raise a toddler, and therefore has had less will killed off by the world. She'll also win, because she owns the mouth and digestive tract. There are a few things you can do, silently, so as not to arose Super!Willian.
- No milk with/before meals
(Breast-milk or cow's milk) Toddlers will almost always drink their milk, but milk stays in the stomach for hours (I want to say 4, but I disremember), and for a kid with a flimsy appetite, who is much more interested in wreaking havoc in your home, a few ounces of milk is enough to make meals a boring, unappealing chore.
If she always eats breakfast well, or always eats lunch well, you can give her milk with the well-eaten meal(s), but give water with the ignored meals, and milk after. My kids always had room for milk after a meal, but seldom had room for a meal after milk.
- Ask Daycare what she eats in a given day, and when.
If you have to, insist they track it, since you don't think she's gaining enough. If you see any problems there, that might be screwing up her appetite, ask them to make some adjustments.
- Remember most toddlers seem to eat the sum total of two okayish meals, at most, a day
This was true of my own children, and over the years, most mothers I've talked to (including my own, and my m-i-l [a mother of 9]) have confirmed the equivalent of two meals is pretty much a normal state of affairs for a toddler.
- To assess her nutritional intake, don't look at what she eats in a given meal or a given day. Instead, consider a week at a time.
- Of the foods she likes best (or hates the least), offer the ones that are highest in calories and/or whatever else you want her to have: Cheese! Yogurt! Macaroni (add an extra pat of butter, and xtra cheese).
Most of these things aren't things you can do to Lillian, because she's going to win. She's also going to be okay. She's just a peanut. What did her doctor say?