Along with back to school, and colder weather- also comes cold and flu bugs.  Here is some general nutrition information for navigating intake when your child (toddler aged and above) is ill. Please note this advice is not suitable for infants. 

When intake decreases…    

When kids are sick (or even when they are about to get sick, but not yet showing symptoms), intake of food will go usually go down. This stresses parents out! So what do you?  It is best to allow your child to eat the amount of food that feels right to them. Appetite is usually not raging, and there’s no need to push it.  

Rest assured that when children start to feel well again, that’s typically when rebound appetite appears. This is when they will consume more than prior to make up for lost time and gain back lost weight. 

That being said if your child's food intake is drastically reduced consistently for a prolonged period of time - I would recommend seeking out care by a healthcare professional right away. 

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration 

It is very important to ensure that your child stays adequately hydrated during times of illness. Stay on top of hydration with fluids such as water, diluted juice, pedialyte, broth- based soup, even the odd popsicle. 

Maintaining adequate hydration can be especially tricky if your child is having lots of losses (through vomiting, diarrhea and/or sweating) and not feeling up to drinking.  

Monitoring closely for dehydration and having a plan for next steps (which may require urgent care) is important. For more information on how to spot dehydration in your child  - check this out.

So what do I feed my child? 

Often during times of illness, preferred foods and/or bland foods are more palatable. Offer foods that are easily accepted and tolerated. As your child gets better the usual meal and snack routine (and food choices!) can resume! 

If your child has diarrhea, here are some strategies you might want to try: Reduce or avoid lactose (the sugar in milk), undiluted juice, insoluble fibre (the kind of fibre that makes you poop - think bran), artificial sweeteners, spicy and fried foods as this can further increase output. 

If your child is throwing up, here are some strategies you might want to try: Offer small amount of food often, and same with liquids.  Try low fat foods (think plain toast with a thin smear of jam) as these types of foods leave the stomach the quickest. And try to offer liquid after solids. This can help keep the food down.

Of course, I am hoping that everyone stays healthy, but in the event that your child gets sick - I hope these tips support you and your child through until they are better.

Take care! 

~Brigitte