not nursing much and weight loss 3 1/2 year old

[@llli*sarahak]

My son is 3 1/2 and besides numerous allergies (milk, eggs, soy, nuts, fish) he is sometimes picky. Some days he eats a ton others not much at all. He is nursing but he has pretty much decided that only at bedtime is when he wants to nurse. It seems that he dropped about 3 nursing sessions at once. He is drinking a little coconut milk when he feels like it but I have trouble getting him to drink it regularly. he is a water only boy. It seems that since he is only nursing once a day that he has actually lost about a pound. He hasn't been ill and not much else has changed. Could the fact that he isn't nursing much be the reason for the weight loss. Our doctor said it wasn't a big deal and kids fluctuate but I worry about everything and am looking for a reasonable explanation. I still offer for him to nurse more but he says no so it has all been his decision. I'll stick with the nighttime nursing session as long as he is willing.

[@llli*still.here]

I would imagine dropping several nursing sessions without replacing it with increasing solids would be a pretty good explanation of the loss. That said, my son is the same age and has a lot of the same allergies, but hasn't nursed since he was 9 mos old, and his weight tends to fluctuate pretty widely at times, too.

If you can't get him to nurse more, I'd try focusing on solids. Can you try getting coconut milk into him in other ways? Smoothies (chocolate coconut milk+banana=delicious), in cereal (my little guy is a big fan of cinnamon apple rice chex), in sauces or gravies (I put a little in pasta with his fake butter and some herbs- he loves it). Look at the higher fat nutrient dense foods like avocado, beans, whole grains,flax seed is a really good addition to almost anything, ground up and sprinkled on top.

Have you seen a dietician to help you make sure you're getting him a well-rounded diet? Your ped might be able to refer you to one and get it covered by your insurance (ours did).