Starving Hungry Toddler

[gfgypsyqueen]

Hi,

I have a 2yr old that has been on a gluten free challenge for about 3 weeks. I can see a difference in her. So I think she probably has this celiac disease. My question is she ranges from barely hungry to bottomless starvation. Some days she will eat 3 pancakes for breakfast. The same day she eats all her lunch and then eats a huge dinner portion. Other days, she doesn't eat all that much-more moderate sizes for a 2 yr old. The problem is she is tiny, doesn't gain weight (hoping this will change gluten-free), and complains her tummy hurts. I try to feed her snacks and small portions, but when she is crying about being hungry its hard to deny her food. The thought has always been, if she is hungry let her eat. The idea was hoping to fill her up and add some calories. She never skips a meal and rarely rufeses any form of food. Is this normal? Do other gluten-free toddlers behave the same way about food? Any thoughts?

[ArtGirl]

If she has Celiac, then most likely she's not fully digesting any of her food because of damage to her small intestines. She's probably hungry most of the time, but the pains in her stomach may make her stop eating so much, then when the pain is less, she eats according to her hunger.

After she goes gluten-free, you'll most likely find that her eating habits level off to more normal most, if not all of the time. She should start putting on weight soon after she begins to heal.

[dandelionmom]

My 3 year old who was recently diagnosed acts similarly. When she's hungry, she's really hungry RIGHT NOW. And sometimes she'll eat a huge meal but other times she'll says she's full after a few bites. I'm assuming that any kind of food/tummy issues are related to Celiac and healing.