Yes, our Pediatric GI doc thinks our daughter may have infantile anorexia. Some women balk at this diagnosis as they think it is weight-related. Obviously it is not as a 16 month old is unable developmentally to understand weight. There is little literature on it but you should google infantile anorexia and read what is available. My daughter in particular seems to have developed it very early. She was a preemie and it hurt her to eat as she suffered from GERD. She began to self-regulate or limit her intake to minimize the pain and never developed a clear understanding of her hunger cues or satiety cues. Her father and I were extremely stressed about her not eating and the looming diagnosis of failure to thrive so we tried to feed her constantly--which further created an aversion to food. Now she is 16 months old and we have tried every kind of food, changing of locations in which she eats, bargaining and game playing, feeding with the tv, etc. Everything we have been doing has been purely out of the love and concern of two parents. However, as we have learned, all of these attempts actually exacerbate the condition.
Because her recent blood work came back with a showing of anemia and she continues to be underweight, we have sought the help of an infant mental health specialist. Food is a complicated issue, hence the usually strong reaction especially from women when they hear the words "infantile anorexia." The function of eating is primate and wired to our brain and for young ones it can sometimes be a struggle. I suggest you seek the help of a professional even if it is just to rule out the diagnosis. If the condition goes untreated, it can lead to failure to thrive and childhood and adult eating disorders. Also, there is no other time more important than now in a young child's development for her to receive the appropriate nourishment for proper brain and other development.
