Sick Child Not Eating: Is It Serious and What Should You Do?

The plate has been sitting there untouched for half an hour. For two days your child has eaten almost nothing — half a cracker, two spoons of yoghurt, that is it. And somewhere in the back of your mind runs the question of how long this can go on.

Here is the short version: a sick child losing their appetite is the rule, not the exception. What matters is not what stays on the plate, but what goes into the cup. Which warning signs actually count, how much your child should be drinking and what you can realistically offer — section by section below.

Is it serious if my sick child is not eating?

Usually not. Children rarely feel like eating when they are ill, and for a few days that is fine. Fluid matters far more: NHS advice for a child with a high temperature is to give plenty of fluids and to give food only if they want it. Missing meals is survivable — missing fluids is not.

Your child's body is busy elsewhere. It is fighting an infection, and digestion sits low on the priority list while that happens. Something light is plenty: soup, yoghurt, a bit of fruit. If your child is being sick or has diarrhoea, the NHS advice is to eat when you feel able to, and it may help to avoid foods that are fatty or spicy.

For babies, keep going as normal: carry on breast or bottle feeding, and if they are being sick, try giving small feeds more often than usual. Babies on formula or solid foods can have small sips of water between feeds.

The critical line sits somewhere else entirely — and that is what the next section is about.

Which warning signs need a doctor straight away?

It is not the missed meals that turn dangerous, it is the missed fluids. Fewer wet nappies than usual, no tears when your child cries, a sunken soft spot on a baby's head or a child who is unusually drowsy or irritable are signs of dehydration — and they need urgent advice, not a wait-and-see night.

Below that threshold, these situations need urgent advice from your GP or NHS 111 the same day:

• Your child is under 5 and shows dehydration signs such as fewer wet nappies than usual
• Your child is under 3 months with a temperature of 38C or higher, or 3 to 6 months with 39C or higher
• Your child refuses food or seems unwell to you, or has had a high temperature for 5 days or more
• Your child is under 5 and has had diarrhoea for more than 7 days, or vomiting for more than 2 days

Is your child taking small sips, filling nappies at roughly the usual rate and responding to you in between? Then the eating pause is not an emergency — it is a phase you are seeing them through.

How much should my child drink if they are not eating?

More than usual, in smaller amounts. A high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea all cost fluid, so every sip counts. Give plenty of fluids across the day, and if your baby is breastfed, carry on breastfeeding as normal — small, frequent feeds are easier to keep down than a full one.

A pharmacist can recommend oral rehydration solutions. These are powders you mix with water and then drink, and they replace the sugars, salts and minerals lost through vomiting and diarrhoea. They are worth having in the cupboard before you need them at 2am.

The practical trick is frequency, not volume. A full cup is intimidating for a child who feels rotten; a spoonful every few minutes actually gets swallowed. If your child cannot keep fluids down at all, our guide on a tummy bug and fluids walks through what to try next.

What helps when your child will not eat?

Small portions, mild food, no pressure. What your child eats for a few days is secondary; that they drink is what counts. Offer without negotiating, and take the plate away without comment when nothing happens. A missing appetite is a symptom, not a discipline question.

Small portions instead of full plates

A loaded plate puts off a child with no appetite. Soup, yoghurt or a little fruit is plenty. Offering something small five times a day works better than three proper meals — and let your child decide whether to touch it.

Soft and mild for a sore throat

If swallowing hurts, warm and soft beats anything scratchy or crumbly. With tonsillitis, drinking matters more than a full meal in the first days anyway.

After a tummy bug, build back up gently

Once your child feels able to eat, let them — starting with plain food and avoiding anything fatty or spicy for a few days. In children, diarrhoea usually stops within 5 to 7 days and vomiting within 1 to 2 days, so the appetite normally follows soon after.

How do you keep track of drinking and the wider picture?

Four things end up mattering: how much your child drank across the day, when the last wet nappy was, what their temperature was and when, and whether anything was eaten at all. After 36 hours of illness that blurs reliably in your head — especially if you and your partner are taking turns at night.

In Mona you log fluids, temperature and every dose of medicine in seconds, and you can see at a glance whether enough has added up over the day or whether the curve is tipping. That is exactly the information that decides whether you call today or wait until tomorrow.

It pays off at the appointment. Your GP will ask: when did they stop eating, how much are they drinking, when was the last wet nappy, how high was the temperature last night? Those answers are already in your log instead of being guessed from memory.

When does the appetite come back?

Usually as your child improves. In children, vomiting normally stops within 1 to 2 days and diarrhoea within 5 to 7 days, and eating tends to pick up shortly after — often in odd combinations at first. That is unremarkable as long as your child is alert, responsive and drinking.

Use the temperature as your other marker: a high temperature is 38C or more, and one lasting 5 days or more needs to be checked by your GP regardless of how much your child is eating. Our guide on how to judge a fever covers what the numbers mean.

If poor appetite carries on well past the illness, or your child is visibly losing weight, raise it at the next appointment. It does not need an emergency slot — but it does belong on the list.

Frequently asked questions about a sick child not eating

How long can a sick child eat almost nothing?

A few days of poor appetite during an infection is normal, as long as your child keeps drinking and stays responsive. The appetite returns as they get better. What matters is fluid, not food: fewer wet nappies than usual, no tears when crying or a sunken soft spot mean you should get urgent advice.

What can I offer a sick child who will not eat?

Something light is enough: soup, yoghurt or a little fruit. Offer small amounts more often rather than full meals, and let your child choose. If they have been sick or had diarrhoea, keep to plain food and avoid anything fatty or spicy until things settle.

My child is barely drinking either — what now?

That is the point where you get help. Call your GP or NHS 111 the same day if your child is under 5 and showing dehydration signs such as fewer wet nappies than usual. Until then, offer fluid by the spoonful every few minutes, and keep breast or bottle feeding babies as normal.

How do I know my child has not had enough to drink?

Look for fewer wet nappies than usual, few or no tears when they cry, sunken eyes, a sunken soft spot on a baby's head, and unusual drowsiness or irritability. Nappies filling at the usual rate are the simplest reassuring sign that enough is going in.

Should I persuade my child to eat?

Offer, do not force. NHS advice for a child with a high temperature is to give food only if they want it — the appetite comes back on its own as they improve. A friendly offer every few hours is enough. Spend the effort on fluids instead, by the spoonful if that is what works.

My child still eats little after the illness — is that normal?

An appetite that returns gradually is not unusual, as long as your child is active, drinking and back to themselves. If poor eating continues well beyond the illness, or your child is visibly losing weight, mention it at the next GP appointment so it can be looked at properly.

Summary: when is not eating a reason to call?

Situation	What to do
Pale, blue, grey or blotchy skin; unusually drowsy or confused; difficulty breathing	Call 999
Stiff neck, non-blanching rash, vomit like ground coffee or green vomit	Call 999 / go to A&E
Under 5 with dehydration signs such as fewer wet nappies than usual	Call 111 or your GP urgently
Under 3 months with 38C or higher; 3 to 6 months with 39C or higher	Call 111 or your GP urgently
Diarrhoea over 7 days or vomiting over 2 days (under 5); temperature 5 days or more	GP appointment
Eating little but drinking, alert, nappies as usual	Watch and keep offering fluids — log it in Mona