We have a 17 month old that pretty much survives on formula. He will eat breakfast but for the rest of the day hardly eats a thing (he is on losec). We have screaming matches when it is time to eat. I can hear him continiously swallowing most of the day. We just had a barium swallow this morning but everything seems normal (however they said it would make him constipated, but it certainly didn't - it came out within an hour of him having the stuff). Also he won't drink water or juice. He is constantly sick with a sore throat etc - I presume because he doesn't get enough vitamins/nutrients etc. He also spends most of the day grizzling/crying and wanting to be held.
Any suggestions re getting him to eat?

Sounds like there might be some food intolerances going on that are causing his reflux to flare up. My two at 19 months (nearly) exist only on rice and lamb cause they react to EVERYTHING else ... food reactions cause their reflux to flare up, which means they stop eating and even drinking if it's bad.

I would suggest keeping a food diary as it was the only way for us to figure out what they were reacting to. If it's a bad reaction it'll show up within an hour, but less severe reactions can take up to 3 days to show up. They get the regurgitation, diahhroa, nappy rash, tummy cramps, and then all the associated not eating drinking or sleeping ....

My two are drinking around 800ml a day of concentrated formula as they eat so little ... less than the equivalent of one jar of baby food a day ...

Sounds like his reflux isnt well controlled . What dose of losec he is on. Maybe see your GP or pead to see if his doseage is OK for his wieght.Here are some guidelines. Also food is a BIGGIE here to with my 6yr old refluxer.
http://www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz/MedicalTreatment/DosageSchedule.htm
Good Luck its not easy

Thanks - yes, it isn't easy. I have kept a food diary but doesn't seem to be any consistency and we have had food allergy test but nothing has shown up. Dolphin - what concentrated formula are you using and is that advice from your doctor? I have checked the dose chart and it he is on the right amount. I honestly don't know how some people cope.....

Our girls haven't show up positive in any of the food testing, which our immunologist isn't surprised at. They have a delayed gut reaction, and occassionally get hives/rash, but it's mostly gut stuff. And this kind of reaction is reasonably common with our reflux babies.

The concentrated formula we're on is on the advice of the dietician. My girls were classified as Failure to Thrive and basically with all the bottle aversion they had they stopped growing for quite some time. So the concentrated formula is to get extra calories into them in the attempt to keep them growing. Cause there's a really big correlation between weight and height growth and developmental growth. So if they stop putting on weight consistently their development slows down/stops ... sigh .... My girls are offered bottles of 210ml of water with neocate. So normally this would be 7 scoops of neocate, but we're doing 9 scoops. This is the max we're allowed though as it puts too much stress on their kidneys .... I wouldn't concentrate your bottles till you've spoken with a gp or dietician ... as it all depends on regular weight gain and diet (which stinks with my two).

My girls also have issues with our wool carpet and Jess gets a contact exzema from it. They also have MAJOR problems with contact with anything plant related ... so grasses, flowers, etc etc .... So there's all the other environmental issues to consider too ...

I hear you on all your saying... and its not easy! Our son is 2 and under a few different specialist in what they call a feeding team. It consists of a Speech language therapist, Local paed, gastro paed, Child psychologist and a dietician... with the aim to get him eating. What I learnt though is to ignore all the negative food behavior so if he doesnt eat thats fine offer it and leave it or remove it. Distraction at the park, mall etc can work at times... also making food fun like Jelly to play with etc. We too fall back on neocate formula to make sure his diet isnt to poor so we know hes at least getting some nutieitns. How is your son weight wise? Lucky for us leo will eat puree mixed veges and hot and potatoe chips till there coming out his ears! So if all else fails there is something which he will eat most of the time. IS there anything that your son likes? Did he go through the puree, mash lumps etc? they think that leo hasnt developed orally as he should due to ongoing reflux and negative food associations. Bit of a novel but hope some ideas help

What does he eat for breakfast?
A negative barium swallow does not exclude reflux, only gross abnormalaties. It is good to have had it done.
How is his weight? Have his iron levels been checked?
What formula is he on? If he isn't gaining enough weight, a formula like Neocate can help purely from the absorption point of view without an allergy.
Would love to talk to you more. Feel free to contact me. My contact number is on http://www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz