8 yr old not eating the whole day

[Skk22]

My 8 yr son won't eating anything from school or after school care, he hardly drink water too. He is having breakfast and dinner without much problem( he takes at least an hour though). When we ask he says he was talking to his friends while lunch time, most of the time its hardly a bite, sometimes he doesn't even open his lunch box. Some times seems he is having lack of concentration. He is really lean, underweight and has deficiency in iron, multivitamin.
Any suggestions/ comments

[specialmom]

I went to my sons' lunch several times while in Elementary school and one thing I was struck by is that it is SOOOO fast.  20 minutes is the norm for elementary lunch time.  And it's like that blast of free time during the day.  Kids get excited to socialize and eat.  Ask if it is a problem with buying verses packing  If all his friends buy, he may sit at a table alone with a packed lunch and others sit and he doesn't get to eat with his friends of if he buys, they may sit and then he doesn't find a space after he gets out of the lunch line.  Both have happened to my boys.  We adjust what we do between buying and packing to make finding a spot with friends easier.  Second, make lunch easy to eat.  Nothing cumbersome and focus on things he an pop in his mouth while he's talking.  And third, get the teacher/staff involved. My younger son was telling me he hardly ad time to eat and I talked to his teacher.  They allowed him 5 extra minutes.  He got to where he didn't need it but if this is a problem, you might find they help.  Lunch rooms are staffed with helper teachers (sometimes parents) and they can remind, make sure he drinks his milk or something until he gets into a habit of eating.  His teacher could also remind him to get a drink during water breaks (all classes when in and out of recess usually give these) as well as inquire if he can bring a water bottle to school (my sons always have).  

good luck (is he losing weight, by the way?)

[Sandman2]

Wow, that has got to be scary.
There are really good tasting liquid suppliments like "Ensure" that are loaded with with all kinds of important things.  I would try one of the chocolate ones first for obvious reasons.  But you may have to try several different brands or flavors till you find one he likes.  They do taste better cold...but a cold pack and a lunch box will take care of that problem.  

The next problem is why the eating problem.  Kids with ADHD on medication have this problem.  But, I think you would have mentioned this.  So my question would be - has he always had this problem or is this something new this year?

And kids with Sensory Processing disorder can have a very hard time with food.  Is he a very picky eater in that there are only some things he will eat and some textures really bother him?

At home, does he eat all his dinner? but just takes a really long time?   Is he watching tv or anything that distracts him during dinner?   Does he go a long time inbetween bites or does he chew and chew and chew?

Oh, how do you know he has a, "deficiency in iron, multivitamin."  Has he been tested?