12 and half months old and EATING has become a struggle...

OK this week has become an eating struggle... I'm getting very frustrated

They used to be superb eaters and would try things but now they wont even open their mouths for things on a spoon (unless it's yoghurt! ) (They used to eat mash veggies with cheese, lightly pureed veggies - but now no)

They WILL finger food - various veggies (pumpkin etc.), fruit, scrambled egg, bread, veggie nuggets, cheese on toast, puffs, rice cakes, teething biscuits.... But only a few bits before they get bored. Apart from bread.....
THey will eat 1/2 an avocado each IF I'm feeding them out of their highchairs....

They will take a few spoonfuls of tofu then no....

They will eagerly eat MY cereal (shredded wheat with soya milk) from my spoon when I'm eating my breakfast in the morning but absolutely refuse to eat THEIR baby cereal (mixed with fruit). Do I try them with 'adult' cereals? What about their iron needs?

I'm tempted to let them go hungry and see what happens next meal time, is this OK to do?

They only have TWO teeth each so the choices are still limited.....

Why are they refusing food?

They HAVE been a bit feverish this week due to their shots they had last week, is this affecting it? Should I be patient?
THanks in advance. By the way this is my first post in the 1-4 forum!

 

First question is: Are they still on formula or breastmilk? If they are then dont worry too much.

They could be teething. Sore gums will prevent a child from eating, so some tylenol may be the trick if thats what it is.

I have to tell you what a peditrician told me years ago.

When a child is small do not look at what they eat over the course of one day. Look at what they eat over the course of one week. Most of the time when you do that you will see that your child has had a very balanced diet.

My kids still have days where all they want is one thing. That one thing could be fruit, breads, meats. This doesnt happen everyday now that they are older, but it still does happen.

I would try not to worry too much about their food intake right now. Give it some time and just keep at it. The only thing you can do is to offer it. When they get hungry they will eat.

Also try to remember that their stomachs are as big as their fists. It only takes a few bites of food before they are full. Thats why meals AND snacks are so important.

Oh yea! If they are not going through a growth spurt they wont eat as much either. AND the shots could affect how they eat as well.

 

my first thought was that they only have 2 teeth so chances are, they are teething and have more on the way. my girls went through this and still do when they are cutting a new tooth (we only have a couple left to go). I was told that they will eat when they are hungry. nothing will happen to them if they skip a meal. Try to give them a little but if they stop eating then I was told you should never force them to eat. Also, certain foods you will probably find will be more appealing to them than others. For the longest time, my one dd just didn't want to eat anything hot (well warm really). I don't know if it affected her gums and incoming teeth but she got very selective about what she would eat. Yogurt seemed to always stay a winner with them as the cold probably felt good.

They just seem to go through phases of eating and not eating and I don't know if it's even always related to teething. I think they just slow down at some point and then they seem to always be hungry at other times. From their 12 month appt to their 18 month appt they only gained 3lbs (only 1 lb was gained between the 15 and 18 month appts.). I wouldn't worry at all about it. They WILL eat when they are hungry. Thankfully, babies just don't starve themselves.

 

One of my girls only has two teeth and she eats everything her sister (who has 8 teeth) does. They mash food with their gums, so you're safe there.

If they just aren't hungry, then not eating for a single meal I don't think will be an issue. My girls have done that on occasion. BUT, if you know there are certain things they will eat, why not give it to them? They are still very young and have a long learning road ahead of them as far as food is concerned.

Sometimes Lauren won't eat her breakfast and then will beg to have bites of my cereal, so I give her some.

 

QUOTE(christineinhk @ Nov 17 2007, 04:28 AM) [snapback]499715[/snapback]
They will eagerly eat MY cereal (shredded wheat with soya milk) from my spoon when I'm eating my breakfast in the morning but absolutely refuse to eat THEIR baby cereal (mixed with fruit). Do I try them with 'adult' cereals? What about their iron needs?


Mine, too!!! It drives me nuts! LOL I now make them their own cereal mix and put it on their trays...they love my boring cereal. I agree with PP, they might be teething. Also, my babies will not eat anything from a spoon (unless they see me eating it, too!?) I give them little bits at a time, when I put a ton of their trays - they start to play with it. Also, if I cut things in little boxes, my DS will much more than in different shapes...it is really just trial and error. Try different things if you can...

Hang in there - it can be a pain...now, when they eat my cereal I love it because one day they will ignoring me when they are teenagers. :huh:

 

Eating here has always been a struggle. But now it is getting worse and I am getting worried since we are transitioning to milk. I can't just rely on formula. I don't have much advice for you but I am curious to see what others say and can tell you that you are not alone.

 

It must be a phase after turning a year because mine are doing the exact same thing. If it was up to them, they would only eat fruit and veggies all day. Not a huge problem because obviously fruit and veggies are nutritious but it is odd because some of the stuff they loved before, they just don't want right now (i.e. pieces of chicken, bagel, toast etc).

Like the pp's said above, it could also be teething or their needles or really just tastebuds changing.

Hope it isn't too frustrating for you. I know for lunchtime today I found it VERY frustrating. They were either crying or hitting the spoon or throwing food off their trays. Then everything was fine when I fed them apples and pears!

 

QUOTE(christineinhk @ Nov 16 2007, 11:28 PM) [snapback]499715[/snapback]
They will eagerly eat MY cereal (shredded wheat with soya milk) from my spoon when I'm eating my breakfast in the morning but absolutely refuse to eat THEIR baby cereal (mixed with fruit). Do I try them with 'adult' cereals? What about their iron needs?


Have you tried giving them adult oatmeal? My kids love it. They eat oatmeal with bits of fruit in it every morning. Although the do still want my food, too. I think that is just curiosity.

As for letting them "go hungry" until the next meal...According to our pedi, this is perfectly OK. Their nutrition needs change depending on if they are going through a growth spurt and other factors. They will eat when they get hungry and I was told not to worry about it.

Any other advise does have to be based on whether or not you have switched to milk or are still doing formula or breast milk since the majority of their calories are supposed to come from formula if they are on it.

 

Thank you so much to all of you for reassuring me. YES the girls are still drinking formula. After reading everyone's comments, we were more casual at breakfast & lunch today. They picked a little at food and we cleaned up without making it a big issue....

 

Also good to know that they CAN skip a meal from time to time. I LOVE the review what they've eaten during the week rather than by the day. We can relax more about it.

And yes they could be teething too as still two teeth each. Bringing up children is a whole new world for me!

 

My guys are doing the same thing. I think it's a phase. They are so busy right now that eating just isn't high priority. I try not to push food on them...although there have been times when I'll push a piece of something to their mouths just so they taste it. (Of course they usually figure out they like the taste and want more of it. ) But I'm trying to stay relaxed about it. I keep offering them the things I cook, and they eat what they want. When they stop acting interested we get down. I don't fix just the things I know they'll eat because I don't want them to be picky eaters. We aren't going to live on fish sticks and bread (which is what my niece does because my brother and SIL know that's what she'll eat!)

Shannon

 

mine were garbage cans until they hit 13 mos...now we're down to a few choices...fortunately one of those is peanut butter so I know they get plenty of protein that way - the only other source of protein (really) is chicken nuggets...

sometimes I'll do breakfast for dinner (waffles or french toast sticks) - also sometimes giving them a spoon to play with can help you get a few more bites in...

also if they don't have a good day eating, I make sure they have a cup of milk before bed - at least I know they've gotten some nutrition in them and they're not hungry...

 

I'm feeling still quite frustrated. Ashley refuses anything on a spoon and MUST use her hands to take whatever is on the spoon, but then at least she tries to taste the food. Chloe covers her mouth with her hands and turns away. They both threw away previously liked food on the floor when I gave it to them as finger food. I was casual about it and just cleared up like
normal.

The only thing they ate this morning (apart from 4 oz formula each) was some yoghurt (which I put their piriton medicine in as they have runny noses)...

 

Dont stress too much. I am sure this has been going on for a while and it will stop.

I read somewhere that it takes an average of 10 times of you offering a food before a child will try it. Just keep at it. When they are hungry they will eat.

Some ideas of this that my kids loved at that age:

Gerber makes a toddler food that has sweet potatoes and carrots. I would grind up with my Magic Bullet some chicken, turkey, ham, or pork and stir it in with the sweet potatoes. My kids would eat every bite, every time.

Small pieces of banana, dry cereal or puffs, applesauce, mashed potatoes (with ground meat of some kind), cheesy eggs, bits of toast, etc

Just keep trying. Dont let the mess get you down. Can they feed themselves? Maybe you are fussing too much over them at meals? That will make a child a picky eater anyday.

Oh yea! I wanted to also mention this too. There was another mom (twinzmom2b) that had some problems with one of her girls eating. It turned out that she didnt like plastic spoons, she would only use metal. Becky had to go and find some small metal spoons for her. You might beh aving the same problem too.