They are totally refusing all foods!

The girls have never been great eaters. Truth be told it's always been a struggle but they would at least eat. For the last week they've eaten less and less and now they want NOTHING! They spit out their food (table food) within seconds of me putting it in their mouth. They don't want anything that isn't pureed and even that is getting harder and harder to get in them. I'm at my wits end and just cried right along with them this morning. I'm ready to go back to work. I thought I would take another year off but I don't think I can handle feeding two underweight babies that refuse to eat. Maybe if someone else who is more emotionally removed from the situation gives it a try it might be better. Any advice? Let them go on a hunger strike even though they barely weigh 16 1/2 and 19 1/2 lbs? :cray:

 

i would say try different foods..

i mix.. peas and apple sauce

peas and cream cheese.. add chicken you have a meal..

be sure you feed them smaller than bite size pieces..

i feed my kids tiny pieces and they are almost 2 and 3

i have 8 general foods that we eat.. peas carrots broccoli and green beans..

cken liver worst, beef , bologna..

i fluctuate between the 8 adding sometheng here and there.

we also have fruit daily and

no bread maccaroni..substances..

i cut everything
and
add cheese as a sauce but dont feed them cheese slices..

good luck.. dont give up..

try liver worst slices..

 

ps .. bananas still go bad in our house.. and they are messy to clean out of the carpet..

so i feed baby bananas.. the thing i

didnt tell you was the gerber diced carrots, green beans.. are awsome..

easy to go.. take them anywhere..

 

My boys have the same problems. They are 18 months and weight about 18.5 and 20.5 lbs.

They used to be ok eaters, but since starting daycare would refuse everything.

Our pedi suggested the hunger strike thing, which we tried for almost 2 days, but they just didn't eat. Her theory was that they would eat when they were hungry - um...no.

So...we've ditched our pedi's advice. We know of a few things they will eat and use those a lot.

We have started just last week giving them pureed baby food - a jar or 2 before each meal, otherwise they don't eat any fruits or veggies.

Breakfast - A jar of fruit and we know they like the Maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal - I know it's sugary but IMO, it's better that they eat that than nothing. They usually eat a pack each, followed by a bottle of milk each with a pack of carnation instant breakfast split between them. That's everymorning. Sometimes they'll eat french toast or waffles (has to have syrup) but that's hit and miss

Lunch - at daycare they may eat some bread, but usually not. I've stocked their bag with nutrigrain bars, more instant oatmeal, apples sauce and baby food. Again, something is better than not eating at all

Dinner - on Daycare days I make chicken nuggets and fries every day. It's one of the only things they will eat for dinner so i don't change it. When they are home we give them a jar or 2 of baby food, and try to feed them what we eat (which doens't always work) and if they don't eat that, then it's bread with butter.

If they eat good, we'll give them a pudding as a "reward" afterwards, but they have to eat. So that doens't happen that much.

Again, this has only been the last few weeks because before that they werne't eating anything. I changed from my pedi to family Dr for them and she agreed with me that it's better that they eat something, even if it is sugary oatmeal and pureed food, and right now the most important thing to me is getting something in them.

So, my suggestion is to find a few things they do like and stick to them, give them pureed food if necessary and maybe talk to your Dr about pediasure or carnation as a supplement with their milk?

*hugs*

I know they stress of underweight babies and their eating. Hang in there.

 

QUOTE(****mws**** @ Jun 26 2007, 04:36 PM) [snapback]307628[/snapback]
i would say try different foods..

i mix.. peas and apple sauce

peas and cream cheese.. add chicken you have a meal..

be sure you feed them smaller than bite size pieces..

i feed my kids tiny pieces and they are almost 2 and 3

i have 8 general foods that we eat.. peas carrots broccoli and green beans..

cken liver worst, beef , bologna..

i fluctuate between the 8 adding sometheng here and there.

we also have fruit daily and

no bread maccaroni..substances..

i cut everything
and
add cheese as a sauce but dont feed them cheese slices..

good luck.. dont give up..

try liver worst slices..


Thanks! I've tried all those and many many more. About the only thing they eat right now is gerber green beans and cheese...and bananas sometimes.

Tulip1981, good to know I'm not alone. We give them jarred food too as I don't think they'll gain any weight eating cheese crumbles and green beans. We tried the pediasure and they won't take that either. I think we're going to see a nutritionist soon.

Thanks for all the support. It's actually lunch time now....wish me luck. <_<

 

My girls are like that and have been like that forever. Now that they can talk clearly it is worse. They cry all day, "mommy, I'm hungry!" Then, refuse everything I offer and say, "I don't like food, Mama!"

Usually they aren't that bad and there are some "safe" foods they will eat, but when they refuse those foods there's nothing left to give them. We actually have a referral to a feeding clinic that I need to schedule.

I would just give them baby food if they will eat it for now. They are still so young that I wouldn't stress about getting them on table food. When my girls decided they were too big for baby food, their food variety went wayyyy down! I wish they would still eat baby food. Were they premature, have reflux, or ever on a ventilator? That can cause a lot of issues.

You can also sprinkle powdered milk on their food or mix it in to add calories and it is tasteless and mostly undetectable. Good luck. It drives me insane some days!

Also, if it gets really bad and they start to make themselves sick from not eating (dizzy, shakes, weak, etc.) my pediatrician said to rub some cake gel onto their gums. She said it is absorbed directly through the skin so even if they gag and spit it out, they will get some of the sugar. It really seems to help my girls not get too sick when they are being particularly stubborn. That whole "kids won't starve themselves" saying does not always apply!

 

QUOTE(Lougood @ Jun 26 2007, 09:24 AM) [snapback]307615[/snapback]
I'm at my wits end and just cried right along with them this morning. I'm ready to go back to work.



:hug99:

I feel the same way but my daily frustration is over issues, but anyway about your problem. How about yogurt and oatmeal, if all else fails babies usually like that because it can be very bland. How about cherrios, they can't live off them the grains helps with filling them up. If they were taking some table food that shows that they know how to eat a wider variety of flavors and textures. My advise is to prepare the same dishes in a totally different way then you have before, and then give that recipe a couple of tries. Good Luck

 

I have good eaters but DS Grant has been picky on his veggies lately...but if give him Ranch dressing to dip them in or ketchup they get eaten much better. It will pass...Good Luck!

 

Lougood,

I swear, I JUST went through this. Lorien who is normally a great eater and eats everything and lots of it just completely stopped eating all table food. She would either just pick it up and squish it between her fingers or throw it on the floor. This went on for a full 7 days. Well, not only was she teething but she had some sort of stomach virus (we think). She was completely lethargic and not playing at all for SEVEN days. It was crazy. (I suspect she was lethargic from not eating). She would ONLY eat baby food so we had to go buy tons of it. She would drink most of her milk (although some bottles she would only drink half) but absolutely no table foods except for yogurt and sometimes some plain cheese. She pretty much would only eat things that i had to spoon feed her. Although she would eat fresh fruit. Anyway, she lost like 2 lbs!!! To the day that she finally came back around (just this past Sunday) Arwen got sick and was throwing up and has had diarreah since Sunday. Now SHE is not eating much table foods but will drink milk and water and eat some fruit. Lorien is completely back to normal and eating everything and anything again AND TONS OF IT. I think she is making up for those lost calories. Arwen does have 2 more teeth coming in so I'm sure that's affecting her and I'm assuming she has this virus thing since she has been having diarreah and throwing up. But she has her normal complete energy so I'm assuming she is ok for the most part. I know that once Arwen feels better, she will go back to eating again. Perhaps your girls are teething? Or have some sort of bug as well?? I hope they get back to eating soon and I wouldn't worry too much (although it's easier said than done). Whatever they are going through will most likely pass soon and they will probably go back to their normal eating. HTH and GL

 

wow, must be so frustrating. not sure since there are so many posts but have you tried the gerber graduates mac and cheese? it's shells in it and pretty mushy, My girls loved it for so long but then they got a taste of annies shells and cheese and won't go back, I try to mix the 2 together, also, gerber has mashed cheesy potatoes, it's got a few veggies in it and most of the time, my girls spit those out, but at least they are eating the potatoes. One more thing, sprinkle some wheat germ in the pureed foods, they can't taste it and it gives them a lot of vitamins....
good luck, hopefully they will turn a corner soon!!
Jennib9

 

alot of good tips here good luck

 

I totally know how you feel, one of my boys does that too. He'll go through stages where he wants nothing to do with food then, then he'll go though stages of being a good eater. Hang in there, they'll come around.

 

With our son, we are in occupational therapy for feeding issues. He has lots of sensory stuff going on though. Also because he's eating so little, we put Carnation Instant Breakfast in all his milk to help make sure he's still getting nutrition. Just keep offering them what you have been. All kids do go through this and really my 5 year old is still really picky (thank god Evy is a good eater or I'd wonder where I went wrong with my kids!).

 

Mine were hardly eating up until about 1 & 1/2 months ago. They were about 19 months and only at the 6% PERCENTILE for weight and we were very concerned.


The solution? We feel so stupid now, but we were giving them TOO MUCH MILK!!!

We took them off bottle during the day and switched to sippycups with water and a tiny bit of apple juice. they got and still get a bottle of milk before bed time.

WELL, they started eating more and more since they were soooo hungry. DUH????

 

I know you said they have never been great eaters - but maybe the reasons they've been even worse lately is teething related?? Recently my girls were refusing food and crying in their highchairs and I saw they were cutting 2 or 3 teeth each. I know it doesn't make it easier, but hopefully this really difficult time will just be a short phase.

 

Have you checked their throats? Maybe they're sore?

 

mine are going through this now and its an independence thing - they want to feed themselves - period the end...its very frustrating because at nearly 14 mos both are still under 20 lbs also....

so we're teaching them to use a spoon or letting them feed themselves off the tray (grilled cheese, cut up nuggets etc...) no matter how messy it is - I just throw them in the tub after dinner if its particularly disgusting (last night was rigatoni with meat sauce - you should see those pics LOL)

 

:hug99: If they will eat the purees, I would feed them that for awhile. I know it's backstepping, but maybe they are teething(molars?) and it hurts to chew right now. I know you have really struggled with feeding these 2, I hope they start eating better for you soon. It's so nervewracking. :hug99:

 

Without reading all of the great advice you've gotten here, I'll say watch the milk intake they are getting. Milk is calories, and many babies over 1 dont' need all that milk. Also, avoid snacks for a while. Start out one morning with nothing ... no milk, no water ... and make it fun, not stressful. I would START OVER by giving them some control, like holding a graham cracker and nibbling on it. This also teaches them to chew, which is the hardest part for new eaters. Bananas can be slimy ... in fact most first fruits can be that way. You might try blueberries. I think it was one of the first fruits my girls showed a real love for. I would have never thought that.

Try making different cuts of foods ... frozen waffles are great for nibbling and teething. Let them learn to chew on those, while absorbing some calories.

Small chunks of meatballs might go over well, too. Fried egg yolk or scrambled eggs were also a big hit for us at that age. Again, try to vary the sizes ... the right bite for you might not be the right bite size for them.

Experiment ... only you can figure out what works for them. Even now, one day I'll give my girls a food and they gobble it up, the next they reject it and throw it. Breathe. Take lots of breaths and don't worry about it too much. If you truly suspect weight loss ... definitely see the doctor.