Baby sobs when food is finished despite big portions

[Kobrien]

Hi all, I'm struggling with my 6 month old baby who cries hysterically after every meal even though i have been slowly weaning him for a few weeks. He loves everything i give him and He is now on 3 meals a day and has around a 1oz/2oz pot of 'main course' and then the same again in fruit/yoghurt to end the meal. I don't want to feed him anymore as I have been slowly building up the portion sizes and he does not know when he is full and would carry on eating until he vomits.He is the same on the breast and will never come off naturally, just keeps sucking away but not really eating. Each meal time is very traumatic as he is so upset when its over. How do i know how much food to give him when he is quite greedy and wont stop by himself?

[LittleBearPad]

If he's sobbing then I think he's possibly still hungry and would offer more.

Can you give him some finger food that he can give himself, carrot/cucumber/bread sticks etc. Might make his dinner last a bit longer whilst he plays with it which means he might realise he's not hungry anymore.

[workingtitle]

My DS has a massive appetite and tbh I just let him carry on eating--he hasn't climbed centiles (now 11months) despite eating like a horse. Some babies are just really into their food.
If you're not doing it already, how about some finger food at the end of the meal, when he might still be hungry/think he's hungry? I found doing them at the start didn't work til DS was about 9months as he was just desperate to eat. The kind of things I gave him to start with were roasted veg, toast fingers with butter, sticks of cheese etc.

[todayisnottheday]

Comfort sucking whilst bf isn't really the same as eating solid foods though. Have you tried giving him more? Has he actually eaten until he was sick or is it something you worry about?

[gamerchick]

Could you maybe just put a banana in front of him to faff on with? It may distract him enough for his food to fill his tummy up properly.

[harverina]

I think I would be inclined to give him more and see how he is. Obviously if be gets to the stage where he is being sick after meals then rethink it but he if he is still taking a decent amount of milk feeds as well as solids then I can see no harm on offering some more to avoid him becoming upset. I generally just feed dd2 until she refuses any more.

[itsmecathy]

My ds was doing a similar thing, I introduced more puree and less finger food - i pretty much feed him until he starts to look around and get distracted! He is still following the same percentile so i'm happy with this. Also I give him a few ounces of milk when he wakes up ,about a half hour before his solid feed, this seemed to take the edge off his hunger and stopped him acting 'frantic', he seems to enjoy his food more now rather than just rushing it through hunger!

[Dontlaugh]

Well, unless he is hugely overweight, or underweight, then I'd follow his cues really. If he's where he should be on his growth chart, then I'd be inclined to offer a snack after his meals, finger food he has to "work" on, like rice cakes, corn snacks, banana etc. It may distract him and focus his energy on eating, rather than filling up, if that makes sense.
I would totally be led by his development, weight etc.

[Lucked]

At the end of the meal I give mine something to gnaw on like a bread stick or rice cake and while they are occupied with it I get them out the high chair. The distraction seems to work. My dc2 also loves food and eats too much and has been sick on occasion. My dc1 stops as soon as full and can be disinterested in food so this was all new to me.

[tobysmum77]

I'd stop giving him purees and let him feed himself. That will help him to manage his appetite as it is harder work.

[Picklesauage]

I would second those ideas, my DD is slight and y'all, but has alway eaten her peers under the table. She eats like a horse and always has. Give him a bit more and then offer strips of toast or cucumber to chew for a slower end to the meal.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Are you giving him the solids roughly an hour after a bf? What is a typical day's food for him?

[Enjoyingmycoffee1981]

I would absolutely give more. Your six month old is crying hysterically at the end of mealtime. That is not normal. He is trying to tell you be is hungry. Has he actually ever vomited through being full of food?

[Kobrien]

Thanks all for your advice. I do give him finger food after his meal but he often keeps crying as though he is frustrated that its not easy enough! I have been slowly increasing his portions and it doesn't seem to help the tears, and yes he does vomit afterwards. Its as though he enjoys the experience of eating rather than being starving hungry as his cries would have you think. Its a bit of a mystery, I understood their stomach was as big as their fist and sometimes he is eating about 4 times that and still looking for more!!!

[purplemurple1]

Has he been sick often when bf?
Could it be reflux or a mild allergy so he crys for food because his stomach or throat hurts and eating gives a temp relief. But the reflux or what ever makes him sick afterwards.

Is he gaining weight as expected?
Could you try spoon feeding lumpier food so it sits heavier in his stomach and less likely to come back up, also requires a little chewing so some work for him without the frustration of finger food.

[Rt94]

Hi,

I know this was several years ago but my 9 month old has this exact same problem and I've never come across anyone else with the same issue! The doc/health visitor have no idea what's wrong with him. Did you ever come to a solution? Did it just improve with age?

[LeGrandBleu]

@Rt94 What do you give to your baby. It is hard to give advice if we don't know what you give to him.
If you are offering something similar to the original poster from 2014, I would say that a "1oz/2oz pot of 'main course'" isn't actually that much. 25g gr or 50 gr of an industrial preparation will have a high content in water and maybe not even 5 or 10 gr of chicken.

Give us more details of his day meals in general

[Rt94]

Hi,

An example meal would be tonight's dinner, he had half of a small fillet of fish, plus 4 tablespoons of mashed potato and a couple tablespoons mashed carrot. He cried after so I gave him a yogurt pot and some fruit. Still cried hysterically after. He does the same with his milk, he will drink continuously until he is sick if I allowed him to.

[LeGrandBleu]

How is he in between meals, happy baby or crying and constantly pointing at fridge, pantry, high chair and when out and he sees food, he cries?
If the answer to the above is no, try changing the type of food you are offering. Maybe he needs more volume and time to feel satiated independently of what is in the plate. Make some hearty soup and add some lentils or chickpeas before blending it. Make a veggie risotto still quite soupy and put a knob of butter and some parmesan, but really I would try a variety of soups, even with some pieces of meat, chicken, which take longer to eat and are healthy. Here you can take some ideas www.acouplecooks.com/italian-soup-recipes/

When you say half a fish filet, how big is that, your hand? your palm? his hand?

What did the doctor say and what next steps is he suggesting?

[clarad83]

My 9 month old also does this after every meal but then goes off to play and is perfectly fine. I think they're just enjoying the food and get upset when it's done, whether they are full or not. I don't think overfeeding would be a good idea. You want to create good eating habits early.