Baby not eating - at my wits end!

[jent85]

I think this might be a common thing so forgive me for asking but I'm genuinely at the end of my tether.

My 15 month old has been a good eater since birth, EBF until 1 yo and solids since 7 month. I've made all their food from scratch - blended veg/meat/fish and pasta etc - they'd eat anything.

Until now...

On a good day, they'll eat their breakfast (porridge, yogurt and half a banana) then pick throughout the day until a proper dinner at about 4/5pm. Because they're tiny and was premature and keeps dropping percentiles, I've been told by my HV just to feed them little and often (no major weight issue, just teeny tiny). But now...they won't eat. They've refused porridge, toast, banana and pancake this morning so far. They've drank their milk and now is pointing at the advent calendar asking for chocolate. I'm generally pretty good with their snacking and they'll only have something a bit naughty once a day if that. They've been a bit poorly the last week or so but been back to normal since about Wednesday.

I'm terrified they're going to drop even more weight so it's stressing me out so badly, which in turn I can see is effecting them. I don't want to project issues with food onto them (I have a v young female relative with a food issue so perhaps am a bit too food focused). What do I do? Let them graze and forgo "meals and mealtimes" for now or try and force them to eat breakfast/lunch/dinner? I'm stuck!

Thanks for all your advice (first time Mum, can you tell?? )

Just offer something you know your child likes,if it's turned down just leave it(tempting though it is to offer alternatives).I remember my DD being like this,just not hungry sometimes and eating ok other days.Wanting chocolate just sounds like not hungry to me.
Give plenty of water to drink and unexciting snacks if needed but not before meals.

I'd say you're doing everything right and offering nutritional foods. Maybe let them snack if they want to, try to avoid chocolate too much though.

Could you maybe find a healthy biscuit recipe or something? So it's a 'treat' there are plenty of them on pinterest or maybe make a smoothie? So you're getting some calories in them?

My little one used to sense my desire for them to eat and encouraging made it worse so I'd just pay no attention and it seemed to help.

Sorry I can't offer more help

My 11 month old is fussy like this, and on bad days I do a few bowls of different stuff and leave it out and around and ignore it. He generally will pick at stuff and before I know it has had a decent meal. Keep an eye on bowls getting thrown about though! Same technique but I put him in his chair with a distraction (often a piece of baby cutlery or another bowl) and feed him myself, he eats very absent mindedly but well.

Ah thank you - thats all really good advice and if I'm honest, think I need some acknowledgement that I'm doing the "right" thing.

Snack wise, she'll have fruit, raisins, I make banana pancakes, breadsticks and the like, the only chocolate she has is 1 advent calendar chocolate a day if we remember but I worry she'll start rejecting healthy and want sugary stuff now.

On a plus note, she's fantastic as drinking water and milk - perhaps the milk is filling her up?

I think I perhaps need to chill out like you said, she definitely senses my desperation sometimes. So hard isn't it I'm just desperate for her to put weight on.

Oh another sneaky technique is to put something sweet on a spoon as well first. I feed him some strawberry yoghurt, then the next spoon is half yoghurt half porridge or it's yoghurt with some fruit hidden in it.

My 15 month old is also going through similar. BLW since 6 months and initially would eat or at least try everything offered. Lately she basically survives on carbs. Food she previously loved she won't even touch. I just keep offering everything I cook with at least one thing on the plate I know she'll definitely eat. Hoping it's just a stage.

Has she got a sore throat?

@Myyearmytime Nursery said they think she did about 2 weeks ago. But she had a period of about 4/5 days of eating normally so I figured it was all better. Argh, I feel really bad now it literally didn't cross my mind that could be it