10 month old has stopped eating properly

[rollerbaby]

My 10 mth old son has been pretty good eater until the last few days. He would have toast/rusks/fruit or yoghurt in the morning then purée casserole or pasta sauce of some description. Now he point blank refuses anything on a spoon (except breakfast, fruit or yoghurt). I've tried finger foods like pasta, cheese on toast etc but he chews, spits it out and eats hardly anything. I'm really worried he isn't getting enough and that this is the start of a bad eating habit. Help I feel at my wits end. Tonight I tried spaghetti pasta and had a pureed version at the ready but both failed and he ate fruit and rusk. We're having to reintroduce bottles (2 extra a day) whereas we were on 3 per day. Feel like I'm going backwards!

Perhaps he doesn't like the pureed food anymore, but you could try mashing or chopping it instead? My DD is 10 months and she's now eating more chopped up food rather than purees alongside some finger food (although it does take aaages for her to eat a decent amount if just finger food!). Some of my friends have found that their babies reject the spoon at this age but it was just a short phase and more textured food on a spoon has been the answer.

As we know they are all different and do things at their own rate but if he's having more milk he won't starve, just persevere with different textures and a mixture of finger foods and I'm sure he'll start taking more food in.

Good luck!

If it's just the last few days then there is no reason to be concerned yet. It could be teething, or maybe your baby is going through a phase. My daughter, who is 18 months, has off days like these. Today, for instance, she ate a little bit of cereal in the morning, then some pasta for lunch and then a little bit of juice and milk for dinner. She refused everything else.

I think the best thing to do is not to panic. Remember, human beings are intelligent enough to understand their own nutritional needs. Your baby knows better - follow his lead. Secondly, it is worth sticking to the food offered at the beginning of the meal. Running around getting everything out of the fridge and the cupboard in case something might inspire your little one, will only introduce further problems.

Hope it all works out...

Although not much help, but my DS is exactly the same and has started waking at night for milk as not eating enough during the day. I'm trying the 'it's just a phase' mantra, but, like, you, feel like I'm stepping backwards with giving more milk.
I did a mix of BLW and puree but he's only eating apple, cucumber and dairylea crackers at the moment.
I read on another site that at this age alot of babies start getting fussy and it's a way of assering independence or something;not much use when everything is going on the floor or in the cats! But they do get over it and maybe more milk is an option for now.
Sorry I can't offer help but know what you are going through.

Thanks all. It is dead stressful isn't it Didster? I will just persevere and up the milk in the meantime chanting "it will pass"!

It's sooo stressful, especially after being an 'eat everything in front of him' baby! It WILL pass (and repeat) (alot).

My two DDs have both gone through phases of liking particular types of food, then going off their old favourites totally. I just experimented and eventually found replacements for the foods they were refusing.

In your DS's case, as it seems he is going off most things, and it's only been a couple of days, perhaps this might be teething or even a sore throat. DD2 eats everything in sight usually, but a bad throat or nasty teething pain just puts her off swallowing / chewing / putting anything much in her mouth at all. If it goes on, you could pop him down to the GP.

DD1 has a few food allergies, and on top of that is quite fussy, so I can symapthise with how stressful this is for you! I've had several conversations with paediatricians about how much and what DD1 will eat (at one point mainly ham and breadsticks, and ready brek), and have been told that so long as she is thriving, then not to worry. Easier said than done, but I do my best to follow his advice and not stress. Your DS is still eating, just a little unconventionally at the moment, so he will be getting enough food (he would demand / eat more if he was hungry). Hope it get's better soon.

When DD is like this she's normally coming down with something and eats loads when she feels better. Try to relax and don't worry about it. Keep offering food and see how you go. Good luck