Refusing to eat 1 year old! Help please!

[LPO]

My DS is turning 1 on Wednesday and over the past month he has been getting worse and worse at feeding time.
I put him in his highchair and he screams and tries to get out. He throws the spoon if I give it to him, he pushes anything away I put near his mouth and then will throw the bowl if he can get his hands on it!
I have tried all sorts of food and hand held foods (he throws these too). My first thought was teething or something, but it has been going on so long now and he screams for his dinner. The only way I can get ANYTHING in his mouth is to distract him with a toy or something, but eventually he gets bored again!

Any help would be great, as it is getting to the point where he doesn't eat anything at all in the day as I can't be doing with the arguing from him!

Also, I have cut out snacks and anything in the day to try to get him more hungry... this too hasn't worked.

Have you tried a different location, like moving his highchair so he has a more interesting view? Or playing nursery rhymes while he eats, DS loves that. Or, a carpet picnic!

i was in the same situation as you last year. the more my ds refused the more stressed i bacame. i know its hard but try not to show your distress or he will pick up on it and see as some sort of a game. i ended up buying a bowl that stuck with suction to the table. i also placed the food in front of him and walked away leaving him to eat it without being watched this actually worked for me as he never had anyone to stress out and got on with eating. hope you manage to find a way as it is very upsetting to see you child not eating

If you're cutting out snacks, maybe he's over-hungry?

I'd usually give some hand-held cooked veg in the afternoons when we were out walking and never insist he eat anything if he didn't want to.

I think at that stage he was a bit bored by sitting and eating so he ate more snacks when out and about.

I have tried moving him to lots of different rooms in the house, and yes, I have also tried music! It only seems to distract him for one spoonful and then it is back to the nightmare!

My issue is that if i put any food infront of him, he just immediately throws it on the floor.

The snacks have only been cut-out recently to TRY to get him to eat.

I would refuse to eat a 1yr old too.

My DS was exactly like this too from around the age of 11 months he just got worse and worse and the only way I could feed him was by giving him interesting objects to look at by way of distraction. I spoke to the HV about it at his 1 year check and she gave me great advice:

Don't show DS that you are stressed/anxious about how much he does doesn't eat. Respond exactly the opposite way and act very bored and disinterested by his eating/throwing food etc.

Only let each meal last 20 mins max. Regardless of how much or how little he has eaten remove the food calmly without comment and take him out his highchair. If the meal is uneaten leave on the side for 30mins to give him the option of coming back to it if he changes his mind.

Don't over face him - give him a small selection if finger foods, some that he likes some new foods/ones that he doesn't like. You can always offer more if nec. My DS really likes picnic type lunches which involve him choosing from a range of snacks laid out on his tray - eg ham, cheese, breadsticks, hummus, cucumber, banana etc etc It probably makes him feel like he is in control

Only offer fruit and yoghurt for pudding.

Offer only fruit for snacks.

Try to eat together as much as poss and show him that food is fun to eat. My DS first tried spaghetti because I showed him him how to suck it up - probably not great manners but at least it got him liking it!!

My DS still isn't a brilliant eater in terms of quantity but he does enjoy being at the table and will try new foods. He is gradually getting better and his repertoire is gradually increasing. Sometimes I do worry a lot about the amount he eats but he is so active, healthy and happy that i've really no need. I think it's just the way he is. I hope this helps and good luck!

Thank you so much boredwithfoodprob.
It is good to hear that my DS isn't the only one and that it is more common than I worry.

Your advice is very much appreciated, I think finger food is definately the way forward for now. My only concern withh all finger food is, how will he then learn not to use his fingers, and to use cutlery when he gets slightly bigger?

Thanks again!