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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

11 month old suddenly refusing food

8 replies

AnIncandescentGlow · 08/03/2026 13:21

A week or so ago my little boy stopped eating as much as before, in quantity and variety. He would normally eat most things and in a good amount. I'd cut up whatever we ate and he'd enjoy it.

Now, he barely touches anything. He started wanting toast with his meals, but now wont eat much of that either. I'm finding myself scrambling around at meal times trying to sort out other bits for him to eat and not getting to sit down much and enjoy my meals.

He likes finger foods, so I'm trying to incorporate more of those, but it's still a gamble as to whether he'll have it. I dont have time to be making loads of different finger food friendly meals as back up. He doesn't seem to be getting much food in at all. We do wonder if a molar might be coming, but it's hard to tell.

He also doesn't have much milk anymore. He's self weaned onto 2 breastfeeds a day. But he doesnt have one at night, so if he doesnt eat much dinner I'm worried he'll start to wake up at night hungry.

People have said if he's hungry he'll eat, but he won't if there's nothing he fancies. If there's chips he'll have that, but i really dont want to be making chips everyday.

Please help, I'm really stressed about it. 😔

OP posts:
SleafordSods · 08/03/2026 17:21

Could it be that he’s realised other things might appear if he refuses the first thing offered?

rubyslippers · 08/03/2026 17:21

Teething?
painful gums

OverTired26 · 08/03/2026 17:27

Mine went through a very similar phase.. except she stopped all her prescribed amino acid formula too which was a nightmare. On dietician advice I just carried on doing exactly what I was doing which is giving her what I ate.

She refused for a few weeks and then went back to normal.

While a tooth appeared in that time, I'm not convinced it was 100% related.

A few more phases like this as she grew. I tended to follow a bit of a division of responsibility. I gave her nutritious means that I knew were things she liked (and one new thing potentially), she decided what to eat of it.

It's so hard when you think they're going hungry but even now at nearly 5 we have days she just doesn't eat much. Always goes back to normal after though!

mathanxiety · 08/03/2026 17:59

Don't scramble around finding alternatives.

Serve what you normally serve for dinner.

Add some nutrition rich items to lunch and dinner - avocado, chopped hard boiled egg, some berries, cottage cheese/ cubed cheddar.

Maybe introduce ketchup or some other sauce to dip food in.

Try some breakfast/ lunch items that are nutritious - these meals are lower effort for you than dinner -
There are recipes out there for quinoa/ egg/ cheese/ spinach muffins.
Peanut butter on ww toast.
Scrambled egg with toast, beans on toast.
Cottage cheese pancakes.
Shake with veg, Greek yogurt, fruit.
Add a drop of veg based food colouring to milk to make pink milk...

This is a phase that might be connected to molars erupting, or he might just be enjoying what happens when he says no or pushes his plate away. He might also be a bit bored of the usual fare.

AnIncandescentGlow · 08/03/2026 21:14

SleafordSods · 08/03/2026 17:21

Could it be that he’s realised other things might appear if he refuses the first thing offered?

I wondered this. I tried to expose him to more finger foods recently and I think its more he just prefers that now over being spoon fed.

OP posts:
AnIncandescentGlow · 08/03/2026 21:17

mathanxiety · 08/03/2026 17:59

Don't scramble around finding alternatives.

Serve what you normally serve for dinner.

Add some nutrition rich items to lunch and dinner - avocado, chopped hard boiled egg, some berries, cottage cheese/ cubed cheddar.

Maybe introduce ketchup or some other sauce to dip food in.

Try some breakfast/ lunch items that are nutritious - these meals are lower effort for you than dinner -
There are recipes out there for quinoa/ egg/ cheese/ spinach muffins.
Peanut butter on ww toast.
Scrambled egg with toast, beans on toast.
Cottage cheese pancakes.
Shake with veg, Greek yogurt, fruit.
Add a drop of veg based food colouring to milk to make pink milk...

This is a phase that might be connected to molars erupting, or he might just be enjoying what happens when he says no or pushes his plate away. He might also be a bit bored of the usual fare.

Thank you!

He's very independent and just wants to know how to do everything himself. But now it means he's only eating a spoonful or two of meals and just wants to feed himself what he can. Which is good! But he struggles a bit with quite a lot of finger foods. (Not sure if thats normal for this age or not?) So isn't getting in as much variety as usual.

It's been going this way now for a few weeks, but been really noticeable the last few days.

OP posts:
AnIncandescentGlow · 08/03/2026 21:18

OverTired26 · 08/03/2026 17:27

Mine went through a very similar phase.. except she stopped all her prescribed amino acid formula too which was a nightmare. On dietician advice I just carried on doing exactly what I was doing which is giving her what I ate.

She refused for a few weeks and then went back to normal.

While a tooth appeared in that time, I'm not convinced it was 100% related.

A few more phases like this as she grew. I tended to follow a bit of a division of responsibility. I gave her nutritious means that I knew were things she liked (and one new thing potentially), she decided what to eat of it.

It's so hard when you think they're going hungry but even now at nearly 5 we have days she just doesn't eat much. Always goes back to normal after though!

Thank you!

It's reassuring to hear others who have faced similar. X

OP posts:
AnIncandescentGlow · 08/03/2026 21:19

rubyslippers · 08/03/2026 17:21

Teething?
painful gums

Potentially! I can't feel anything coming through and as it will be a molar next, I cant really see unfortunately.

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