11 mo not eating - any suggestions?

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My 11mo DD has been BLW-ed from 6 months. She's always had a healthy appetite - she does have some foods she likes more than other, but generally will try whatever is offered.

In the last month or so I think she has become a bit more picky over what she wants - I am trying not to cater to it, just give her what we are having for that meal and let her get on with it - no alternatives. I am also trying not to get stressed about it as I don't want food to be a massive issue for her.

However, in the last few days she has basically stopped eating anything. It started out last week that she was mainly only eating carbs - picking out pasta, bread etc from every meal, not really touching veg or fruit or anything else. Today she has literally only had a few pieces of rice cake, nothing else. I am still giving her regular milk feeds (FF) but she seems to be taking in less milk than usual as well.

She is teething at the moment and also has a cold so I wondered if either of these might be affecting her appetite? Could this be a possibility? She's been more whiney and clingy than usual which I put down to her being full of snot. I've put her to bed a bit early tonight as she seems so under the weather and am hoping she'll wake up tomorrow with an appetite, but how long should I let this go on for before I take her to the docs?

I'd be so grateful if anyone has experience of this or tips. Thanks so much, I am feeling a bit and anxious

Hi there,
i think it's normal for them to suddenly be a bit funny about food especially as the first year's rapid growth slows down. The fact that she's taking on fluids is the most important thing. If she's teething and got a cold then she's likely not got much of an appetite. My dd is 15 months and sometimes has days where she eats almost nothing. She will go off fromage frais but love it again the next day! If she's having a bad eating day i sometimes give her a book to look at or something to distract her, this makes her happy to continue eating.
Hope this helps, try not to worry and go to your gp if necessary.

I wouldn't worry unless it carries on for a few days. I give my DD same as myself and sometimes she just eats the veg, sometimes everything, sometimes just the carbs and sometimes just the protein. I make sure all meals are balanced and I figure she'll just have what she needs. Teething and feeling ill can make you stop wanting food. Is she still active and alert? If so she's probably getting what she needs.

thanks plimple and Jan9ne for your advice and encouragement. She slept pretty well last night but she's still not right this morning - still no appetite, very sleepy (just gone down for her second nap of the morning which is unheard of) and also some very runny poos . Poor thing. I am just going to keep her fluids up, let her rest, keep offering her simple foods and keep an eye on her but I think if she's still not well tomorrow I'll take her to the docs.

Very quickly; mine is the same age and when teething refuses all food for about a week. Then suddenly, teeth appear and appetite returns. Runny poos are another sign. Could it be this?

BlameItOnTheBogey - thanks so much, that's really interesting and reassuring to hear. All her 6 teeth so far have come in with very little drama bar a few days of red cheeks and fist-chewing, but perhaps she is now getting some molars which are causing her more trouble.

sorry but I wondered if anyone has any more advice? we are now on day 3 of not eating, she is still full of cold and sleeping a lot and she's now had 3 bouts of diarrhea in the last 12 or 15 hours. She's also pretty clingy and listless, not her usual bouncing self. She doesn't have a temperature though and isn't feverish. I am offering her lots of bottles to keep her hydrated and letting her sleep as much as she wants but does anyone think this is serious enough for me to take her to the doctors?

TBH my doctor's surgery is rubbish and the only reason I am holding off going is because getting an appointment for today would mean sitting around in the waiting room for at least an hour, probably only to be told to keep her fluids up and give her plenty of rest , which is what I am doing anyway. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Go to doctor. She's not herself so I'd go. Bring a book/trashy mags/snacks and wait for the hour.
It's probably just teething but better to be safe than sorry eh?