14 month old doesn't want to eat, please help!

[veryVeryverytiredmum]

Hi, have nc, my 14 month old baby doesn't want to eat. He drinks BM about 4 to 5 times a day and he used to have 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with no problem until he has become a 14 month old. Any ideas?

He doesn't feed himself, I didn't do baby led weaning, I still offered some finger food on his tray, but usually ends up on the floor and very little if any goes into his mouth/stomach.

I have tried giving him lots of different food, nothing works, I am desperate. He only eats breakfast (porridge, a rice cake or two and yogurt)

He may not be feeling very well? Or maybe try to reduce the milk feeds so that he feels hungry enough to eat a small amount at least? Try his favourite foods only until he regains his appetite? Or has he just found the power of refusing food?! Just some ideas for you, sometimes another perspective helps

Are you bfing before or after food very?what do you do when he refuses food?

Hi Jingle He breastfeeds as soon as he wakes up, that is before breakfast and he has a big breakfast sometimes (scrambled eggs, beans, porridge, yogurt and rice cakes) but usually it's just porridge, yogurt and 1 or 2 rice cakes for breakfast.

For lunch and dinner I breastfeed after food has been eaten/offered.
There is another feed during the day depending on his mood. But it's a short one (just one side)

And he gets more milk before going to bed. He goes to sleep on his own though, I do not feed to sleep anymore.

Dropping a feed doesn't make a difference.

Porridge, yogurt and rice cakes is a lot to have for for one meal, does he eat it all?

I would cut down on the breakfast content, it seems a lot. Perhaps just offer porridge and if he's still hungry maybe a slice of toast or some fruit.

You could offer some of the breakfast stuff for lunch instead - scrambled eggs,baked beans etc.

Obviously hunger varies from child to child but their stomachs are still very small at this age. It sounds like he's filling up on breakfast and then just topping up with milk. My DD is the same age and has hit a fussier stage but I'm still sticking to the routine of three meals a day and trying to avoid substituting food for milk

Which yogurts are you giving very and how many does he have in a day? Could he be refusing meals because he prefers yogurt and rice cakes?

Have you read My Child Won't Eat by Carlos Gonzalez too? I've not read it but it was recommended to me when my dd was being fussy.

Hi Very. I would agree with the others that breakfast does sound like quite a lot, which might be suppressing his appetite later in the day. It sounds like he actually eats a lot, but just at the "wrong" meal - breakfast instead of lunch/dinner.

You could try what PP have said and reduce the breakfast volume and see if that has an effect on lunch/dinner?

Hi again, I didn't think this would be a lot of food because he used to eat all this and still have lunch and dinner.

He has 3 yogurts a day (the little yeo ones). It's a lot of work because I cook every day but it seems my efforts are not appreciated. His favourite rice cake is the marmite flavoured one, but he usually eats the plain kallo rice cakes.

My ds also likes the marmite rice cakes - I can't stand them myself! Not a marmite fan.

I do think their appetite slows around this time and it's quite common for them to eat less. My ds at about 12 months could eat astonishing amounts in one go. He's settled down now and still eats more than most but not anywhere near as much as he used to. He might have 2 bowls of porridge instead of that plus toast plus fruit!

I know what you mean about it being frustrating when you've cooked something that your child isn't interested in eating. I serve quite small portions to begin with to minimise waste, and offer more if it gets eaten. Leftovers get served again for lunch the next day or frozen for later. I try and do things that both of us can eat so that it doesn't feel like a lot of effort just for him. Sometimes my ds doesn't eat hardly anything at all for a day or two, and then gets going again.

Three yogurts a day is quite a lot, we had to cut back on them as lots of dairy causes constipation. Could you replace one of the yogurts with something more substantial?

I'd stop the yoghurts altogether or just cut down to one, ditto the rice cakes. Like ex says. He is eating, just not the food you want him to.

Appetite definitely slows down in their second year. I read somewhere that if babies continued to eat as much as they did in their first year, they'd be the size of a five-year-old by the time they were 2. I found this really comforting when DS1's appetite decreased. He started eating a lot less from around 13 months but continued to track the 91st centile...

Toddlers are supposed to eat less, aren't they?

I would also ask if he ahs been ill in the last few weeks? Some children have the glands in their stomachs inflamed they way ours are in our necks when we are under the weather for a good 6 weeks after an illness.

Just one other thought to add to the mix. Could you move the morning bf to after breakfast. That way he will know to expect it after he eats. Agree about reducing breakfast and offering at lunch instead. I hope it gets better for you soon. It's horrible when they won't eat.