Breakfast - no thanks

[Catt]

Hi - I wondered if anyone else has experienced this. My dd is 9 months and eats two very good meals at lunch and tea. However, for some bizarre reason, she doesn't seem very hungry at breakfast. She has a bf when she wakes up and then when I offer her some cereal or toast she either refuses it or just picks at it.

I find this strange because you would imagine she'd be ravenous first thing in the morning (having had tea at 5pm and a bf before bed at 7.30pm).

I'm not too worried as she is healthy and happy but it just seems odd. Plus it means she gets hungry for lunch early so I have to feed her at around 11-11.30. Anyone else have breakfast-phobic babies?

Hello Catt, yes my dd sounds very similar. She is now 16 months but she has never been very interested in breakfast but generally eats well at lunch and tea. DD used to get up at 7 am but recently has been a bit later at 7.45 am (yipee!) and I don't give her breakfast until about 8.15/8/30 (on the days I don't work). The later breakfast seems to work quite well, but I know this probably isn't much good if you have to get to work or get other children to school etc. I do agree though that I think if I didn't offer anything she would quite happily not bother! I find most mornings she will eat her breakfast if she is suitably distracted, the distraction of the moment being the Screwfix Calculator!!! Like you say, if she is reasonably happy and a good weight I wouldn't worry too much, as long as she has something even if it's only half a piece of toast.

When ds was about 6 months I found that if he had milk (bottle) first thing (even only a little) he didn't want breakfast. Because it was convenient for us, I ended up stopping the bottle first thing, giving breakfast about 7.30 and milk a little later - 8.30/9 before morning sleep.
But I don't think it matters greatly - I'm sure some babies are very keen for their milk first thing and why not? - I guess you probably want her to feed first thing too!

I had the same experience as elliot. DS (10 months) would drink all his milk as soon as he woke up and then not be interested in breakfast. By giving him his breakfast first - with half the milk on his cereals - he eats it all now, and then finishes of the milk.

I realise that this is more difficult as you're b/f. I only stopped morning b/f a month ago, but before that would use milk (EBM or formula) on his cereals and then after breakfast let him b/f.

I can't bear breakfast first thing, I have to be up & about for at least an hour, preferably 2, and I think dd takes after me. Having said that she ate a banana on the way to nursery this morning, where she normally has cereal/toast around 8.45/9am. I have a bacon sarnie or porridge at work

Elliott, is yours a Gina Ford baby-sounds like it by the times of breakfast/morning nap. I only ask because my 8m old babe seems to not be able to drink and eat in 1 go. Before we started GF he had an early bottle around 0630/0700 and then breakfast around 0830/0900 and he seemed to take more of both then.

Whellid, didn't read your message-sounds like a good idea-might give it a go. I give mine an extra 3oz formula for his b/fast-maybe I need to cut that out and take the necessary from his bottle.

I think it's just personality. The sluglet is ravenous for her morning bottle, but breakfast is the only time of the day when she isn't interested in food. I tried skipping the bottle, but she still wasn't interested in food. I think she takes after her father who is exactly the same. The only way I can get her to eat is by being interested n my own breakfast. Food is always more interesting when it comes off mummy's plate. I just keep an extra spoon for her and feed her a bit if she's interested.

inga, no not a GF baby, though I have read the book. I never followed any of the feeding part of the routines, but I did find the 'keep awake for no more than 2 hours' was a good guideline for getting him into a regular daytime sleep routine. I never wake him from his nap though.

Why don't you go back to your original bottle and breakfast times, if you feel they worked better?

If it's any consolation Catt, all babies in france seem to have a bottle only in the mornings until about at least three yrs old - follow on milks are BIG business. I keep asking the dr when to give proper cereal and she keeps saying not yet....can't complain it is soooo easy!

Have you tried a fruit ? DD only eats a fruit (kiwi, apple, pear or banana) and the rest she picks at (like a tenth of a toast!) - she is 15months old and still BF in the morning.

• Yes the French go onto bottle for a while but they also have a proper breakfast ! At least all the ones I know. They put flour (our equivalent of cereals) in bottles for infants to make them sleep through the nights early on ! 4 months or so.

Yes - I used to feed dd her breakfast at 11 as she just didn't seem hungry until then. Didn't seem to harm her appetite for lunch (1pm). Gradually it's got earlier, so she now eats a bit around 9ish - usually about an hour after she's been awake and up. She has some banana evry day and usually a bit of homemade porridge (with oatmeal - it's smoother). Also loves Hipp creamed porridge breakfast - that's how we finally got her eating earlier ! Also she's 1 now and walking, so prefers to be fed while she's toddling about ! Good luck.

Elliott I will go back to routine-maybe b/fast then bottle before nap, bottle has always made him sleep well!
Pupuce, I too have thought about fruit only-often my breakfastn-and will give cereals one more go then try banana/kiwi/etc. I laughed at your 1 tenth of toast, my ds often eats small fractions of everything at b/fast! It's good hearing that others have similar "problems". I shall persevere and not panic too much.