What to do when your 12 month old won’t eat?

[Vicky1989x]

Up until a few weeks ago my DD was a good eater, she’d have 3x6oz bottles a day plus 3 meals and all was fine.

Now she’s refusing to eat hardly anything and I’m losing my patience. I’ve tried all different food, spoon feeding, letting her feed herself and she won’t touch fruit in solid form nor purée form now! She’ll eat 2 or 3 mouthfuls of a meal and refuses anymore.

I feel it’s happened since I switched to stage 3 formula, is it more filling than stage 1? She wouldn’t take cows milk even if I mixed it with her formula.

Any advice?

Have you tried presenting her with tiny portions? My child did this food refusing and I read they can sometimes feel overwhelmed.
Started giving them literally one pea at a time with a teaspoon of mash etc and it worked.

I guess maybe 12 months is a bit young for that approach, I think mine was a bit older.

I'm sure someone will offer more helpful advice!

At 12 months she doesn’t need that much formula. I’d cut down on the amount - maybe a bottle first thing depending on wake up time and before bed.
You will probably find that they’ll eat more food that way. But baby will only eat if hungry.

@Y0YO That was helpful, thank you! I will try that and see if it makes a difference.

@Idontgiveagriffindamn She doesn’t actually finish all 6oz, usually between 3-5oz that’s why I’m still offering 3 bottles. She’s never been a big milk drinker due to reflux. She usually has 1 upon waking, 1 before her afternoon nap and 1 at bedtime. Scared to drop 1 in case she still doesn’t eat

I think you just have to go for it. Whilst she’s getting what she needs from the milk there’s no real incentive to eat the food.
I get it’s daunting though.

I think too, to drop off one of the bottles, I would drop the 2nd one, then at least you know shes not going bed hungry & shes at least having a breakfast of some sort after being asleep all night
If shes hungry in the day perhaps shell be open to eating solid food, but it may take her a few days to make that connection, just keep offering small amounts of food during the day & trying not to stress if not eaten, knowing that at least she`ll have her bottle before bed Almost like snacks rather than meals as such.

Any chance she's teething? Mine went right off solids at that age when there was a tooth brewing, sometimes without very many other obvious teething signs.

@Idontgiveagriffindamn might have to pluck up the courage and try it!

@ShabbyNat I think I deffo need to change something with her milk... it’s usually the 2nd bottle she drinks the most of funnily enough but I think that’s only because she won’t eat much at lunch

@skkyelark she cut her first tooth about a week ago (late teether) so I put it down to that at first but thought now it’s through she’d be okay but I suppose more could be on the way!

The 'matching' tooth often comes at a pretty similar time, I think, so it could be that. You could try giving something for the teething before a meal and see if that helps.

I agree, drop that middle bottle and take every opportunity to get cream, milk, cheese etc into her food if she isn't taking in enough milk.

She'll soon make up for any lack of food, don't stress about it as she'll pick this up.

Drop the bottles and put milk in a cup. She doesn’t need bottles at all. If you really want to keep using formula then it’s best to use stage 1.

@skkyelark tried that this morning and she still wouldn’t have any of it!

@De88 it’s so hard not to stress though, but I try. Deffo dropping one of the bottles.

@Fitforforty she won’t take it from a cup, I’ve been trying for months! I’m going back to stage 1 as she’s been like this since switching to stage 3.

I think at 12 months they only need 10os of formula so cut that back, also doesn’t need stage 3 so use the stage 1 if less filling.

Toddler portion sizes are sooo much smaller than I ever imaged-
Have a Google nhs kids portion size; it may be that she’s eating the right amount.

@Onceuponatime1818 I’ve just changed back to stage 1 so I’ll see how she goes.

I did have a look, I give her potions similar to what’s right for her age. I think the stage 3 milk has been causing some trapped wind so hoping she’ll be better back on stage 1.

@Vicky1989x
Hey lovely, how did it go...my LO is similar and is eating about 15 spoons each meal..driving me mad

After 12 months they just don’t need as much food as their growth rate slows down

But also fussy eating is most likely a phase! They all go through period where they eat great and then they don’t! Could also be teething?

@SassyPants87

She just cut her tooth yday..so could have been that! It's just frustrating as she's tiny..on the 2nd centile and just worry she isn't eating enough

@AD1986 that was probably it! I found with my DD if she went through a fussy eating phase she would then make up for it with a ravenous appetite! They will eat when they are hungry, I remember it used to stress me out so much! My DD is 2 now and I just take her lead

Cut down on milk.
Offer her food and feign indifference if she doesn't eat. Never force her or make a huge deal about her eating. Really just pretend it doesn't bother you.
It's probably a phase, DD goes through hungry weeks and less hungry weeks but it all balances out in the end.

Also forgot to mention try not to offer any substitutes of what you know they will eat. It’ll make them worse and act up knowing that if they refuse to eat you’ll give in and give them what they like. I know it feels like you would want them to eat something but either they eat what’s on the plate or they don’t eat at all. Trust me it will pay off in the long run and they won’t let themselves go hungry

@SassyPants87 and @Parkopedia

Thank you both for messaging!

So she's turning 12 months beginning of December and weighs 7kg. Shes tinyyy and it really bothers me.

Shes drinking about 400ml a day..you think I should cut down even further? As she's a snacker she has thus over 3 bottles usually.

I have also been offering alternatives or ill add yogurt to everything ad that's what she likes. Maybe ill stop that too

Not sure where I'm going wrong but it's really worrying me. X

@AD1986 My 16 month old is only 8.5kg so rather tiny too. I would try not to stress so much on her size as long as she's healthy. Babies come in all shapes and sizes after all :) Some days my DD eats like a sparrow and other days, she will literally eat all her food and some of mine. I try and focus on the week rather than the day itself.

Are her milk feeds and meal times spaced out? My baby used to eat everything but now that she's a toddler, she going through a picky phase. We just keep offering her a variety of food (she eats what we eat) and we let her decide what she wants to eat and how much. If she hardly eats, she doesn't get a milk feed or snack right after. No pressure to eat at the table and not giving in and giving her milk right after has definitely helped us.

@AudreyJL

Thanks for the advice. Her milk ans food are spaced, but I have gone down the route of offering an alternative or milk shortly after her refusing. Like today, she are a few bites at brekkie and then wanted milk whilst sitting in front of food. So I gave in and fed her milk.

I'll definitely stop now and try just go with it.