8 month old going off all his favourite foods

[bleachblondemom]

My 8 month old DS has been a great eater since we started weaning him and would eat everything, but over the last few weeks feeding him is becoming a pain in the arse. Nearly all the foods he used to love, he’s now gone off and won’t eat. Or has a few mouthfuls then starts spitting it out. Anything he does eat takes him ages because he’s messing with it, throwing it around, dropping it on the floor. I end up having to feed him myself by hand because he doesn’t want to hold the food himself anymore after about 10 minutes. He just wants to mess with the high chair straps, turn around to watch the telly (so I have to just turn it off but he still messes around), basically is distracted by every single thing around him. I hate every meal time because it’s so stressful to get him to eat anything without it taking the best part of an hour. He’ll eat pouches of baby food, because that requires no effort on his part. Oh and baby crisps. Which I have to resort to giving him when he refuses to eat anything proper that I give him so he’s not hungry. Even the baby biscuits I used to give him as a treat he won’t eat, just has a few bites then plays with them or completely discards them. I can’t rely on milk because he refuses to take a bottle unless it’s nap/bed time. It’s been that way for months. Absolutely no way in hell will he have a bottle when we’re out of the house, unless he is absolutely starving and tired, literally as a last resort when he gives up fighting. So I need him to eat enough when he’s awake to get him through to his next bottle. I’m getting so frustrated and fed up of constantly trying to give him food, picking it up off the floor, trying to coax him to eat it, and then in the end just throwing it all in the bin. I don’t know what to do with him.

Any suggestions? He’s still doing it. He just doesn’t want to eat anything properly anymore, just wants me to spoon feed him. Except baby crisps and biscuits! He used to eat everything himself with me just supervising, now it’s like he’s back to being a baby and wants to be spoon fed.

Is he teething? Mine always went off good when a tooth was coming through.

He’s only 8 months, he is a baby. What’s wrong with spoon feeding him if it means he’s eating something?

@Vicky1989x nothing wrong with it at all, what’s concerning me is that he WAS eating finger foods with his own hands and was really good at it. And now he’s not. It’s the dramatic change in his eating habits that’s got me concerned.

@GintyMcGinty I’m not sure, he seems to have been ‘teething’ on and off but then nothing actually comes through. He wants to chew everything else, except his actual food.

He’s eaten practically nothing today. A few bits of mushed banana, a few mouthfuls of toast. Just tried him with some carrots which he normally loves and he’s just throwing them around and whinging at me. I just don’t get it, it’s like a massive leap backwards.

Just go with the spoon feeding - this is how babies always used to be fed before baby led weaning became a thing!
By all means put bits on his tray, playing with food is a good thing, but don't make the is more stressful than it needs to be!

This is coming from someone who massively stressed over what and how much my babies ate! Hindsight is wonderful

@bleachblondemom could be teething then. I used to spoon feed my DD, then once she was done offer finger foods so she didn’t forget. When she turned 1, she refused me spoon feeding her altogether and would only feed herself. She’s 15 months now and sometimes asks me for help, but mostly feeds herself. I’m sure he’ll get back into it, just keep offering.

Cross posted - it's all a phase. He's probably just realised how much fun throwing things around is. It's so frustrating, especially when it's lovingly home prepared food. Keep going, he'll get back on track!

It’s just not like him at all, he has literally loved everything solid I’ve given him over the past three months. Scoffs the lot every time- fruit, veg, toast, eggs etc.. one by one he’s gone off everything! I always keep pouches in the house, and take one out with me, so I can make sure he at least eats one of them if he won’t eat any solids. But like I said, he still wants the crisps and biscuits. And even if he does decide he wants what I’m giving him, he’ll refuse to feed himself after a few bites and I have to put the bits in his mouth for him.
If he’d never had solids before and was doing this, I would know it was just a case of him learning. But he has learnt it, and has now unlearnt it!
He’s currently trying to chew his high chair leg, but screams when I put a carrot near him 🤨

Oh he’s eating the carrot now but only if I hand feed him each piece!

@bleachblondemom I know it’s hard not to get worked up about it but it is normal. They go through phases, and believe me there will be plenty of them. Just spoon feed him so he’s at least having something and offer finger foods along side it, he’ll soon start eating them again.

Have you tried milk in a cup (used to be called a sippy cup) which he can hold himself. Maybe just a few cm in the bottom.

Or cutting toast or a sandwich or a cheese slice into shapes using a cookie cutter?

Maybe some slices of strawberry, or food from your plate?

Do you eat at the same time? Mouthful for you, one for him?

Don’t see anything wrong with baby food or equivalent from a spoon if that’s what he’ll eat. You don’t see adults who only eat mushed up food!

@Vicky1989x I know, you’re right, I’ll just have to keep trying him . But yea Lu it’s more important that he eats ‘something’.

I don’t know what to do. He’s getting worse. He won’t even let me spoon feed him now. He opens his mouth then as soon as the spoon touches his lips he recoils. He’s barely eaten anything so far today and he won’t take much milk either. I don’t know what to do with him.

This morning it was his porridge he refused, which I can normally rely on to be the one thing he’ll definitely eat. Just now it was scrambled egg. I’ve managed to give him a pouch of butternut squash and a yogurt. Now he’s munching on a carrot crisp. So he either wants his food to be almost liquid, or hard and crispy. Nothing inbetween. I just don’t understand what’s happened to him.

You sound really stressed, I would just offer if he eats he eats and if not take it away. You don’t want to make meal time feel stressful.

Just keep trying little and often and don’t let it become a horrible experience, hell sense it.

Most kids start off eating most things and then get picker, it’s a pain!

I know it seems worrying but honestly, relax, it’s just a phase. He is still working out likes and dislikes and has realised how fun it is to throw food around.

Don’t make it a battle, just feed him what he eats and keep offering stuff. He will eat something eventually, I promise he won’t be 12 and still refusing food!

Also try and encourage him to eat with you - sit with him at meal times and have yours together so he can learn from you

I am stressed because it’s so unlike him. If you could see the difference in his eating habits between a couple of weeks ago and now, you’d be stressed too 😞
The last couple of days he’s constantly got hiccups too! Don’t know if related but it’s weird.

Unfortunately it’s quite common to happen and so fast. A bit like sleep regressions, out of nowhere they go from sleeping well to terrible!

He's 8 months. Lower your expectations.

Children change what they do on an almost daily basis. If you cannot accept that, parenting is going to be very tough for you.

I agree, this is babies for you. Everything is a phase. You just get into something and it changes again.

Im wondering teething too. My babies change a lot while teething. He could be in pain and not fancying food. You could give him some calpol and see if he’s hungry then.

@Givemebackmylilo no need to be so harsh when I’m obviously worried and upset.

@Greenbuttonsbluebuttons he has gone a bit off food before when he’s been teething so initially I did just put it down to that, but this time round hes even worse which is what’s worrying me. I think it’s ‘peaking’ now though so I’ll get through the next few days and see what he’s like, make sure he’s eating what he wants so pouches etc but keep offering other bits as well.