13 month old eating, am I thinking too much?!

[TheOceanClub]

My LO is 13 months and I’m kinda on the edge what to think about his eating patterns and would love to hear some other thoughts.
He’s just had his 1 year development visit and the nurse was very happy about everything. His weight was 11.2 kg ( 24.6 lb) , since the birth he has jumped 2 centiles and are currently on the 75th which again she wasn’t too concerned as “ they are just approximate numbers”. He’s very tall and slim boy and not chubby at all.
That being said, as a FTM I’m a bit worried about he’s food intake.

I know it’s not good to compare kids but sometimes I read here kids his age are eating spag bowls, curries, fish pies etc, but my LO seems to eat so little.
He seems more into finger foods and snack sizes instead of meals, small pieces of toast, fruit slices, bit of a cheese etc, - it’s almost impossible to have him sit still and eat, he’s always on the move and most of the food I made or serve ends up either floor, bin or me and DP eat it at the end.
He’s waking up usually around 6, have his bottle of milk ( not formula milk, around 4-5 oz ) and then still around 11 he’s really don’t want anything. I try to offer him fruit pieces, oatcakes etc and if I’m lucky he will take something. It just seems a very long time not to be hungry from 6ish until 11 or so.
This morning he had his usual milk, then a bit later he ate 1 tiny apple slice. Now it’s 11, so there is no “typical” breakfast on our home because he just doesn’t seem hungry.
Ah yes, he had 2 clementine pieces and that’s it so far. Whatever I offer he don’t want it. And it goes like this through the day - he eats like 2 baby spoons of yogurt and half of oatcake and he’s good to go. And then before the bed another 4-5 oz milk bottle.
I’m aware of the portion sizes but for me seems he really doesn’t want that much.
Like I said the nurse was more than happy about him I’m just curious if there’s more babies out there.
Sorry if this sounds a bit chaotic but I hope the idea is clear, ta.

My first born wasn't very much interested in food, he eats reasonably well now. At 12 months he was hard work, it wasn't until 10 months that he would actually eat proper solid food. He's three now, and whilst he doesn't eat everything, he's a lot less fussy and gradually has accepted more food. We eat things like roast dinners, lasagne, spag bol, sausage casserole, shepherd's pie etc. Keep offering and trying out new food. One thing we did though was give him food before milk. How much milk is he having? Have you thought about reducing it a bit. At one I think they need 12 Oz or similar, but can also make this up with cheese and yoghurt. Some kids like their milk and then fill up with this. May help his appetite a bit and move him towards food?

Why don’t you do breakfast first rather than milk?
Maybe it would seem like more if you didn’t do snacks in between.
You could do breakfast at 6, milk as a drink with it and finish the milk an hour later.
Lunch at 11:30
Dinner at 4:30
Bottle at bedtime.
You could still do meals as snacky plates but consolidate the food into mealtimes rather than a little bit of food here and there.
He must be taking more than you think if he is maintaining his weight on the 75th centile, maybe it’s just hard to quantify when it’s so spread out.

I think you need to have proper meal times and eat with him.

Opalsareyum He’s currently having 2 bottles - one just after waking up around 6ish ( 4-5oz ) and one before the bed, the same amount more or less . I think the nurse said he should be having 400ml of milk in a day, that’s 14oz , but mostly he’s having less than that. On daytime he’s having only sips of water.

luxxlisbon
I don’t know if it’s more of a habit but he won’t take any food so early, he’s getting really fussy and crying.

About the meal times - I try to do them but like I said he’s just eating one bite and that’s it. If I make pasta for example, he eats maybe 2 pieces and tiny bit of avocado and refuses more.
I tried the high chair, having him on my lap, but the tiniest amount and he seems to had enough.

He's supposed to follow a centile, as long as he's doing that, it's OK.

Don't forget that lots of people posting on here about how their baby eats massive portions of spag bol will actually mean:

my baby is a totally different age to yours
the portion is actually tiny
the portion is huge and my baby is heading for childhood obesity
the portion is huge but he actually eats one spoonful and the rest is on the floor
and any other number of other variations of the above

A bit like people who say their baby 'sleeps through the night' when in reality they mean midnight to 4am with a wakeup at 2

You are happy, your baby is happy, the nurse is happy.

@AnnaMagnani not necessarily. There are some babies that do just eat a lot...I have one. The other one is completely different though and he definitely wasn't into food.

You might say nine is heading for child obesity, he's on the 96th percentile for weight, but was on this when I was ebf too. He'll probably be like my first and as he grows his weight will spread out. 🤷‍♀️

But you're right, a good multivit and try not to worry too much. Most grown ups eat a varied diet and he probably will do. Babies/toddlers do just have different personalities and he will eventually eat...keep offering a variety.

My baby won't eat breakfast if he's had a bottle of milk on waking up.. and then he might want a snack but then won't be hungry for lunch ... Etc, its a knock on effect all day.

If you're happy and the nurse is happy then don't worry. But if you want him to eat more food then I'd try giving him breakfast first thing when he's woken up, no bottle. Are you trying loads of different things on his tray he can choose from? I expect this isn't ideal parenting advice but mine eats much better when he's distracted so a little video to watch or a toy in one hand, and then the food just goes in absentmindedly. Also he eats better if I'm playing with him and talking to him, not catching up on texting

Ahhh, it really feels like a circle - he don’t want his breakfast/lunch/dinner so instead I give him snack foods - cucumber sticks, oatcakes etc so he gets at least something and then of course he don’t want anything else because he had those.
Sometimes I feel torn between the “ it’s ok, we will figure it out on the way, no need to stress” and “ sh… I’m created a bad eating habits right here!!”.
Now I’m making some noodles with meat so we will try to have those because last time he had something was around 11 those 2 clementine pieces.

At that age ours didn’t like being in a high chair of any type so we’d put a towel over the sofa and have a ‘breakfast bar’ for him with a plate of toast/porridge/cereal and then another plate with fruit and then a drink and he’d just come and go whilst playing with toys.

We stopped milk at 12m though, there was no milk at all by that point.

Ultimately, I would find it hard to worry about a baby on the 75th centile. Your job is to give him food, not to make him eat. If he's contented, what's the point of worrying?

My daughter was a really bad eater. She's still not great at 14 months but will have breakfast lunch dinner & snacks now even if it's just picking here and there.

Before she used to refuse everything and is still fussy - if it's something tomato based she will love it but anything else she will most likely refuse. It used to really stress me out - but I just thought about it logically and am now of the view that she wouldn't starve herself and if she was hungry she would eat.

She's quite big and heavy - hasn't been weighed for a while but I'm not concerned about her size or energy so must be getting enough to sustain her.

Just put him in a high chair when you re sat at the table eating yourselves. Offer him some of what you are eating but don't make a fuss.

Talk to him, play some gentle music. Make the focus a pleasant time sat with family instead of about food. Amount doesn't matter if he is gaining weight, and generally happy and healthy.

You can undo bad eating habits though at this age. It's really up to you, you can try a week of doing proper mealtimes and if you feel he's not getting enough or its not working,. Go back to offering snacks?

They're all different - my DC1 is like me and could graze all day whereas DC2 is like DH and likes three big meals.

I'd stick to regular meal times and snack times. The routine helps them know what's going to happen. If he eats, he eats, if he doesn't, wrap up what you can and stick it in the fridge for later.

My 2 year old DD was like this, really not fussed with food. She's only recently started showing an interest since turning 2. Try not to worry, it'll all come good eventually x

I would drop the milk and see what happens. As long as they have other calcium sources it’s fine. Some do naturally take to food later too and that’s ok, the key is being consistent, offering a wide range and role modelling

@TheOceanClub How’s his eating now? Did it take long before his eating improved? X

My daughter ate her first meal at 13 months prior to that she would have a handful of peas. Her appetite picked up between 13 and 18 months so that she had more regular patterns of food.

She's 3 now and still goes through periods of only having one meal between getting home from nursery on Friday and going for breakfast on a Monday morning. She isn't a snacker either. She gains weight slowly at times but as long as she is gaining her paediatrician and dietician are happy. She eats better at nursery than home but if she is a non eating phase she drops to half portions there too.
I used to stress but have a more laissez-faire approach now. I do try to keep an eye on her weight, popping her on the scales every couple of month-aversaries. She magic ability to not outgrow clothes so I can't use them to monitor growth!