10 month old barely eats

[Tortoiseandhare89]

My baby has been tricky to wean from the start. He has improved over time but still hardly eats anything. He’s offered 3 meals a day but he only eats a tiny bit normally. He’s always refused a spoon so we’re doing BLW. We always eat with him and eat the same as him most of the time. I try to show him me eating to encourage him to eat. I also try to leave him to it. Most of it gets thrown. Sometimes he’ll shovel food towards his mouth but misses a lot so he can seem like he’s enjoying it but only eats a fraction.

As a result, he’s still breastfeeding a lot. I don’t know if this is also making the problem worse as he’s never hungry enough? But don’t feel like I can refuse. I’ve tried offering a snack instead but he just cried. Also, he takes so long to eat that if he had a snack instead, he’d end up being in his high chair all day.

I get so stressed at meal times that he’s not eating. Does anyone have any tips or similar experiences?

Is your DH/DP around @Tortoiseandhare89? How is DS if you go out and DH gives him a snack and drink?

Until 1 milk is their main source of nutrition anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it for now.

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto we have tried DH giving him a snack when I’ve been out and he just wasn’t interested. Still barely touched lunch too and just BF when I got home.

Sounds like he hasn't figured out that food helps with hunger yet.

We had this for a while with DC2. In the end I decided to just go out when I needed to knowing that there was food she could have and she wind be fine.

DH helped out by taking her downstairs fir breakfast in the morning instead of her having a BF first thing. DH is an early rise though.

I think sometimes you just have to distract them too from a BF with a nice drink and an appealing snack

Just carry on as you are and try not to worry.

He won't be 18 and still breastfeeding and shovelling food all round his face. It will come with time.

Please try not to worry too much. I had this with my son who was breastfed and wasn’t interested in much food until he was about 2. We just persisted and mainly during that time fed him what we knew he liked (mainly pasta) and tried with other bits too, some he’d like, others not so much. It used to stress me out. He then all of a sudden started being hungry from the age of 2 and hasn’t looked back. Now he’s a preteen that I can’t fill and costs me an arm and a leg in shopping bills!

My baby is coming up to 10 months and is the same. She decided a few weeks ago that she wasn't eating anything given to her on a spoon, although even before then she ate about half a 1 meal jar per day. What you said about yours ending up in his high chair all day resonates here too. She never seems to fill up but just gets slower and slower and more goes on the floor.

I've started pumping a morning bottle and an afternoon bottle to give me a break and at least consolidate her bf sessions in the day.

She's quite thin, so I do worry a little bit. But she seems happy enough and so we're trying as best we can to just go with it.

What are you feeding DS? Have you tried giving him something easy to start the meal like a couple of baby crisps? Sometimes my 10mo gets frustrated if he is hungry and can't get the food in fast enough and the baby crisps help him to get the hang of it.

DS also has a slight tongue tie so when he gets tired he find it hard. I sometimes just help him by feeding him little mouthfuls of food with my hands. Sometimes if it's a difficult day I just give him a spoon and a plate/bowl and put a little food down for him to try but just feed him like I said. Probably not the best and teaching him to be lazy but did it with DC1 and she can feed herself now etc...

This. The best words I was ever given (and I've been given a lot as a first time mum. Most un asked for) was how many 18 year olds do you know who co sleep/breastfeed still

They all get there in the end. As the PP said their main source of substance until 1 is milk still. I would make sure they are getting the vitamin supplements they need and keep trying. Try every meal and baby will surprise you eventually and start to take more to food.

If you are worried doesn't hurt to contact your HV though.

@Tortoiseandhare89 has your LO started eating now? I have a 10 MO who won’t open her mouth for anything !!!!

My daughter was like this at 10 months. I needed to stop breastfeeding and she would accept bottles or cups for formula. We had an assessment to see if she could sustain herself on food alone but we were lucky if she ate 2 or 3 spoons of food a day or was more often none. We did manage to get her on the bottle thankfully! She didn't eat her first meal until she was 13 months and that was a one off. Around 14/15 months she started to do it more reliably. She's 3 now and still has days and weeks and months of not eating.

@Tortoiseandhare89 how is her health and her overall development ? Mine looks weaker with every passing day, she used to be so chubby. 😔