14 month old not eating meals

[givemecoffeee]

Hi,

I have a 14 month old and im really struggling at meal times.
I'm looking for either a hand hold/solidarity, or advice perhaps?

She just does not eat well at all.
I make her meals and she completely refuses to even try, all she wants to eat is purées, fruit, and snack-type foods. She's the same at nursery too.

She's also a still on formula, I've tried to Introduce whole milk in cooking but she refuses. I've tried to offer it as a drink in place of her formula- again she refuses. I've tried to cut down her milk feeds so she might have more of an appetite - but again, refuses food and just cries and cries for milk.

She recently had a whopping teething episode where a couple came in at the same time, and she's been unwell - so I don't know if I'm worrying unnecessarily.

I've spoken to the Health Visitor, she just said that my daughter will eventually 'get there'.
I look at my friends children, who are slightly younger and they eat better than her.
Feeling a bit down about it.
Anyone else in the same boat?

Following for advice.

My daughter is 11 months old and barely eats anything at all. She's just not interested in eating. She'll eat some puree or fruit compote if I really insist with the spoonfeeding but she doesn't seem to enjoy it and when she's decided she's had enough she blows raspberries to make me stop. If I give her finger food she just plays with it and then when she's bored she drops it onto the floor.

She's breastfed and gets most of her calories overnight. She also refuses a bottle.

I'm sorry that you have this stress too! Although I'll be honest, I feel a little relieved that I'm not alone in this.
Hopefully things will get easier for us!
I also know the cheekiness of the raspberry blowing, and throwing the food on the floor...😂😩

My DS is 12 months. Was BF until 10 months and doesn’t have much interest in food either. Will eat small amounts of finger foods when he’s in the mood but refuses anything off a spoon which limits what food I can give him. Never took purées. He’s still on 4 - 5 bottles of formula a day. Won’t take water from a sippy cup. I can’t get my head around much younger babies eating proper meals multiple times a day 😅
But he’s healthy and thriving and still gaining weight and following the same centile he’s been on since birth so I’m not overly worried. They all get there in their own time. And I look at it as he’s learning portion control and only picks up food he wants to eat and stops eating when he’s had enough, rather than me "force-feeding" by pushing a spoon into his mouth. I just keep offering him different foods to try without pressure.

I don't really have any advice, but I am in the a similar boat as you with my almost 2 year old. He would live off fruit and snacks if he could and getting him to try new foods is near on impossible! He does eat better at nursery the majority of the time as he is surrounded by the other children eating which helps, so this does give me hope. I have to keep telling myself that he will grow out of this little phase and will eventually become more adventurous with food.

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this, as much as it probably stresses you all out too!
It's gut-wrenching when the lovely meal you prepared ends up decorating the floor! 😂🙈

Maybe it will just take time.
Thanks for your replies - it's honestly made me feel better.

My daughter ate her very first meal at 13 months prior to that she would have a few peas for a a meal.
It took a few months for that first meal to become a regular thing

She was on prescription formula until 2. It wasn't until 20 months that she ate enough to not need the formula. She is 3 now and we still have weekends when she only eats 1 meal over the two days. Turns down 3 different breakfasts. I think if she could live off cold pasta and frozen peas/broad beans she would - yes still frozen!

When she is being fussy for our sanity we try to not make too many elaborate meals they took ages to make. She does better with eating the same foods as us but that's a more recent thing. She has a lot of food allergies so she often can't eat what we eat

@givemecoffeee

how are you going? We are 8 months in… and weaning has never really began let alone stopped. Anything we offer is thrown, squished and smeared or not really touched at all. We are offering full milk feeds played around with timing. Halves feeds, health visitors just said he’ll get there. No other support. It’s all a bit of a nightmare.

he refuses to be spoon fed or even hand fed, it’s quite upsetting.

I find myself walking around most places reassuring myself most 4-5 year olds are t holding a milk bottle and are consuming something of some nature. So we have backed off today I served a plate of steamed green beans and some cold soft meat … zero eaten floor decorated.

but I remind myself this isn’t in my control as hard as it may seem tomorrow I’m going to give brocili muffins a pop I’m sure I’ll feed the bird it later ..

sending a huge amount of virtual love because I do know how heart wrenching it does feel xxx

its so worrying when they won’t eat, has she always been like this or is it a new thing?

my boy was okay with eating and then we hit 14 months and he just refused everything, screamed at every meal and clamped his mouth shut. I was so worried about it and everyone kept saying ‘its just a phase, he’ll start eating again soon’ - obviously not what I (or you) wanted to hear.

But it was true, two weeks later he just suddenly started sleeping through the night (never had before that) and gobbling down anything in sight

Hang in there, you’re not alone and it will get better x

My little boys always been like this he’s never eaten much.. or anything. We keep offering consistently and keep going witn it but it is deflating x

Hello all

My son is going through the same,

How have your little ones been since?
Any positive stories ?

My LG is 13 months and is the same. She will eat quavers, chips and Greek yoghurt at a push but absolutely nothing else. At 7 months she choked on a carrot and won’t entertain any food put in front of her. I feel like I’m going round in circles as my 10 year old is a great eater

@hereistopositiveenergy

It's soooo hard isn't it!!

My 6 month old niece who just started weaning eats better than my 14 month old

It's driving me insane and I'm full of anxiety

He's had a bad feeding aversion due to an undiagnosed allergy. He's got a strong gag reflex so gags alot and then vomits and then gets so upset so I think he's lost interest in food.

My son will be 3 in January and is still an incredibly fussy eater. I've tried to offer different foods, but he just won't try them and gets very upset. I commented on this post before when he was almost 2 and if anything it might have gotten worse since then. He won't ever touch his once beloved pesto pasta. I know toddlers can be notoriously picky, but I can't help but worry and feel like I'm failing him. Let's hope in another year's time it will be a different story for us!

Yes! I just feel like a rubbish mum when we’re out with friends at lunch and their babies similar ages or younger are just eating anything and everything.

She’s just started nursery two mornings a week so I’m hoping in time she’ll eat better with the encouragement there. So far she’s gone 7-1 eating half a breadstick and refused anything offered. She’s been bunged up though because of the lack of fruit and veg but did take a whole prune pouch via a Calpol syringe today. I might try putting a straw on the end of a pouch and see if she’ll take some that way.

I am in the same boat as you. My son is 15 months, it's quite embarrassing whipping out a pouch to feed him when much younger babies are wolfing down whatever their parents give them. He's a bit different to some of these babies in that he will try new food stuff, he just doesn't swallow it. It's like that bit of the process just won't click for him. He still breast feeds loads. Won't drink cows milk or formula. Nursery say he eats well but I can't help but wonder if it's actually all been spat back out into his bib. But I console myself with the thought that he apparently eats well half the week

I've been there - I have a food diary from when DD was 15 months, and one day she did eat something: 5 cheerios (I counted them!) and 1/4 of a cracker. She vomited anything we got into her mouth (always against her wishes) until she was a year old.

We got referred to a dietitian, who recommended chicken nuggets and chocolate (yes, really) - both worked, and she still likes both now.

It's been a long journey; she didn't get the majority of her calories from food until she was 3.5; we kept her on toddler formula rather than cows milk because it contains a complete set of vitamins and minerals - it needs to be follow on formula for the iron content.

She's now at secondary school, and still eats a very limited diet, but it includes all the major food groups. Her speech has been fine, and she's doing well both academically and socially. It was really stressful, and it's still not ideal - every trip out requires planning where we can eat (she strongly prefers hot food); unfortunately nursery didn't help - her aversion to most food was stronger than any social pressure (and she seems to neurotypical).

I've at least learnt to worry less!

My son didn’t eat solids until he turned 2. He would eat petit filous and suck on biscuits. When he did start eating solids he was the most unfussy eater out of all my children. He’ll turn 23 at the end of this year.

She WILL get there, in her time.

Hi op I know this is old now but I’m currrntly going through the same with my 1 year old, well she’s 1 in a couple of weeks. Did you little one get any better ? I try and give her food but she isn’t showing much interest. Well she does sometimes, but everything comes back out of her mouth and then she just plays with it ! It’s like she still can’t eat properly ?
she completely refuses to be spoon fed.