11 month old not fussed about food- reassurance only!

[Hjudge56]

My 11 month year old is a boob monster.. loves her milk! Never been able to get her to take a bottle and she’s always fed on demand. This doesn’t mean she’s constantly on my boob but she has a few feeds still.

I have been trying to get her into food since she was 6 months but she is just honestly not fussed. Some days are better than others but she only really likes wafers, melty puffs, yoghurts and smoothies. Sometimes we get savoury textured meals down her but it’s very hit and miss. She’s been this way since 8 months as she just wouldn’t take food till then.

I’ve felt embarrassed by it at times and lots of mums have told me ‘she will be more interested eventually etc’ and reassured me. However today my sister in law decided to talk to me about the importance of my little girl eating more food when she turns one and that she needs to have it to be healthy etc as soon as she’s 12 months, and I need to do something about it. I offer my LG finger foods, mashed foods, things I’m eating etc and she just won’t eat it- she just turns her head and cries if I persevere. What more can I do! If she won’t eat I can’t force her! I’ve tried making it fun… waiting till she’s hungrier etc but this is just how it is. She has no interest in holding food herself or touching it and I just feel deflated and like I’m doing something wrong after this conversation today.

Can anyone reassure or give me some success stories of their babies who were similar!?

Tell your SIL to bugger off. You’re going a brill job all you can do is keep offering things and eventually they will start to eat smaller bits more often. You won’t find any 10 year olds still living on milk 😂
my MIL took my husband as a child to the drs as he would only live off ready brek for 3 months as a toddler, they said as long as he wasn’t dropping weight and was happy to leave him to it!

@Emma543 thank you <3 I keep telling myself she won’t be on boob forever! And she’s a beautiful chunky lady on 75th centile for her age (which she has maintained since birth). Just have moments of weakness when comments are made at me like this - and because everyone I talk to with babies the same age seems to have hacked the solid foods so well

Hi OP.

I had four children and breastfed them all.

They all took to solid food at completely different times.

Luckily for me, our first baby really loved eating, or I'd have maybe been anxious (as you currently are).

But the second was far less keen on food.

Third and fourth were variable.

Babies are all different.
Ignore your SIL. I daresay she thinks she's being helpful but she isn't, really.

By the time your baby goes to school, they'll be eating.

It doesn't matter how long you breastfeed for.
I fed one of mine for four and a half years. Just do what you want. It's your baby and your choice.

I would be more focused on type of food she its than amount.
Puffs, yoghurts etc will not really set good diatary habits.
My DD was not eating untill she was 8mo and liked oy food you described. So I removed that and offered only unprocessed food (vege, fruit, meat, fish and cheese).
She started eating after 12mo but was never much into food or ate a lot. Perfectly happy, healthy and full of energy.
It was a shock to me as first DS ate a lot since 6mo.
They are all different.
Just don't start offering more and more unhealthy food bcs someone told you she needs to eat more.

Is she teething? That can make them reluctant to eat.

I'd really recommend reading Gill Rapley's baby lead weaning book. Them I'd offer her three meals and two snacks a day but stop actually trying to get her to eat. Offer the foods a react neutrally, leave her to it and trust her to figure it out.

@LondonFox i always offer other foods that are unprocessed but my point is she never takes them. So if I don’t offer the smoothies/yighurts/puffs etc that she just won’t eat at all… this has always been my battle! Perhaps I could try for a few days or so eliminating the puffs and wafers it’s just she has really learnt how to bite off big bites and chew with these which I’m grateful for. And she gets more efficient with this process every time she has them

@Bemusedandconfusedagain yes she has had two teeth come through recently! And bless her she is notorious for getting unwell with colds etc which always puts her off food too. Maybe I should try that approach of just leaving her with food to get on with - I guess I’ve always fed her myself alongside offering finger foods because I want her to actually eat something. When I just offer finger foods/ bowl of food she just chucks everything off her plate immediately and on the floor.

By 1 i breastfed ds only 4 times per 24 hours then cut down gradually. Could you do something similar in the future? I'm not suggesting giving up altogether but they have to have some element of hunger for the food imo.

My friends 2 and a half year old is breastfed on demand and has very little interest in food! I do wonder how long it will go on for.

@bakewellbride she probably only has 2-3 breastfeeds in the day and it’s not a huge feed per time!

Oh sorry I didn't realise!

My kids as babies liked - avocado, Weetabix, ready brek, cheese, vegetable sticks but soft, toast, fruit. Have you tried many / any of those?

If it brings you any comfort the level of interest they have at this age bears no relevance on their future, my son devoured anything and everything when he was tiny but is now a fussy nearly 6 year old 🤣🥴it's just the way it is. It might be the other way round for you and you get a non fussy older child!

My DD did not eat solids until she was 14 months old. All her brothers ate at 16 weeks / 11 months / 6 months, despite all having the same opportunities.

Babies are different, and as long as you are regularly offering her food (off your plate will do - doesn't need to be special), she'll get there.

Mine is also a milk monster but bottle fed and is a year old. Have been cutting back big time on bottles and only giving one after breakfast, before afternoon nap and before bed.

Try to hold off on boob until after she's eaten. It may be a slow and painful transition.

Mine has gone through phases of eating everything and then only picking at what he fancies.

I kept offering all foods and placing directly on his tray rather than a plate or bowl. Often, it ends up on the floor, but he will eat and taste most things now.

He's now up to 3 meals and two snacks a day. I try to do a variation of what he has at nursery l, so he's familiar with the smell and tastes, textures etc. So far, it's working.

He loves scrabbled egg which I made with normal milk at first, same with porridge. Maybe try expression and using some in foods that need milk to help transition as its a familiar taste to her?

All babies have their own unique schedule and it's harder on us than them. Just keep offering foods, not only what she prefers to try to expand her diet. It's a success even if she just squishes and lobs it.

One final note, Mine refuses to be spoon fed has to it himself. And is more likely try food if he's weilding a spoon around like its excaliber in one hand and food in his other.

My son was a rubbish BFer and went down to the 2nd percentile.

Weaning was horrible. He would only open his mouth for fruit purées and yoghurts. At around 12 months he turned a corner and was much more open to eating and now is up to the 20th percentile. He's still fussy but will eat 3 meals a day and snacks; we still need to puree some foods but he will happily eat some chicken and pasta etc also.

Don't stress and panic, I'm sure it's a phase

Not sure your plans but nursery really helped our son to start be more open to food watching other children eat

Does she go to Nursery? Mine is 10 months and is really not that arsed about what I give her to eat but Nursery tell me that she eats absolutely all sorts.. She seems much better when she has the peer pressure of sitting down to eat with other kids. Today I tried to give her two different lots of food at home and she pushed it away. So frustrating!

This ia what I had to do.
My DD was just on milk for few days and then started to nibble cheese and bananas.
But she never become super eater.