How do Social Media Inf get their babies to eat and sleep well?

[Tarsaurus]

My 11 month old started weaning well but hates the high chair and screams after 5 minutes to get out, hates anything but berries at the moment. Still loves to chuck food. Won’t try anything unless I show her by eating it first. I still spoon feed her breakfast as she only just likes weetabix.

She wakes up every morning at 4am and won’t get back to sleep until she’s in our bed and to be honest, it’s probably my fault as I’ve picked her up and she’s probably used to it now but I’m just so tired.

Every influencer on TIk Tok and Instagram, especially the recipes related ones, their children seem to sit quietly and eat anything in front of them. They all seem to sleep through the night too?!

Where have I gone wrong?? 😭

She might to be fair! Our DD1 has become like this more recently, we thought she was a good eater as a baby but nothing like DD 2’s level. Bad parenting but we spoon feed DD1 while she watches a programme sometimes if we are worried she’s eaten badly all day. Does she eat better before she has the milk?

Kids often eat much better at nursery than at home.

Yes she does but she doesn’t eat great for me to be able to reduce her milk just yet I don’t think…

Maybe try meal then milk? We say DD2 likes a milk chaser to her meals haha.

A close friend lives next door to an influencer and she’s basically filming her kids all day long to get a minute or two of useable content. She’s also changing their perfect clothes every time they dribble on them. It’s a full time occupation and the baby is probably more familiar with the camera lens than with its parents‘ faces.

I guess they just don’t have babies who scream in the high chair- mine didn’t despite being pains in the arses in many other ways 😂 just luck really. If they couldn’t do food videos they’d just do something else that their baby can do.

https://www.instagram.com/kellymedinaenos?igsh=MXF2bXhxZ3pucGdqeg== is a bit more real I think. Although it's a heavily curated life. Not weaning at the moment, but her daughter is a nightmare in her cot/sleeping . So currently there are endless hours if the antics she gets up to , which is a bit boring, but helps make one feel better if you have a marginally better child.

A lot of it is editing, but they probably know they can’t get stressed and still make good content.

Both mine ate better than you describe, yes. But I did proper blw from 6 months and was very low stress about meals. If she’s not eating unless you’re spooning it in and only eating berries, it’s likely mealtimes are a bit too high pressure. I never cared if mine ate, just plonked them down with some food when they were happy to sit in the high chair. Job done.

As for sleep, waking at 4am and coming into your room sounds great for 11 months. Mine both slept with me all night and definitely woke more than once. Most babies do. Any sleeping you see from a content creator is likely filmed during the day and they pretend to ‘wake up for the day’. That will take several takes and probably is re-used footage from multiple days.

We have a business Instagram (not like influencers) and we splice together lots of different content from multiple days, some of it years old, to make a reel. It’s not our real life. No one sees the shouting at the kids to get out of the way. Or the many takes.

The really big influencers who are properly monetised probably have staff who help with a lot.

Yes you see I didn’t do BLW weaning from the start as I was too worried about choking even after I did a first aid course.
She always had weight issues so maybe I’ve pressurised her to eat when I shouldn’t have, I don’t know.

She loves pasta, pizza, noodles etc, cream cheese toast.
she likes things that she can pick up and put straight in her mouth. If it disintegrates in her hand, she gives up and wants out of the high chair.

Everyone will say it’s fake but it’s most likely just training and familiarity.

it’s part of their job so they are invested in making sure their children/child eats different things so they will keep trying until they do.

kids are different, if you don’t want her to eat berries, stop offering them?

I always find a mezze plate of bits works as they’ll eat something. Not sure about the high chair as never had an issue with it

SR nutrition is worth a follow for fussy eating tips or ahealthvisitor has a fussy eating guide and sleeping stuff (and is very sensible and realistic!).

How do they get their babies to sleep well?

The same way that real life bull-shitters do it.

They lie.

Editing and lying.

I know an influencer. She readily admits it's all fake but to the watching insta audience it looks like everything is perfect!

Baby led weaning theorists have so much to answer for.

I have good little eaters now. My advice woyld be ditch the high chair and spoon feed.
Your baby is 11 months so spoon feeding is completely appropriate. It's less messy, less time-consuming, ensures your child gets more healthy food and guess what?
In no way whatsoever will they be delayed in learning to eat by themselves. Turns out eating is pretty natural !

Of course guve them things to munch on in the day like a cucumber stick or rusk. But forget baby-led weaning and high chairs! On your lap with a spoon held by you. Works a charm.

My now 3 year old eats all sorts now, from salmon fillets to vegetable-filled stews. No high chair has ever been owned by us.

Are you talking about Megan mckenna? 😄😄 that baby is so cute and eats so well!

Dd is autistic and non verbal. I had to straight up unfollow Stacey Solomon as her baby rex was speaking and mine wasnt 😭

Share a plate and she’ll eat off that. Make her think she’s taking off your plate. Or leave a plate of small cut food out for her to graze on while she plays.

Give them opium. Definitely helps them sleep.

Insta isn’t real so comparing yourself to them is pointless you’ll only make yourself unhappy. That being said, some children do eat and sit well. I don’t remember many sitting and eating issues with my 3 however if they screamed in a high chair I’d take them out of it and put them on my lap to eat. We had the chair that went ontop of normal dining chairs as soon as they could go in them so we all are together at the table. Don’t make things harder for yourself they don’t need to sit in a high chair if it’s causing distress.

Everyone is saying that it’s because social media is fake, but some babies eat and sleep really well and some of those will be influencers babies. Could it be worth replacing the high chair if she really hates it? Maybe she’s just not comfortable there. Or if there’s not a footrest could you add one, because a lot of babies like somewhere to put their feet against, like most adults wouldn’t find it comfortable on a bar stool with dangling legs for a long period of time.