10 month old has stopped eating - please help!

[secretweapon]

DS is nearly 10 months old and used to be an excellent eater, he would eat pretty much whatever we offered him, including lumps and finger foods. For the past week or so he hardly takes a bite or two before clamping up and refusing to eat, even with foods that he used to love. He spends the rest of the meal blowing raspberries and often crying. He did have a bit of a runny nose and congestion when this started, and he still does, but I'm not sure this is the reason. As soon as we clean him off and take him out of his highchair he is happy again. He will still take his bottles but often he only drinks half. And he has started sleeping very poorly at night, waking around 3 or 4 am (I suspect this is because he is having so little to eat/drink).

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this? Or how to get him out of it? Is it just a phase that I have to get through?

Thanks!!

If your son seems well in himself I would not panic just yet. My children have been through all sorts of phases with food and viruses can affect their appetite even when they seem quite well.
Are there any particular foods he likes that you can be creative with? For instance my son is fussy with food but he loves cheese so I make batches of cheese sauce to freeze and if I think it is a meal he wont like I give him a little jug of cheese sauce with it that he can pour on.
It is hard when they dont eat but we all go through it at some point, good luck!!

If it is of any reassurance I put out a thread on here recently as was having similar problems with my 10 (now nearly 11) month old. Most replies suggested it could be a phase. It was mainly to do with refusing a spoon in my case though..but she was very fussy over finger foods too and ate next to nothing. It was a phase and she is just about getting over it(sometimes..fingers crossed). Maybe it is their age and something to do with their development and experimentation of choice...not sure. I did experiment with loads of finger food though and found mini meatballs and anything on bread worked(you could put purees on bread, or cream cheese to boost vits and protein intake etc..). GOod luck

My DS11mo is going through this too. I think it's a phase, but another tooth is coming through so I am just offering more mashed up foods and trying him with different things. Most of the spoon fed stuff is ending up on the floor! He still gets all of his milk and takes what he wants from that, so that is of some comfort.

What they said.

My DD went through at least one phase when she seemed to be living on thin air, don't worry, they make up for it at other times. Babies won't starve themselves.