1 yr old refusing to eat!

[MrsL2012]

Hi, my 1 year old doesn't eat much. He won't even try anything, he'll just shake his head and throw it on the floor.

When we started weaning him he was great and eating loads and everything. Between 7-9 months he wasn't well, he developed a secondary lactose intolerance and some food we were giving him made him sick. He started refusing food, maybe because he realised it was hurting him. During this time we saw 3 different GPs who all said it was a bug and not to change anything. One GP even said don't change his milk because the soya milk doesn't taste very nice - sure it's nicer than diarrhoea and vomiting several times a day!

Anyway, it all resulted in a trip to A&E where we were advised to cut all dairy out of his diet and he was a different baby overnight!

Since then, we've had so much trouble getting him to eat anything and I think he associates food with his tummy hurting so he won't eat. The HV is quite concerned as he's not putting any weight on and has dropped from the 75th to the 25th line. She is going to refer to a GP if he doesn't improve in the next month.

What can a doctor do to make him eat? I'm a bit wary of seeing a GP again as three of them made a mistake last time and we ended up in hospital.

Any tips on helping him eat please? The HV suggested cutting his milk - he has two bottles a day, morning and night, but this doesn't seem to be helping.

Thank you! Sorry for the essay

I have a difficult eater and out started around this age. He also dropped down the centiles. Overall my mistake was to stress too much about his eating. If he likes his milk, how about soy yoghurts? I would give him things he can 'play' with and make a mess eg. Toast sticks with houmous. Don't expect him to eat full meals just to have fun with food. Those ikea high chairs are great (and v cheap) with a big plastic tray. Just give him things he enjoys as you explore what he seems to like or not. Give him bits and bobs of what you're eating and eat at the same time as him. I would keep up the milk and just start him on this fun way of eating for a bit, more like a game and play. Those little apple rice cakes were v popular here. Soy custard with baked apple? Bits of strawberry? A taste of what's on your plate? Just experiment and don't rely on food for the weight. Get him some vitamin drops and try and get those in to compensate.

Absolutely and my ds at that age had a medical issue that meant he could only have breast milk up to about 15 months and was fine (if I was rather knackered from night feeds).

I would just do take it for leave it, lots of interesting baby led weaning foods out for him to play with/eat as appropriate, up the milk, plenty of praise if he does eat but no anger/sadness if he doesn't. After a certain amount of time clear the food away and don't offer more until next meal time.

Ah thank you, you've made me feel better already! Sometimes I think he's just too busy wanting to play and eating just interrupts playtime!

Make eating another opportunity for (messy) play! Doesn't matter if he just shreds up bits of toast. If you are putting food on your mouth at the same time he will probably copy at this age.