BLW - 13 month old who just won't eat

[twotimestrouble]

Hi, my 13 month old DS won't tolerate anything other than BLW. However, this is the big downside, he just doesn't eat anywhere near enough. A couple of half hearted mouthfuls and he tips the plate/food onto the floor. It doesn't matter what's put in front of him. Result, he is still guzzling milk - particularly at night when he wakes three times. Obviously he's starving. Only good meal is breakfast after that it's downhill all the way.

Has anyone got any experience/suggestions.

Also, is there a website with good BLW recipes for this age group?

Thanksxx

link?

Cadmum, it's a nightmare isn't it? I just despair of him eating healthily. He's a really, really strong and wilful little boy (everyone comments on this so it must be true - not me just going mad), nothing like his very placid older brother. He holds onto spoons for dear life so can't trade. In fact he then grabs both! I have noticed he's getting worse at breakfast; the one meal he ever ate and I have a terrible fear that we'll soon be down to next to nothing all day long.

sounds like you need three or even four spoons. what's he like eating in the buggy? i've often had dd refuse some french toast or omelette or somesuch for lunch and then we've gone out afterwards and i've offered the same things to her out of a tupperware and suddenly it's all she's ever dreamed of... i think she likes to eat while runnign around nowadays.

Sorry that the spoon trading suggestion won't help. It is very hard not to despair some days. How much does your DS weigh? does he seem to lack energy during the day? Our DD is only 9kg and everyone comments on how little she is lately but she is very happy and full of energy.

Another nightmare food(less) day here:

Nothing whatsoever for breakfast. I offered toast, wheetabix and eventually a blueberry muffin (a hit and miss favourite).

Grapes, banana slices, cheese and crackers were the snack on offer (DS1 and DD1 were home from school today so we were all at the table with her.) She actually screamed as I put her in her high chair and would not even touch anything on her tray for the first few minutes and then she just flung it all into her lap and onto the floor. She did have a few sips of diluted cranberry juice.

We had noodles and veggie stir fry for lunch and I believe that she did put a few noodles in her mouth but judging from the amount I cleared off the floor there was not much eaten.

Afternoon snack was in the push chair on the way to the older 3's speed skating. She did eat a few raisins and some of a cranberry muesli bar.

Tea was at IKEA this evening and she had a captive audience with many other patrons watching her fling spag bol on the floor. Any attempt at helping her was greeted with a loud screach and back arching.

I feel certain that she will be up all night wanted to be fed.

Oh Cadmum, I SOOOO understand. Isn't it just a nightmare when you go out? We are out a lot at lunchtime and it's always a nightmare and I sit watched by incredulous other diners as DS2 throws stuff around and wriggles and arches etc.

Your day sounds about like mine. I was up at 11pm (well was up anyway) and again at 4am.

I don't understand what blw has to do with this problem. If he is having milk 3 times a night, he's had nearly all the calories he wants in 24hours so it's unlikely he'll want to eat much in the day.

puffling - he is a very hungry boy in the day. He desperately tries to get milk and I am really holding back (other that first thing in morning and bedtime he ghets water). He is just very very difficult when it comes to food. Has never spoon fed and has no real interest in self feeding either. I don't think it is lack of hunger that is driving him to be like this.

Just a quick note of encouragement!
My DD (about 13m old too)goes through changing phases of interest in food. For a few months she wasn't really interested - following a bit of illness, teething, etc, - then suddenly recently she began to eat a bit more and try a few different things...including pasta for the first time, to my delight.
It was triggered I think by an afternoon spent in a restaurant grazing at a friend's birthday dinner. I just kept putting bits of things on her tray, and the table full of people munching seemed to encourage her.

She also feeds quite a bit at night, although I'm BF so it's less hassle for me than for you. I try not to worry about her intake too much, as she seems to balance things out in the end. I just give her quite a bit of what she likes, and some new things when we're eating them.
Occasionally it works to just get her attention, then eat whatever it is obviously in front of her, saying 'mmmmm!' She will pick a piece up and copy - even if it then gets discarded

She is getting used to using a spoon herself for things like oatibix and yoghurt. I started by loading up the spoon and handing it over, now she likes dipping it in the bowl (which I have to hold still, and prevent from being lifted up / thrown!). She usually eats more this way than when I do it for her - too boring, I guess.

Also, as Aitch said, DD gets put off by too much on her tray / too many different things. I put all the food on a plate on the table in front of the highchair, then put a few bits on the tray for DD. She now eyes up all the plates present at a meal quite carefully, and requests more of her favourite food by pointing and telling me!

I hope something helps!
x

Puffling: I didn't get the impression that twotimestrouble was trying to suggest that BLW was the heart of the problem... She was seeking advice because she is concerned about her baby who happens to refuse most foods and all by spoon.

I would certainly have to agree in our DD's case that she feeds so much in the night that she is not very hungry during the day BUT how do you end the cycle when the baby has NO interest in food?

My PIL were visiting for 2 1/2 weeks over Christmas and they were determined to get her to eat because they think that BLW is like feeding a dog table scraps but there was NO WAY that she would eat anything on offer even when she was obviously ravenous.

Cadmum, you've hit the nail on the head. How do you break the cycle of night feeding/milk if they just will not eat???

I know he CAN eat when he wants to. On the odd occasion he's had a biscuit or similar he shovels it down. We were laughing at lunch out today because after refusing any veg, meat, a nice cheese sandwich (all offered alone and one after another) we offered some carrot cake his brother was eating and he couldn't get enough. Until then, food had been flying everywhere.

PS Thanks for your support thell.