13 month old not interested in food

[Kcoffecakebubs]

So, my DS has been very hit and miss with food ever since we started weaning at 5 months. But it's always been more of a miss. I've kept telling myself he will come round, but it seems to be getting worse and it's starting to really stress me and my husband out. I'm worried he's not getting enough of what he needs and I have no idea what to do.

Today was a pretty standard day: Breakfast - half a piece of buttered toast, and a smoothie blend of rusk, milk and fruit. 7oz bottle of milk around 11am. Lunch-Greek yoghurt, some baby Veggie crisps, 3 spoons of curry, fruit pouch. Afternoon snack - wafer and baby crisps snacks, fruit pouch. 4oz milk. Dinner - fruit pouch, 5 spoons of chili, half a piece of toast, custard pudding, rusk. 12oz milk before bed.

I know he's having too much milk really, but it's always after food. And I'm guessing because he's hungry as he isn't eating enough.

He's always refused what I've made for him, and occasionally will finish a whole bowl of shop bough baby food (curry, mac and cheese etc), but this is more a once a week thing. We try all sorts of shop bought and homemade meals, Roasted veg, potatoes, muffins etc- but most of the time he won't even pick it up let alone eat it, and he fights a spoon. I'm just starting to get to my wits end I'm worried about his nutrition.

Any ideas, tips, reassurance, hand holds welcome before I go and cry again!

Have you tried offering some of the milk in a cup alongside a meal rather than in a bottle? That should help reduce intake too. Mine had milk in a cup alongside breakfast. Snacks were served with water

@dementedpixie, yes, we give him a bit of milk in open cup with meals, some of it is drunk and some is used to wash his hair!

I think you have had great advice but I’m coming on to say please don’t worry. At 18 months my DD barely ate half a yoghurt, a few pieces of pasta and a couple of slices of banana A DAY! You can imagine I was literally driven mad. I threw every meal away. I tried everything and HV helped.

As a very healthy 25 year old I can tell you she came to no harm. The key to her starting to eat was going to nursery and staying for lunch. Eating at a table with other DC. The nursery kept records of what she ate and this gradually improved from 19 months until, at Christmas when she was 21 months, she finished her Christmas lunch and asked for “more!”. Best Christmas present that year.

I just think some DC don’t enjoy food as much and it takes a while for their taste to mature. My DD always wanted cuddles and milk but it’s worrying. I cannot deny that. In comparison your DC is doing just great!

Thank you @My0My, that really nice of you to say. Its actually made me feel a lot better hearing similar stories and being given a bit of reassurance. First child, don't know anyone well with children similar ages to ask for advice, and I'm a stay at home mum, so sometimes it seems to just build up in my head what's wrong, and not what's right. I also think he's very active and inquisitive, been walking since 10 months etc and I think being strapped in a chair to eat is just an inconvenience for him. I think I have a very small window where he's susceptible to being fed!

My DD was my second and my DD1 ate everything and was 100 per cent happy with foodas a child. Never said no to anything. I tried to wean DD2 thinking it was easy because DD1 had been a breeze. How wrong was I? DD1 would now say she's not a great cook, but DD2 is and has done the Prue Leith course.

At nursery, DD2 was fed lunch quite early but I think she had started to want to be like other DC. She decided for herself that she was ready to eat and after that Christmas she ate perfectly normally. Her favourite food is now Lobster. I was a SAHM but nursery gave me a break from the tyrrany of lunch three days a week! It wasn't what I had ever envisaged, but it was the only thing we had not tried, so felt there was nothing to lose (other than nurery fees!).