Why doesn't my baby eat?

[lottie198]

Started weaning DS at 6 months old, he's now 10 and a half months (11 months in a week). He hardly eats. The past month it's been the worst he's been so far but he has been teething terrible (especially the past week). He's started to do this hand flapping thing in the high chair and make lots of noises until eventually he cries to get down. I never put pressure on and just say "okay finished now" and take him down. He sits with us as a family and we all eat together. I load the spoon or he will pick it up. But he doesn't eat much at all. I'm talking 2/3 small spoons or bites of something(on a good day). I offer a lot of different foods so I don't think it's that the food is boring.
I'm just worried he's going to become anaemic as I know they need a lot of iron as babies. He's breast fed and loves his milk. I tried cutting out the morning feed to see if he ate more breakfast but it made no difference.

They say they get most of their nutrients from milk until age 1 if I remember correctly. I wouldn't be too worried about it yet. We gave DD a liquid vitamin and mineral supplement (wellbaby I think, although it doesn't taste great!), which might help to alleviate your concern about iron deficiency?

Try more baby led weaning and get stuff he can play with and then try? This blw cookbook is full of great ideas www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-led-Weaning-Cookbook-delicious-recipes/dp/0091935288/ref=pd_aw_fbt_img_sccl_1/261-8897015-1933901?pd_rd_w=HRTEf&content-id=amzn1.sym.86676462-a552-4c28-8ddc-2508435d120c&pf_rd_p=86676462-a552-4c28-8ddc-2508435d120c&pf_rd_r=EKGBMBYZA322FD8SBQ2B&pd_rd_wg=8yDmf&pd_rd_r=0dc90311-2383-4746-ac5c-6cceb936c8dd&pd_rd_i=0091935288&psc=1

Thanks I'll have a look but I mainly do BLW anyway, he won't let me spoon feed unless it's a yoghurt. But most stuff goes on the floor! He throws it

Thank you. I'll order this and start giving it. He currently has vitamin d , would he need that as well still or does the multi vitamin include it?

At that age they pick up on any anxiety really fast so I would remove him from the high chair a bit sooner. Give him some food to play with and then take him down as soon as he suggests it. He'll eat eventually! Obvs I'm not a doctor so if you're worried speak to your HV.

My DS was the exact same (he's also 10.5 months old) he would just fuss so much in his high chair from 6-9 months. The only thing that's helped him eat more recently is eating out at cafes etc, giving him bits of of food direct off our plates and letting him hold a spoon with food on while I feed him with the other. Also - high chair toys are a godsend! They do help keep him distracted for a short time, especially the fidget type spinners which I'll add a photo of below.

Sometimes if he's teething some Nurofen or calpol before food sometimes helps, alongside cold cucumber sticks to help with the pain.

We don't do this often but if he needs to eat in a hurry (ie we need to leave at a certain time) I'll let him watch Miss Rachel on YouTube while we feed him. This has been the best in getting him to eat. But obviously we don't want to encourage this so we don't do it often. He's still not a great eater, some days he'll only eat breakfast and tea, other days he will eat a few spoonfuls all day. It's so hit and miss. He loves his milk so all I can do is keep offering a variety of finger foods and spoon fed meals daily and try not to put any pressure on him or me - easier said then done I know!

If you've got a DP/DH I'd send them to the park today with some snacks or lunch. Often a different person and a different environment can encourage LOs to eat.

Could your DH/DP get them up in the morning and give them breakfast instead of a feed. It would give you time to have a shower and they usually eat when Mum isn't around.

We have tried this and unfortunately makes no difference. I socialise quite a bit and go to cafes etc and he ate some biscuit, banana and baby crisps the other day but not a whole lot really. I'm hoping it picks up after this bad teething episode. A tooth has finally cut! X

A tooth has finally cut!

Oh that's good news

Intrigued to know how this ended? X we’re weaning and it’s awful 8 months won’t eat a thing x hate it x

Hey! Please don't stress. I am the original poster and my son is now 2. He eats absolutely fine! Has days where he eats more than others but that's toddlers for you. At 8 months I really wouldn't stress.

Finding this so hard and demoralising I don’t know what to do to help, any tips did you ever offer food off your hand @Elisabeth3468 … he’s due to start nursery in May hoping this will help but more than anything I feel embarrassed to handover he barely eats x

Honestly the nursery will be used to it. It's completely normal. It really is. Mine started eating better after aged 1 and then a lot better at 18 months. He barely ate a thing up until then. Just tiny bits here and there.
I would offer finger foods and just leave them for baby to eat or if they aren't interested just try again at a different time. Please don't worry x

At that age the food is just a taster and not for nutrition. All mine only ate a mouthful or two till 14 months. They eat anything now as school aged children. All healthily ran along the same low percentile for years

@Elisabeth3468 @SteadyFreddi

its hard when your going through it and it feels like your failing. I know I can’t solve it can only offer, did you guys keep offering milk as usual and did you continue to do so in a bottle? X

Also when did they start eating more normal types of meals?

Mines never had a bottle and was breast fed. I tried feeding him at different times thinking he would eat more etc but it made no difference. He was all about the milk until after age 1.
I remember actually we went on holiday to France when he was just over 8 months and because we were busy holidaying then he hardly ate any actual solids and I offered it like once or twice a day. He would've been just as happy without anything because hardly consumed anything.
He started eating proper meals more from 18 months I'd say but even now at 2 years old he sometimes refuses meals.
It's really hard right now for you I can see- I was the same worried sick because I thought he would never eat. But ultimately when they are weaned off milk they want more food when they are older.
My son actually still breast feeds 2-3 day too.

I breast fed till 15 months, being generally unsuccessful with the bottle. It was very strange, all mine just weren’t interested in food till 14 months. They were all efficient milk drinkers and traveled along the same light percentile. They graduated onto finger foods and we gave them a bit of our adult meal. It got quite messy.

We also went through a period where they would have only two of the three meals, however it wasn’t worrying as I could see the week to week intake was enough.

@SteadyFreddi @Elisabeth3468
if your little ones got distressed in the seat did u remove them? … we seem to do that a lot we’ve tried our laps but it feels like there is alot going on for him developmentally x

@Seeema2902

Hey how are you getting on now? My little one is the same as yours. Hope you have had some luck! Any tips? X