What does your little one eat?

[mauvish]

My granddaughter is 15 months old. She still gets most of her calories from breastmilk, which she will only take from source (expressed milk? Perish the thought!)

She eats very very little on the days I look after her. Her mum (my DD) tells me she usually eats reasonably well in the evenings, with her mum and dad, but she certainly doesn't through the day! Consequently she's famished (and thirsty - she barely drinks either) at the end of my grannie-shift. This isn't fun for anyone - not for the DGD who, by 3pm, is clearly feeling much like I do when I miss a meal; not for me; and not for her mum.

Typical intake when granddaughter is with me -- 1, maybe 2, tiny rice cakes. Most of a chipolata. Maybe 1/4 banana. About 2/3 of a small pot of yogurt. A few tiny, tiny sips of water. That's over 8+ hours. She will simply not have anything near her mouth if she doesn't want it, and there's no way I'm going to try to "trick" her into eating more (I wouldn't win anyway!!!) Then she'll have a massive BF when she sees her mum again.

It's been a long time since my DD was little and I can't remember what she ate at this age but I know it was more, as she was fully weaned. My DGD BTW is thriving, about 66th centile, so I know she's not wasting away!

So, I'd love some reassurance, stories of babies who refuse to eat yet grow up just fine; but any ideas/suggestions would be great too!

[vincettenoir]

Avocados are good. Very calorific. If she only ate a quarter of one that’s still 100 calories and they are packed with b vitamins and healthy fats.

Ice lollies would be a good way for her to get some extra fluids in too. I used to make home-made ones with fruit and veg. Or mini milks usually go down well.

Some days my dd ate as you described at this age. I understand it can be stressful but I’m pretty sure she’s fine. Especially if she goes on to have a good feed up at home.

[PritiPatelsMaker]

If she's still BFing it's totally normal to have a big BF in the morning, on pick up and before bed. She's very unlikely to get dehydrated at this time of year, unless you're somewhere a lot hotter than the U.K.

Also, you've said yourself that she's thriving. So I'd try not to worry too much. She's likely to pick up on your anxiety anyway.