Any advice......1 year old who has never eaten

[silvertoes]

Does anyone have any experience of getting a 1 year old to eat? I have tried everything and have presented food 1 - 3 times a day since she was 5 months old. She always gags, cries, pushes the spoon away or closes her mouth and refuses. She will mouth finger food but has never actually eaten any. There are no underlying medical reasons to explain the problem. I have tried everything..reducing her milk, family meals, varied food, me leaving the room, her brother feeding her, inviting her friends round etc etc but nothing is working! Help!

If you've tried everything I don't see what anybody could say.

Surely your doctor/HV is slightly concerned about this???

They were concerned and she has had lots of tests which have ruled out any underlying medical conditions. She has always been very small so originally the emphasis was on keeping her weight up through milk. Now I am being told that I some babies are just a problem to wean. My HV has advised me to switch to Follow On formula. I just wondered if anyone out there had been through the same experience?

sounds like a pita, it must be a bit worrying, although it's probably fine.
did she have reflux or anything like that, might there be a reason why she's against food?
i wonder if i'd just give her a vitamin supplement to make myself feel better and then stop trying?

Yes she did actually..I hadn't thought of that. I tried not feeding her for 2 weeks which made life much easier for me but didn't make any difference when I tried again. Thanks for the suggestion I am tempted to do that but am fearful that I am just storing up a problem and not solving it..but will give it more thought.

My dd didn't eat solids until she was well over 1. She has health issues so we had a dietician's input and the advice was very 'unmumsnet'; basically wean on chocolate buttons and quavers ie anything that she would put in her mouth and with these she didn't have to chew and swallow.

There was a programme on the television a couple of months ago about problem eaters and the dietician involved was from the same hospital. The advice is based around letting the child get comfortable with any sort of food and then progress on to the right foods. A lot of dd's problems were about control and an aversion to having anything in her mouth, so she only ever really fed herself - we didn't do it and for a long time wouldn't use a spoon - even custard was eaten with fingers.

Have you had any advice from a dietician?

No not yet, and what you say sounds very interesting as she does seem to have a real aversion to food in her mouth. I will make an appointment with the GP and request a referral. Was the hospital featured in London? I hope your little one has now improved.

It was Birmingham Childrens.

She's 14 now so not so little and she's still a fussy bugger!

mmm I was just going to suggest starting with chocolate buttons or similar. My dd refused anything till 8mo and like you I had tried everything up to 3 x daily since 5 months and she wasn't having anything. Then one day she just started eating.

Will she drink anything other than milk? If so you could try smoothies or you can buy Cow and Gate Fruit bags - just a squeezy bag full of fruit puree that they can hold themselves and squeeze/suck out. Mine love them!

I was just going to say offer something very naughty just to get her used to eating! How about yoghurt with some really sweet fruit puree if you don't want to go for chocolate (I would go the buttons route at this point though).

One of my friend's ds had never eaten anything other than yogurt at 1. We were all camping and I was in charge of 6 under 4's at children's tea time. I looked up as the other adults came back from a child free swim to see friend gesticulating frantically behind her ds back. I had absent mindedly given him a plate of sausages and beans and he was tucking in with the other five!

We recently had them to stay and our (now eight) children including her ds now 11 nearly ate us out of house and home!

Not much help but thought it might give you hope!

This seems to be more than fussy eating and you should definately get some professional input. Like you said go to your GP and get a referal to see a dietician, they will be able to help you and more importantly reassure you. good luck!

Thanks so much for all your great stories and suggestions, I can't tell you how much better I feel. Last night I even dreamt about feeding dd(!!)..it is beginning to take over my life so this give me some great suggestions to try today!

Silvertoes - it can get a bit 'all consuming' can't it? Pardon the pun. Does she eat for anyone else? I think that is a good indication of a problem over plain old fussy. dd was consistent to the last and ate for no-one.

Hi, no she hasn't..and I have tried lots of people. I did try chocolate buttons but she hasn't yet mastered the art of picking them up and getting them into her mouth without dropping them! However, I think in a day or so she will have got this...but she was very interested in them which is good news. Thanks so much again.