fun till they're 1 but what then?

[katechristie]

DD is nearly 11 months and still showing no signs of eating reliably. I've offered mashed and finger food from the start, and although she will munch on carrots, pasta twirls, toast, roast veg, she doesn't really eat them and resolutely refuses anything I've cooked which I offer on a spoon. - She will eat hipp jars, or yogurt, but no brekfast cereals whatsoever.

An average day, she'll have yogurt for brekfast, sometimes will eat a jar of food for lunch, sometimes not, then will munch on e.g. an orange for pud. We give whatever we're having for tea, in finger food portions, most of which she munches then spits out and throws to the cats. So I give her e.g. custard with some fruit for pud, which she will eat most of the time. She has a BF at bedtime, then another 2 or 3 through the night (which am trying to cut down, for my sake as well as hers!), so I try not to feed her in the day, to try and encourage her to eat more food.

any suggestions as to how to encourage her to eat more - in quantity and variety? TIA.

bump anybody?

Hi katechristie, my DD is 11mo and luckily eats a lot of different foods (although some days she eats less and some more)- I haven't BF in the night however since she was 7mo and I think this is part of the reason- she is hungrier during the day. Can you cut out the night feeds? Maybe that would sharpen her appetite. Keep offering a variety of foods as well. Remember though that no baby starves itself, they will eat what they need.

thanks debka, yes I've just put a post on the feeding thread, as I'm so tired the easiest way to get her back to sleep is to feed, but DH is off next week, so I'm going to try and tackle that then, even if it means am up half the night, to see if it helps the appetite. I'd hoped that she'd eat more seeing DS eat too, as we all eat at the same time. I foolishly thought it would all be easier second time around...nothing truer than the statement all babies are different!

I know what you mean- I did CC with mine at 3mo and then after we went on holiday and she was in the same room and woke up and I had to feed her back to sleep instead of just leaving her as normal. It took one night each time, maybe I was lucky but it was worth it. Good luck

Hi,

This sounds pretty similar to my DD. 11mths and will eat breakfast well (weetabix), then a variety of finger foods (though never the exciting things I make) - fish, melon, avocado, pear, brocolli, and hardly ever takes stuff off a spoon that I make.
I too am still feeding throughout the night. Will be trying to cut this down soon but she started standing up in the cot getting really distressed if I didnt go to her. It does sound like its related though doesnt it?
Am about to buy a book on finger foods to hopefully increase her intake

thanks JP. good to know I'm not alone with this at least! - thing is DD doesn't really actually eat much of the finger foods, unless they're the sort to dissolve easily in her mouth. She has a good old chew on e.g. an apple, then just spits the crumbs out of her mouth. And is addicted to Hipp jars.I don't want to go cold turky on the jars though, as on the odd days she hasn't had them, the night time wakings have been absolutely hideous. Maybe starting nursery in a few weeks will help. ah, and I thought it would be so much easier second time around!!!