not eating well, weight concern, sick a lot, where do I start?

[lindsaysmom]

My 9 month-old DD has never been a big eater.  Never been a big formula drinker unless going through growth spurts. Since starting solid food, it's been quite a bumpy ride, but even on a good day, she does not eat more than 4 oz at a meal.  She needs a lot of distraction--something to play with, something to hold in her hands--before she would eat much.  Meal time gets so long at times!
And if she were complaining in the high chair, the moment you take her out, she's all smiles!  So maybe we are forcing her too much?  I'm just afraid if we don't insist, she won't eat any solids.

The other part of the problem is that she has been sick a lot in the past few weeks, croup, bronchitis, colds, and most recently a stomach virus.  Yes, she does go to daycare, but I don't think we can change that arrangement at this moment.  So naturally her appetite goes down with these, and she eats even less, and formula intake is often a little lower than normal as well.   

I have not been too worried about this, thinking everything will get better soon, but at her 9 month check up, her weight percentile has dropped to 25th from 50th at 6 month, whereas her length stayed 75%.  Granted, her birth weight was about 25% as well.  Now everyone (from me to the pediatrician to the grandparents who are in another state 1000 miles away) is concerned, but I don't know how to get her to eat more!  She seems to like finger foods, but again, only some days.  The only thing she will consistently eat is cheerio and yogurt!  Help!

[cwolff]

Well, I'm definitely sorry you are having so many feeding problems.  I would think that your LO's pediatrician could offer you some choices as to where to go next especially since she has been ill so much too.  I think maybe you need to consult with a specialist to rule out and gastrointestinal problems that could be causing her poor appetite and slower weight gain.  Though, here's a couple of suggestions for boosting the quality of the foods she's eating:

You say she will consistently eat yogurt and cheerios.  That's a good start actually, because you can add a lot of calorie boosters to yogurt.  I add soft tofu to DD's yogurt.  I usually put 2 Tbs in with 2.5 oz whole milk yogurt.  I break it into chunks with a spoon and it's so soft it just blends really well.  Tofu is high in protein and is a good calorie extra.  You can also try ground nuts or seeds particularly flax seeds as they are very high in Omega 3 & 6 vitamins which boost immunity.  I grind up sunflower seeds or flax seeds in my coffee grinder and it makes what looks and tastes like peanut butter.  I add this to her yogurt instead of tofu. You can also try flax seed oil, add a Tsp or so to each of her bottles for added fat & vitamins and to help strengthen her immune system.   

For finger foods, you can try offering pieces of hard cooked egg yolk, as egg is a good protein and also has iron.  You will of course need to introduce these things slowly to check for food allergy, but once established they can be a great benefit to her diet.  Try offering cheese or a firmer type of tofu.  Try offering whole wheat toast with butter or even better would be a nut butter like almond (if she will eat it) in little bites.  You can offer bits of banana rolled in wheat germ (another good source of vitamins and minerals) or even rolled with ground nuts or seeds.  Cheerios spritzed with a bit of water and then rolled in nuts, seeds or even wheat germ will add some benefit.

If you would like more info or advice, please feel free to PM me.  Good luck.  Chloe

[C-line]

Hi there!

I think CWolff offers some good advice and I'm gonna try the tofu in the yogurt myself!  Personally I would be hesitant to push too hard on the solids for fear of your little one not enjoying eating and her time in the high chair.  Maybe back off a little for a week, give her cheerios and yogurt or whatever she takes readily, and then try again with some other things when you're not fighting her so hard?  It sounds like the illnesses etc may have a lot to do with her loss of appetite.  I would push the Pediatrician to offer more advice if they haven't already.

best,
Caroline

[EASYconfusedMom]

I am having a similar problme in that my LO eats very little at meals, maybe 2 oz at the most. She still can't handle rice or oatmeal (throws up stomach bile!) so I can't add that to increase calories, and needs distractions to keep her from having a meltdown in her high chair.  After half an hour, I usually stop the meal only so she doesn't start refusing to sit.  I really need to increase her calories though, because she still wakes up at night, usually twice, to BF even with a DF.  As for her weight, she seems okay but only because she isn't mobile yet.  My mom wants to take drastic measures with refusing to feed her at night, but I'm fairly sure that it won't make a difference unless she starts eating more.

She also started eating solids late (not until 7 mo) because of a milk protein sensitivity and my own reluctance after her initial reaction to rice cereal.  She has only had fruits and veggies so far, and just today started eating cheerios.  Because she throws up baby oatmeal, would it be risky to give her wheat germ?  In Tracy's sleep interview, she suggests giving them calories whenever you can to get them off the night feeding, but I have enough trouble getting her to eat on a schedule.  Anyone have any ideas?  I need to get some sleep!

Jennifer (& Ashleigh)

[lindsaysmom]

Thank you for your advice!  I'm going to try a few of the suggestions, especially the tofu in the yogurt idea!  I just read that avocado has lots of calories.  Does anybody have good success with baby enjoying it? 

Thanks
JP

[C-line]

Oh I wish I had more advice for you Jennifer!  Do you think you could put some grated cheese in the veggies and warm it or would that be a problem with her milk sensitivity?  I did this yesterday for the first time and it went over really well over here - my son LOVED it and ate spinach well for the first time.

JP, I've tried avocado with little success but a lot of babies do like it so go for it!  Make sure the avocado is very ripe and depending on how your LO does with texture you may need to add a little water to it in order to get it really smooth.  You may even want to try adding it to the yogurt as well since she likes yogurt and ripe avocado has a nice sweetness to it.

Best,
Caroline

[EASYconfusedMom]

Oh I wish I had more advice for you Jennifer! Do you think you could put some grated cheese in the veggies and warm it or would that be a problem with her milk sensitivity?

I will try this as her sensitivity is now pretty much under control.  I think it is more the amount I have to watch now.  I did try giving her avacado as well, and she did alright with it.  I think she is still getting used to the thickness of it compared to her usual food.  We have a dr. appointment on tuesday, so hopefully we will get more suggestions then.

Thanks!
Jennifer (& Ashleigh)