10 months old and refuses to eat anything but finger food!

[AlliWill]

My lo is 10 months old and I am really struggling with his meals. He has reflux which has only just been diagnosed and he is also teething so I know these will contribute to the problem. Over the last 3 weeks he has started to refuse food, mainly anything from a bowl or given to him with a spoon. He wont eat any cereal for breakfast any more and instead has a bottle between 6-8oz and about half an hour later will have toast. He was eating soup or pasta and sauce or meat veg and potato for lunch and dinner but he has started refusing this as well. He is great eating yogurt or pureed fruit or sugar free jelly with a spoon but that is all. So now I find I am giving him concoctions of potato, chicken or fish that he can pick up himself as he wont even let me put it to his mouth anymore. I also give him cooked vegetables but he has started to refuse these as well now. He just doesn't seem that hungry, and I dont want to push him too much but I am beginning to worry he isn't getting enough nutrients as he only has 2 bottles of milk a day so maximum he is getting is 16oz. I really hope this is a phase as I dont want to be giving him the same foods all the time, and I cant seem to think of a way to get him to eat more veg. I have been putting bits of fruit in his yogurt and he will eat banana so I am not too worried about that. Am I giving him enough milk? If I give him more milk throughout the day I worry that it will put him off the little food he already has. Sorry for sounding neurotic but he was a really good eater, ate anything you gave him and seemed to really enjoy it whereas now he seems to pull a face at everything I give him.

[* Paula *]

My lo has been going through exactly the same thing.  Will eat his yogurt and pureed fruit off the spoon but that is it.  Everytime I tired to put his food in his mouth, he would slap the spoon away from his mouth.

The last time this happened, he actually had an ear infection, and once that had cleared up his food intake was back to normal and off a spoon.

This has now recently happened again, over the past week or two.  He has a cold and is really not himself, and has been doing this with the spoon again.

Perhaps your lo could be teething, and it could be uncomfortable for him to have the spoon going into his mouth.  While my lo was like this, I introduced a baby fork to him, and he loved the concept of this.

Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and that it is probably a just a phase that your lo is going through.

Let us know how you get on.

Paula

[tylersmommy]

Spoon refusal is a really common phase around this age. Babies really want to start showing their independence and feeding themselves, so finger foods are the way to go until it passes. Offer the spoon, and if he refuses, put it away without making a big deal out of it and give some finger foods instead. You can do all kinds of steamed veggie chunks, fruit chunks, and even spread purees onto sandwiches and cut it into pieces. You can also try coating fruit and veggie chunks in dry infant cereal or crushed cheerios...that can help if the slimy texture is putting him off.

Normal formula intake around that age is 20-24 oz, but that's just an average. And keep in mind that purees are mostly water, but finger foods aren't. So it may seem like he's eating a lot less when it's finger food, but it's probably a decent amount when you factor that in. Honestly, if he isn't losing weight or waking from hunger during the night, he's probably getting plenty to eat!

[AlliWill]

Thankyou for your replies.

Ethan is teething at the moment, his top front teeth are coming through. Also last week he developed a rash so we took him to hospital and they said he had a viral infection and his ears and throat were inflamed, but because he is so pleasant I didnt suspect he had any pain. I feel better knowing it is common to refuse food at this age as because of his reflux I was really worried about him associating food with pain.

I will keep on trying him with the spoon but I will also get him a baby fork as I hadnt thought of that before and knowing how independant he is at the moment he will love it.

I am still concerened about his milk intake, he only took 4oz this morning and refused anything else and I know he doesnt take any more than 8oz before bed, he hasnt really ate well today so not sure how I could get him to take more milk without it affecting the rest of his meals today. Dont know whether I am concentrating too much on solids and not enough on his milk.

[* Paula *]

Although they say that 20oz is the miniumum they should have - this does not need to be just milk, you can make it up with yogurts and cheeses etc.

When ds is really teething badly, he also refuses his milk - We once went 5 days without him touching a bottle.  Don't worry you are not alone with this.

Once his gums have calmed down, he will take his milk again.  Have you tried giving him some teething gel before a bottle?

Also when ds had a virul infection, ears and nose etc, he also refused his food and his milk.

HTH

[AlliWill]

Hi Paula, I knew Ethan wasnt himself yesterday we ended up taking him to the hospital again as he was limp and exhausted all day. He has got another viral infection. He took his bottle last night but after the antibiotics he brought everything back up. He didnt have any milk this morning either, I just ended up giving him a yogurt. Glad to know its not unusual to not take the full quota of milk, especially when they are not well, and I didnt realise you could use yogurts and cheese as substitutes.

I will also try the teething gel before his bottle as at the moment I give it to him mainly before he goes to sleep.

Does your lo have milk with or in between meals ? The reason I ask is that I only offer Ethan 2 bottles a day so dont know whether to offer it with snacks or try putting it in a cup. Havent tried a cup yet as we have been using Dr Browns bottles for his reflux.

Thanks for your help
Allison.

[* Paula *]

I am sorry to hear that Ethan is not well, I hope that he feels better soon.  There seems to be a lot of this virul stuff going around as Thomas has just gotten over a virul infection.

Thomas is only on 2 bottles a day now too - He has one in the morning before his breakfast, and what ever is left in it gets used in his cereal and he has one at around 6:30 before he goes to bed.  When he was on 3 bottles he would have one at 2:30 as a snack, but we have since substituted that for a yogurt and he is much happier.

We still give Thomas his milk in a bottle as he doesnt take any formula from a sippy cup at all.  Personally I think it will be easier to get rid of the bottles, as he has never been that fussy on his milk at all.

If you are going to try using a cup - i would offer small amounts then with his meals using a cup - that is how we are going to start introducing cows milk.

Hope Ethan feels better soon.  Let me know how he is doing.

Hugs

Paula x

[AlliWill]

Hi Paula,

Ethan is a lot better today. He has been taking his milk again and we have been given a spray for his throat to use before meals to help with any pain. Still preferring finger food but did take a little soup for his lunch today before grabbing the bowl and covering both of us with it. Tried him with a cup as well today but that got thrown too. Oh well he seems back to his normal self anyway!

Thanks for your help, most of my friends children are older so they do not remember the small details that seem to be big issues to me. Its nice to know others are going through what you are going through, and can tell you it gets better!

Take care
Allison.

[* Paula *]

Hi Allison,

I am so pleased that Ethan is back to his normal self and feeling better. 

Well we are back to square 1 again.  Thomas is refusing anything off a spoon again, unles sit is from our plate - he just smacks it away.  I have now decided to be strict on him and if he refuses it, he will not get anything else until his next meal / snack time as I really do not have the time to do finger foods all the time.  Lets hope it works.

He just seems to ge going through a really strange phase at the moment, that is affecting his sleep and eating - hmm maybe another milestone??

[AlliWill]

Hi Paula,

How have you been over the last few days with Thomas' meals. I know this will be something I will be going through again soon. Did it work with not giving him anything until his next meal or snack time? When Ethan wont eat off a spoon I find myself panicking and rushing in and out of the kitchen trying him with anything, maybe I shouldnt be too quick to get him something I know he likes.

Hope it hasnt been too bad.

Take care
Allison x

[* Paula *]

Hi Allison,

No it did not really work.

We found the reason why Thomas was refusing to eat, we took him to the doctor and he has an ear infection, chest infection and throat infection.  No wonder the poor guy did not want to eat.  I get the bad mommy award.

How are things going with you?

[Nikki~Nathanamp;Danielle]

Just another suggestion, not sure if a pp has mentioned or not, but what I found with my dd when she stopped wanting me to spoon feed her was to actually put the bowl right in front of her on her tray (I had been holding it and spooning out of it) and let her scoop her fingers into the food and put them in her mouth (very messy!). You could also put a spoon in the bowl for your lo to attempt using as well.

[* Paula *]

I have tried that, but my lo just picks up the bowl and throws it all over the place.

To be honest I think he hates sitting in his high chair - he kicks off when he is put in it, but my carpets cannot take having food mashed in it.

Oh the joys of feeding our lo's

[AlliWill]

Hi Paula,

Hope Thomas is feeling better now.

Ethan did start to eat a lot better again and even took pasta and sauce off a spoon, although I had to stick a bowl with a bit of food in to the top of his highchair and give him his own spoon while I was feeding him from a separate bowl ( I think I have confused myself too!) Well it did work but then yesterday he just picked at his food all day, but it is really hot and humid at the moment so may have a lot to do with it. Actually I think I give up trying to work out why Ethan wont eat as it is probably wrong anyway.

Well better go as its my favorite part of the day - LUNCHTIME!

Take care
Allison.