10 months old and problems with solids

[ishkin]

Hi all,

My DS is giving me really hard time with his feeds.
Here is our current routine:

7 am bottle (~180cc)
8 am solids (I try to give him all kinds, sometimes cereal, sometimes yogurt with fruit, sometimes omelet,pancakes. Today he got avocado and tomato chunks, some pasta and bread spread with olive oil&lemon)
11ish bottle(~140-180cc)
13:00 solids (usually soup, steamed veggies and chicken/turkey)
15:00 bottle (~140 cc)
17:30 solids (usually yogurt with fruit , soft cheese chunks)
18:30 bottle (~240cc)

Now he has always been a tough eater. He refused a spoon at 7 months - month after we started with solids, so he is a self-feeder. But I did manage to give him various foods and he liked to taste them all, or he would agree to eat from my hand. The soup and yogurt I gave him from sippy cup.

But lately this became a total nightmare. First of all he doesn't want to eat "soft" foods - he mashes everything between his fingers. So soft fruit like banana, pancakes,bread, cheese, omelet etc is just getting mashed, he doesn't put it in his mouth and refuses to let me put it there as well.

He doesn't want to eat soup anymore, not even from a sippy cup.

So - no spoon, no soft foods, no soup  I am not sure what to feed him anymore, and his menu is very restricted right now. He gets mostly hard fruit (pear and so on) with some toast (which he usually doesn't want either) or avocado/tomato and pasta for breakfast , some meat and avocado tomato for lunch and yogurt with some fruit for dinner.

It also seems to me he wakes up hungry at night. At least it seems to me he is hungry, he wakes and doesn't go back to sleep until I give him some milk,of which he can take around 180cc twice at night. I think this is an indication he doesn't get enough food at day and therefore he is hungry at night . I don't want him to get used to eating at night - so any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[stef33]

Hello,

I read your post and I just thought that you were speaking about my dd... she also mashed the solid food in her hands and drink a lot of milk, and she is 11 months 1/2.....

 To date , I thought that it was because she was teething : she has 10 theeth and I think she does the 11 and 12 now....

But she also wake up at night to drink....

When she slept a complete night, it is because she ate a lot of food during the day...

If someone has some advice for our problem, thank you because it is very tiring to wake up 1-2 times a night to feed her....(since almost 1 year....)

Ishkin, you are not alone, don't be desesperate, your ds will eat one day....
 

[ishkin]

Stef33, thanks for the reply, its nice to know I am not alone!

What you describe sounds exactly like DS - initially I also thought he was waking because of teething (he used to - I know that for the fact because the gum ointment helped, he didn't want his dummy, and some other indications). But then the waking pattern changed , nothing calms him now when he wakes up except the milk and he eats big portions of it.
He also wakes usually 2 times a night to feed - he gets his milk supper at 18:30 before the sleep , and then he wakes around 12-1 hungry (eats around 180 cc) and then again around 5 (not always). Or he just wakes once around 3 am.

Anybody knows how to overcome it - please help! I understand the problem will probably go away on its own with time - but he will get used to feeding at night!

Perhaps we should start mixing the milk at night with water , gradually - transfer from milk to water - perhaps that will force them eat more at day? On the other hand , if he is hungry and needs the calories,I do not want to deny him that 

[tylersmommy]

I can totally understand how frustrated you are...#2 was a ridiculously picky eater until closer to her 1st birthday. No spoon, no yogurt, no veggies. I tried not to worry about it too much. I'd offer her something she didn't like and if she refused it, I'd give her what I knew she'd eat. As long as you only offer healthy foods, and it sounds like you do, then a limited diet really isn't that big of a deal. Just keep trying other things, and one day, he may surprise you and accept something he turned down before. Also, my LO really got interested in food when I offered her bites of what I was eating (as long as it was appropriate). You might try sharing your food and see if that helps.

We got rid of the night feeds at around 9-10 mo. I was bfing, but with bottles, you can try diluting it or just offering less. I did it by just giving her a bottle of water. Once I eliminated those night feeds, I saw a big change in her appetite during the day.

[stef33]

Thank you for the answer,

We try all what we can to feed her more, but she doesn't eat that much... I wil try to give her milk with water to see if it will go better...

I will let you know...

[ishkin]

Well, night feeds is not the biggest part of the problem, and in our case eliminating them doesn't really help during the day.
I started giving him a bit more on his evening feed (280 cc instead of 240cc) and mixed a bit of poriddge with the milk. When he wakes up at night (I must say he does it less with this evening feed) I give him water.
But - he still doesn't eat more at day, I would say even less
And sharing my food doesn't really help ever, I tried that...
I can see he is loosing weight, his chubby chicks disappeared
I will try taking him to our doctor today ,my caretaker thinks it might be some kind of bug bothering him...

[tylersmommy]

Ishkin, it's normal for their appetites to start slowing down somewhat as they get closer to 1 yr of age. Their growth slows down a LOT and they start to lose some of their baby chub. Hopefully that's all it is!

[ishkin]

Well, my doctor thinks it might be a minor virus, but he also thinks it might be a phase.

I am panicking because his food intake is not exactly "slowing down" but more like "not worth mentioning".

At least the solids parts, the milk intake is around 750-800 ml so I guess this is normal - the rest should have been about solids but this part currently virtually non existent.

I hope this is indeed just a phase which will pass, thanks everybody for the support!

[stef33]

Hello,

Since I start to give her half-half milk-water at night, she ate more during the day, but coincidence or not, 2 teeth get out also....

now, 7 days without night waking, hope it will continue, she just turn 1 year....

and she eat more solid food, nutrios, peanut butter, fruits and vegetables.... so, it will happen for you also...

[gleek]

hi! just wanted to chime in and say that i've noticed that when my DD is teething she wakes in the middle of the night and needs lots of milk. i'll breastfeed her and sometimes i have to top her off with a bottle of expressed BM as well! she goes back to sleeping through eventually but she always needs more milk at night when teething. she does lessen her solid intake a bit during the day because of her teeth, but not by much.

[Mama2boys]

hello there
I am facing exactly what you guys are with DS who is 11mo.

I am ready to try the diluted milk option..can someone please guide me how exactly it works? DS takes about 5oz of milk at 2am and then at 6/7am upon waking..so the 2am is the problem feed...should i make 5 but add only 2 scoops of milk..is that how it works? I really wish he would settle down with the eating habits, as someone said 1 year of not a single night of proper rest is taking its toll on me and my life with my DH.

Thanks,
Mukta

[stef33]

Hello,

I started the first night with 75% milk and 25% water. 1 night 200 mL te other night 150 mL She usually drank 200 mL

after I did a 50-50% during 2 nights, and I progressively decreased the quantity to drink (100 mL)
The third night it was 25% milk and 75 % water and the night after she did not wake up.

I suppose that she ate more during the day.  But for me , she was also just stop theething, then I don't know if this process really help or it was just a coincidence.

Good luck and let me know how it is

[Mama2boys]

Thanks Stef, I have cut the feed down to 3oz so next few days will do the diluted version and see how it goes.

Wish me luck!

[stef33]

hello,

And how was it working? Is he eating more during the day?

[Mama2boys]

Hi Stef,

Thanks fort asking...it was all getting better but then the miserable mean tooth fairy came back!! Its been a bit of a disaster for the lats 3-4 days when it come to eating and sleeping so all routines and schedules are thrown out. As long as DS gets to eat/drink milk, I am happy.

1 day of not eating well and you can see him shrink

Sad mummy Mukta