eating problem continues.

[legend_018]

Does anyone have any advise? I know it might seem like I'm reposting the same thing. There are some updates so maybe it will help.

My LO is a small and picky eater. This is her schedule lately.

1. Starting around 6:30am, sometimes closer to 7:00am - ONE 6 OZ JAR OF baby cereal with fruit. Than 4 oz sippy milk.
2. About 3 hours later. She's usually pretty hungry for something for this meal. Sometimes she doesn't wait 3 hours. Maybe 1 scrambled EGG and a small bananna would be an example.  Than 4 oz sippy milk
3. Nap is usually 11-1, or 12-2 or 11:30-1:30
4. Usually sometime between 1:45pm and 2:45pm. I give her 4 oz yogurt to hold her over. Try lunch or snacks sometimes. Not really into it. Sometimes she'll have a cracker or a little lunch. Example MIGHT be a piece of cheese or the other day, some chicken pieces from a roast I made. I know at nana's she had a bigger lunch than supper last weekend. For me - it's usually just the yogurt.
5. Than we try for supper. Usually anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30 we start. I try lots of stuff. I do tend to stick to what I know she MIGHT eat. She really hasn't been into supper lately. But somethings she does eat when she does eat supper (noodles, mac& cheese, cut up chix pieces, potatoe/veggie mini pancakes, fruit, pudding, english muffin with peanut butter). by the way, she would never eat an entire english muffin. Probably at most a quarter of one side and the potatoe pancakes are new to her, but we had luck yesterday.

Than here comes the problem. After supper I give her 5 oz of milk.
About an hour later she definetELY wants more milk. I give her usually another 4-5 oz.
Than before bed she wants more milk. Possibly another 4-5 oz. Sometimes even more. It's like the milk consumption just doesn't end and is on an hourly basis after dinner.  So for example yesterday her after dinner milk was around 5:30pm and than she had more milk at 6:30pm and than even more milk later on. Bed time started at 7pm, but she didn't go down until almost 9pm. Actually bed time started at 6:45pm. It even gets in the way of bed time sometimes or lately ALL the time. It's like she can't get enough milk at night before bed. It starts after I spend almost an hour giving her dinner and up until she falls asleep. No matter what time I put her down - she's not fallimg asleep until around 9pm on a nightly basis. I think the milk situation is part of that problem. I feel I'm sitting her down in her booster seat enough times in one day and in addition, she sometimes will sit there for awhile during a session.

[Tamara]

Not sure if I'm being totally blind here, but how old is your LO?

[legend_018]

15 months old. She was born March 28th, 2006 so she just pretty much turned 15 months. We've had some pretty serious eating problems from the get go. Example would be she wouldn't eat ANYTHING other than formula/milk from around 7 months to 9 1/2 months. I mean NOTHING!!!! compared to that, i'm pretty happy with what she is consuming on a daily basis "lol".

[Tamara]

Now I am NO expert on weaning ok?

But to me, she sounds like she's eating pretty decent amounts within the day - eating cereal, fruits, meat, cheese, carbs......is it that she's taking so much milk that's bothering you?

My DD is now 4 and still drinks LOADS of milk (or VERY milky tea) in fact she'd live on them if she could lol.  Compared to other children - I guess she doesn't eat half as much if you compare. 

I go on the rule of - if she eats a varied diet (she is) and over the course of a few days she takes in decent amounts (sounds like she is) and is growing well and healthy - I wouldn't worry.

If I've comletely missed the point here - I apologise

[taygensmom]

I think the amount of milk she is consuming is likely really affecting her intake. I think you really just need to decide if this is something that you really want to address or not, as it will take some willpower on your part and she will initially resist and tantrum. So if it is something that you really want to change, I would suggest decreasing the milk and, if she is begging for more, offer a before the bed snack instead. I know this will be hard, but if you stick it out it will work. It sounds like you are unsure if this is somthing you want to "tackle" right now? If not you could leave things as they are for now and see how she does, but I do think at some point you will probably have to address if you want to see better food intake. HTH

[legend_018]

It's hard to figure out why she goes from around 10/11am until 2/2:30pm with eating anything. Has a 4 oz yogurt than and than NOTHING not even milk until I try supper at around 5pm and than she doesn't eat her supper.

Today, I have to admit and this DOES not happen she snacked on a bunch of fishies this afternoon. I mean not a BOAT load. Tonight I have tried potatoe/veggie mini pancakes, chicken pieces and some cold brocolli. She pretty much isn't eating at all. She'll OF COURSE want her milk after dinner though.

Just with only have two "4oz milk sippys" in the morning and late morning and going from 10/11am without ANY milk until 5pm, just weird that she is hardly eating her dinner lately. But will than spend the rest of the night drinking lots of milk. Or even if she has her supper milk and I wait until closer to bed time - she still wants a VERY!!! big sippy of milk close to bed time. LIke big as in 7-10 oz total.

Just don't get why she isn't hungry for dinner.

[taygensmom]

It sounds like she has her "eating" times backwards. What I mean is that she is getting most of her calories in the evening hours, and this is "tanking her up" for the most part until the following evening. One thing to keep in mind is that a toddler only needs so many calories per 24 hour period. So if she is filling up on these in the evening, she is likely not going to eat much at other times of the day. Children's systems also "learn" when to be hungry. So if for months she gets most of her calories in the evening, that is when her body will learn to get hungry. To change that you have to slowly decrease calories (i.e. liquid in the evenings) so that she makes up for it at other times of the day.

[legend_018]

There hasn't been any changes in the amounts of milk during the day or all the milk she drinks after supper up until bed time. Actually, last night she had her after dinner milk probably between 4:30 and 5pm and had another sippy of milk around 6:30pm. I was going to try to call it quits with the milk sippys, but had to give in to a little more between 8 and 8:30pm Last night she surprised me and practically ate an entire hot dog and munched on a hot dog roll. That was around 4:30pm. Skin taking off the hot dog of course. She has been eating a little stinky in the mornings lately though. This morning she had her normal 6 oz jar of cereal and her mid morning meal - she had a LOT of scrambled eggs. Probably almost 2 of them and even a couple small bites of some raisin toast with cream cheese that I put on it.