DF CAUSING REJECTION OF SOLIDS????

[karinli]

Just curious, could keeping the DF for far too long cause DS to reject solids.

DS has been feeding 5 times a day on a 4 hr routine & now is 10.5 months!! And now I see it is quite obvious that he is breast feeding too much for his age.
He was a great eater (SF) initially but the last 2 months has slowed down & now will only eat a few bites of cheerios & toast a day, vehemently rejecting everything else; FF included.  He is surviving on nothing in regards to food, & he has cut back ounces as of a few months also.

I am trying to now drop this 11pm DF quite unsucessfully, we are at 9:30 now, & he is waking exactly earlier in the 15 min incriments (because he is starving).......

Is now maybe not the time to do this; the DF is his longest feed still......and he is not taking more during the day either.....

......truly I do not know where to post this.........

TIA

MM

[Samuel's mum]

Of course calories overall are logically bound to have some contribution to appetite but breastfeeds didn't affect Sam. He was feeding AT LEAST 5 times up until 12 months and his solids intake was considerable. Actually more than his non-bf friends who were only having 2-3 bottles. He was also feeding at night quite often.
So I don't fit.

Can you post your routine? How are you scheduling solids at the moment? It might be time for a rejiggle. Or dropping a feed for a snack.
Is he teething?

[karinli]

Wow....ok then, that's good to know.

Well, this is the routine before serious problems;

7 FEED
8 SOLIDS
11 FEED
12 SOLIDS
3-3:30 FEED
4-4:30 SOLIDS
7 FEED
11 DF

Then he started cutting back solids, so;

7 FEED
8 SOLIDS
9:30 FEED
12-12:30 SOLIDS
2:30 FEED
5 SOLIDS
DF trying to disappear now 9:30 (not working)
Should I keep the DF......at 11??
Trying to give solids 1st but it seems now like he's eating every 2 hrs.

He has slept 7-7 since 8 weeks with no NW + 3, now 2 naps a day.
He swats the spoon away after he eyes the food, bangs on table & starts rocking the chair, he won't take anything from the tray except toast & cheerios...throws it all on the floor.

He has always been teething, really, he started the serious drooling at about 8 weeks, & has always had 2 teeth coming in at once, & never displayed this kind of behaviour, he now has 8 teeth.

[Samuel's mum]

I can't pretend to be routine queen but let's have a think. Hopefully other folks will have an idea too. Have you done any posting on the solids board. Your second routine makes more sense at this age.
Did you miss out one more milk feed before bedtime?
Does he seem hungry for milk at 9.30am? Where does that fit in in terms of naps?
Any solid meals more successful than others?
Any luck with self-feeding? Sam completely rejected a spoon at this age so I was all self-feeding (with a mesh feeder) and finger food. Some at this age have luck with a second spoon. What about new kinds of finger food - mini-quiches, chicken and apple sausages made with chicken puree?

But to come back to your original question -with your new routine I honestly don't think being full from milk is the whole issue here. I think something else is going on in terms of solids rejection. Now solids are being offered first I can't see how that is it. I can't see how dropping the dream feed is going to make all the difference - although you may want to drop it anyway due to his age. But then maybe I'm not a great person to advise here as Sam obviously did have a pretty huge appetite.

[karinli]

Well, thanks b/c I really just was curious if he was filling up on milk & can now rule that out.....
7 FEED
8 SOLIDS
9:30 FEED
9:45 NAP
11 AWAKE
12 SOLIDS
2-2:30 FEED
2:30-3:30 NAP
4:30-5 SOLIDS
7 FEED
DF
He IS hungry at 9:30am b/c he only takes a few bites of toast & cheerios at breakie. I thought about spoon refusal, but even the toast goes on the floor after a few, & anything on the tray......ANYTHING!!  Maybe he got fed from a spoon for too long too......
I posted in disapline when he was 9 mo & the banging was slightly starting & they said he didn't know any better & didn't understand me, so he continued & now it's a major prob.....
I posted in solids, as he was maintaining his same weight for a bit too long & that comes up developmental, teething ETC, but I think that I have made some major mistakes along the way, & now somehow have to get out of this accidental.....

Babies do not starve themselves, however he is NOT getting full required vitamins eating a few bites a day, & he IS hungry but seemingly just pulling tantrums & picky, when once he ate & loved everything; I waste tons of food a day.....
This is turning an angel.....

[KellyC]

Hi there

I could see how your first routine might put him off solids as the feeds were so often close to mealtimes but the second looks pretty good - the 9.30am feed is perhaps a little unusual but Nate has started having a snack at about 10/10.30 so I don't suppose that's much different.  Presumably with your second routine he still has a bedtime feed at 7?  It doesn't say but I can't imagine he doesn't have a bedtime feed.  It might be that he's hungry for the dreamfeed because he's not eating much in the way of solids but it's something else is putting him off solids.

The solids refusal could be alot to do with his age and wanting to be independent (as well as teething quite possibly!).  Perhaps you need to make more of his food finger foods and stop pressurising him to eat - leave his food in front of him and leave him to it, perhaps eat your food at the same time.  As an idea, my boys are having a fritatta for dinner tonight - potatoes, vegetables, cheese and eggs - which I'll cut up and give as a finger food.  I only really feed Nate the sloppy stuff!  I seem to remember having to take Zander out of his 'baby' highchair at this age as he would just throw everything.  He was much happier once he was in a chair which meant he ate from the table like us.

Got to go and cook that fritatta!

Kelly x

[kate585]

I have a 10 month old boy, too.  Isn't this age fun?  (And, frustrating, of course!)

My suggestion is drop that 9:30 feed.  I bet he's just tired.  If he's going for nap at 9:45, you may be misreading his sleepy and hungry cues.  Charlie starts to make these really cranky noises and sure enough, it's about 3 hours from when he woke up and he's ready for a npa.  Try to skip that feed for several days and see how it affects everything else.  I promise you he won't starve!!!     He should be able to go 4 hours between feeds, especially with solids.  Even if it seems like too little solids, he is getting some calories.  So, my advice is to drop that 9:30 feed and see what happens.

Good luck!

[karinli]

Hi

Yes, he is ready to nurse at & eats @ 6:45pm usually, again b/c he is hungry......

I forgot to mention that also I think that he is lactose intolerant & I have never had luck w/ dairy, so that is out too, major calories out the window; I try new things everyday, all rejected, he will take a few more bites at supper, but then is more agitated at that time later in the day.....extremely frustrating.....I tired taking the table part off his chair, but things still fly....

I am waiting to see a pedi, & have been asking my DR to refer me for months.....

I eat with him, & don't make it a big deal, saying all done when things get out of hand......so strange......

 

[KellyC]

I'm not sure I have much else to offer (though I agree with Kate about tired/hungry signs) but I do have plenty of {{hugs}}.  Could you see another doctor for a second opinion and hopefully get somebody to actually refer you?  My DS needed to see a pedi for a completely different, but non urgent, reason recently and it was all done very quickly.  Could he be too tired to eat?  What's his sleeping routine like?

K x

[karinli]

Yes, it does make sense to have longer periods in between eating.

What is happening is that it seems like it's slowly turning back to feeding every 2-3 hours like when he was 2 months old!!  I started feeding on demand for a few days b/c I freaked out about him maintaining the same weight for so long, (he gained that week & was 21.4 lbs). I am now worried that he will not be able to wean properly in the future as we are regressing.

I was curious about these snack feeds.....but then the 2:30 one is still ok?

It's curious, as I am slowly dropping the DF, his 7am does not seem to be increasing either, like today I even fed him at 9 b/c he was hungry (?) I do forget that it is tiredness, tantrum wanting to jump ETC, b/c of my guilt of him not eating.......it's getting the better of me & I need to keep that in check.......

I was going to wait until I dropped the DF completely & then eliminate that snack, it seems that he's going through so much....but will do!!! Thanx.

MM

[karinli]

Thank you, I am a single mother & this is excruciating.

He has always been a great sleeper with perfect routines, transitioned from 3 to 4 hr, slept from 7-7 since 8 weeks, & we dropped the catnap at 7-8 months, & his naps are still great (surprisingly), although this DF trans is sometimes causing EW, but even today feeding at 9:30 last night, he woke at 6:45.....although crying which is new, but makes sense.

What is strange also is that he was a good eater, passing over purees quite quickly....he can eat big chunks of anything....

His demeanor has changed though, always being happy to tantrums & being upset, hungry AND developmental no doubt.

[Samuel's mum]

I'm afraid I haven't got anything else to add but a hug and I would try and come at solids with a fresh approach. Maybe try a different setting/ room. Even try a picnic. Try and give him a spoon and experiment.
You have nothing to feel guilty about. You are doing what you can. Do try not to panic. A few mouthfuls can honestly be all that some toddlers need at some points in their lives.