Spitting out food and not eating

[emmas]

DS is almost 13 months and has started to chew and then spit out all his food - he refuses food from a spoon and will only do it himself so we have mainly finger foods - but over the last few days he keeps pushing everythng out with his tongue unless I chop it into really small pieces.

He has just got his first molar so I suppose his mouth may feel different to him?

He just doesn't seem to eat anything - I know their appetite really drops after 12 months, but to nothing?  I am trying to stop myself from giving him extra milk - he LOVES his milk and I've really had to battle to reduce him from 50oz a day to about 20oz, maybe thats still too much?  He has a small cup with breakfast (about 4oz), 6oz before his nap as a snack then about 10oz before bed.

Anyone any ideas?

[rozza]

Hi - my LO (also 13 months) went through a stage just like that about 3 weeks ago.  He has always eaten well but just started only accepting finger food and anything I spooned in just got spat right back at me. 

It was very hard but I just ignored it and gave him a good selection of finger foods to pick at.  Actually, he wasnt much interested in them for a bit either so perhaps it was his appatite dropping off.  Anyway if he didnt want to eat I didnt make a fuss and I didnt start rummaging through the fridge to find other things to offer.  I just made sure that each meal was different textures, colours, things he'd eaten in the past, new things etc etc.  He kept it up for about 3 days - only taking little bits here and there at meal times and same at snack times; then went back to normal.

So I'd say - hold out.  it could be his teeth, his appatite or something else all together.  I think I learned that he is now excersising more of his own choice over things.  He's a fairly easy going chap and prior to this he'd pretty much swallow what got spooned in but now he's deciding if he's hungry or not or if he likes the taste / textuer or not.  So long as I dont make a fuss he doesnt keep it up for long and I'm learning what he likes (which is still most things at the moment).

I know how frustrating it is as it presses so many buttons!!!
a) you've prepared that food and put in lots of effort
b) its messy
c) its a waste
etc etc

But stay calm and hopefully it will pass.

HTH - let me know how you get on...

xxx

[emmas]

Thanks - this is new behaviour - I'm used to the spoon refusal, hasn't eaten off a spoon since the day he turned 9 months, and has always eaten finger foods really well - normally stuffs soo much in his mouth but not now has a bite, a few chews then pushes it out with his tongue - weird!

Hopefully it will only last a few days like your problems did!

[chrissie1982]

Hi there,
My ds also went through this stage. Up until a couple of weeks before his 1st birthday he would eat anything that was shovelled into his mouth. Then it all changed and he would refuse anything on a spoon so we had to change meals from purees with some finger foods to solely finger foods. (He was so fussy about this that even if dh and I tried to sneak a bit of finger food into his mouth with our hands he would take it out of his mouth just so he could put it back in again himself  ).

Then a couple of weeks ago his eating habits just changed again. He wouldn't eat most foods that we put in front of him - even if they were tried and tested favourites. I did the same as rozza and we seem to be getting better with eating - but he was unwell for a little while too so I think that made the fussiness carry on a bit longer than normal.

Hopefully it won't last long for you 

Chrissie x