9 month old refusing food

[J & J's Mum]

Our DD is almost 9 months and now blowing raspberries at me when I'm trying to feed her!!  She has a few spoonfuls and I can't get any more in, but if I offer a pud, she will eat it!!  Has she worked it out that if she refuses dinner she'll get something sweet?  Needless to say, today I called it a day after her refusal of dinner and didn't offer anymore....she drank more milk at her 1.30pm feed!!

She has just cut her second tooth (it's through now) so I don't know why she doesn't want it!  She loved squashed sandwiches and has now gone off them!!  In fact all of her favouries she has gone off.

We're going to Australia on Friday from the UK for 2 weeks and need to sort this out!!!

She has been extremely miserable lately, but we put it down to her teething (everything's always down to teething!!!)

This is her routine:

6-6.30 wakes (she never cries, so I leave her until I'm ready to get her out at 7)
7.00 bottle
8.00 breakfast
9.30-10.00 nap for 1 1/2 hours
12 - 12.30 lunch (12.30 when I have to pick DS up from pre school)
1.30 bottle
2.00 nap for 1 1/2-2 hours
5.00 dinner
6.00 bath
7.00 bed

She isn't eating a lot at all at the moment, I try to perservere and carry on feeding her beyong the raspberries, sometimes she will take more food, othertimes I just get splattered!!!

What shall I do??

Thanks
Rachel

[bennysmama]

Hi, just wanted to drop in and offer some (((hugs))).

DS did something very similar when he started teething.  All of a sudden, he wanted nothing to do with savoury food -- even his usual favourites.  Stewed apple was the only thing he would eat lots of  

Based on our experience, I'd say keep persevering.  Offer lots of extra fluid.  I offered smaller portions of savoury and larger portions of apple/other fruit (reasoning that, at a least, he'd get SOME nutrients ).  Maybe try meals that need less chewing -- so, say, pasta and blended veg sauce rather than sandwiches? 

I hope DD gets back on track soon! 

xx
Emma

[Mimi 2]

How's her sleep and milk intake?  If everything is fine except for the decrease in solids then I agree with Emma that it could very well be teething.  If so then maybe offer some meds to help with the pain.  Or sometimes an onset of a cold/illness would put some los off food for a bit.  Just keep offering her favorites and maybe something new and interesting.  Another possibility is that she may be ready for some finger food.  Have a read at this to give you some ideas.

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=70142.0

It is a phase and eventually she will start eating again.  Just keep offering.

[J & J's Mum]

She goes through stages where she will wake around 3am in her cot and party and then all of a sudden go back to sleeping through.  She's done that recently, but gone back to normal again now!

She has been very miserable during the day and had a runny nose and cough, I took her to the docs because she was wheezing a lot, but he said it was nothing to worry about.

I do try and vary her meals, not offer sandwiches all the time.  Even with finger foods though, I put them on her tray and pass them to her, she'll eat a bit and then refuse!! 

Plus, I offer her a beaker of water with a tiny bit of baby juice and she refuses it.  She has a Nuby beaker with a soft silicone teat on it.

R x

[J & J's Mum]

I also meant to say that her milk intake reduced as well, that seems to be improving now though.  Maybe it is because she's been a bit "under the weather!"

We went to some friends last night and she sat on my lap eating (well, gumming!) crackers and dutch cheese with herbs and loved it!!!!!

[bennysmama]

We went to some friends last night and she sat on my lap eating (well, gumming!) crackers and dutch cheese with herbs and loved it!!!!!

     

Also glad to hear milk intake is improving again.  If both milk AND food intake were going down, I'd be very tempted to call my midwife and/or doctor.  Just to be on the safe side iykwim.   I'm sure they won't mind at all just checking things out for you, specially if you explain you have a long-haul flight coming up.

xx

[Mashi]

We are going through the very same thing here Rachel.  I don't think it is teething in my case, I think it is the beginnings of asserting his independence.  ie/ nope - don't want it and you can't make me! Yesterday I was on the phone and DH was feeding DS. Came upstairs to ask what he should do, DS refused to eat lunch, raspberried it all out, etc etc.  I didn't want to be bothered with it as I hadn't spoken to my dad on the phone in weeks so was quite annoyed with DH (!) and said "Oh just give him a rice cake so he gets SOMETHING and leave it be."

So, I came down half an hour later to an empty food bowl. DH gave him a rice cake in his highchair and then left him alone, did the dishes, etc. When he was done the rice cake he walked over and gave him one bite of his food and then left him.  Then a minute later, another bite.  Back to the dishes  - just let him sit there. Eventually DS started banging his spoon on the tray, DH went over and sat down and fed him and not only did he eat it ALL but DH had to hunt through the fridge for more food for him!

Not sure if that helps?

[J & J's Mum]

It does help guys!!  Thanks

If I perservere through the raspberry blowing, she will eat more.  I think she asserting her independance too!!!!  I shall do what you did Mashimaro and offer a spoonful and keep going back, perhaps I have been trying to giver her the food too quickly??

I haven't got a car at the mo as we had a crash on Friday.  We're all ok though, which is the main thing!!  A woman just pulled out on us on a main road so my husband swerved to avoid her and hit an oncoming car!  Luckily we were only doing around 20 mph, we had a Saab and it's such a strong car...the other car was totally mashed up at the front!!  So just waiting to see if they are going to repair it or write it off!!  We're going to Oz on Friday, so that's just what we need!! Anyway, back to the point, I can't get to the docs to get her checked over.  I really do think it's an independance thing though!!

And the fact that others seem to be going through it too!!  It's just knowing how to deal with it!!!

xx

[bennysmama]

(((Hugs))) it sounds to me like Mashimaro is spot on.    I'm also pretty sure that, if doctor-involvement were needed/warranted, then you'd instinctively know, iykwim.   

I have an idea for extra peace of mind....at my local GP surgery they have a "triage nurse" who is very happy to advise over the 'phone.  (I rang once, panicking about bad nappy rash - within seconds, she'd asked the right questions and confirmed it was teething).   I'd hope the same service is available at your local docs -- partic if you explain about the car crash.

xx

[Mashi]

I agree with above that if something were "wrong" enough to warrant seeing the doc, I think you would feel/know that there was something not right about how she was feeling.

Same thing happened with us again today - at ALL THREE meals! Argh! I've also noticed that giving DS his sippy cup of water at the start of his meal, instead of waiting until he's eaten some helped a bit today. Usually I let him have a sip or two while he is eating but he thinks a sippy cup is a game to see how wet he can get everything so I don't give it to him until the end of his food.  Today I gave it to him at the start and let him have his play and get it all over and done with, and then it seemed like he was more in the mood to eat.   

Big sigh. All just a phase, I hope!

Sorry to hear about your car Rachel, hope it all works out and hope your trip is fab!

[J & J's Mum]

Well, tonight it was a lovely evening, so we decided to have a bbq.  I put Jessie's high chair outside and when we were ready to eat I fed her, she took a few spoonfuls from her plastic baby spoon and started blowing raspberries!! So I gave her some finger food, which she tried and I snook another spoonful in, but that was it! She dropped the finger food and refused any more spoonfuls.  I offered her some off my fork and she took it.....probably 5-6 times!?  You can't be telling me at 9 months old she wants an adult fork!!!! lol

This morning, I tried a slightly later breakfast....same again.....totally refused it!!!  So I bunged her upstairs with DH while I did his breakfast and DS wanted some too, so DH and DS sat on our bed eating cereal.......and Jessie ate it off Jacob's spoon!!!!!

What's going on?

[Mashi]

Just a phase as she realises that she wants some of what YOU have, wants to be part of the family, like everybody else, etc etc.  I don't know of everyone would agree with me or not, but I would let her do these kinds of things.  I mean, tonight while I was making DS's dinner (chicken apple balls) I gave one to DH to try.  He was in the living room playing with DS. Well, DS crawled over instantly and held out his hands because he wants some of what Daddy has.   DH wasn't going to give him any and said "No, he can't eat in the living room while he's playing, he's got to sit in his highchair, blah blah blah" and I just reminded him that HE just ate a snack sprawled out on the living room floor so of course DS can too!  DS sucked it back, loved it, every bit.  And that's really all it was - some teensy bits.  FFWD to dinner when I gave them to him, Blech, yuck, bllllbbblllbbbb it right out.  ARGH!

I really do think that this is all it is, the imitating and wanting to be like you.  If you sit her down at dinner time with all of you, or even if just you can eat with her, or your DS and just eat your own dinner I bet she will want some.  She doesn't want an "adult" fork, she wants YOUR fork!  Eat with her baby spoon, she'll probably want to, too!   We just stick DS in his highchair at dinner time now and sort of go on with our own meal, not ignoring him per se, but leaving him to be with his finger foods. He throws them, plays with them, smushes them, etc and then after a while he realises that we are putting that food into our mouths and he wants to do it too!  Then I start feeding him and if he spits it out, I leave him to it and go back to my own meal!  Sure enough he wants to eat!

It's aaaaalllllllllllll just a game! LOL

[bennysmama]

DS sucked it back, loved it, every bit.  And that's really all it was - some teensy bits.  FFWD to dinner when I gave them to him, Blech, yuck, bllllbbblllbbbb it right out.  ARGH!

Lol.   Awww, sooooo cute that he wanted to be like Daddy!!
 

 

[J & J's Mum]

Well, this morning I resorted to giving her baby porridge fom a jar (when she's been off her brekkie before, she's eaten it), it's from 6 months, and she wolfed it down, now if I'd have given her weetabix (which is mushed up with her milk and soggy) she would have refused it!!  She also adte some fruit puree too!!

[catftm]

My DD is going through the same at the minute, she is also 8.5 months. I cut down on her milk feeds because i thought she was filling up on that but that didnt help and just caused NW. I found that my DD eats more if i put the food infront of her, like finger foods carrots potatoe etc, she would spends ages feeding herself plus i have a bowl of the same foods and some meat etc that i pop in her mouth every now and then! It seems to work ok. I also find if i eat at the same time she copies me, it doesnt always work but you could try it.