Tell me about the 12 mth growth spurt

[Tweakster]

Finn is 11.5 mths...but I think he might have hit it.  It's been so weird with his eating since day 1 - due to reflux and a slow start to solids.  Then we had things going nicely for a while with 3 8 oz bottles (with a bedtime top up) and 3 solids meals, some snacks with water in a sippy in between.

But then we moved, had illness strike where he went right off food, had some developmental leaps like walking and had some napping/sleep issues.  So we were feeding on demand almost.  I am trying to get him back to a decent routine in time for daycare in 3 weeks but it seems like he's screaming for his bottle all the time. 

Did you find when your LO hit the 12 mth that they wanted more formula or solids?  He is not that hungry for solids but chugs back his bottles...I am wondering if he's thirsty rather than truly hungry...?  Or could it just be that he does need more formula just now?

[brenda2]

i'm not sure...but i did find that when my lo was feeling out of sorts (sensing a change, or sick or tired or whatever) she would demand a bottle because it made her feel better and comforted her.  then because she had filled up so much on milk she didn't really want the solids.  we switched to milk at 12 mo and i don't really even remember noticing the 12 mo gs TBH.

[caz2107]

My DS ate like a horse for about 3 weeks! (solids) Seriously he was eating my size portions and then some, and there was me thinking it is when they were teenagers they were supposed to eat you out of house and home 
It's only a few days ago when the amount he ate dropped right back down I even twigged it could have been the growth spurt (I had put it down to him being more active - consistantly walking all day etc)
Its a hard one to judge, maybe try cutting back on the bottles to see if he would eat more solids? I never offered more formula during this stage just extra snacks but then i also didn't realise what was going on
Maybe a bit of trial and error for a couple of days, more solids/less milk, more drinks/normal amount of solids....

Sorry just realised that this probably hasn't actually been very helpful! 
x

[Tweakster]

Yeah I have made the mistake of offering more formula!  Darn.  I feel like he's thirsty though, the way he drinks it...and it's after a good decent meal of solids too.  So I think I need to cut back on formula and offer him solids instead.  That will go over like a lead balloon lol

It could be activity level because naturally it has coincided with walking...these developmental things seem to occur along with other things so you can never tell exactly what the cause is...just enough to keep us on toes I guess :-)

[Mum-of-Two]

He might be burning more calories walking too.  My 12 month old has been known to eat all. day. long.  Serously, just snack all day.  I am still struggling to get him back to a 3 meal a day with snacks routine.  Now he is sick so the formula bottle is much easier to make sure he is full, hydrated and has his vitamins.

It is a weird time, he's a picky eater just like my DD and I remember struggling through for a few months with her as we tried to get off the formula bottle.  I don't expect to be off of it before 15 months, but I have switched to that toddler formula and started putting milk in it too -- slowly because we also had reflux and sensitive tummy issues when he was younger.

Probably not helpful either other than to say "sounds about right "

[bubbabear1]

Hey Wendy,

Same here - She is just chugging back the formula like never before.  Dh asked me last nite if I knew the reason for it and I said it could be a possible GS (pure guess).  She has never been a big eater and now that I need to drop a bottle, she starts draining them all and wanting more!!  She didn't take as much this morning or at lunch so maybe she is back to normal now???  Who knows??

Glad we are not alone...

Take care,

Siobhan
xx

[brenda2]

if you think he is thirsty you can offer him water instead.  walking for sure will burn calories and make him hungry and tired too.

[koe2moe]

Hey Wendy

DS happened to have got his first cold, eye infection, and then flu and congested cough all at the same time one week shy of 12 months.  What a miserable time.  He had no appetite for those 3 weeks only on formula (with 40C fever for 10 days straight and paracetamol was no help).  When he got over the fever, he got his appetite back but boy what an appetite.  Not only he ate like he normally did but he was waking 3 or 4 times through the night (sometimes an hour inbetween) SUPER hungry.  (You see the photo with his belly sticking out?)  His appetite shrank as a result and he took 3oz (100ml) bottles only each time and it would take him ages to finish. 

1 week later, he went from 3 bottles in the night, to 2... then to 1.. then.. no NWs for hunger.  I wasn't sure if it's a GS colliding with recovery because the GP said that it's normal for kids to catch up on lost weight!!  (He lost 1.5 - 2 kgs). 

Sorry for the long story.. but..  i also thought that i encouraged him to wake in the night for a feed but it's clear that he needed it.  Once he's recovering (his weight), he dropped the feedings himself.  DS just knew what he needed.  Perhaps Henry is going through the same as you mentioned he was ill plus a GS.  And walking is very exhausting especially in another post you said that he's falling a lot. 

HTH

[Mommy_to_a_Monkey]

I offer water all day long, just not 30min before meals.  With all of the walking and its pretty dry in our house and the weather has been dry also, he drinks the water like crazy.  Mitchell also gets water after his meals but sometimes I will give him goat/almond milk after his lunch to practice drinking from a cup.  Its more for fun though. 

I was wondering this too though because he has been eating portions bigger than my mother would eat for the last 2-3 weeks and this week he seems to be tapering off and not eating as much at each meal.  I am assuming that was our 12mos GS? (I hope!).  I haven't offered any more BF than the 3 I currently do and he has only had a couple NW where he demanded a BF.  So far none this week so I am thinking its over (again, I hope!).