Still not eating

[Tweakster]

Well it seems like there is a neverending supply of 'my toddler isn't eating' posts, so my turn.

Finn started daycare last week, he's been teething and had a gastro bug.  So I can't really blame a kid.  Yet this has been going on for a while now, he's been off food for several weeks really, just not interested in meals - no purees, only finger foods, but he is selective about what finger foods he will eat and he maybe eats like 2 or 3 carrots and calls it a day.  At the moment the best I can get him eating a lot of is cheese and occasionally chicken 

I have been trying to put him on whole milk, but since his runny stools I have asked daycare to not give it to him until we can rule that out as a suspect.  It started at the same time as me adding whole milk to his bottles...and he's not keen on the milk. Reflux?  Dunno.

But I have been sending a lunch bottle of formula, and that is all he is taking for the whole day.  He gets yogurt and whatever we can get into him in the morning and then nothing until his lunch bottle and then again he's not really eating dinner, and then gets his bedtime bottle.

Should I nix the lunchtime bottle in hopes he will take more solids?  The paed thinks I should stop the formula altogether but I don't want to starve the kid either.  They are offering decent meals at daycare but they have concerns about him not eating.

It's like these issues just keep recycling, eating sleeping eating sleeping eating sleeping lol 

[mmom]

Hugs Wendy.  He is just getting over the stomach bug right?  My LO wouldn't eat for days after.  I really think he was afraid to eat because while he was sick, every time he ate anything, it came back up.  But now his appetite is out of control - like he is playing catch up.

Anyway, about the formula, will he eat without it?  I can see why you would keep it in if he isn't eating anything.  What happens when you don't give it?  Does he go all day long and not eat until he gets home?

[Tweakster]

Kara I haven't tried to not give the lunch bottle, yet.  He had his 12 mth check last week and they basically said well he doesn't need ANY formula now, so to stop giving it, just like that.  They suggested I give whole milk with the meals instead, milk as a beverage not a meal.  They did admit that the bedtime bottle is the last to go and that was fine.  Also it was fine to use up the formula we already have - we still have two tins to get down.  His formula amounts have been drastically reduced over the last 2-3 weeks, he was at like 24-30 oz now down to like 16 or less some days.

I want to encourage him to eat more solids but I do feel like he will probably go all day without eating if I don't send the bottle and be quite the cranky face.  He's pretty stubborn.  He still hasn't worked out how to tip the sippy cup despite repeated attempts since he was like 8 mths old.  He uses a sippy straw cup for water but won't drink milk out of it.  It's something we are working on but I feel like we aren't making a lot of progress.

He has been sick on and off and also teething.  I know that a lot of that has contributed.  But he really hasn't done a comeback for like a month now, he just sits in his chair and plays with it and then screams & screeches when he's 'had enough'.  He's dropped to the 75th percentile from the 95th, not a huge deal but it is a drop.

[mmom]

It is another hard transition really.  So many variables.  If he won't take milk out of the sippy, then that is ok.  Just keep offering it.  If he just turned 12 months, you don't have to overhaul anything.  You can slowly phase things out.  My LO drank out of a sippy, but wouldn't take milk from it for a while.  But we kept offering it with every meal and then one day he drank it.  As far as learning how to drink out of a sippy vs. straw cup, Finn may learn just by watching others at day care.  That is how my LO learned to use the sippy.  He actually didn't figure out the straw cup until a few months ago.

If Finn is teething, he just may not eat much.  Have you tried softer foods?  My LO loves smoothies right now and I think it is because his mouth hurts.  Also, he likes everything cold.  I would find whatever few foods Finn will eat and feed them over and over.

You could always try giving less formula at day care to see if he will eat.  What time of day does he get it?  My LO used to get it after his nap, which was after lunch.  So it didn't really effect his food intake.  Does Finn get it like that?

[Tweakster]

He gets it before his nap but after they serve lunch.  So they do lunch around 11 then do diaper changes, bottles etc leading to the nap at 12 noon.

We had pizza for dinner, he had 'some' but like less than 1/4 of a slice lol.  Then we gave some applesauce and banana pieces, he ate.

What he's actually doing is like regurgitating his food.  He chews it, spits it out and will then find it and eat it again sometimes..is that normal??

[mmom]

What he's actually doing is like regurgitating his food.  He chews it, spits it out and will then find it and eat it again sometimes..is that normal??

My LO did that.  Normal?  I have no idea.  My LO is never normal.  But he did that!!

It sounds like he is eating, but just doesn't have a huge appetite.  If lunch is before milk, then I wouldn't see a problem with still offering it.  What if you just offered less to see if you could get more food in him?  I think we started cutting that bottle back to 4 ounces at 1 point in an attempt for my LO to eat more.  Does Finn get any other sources of calcium?  I know you said you are staying off of dairy right?

[koe2moe]

My DS rejects puree very early on, probably around 8mo.  I never cooked for DS (head's down) but the store bought food is really good and well balanced.  The 8mo+ has more pieces in it and DS would reject the 6mo+ ones which is only puree.  Perhaps you can try adding soft pasta, potatoes, carrots in pieces in the puree?  Or rice, peas, etc?  DS now won't eat any puree at all.  I still have some 8mo+ baby food in stock (because DH didn't look careful when he shopped) and I managed to mix it with chopped up spag and DS loved it and I'm happy because it's not just carbs.  HTH

[Tweakster]

He's still not eating, so we are giving him the full bottle this week while he's still adjusting then I will reduce it to half for next week with the hopes and intention of getting him taking more solids.  On a positive note he's coming home from daycare famished and eats pretty decently.  So small victories eh? lol

[mmom]

Wendy, that is great that he is at least eating for you!! Good luck next week.

[*Liz*]

What he's actually doing is like regurgitating his food.  He chews it, spits it out and will then find it and eat it again sometimes..is that normal??

Yep - totally normal and totally grim  .

It took me ages to figure out the why for this one - but for J it is either an unfamiliar texture or just that he had put too much in his mouth.

Glad he is eating better 

[Tweakster]

Phew, I thought he was a weirdo lol.  Good to know he's in good company with his Spirited brothers lol

He ate really well last night and daycare even said he had some lunch yesterday (it was chicken and mash apparently).  So I think I will send a smaller bottle next week and see how we get on.  Start with making his lunch bottler smaller over the next 4 holiday days.  I think he has really kind of ditched the morning bottle on his own, since he eats so soon after getting up now in the mad rush to get out the door, he doesn't want it.  So a few times this week he went without an AM bottle.

What do you think about the whole milk?  If he had issues with milk would he not have the same issues with other dairy like cheese and yogurt?  And his stools are still loose even being off the whole milk for this week.  Should we add it back in?

[mmom]

Wendy, that is great that he is eating more at day care.  I bet you will see that trend continue with less milk too.

As for the milk, don't some LO's have difficulty with milk and not cheese and yogurt?  I don't know.  I am sure others will pop on with advice in that area.

[Tweakster]

Well we are almost totally on whole milk.  He is getting 4 oz after breakfast, a full 8 oz at lunch and now we are diluting the bedtime bottle with half & half. 

His stools have done a total reversal and are now like adult poop.  So don't know if it's because he's eating more solids or what.  Always something different going on to try and work out lol.

And he's still not eating much at daycare.  So now I think the goal is to reduce the amount in the bottle and then omit the bottle altogether until we are only left with the morning and bedtime?

[mmom]

That is great that things are going so well!!  You can always reduce it and see what happens.  We still have 4 ounces of milk before breakfast, 4 ounces after the nap, and 4 ounces after dinner. It doesn't effect my LO's food intake at all.  Actually, the after dinner one is hit or miss depending how rushed dinner/ bedtime is.  I think everyone does it a little different.  But maybe just reducing the afternoon bottle to 4 ounces might make Finn eat more.  I know the after nap milk is comfort for my LO and he would freak out if he didn't have it.  

[*Liz*]

His stools have done a total reversal and are now like adult poop.  So don't know if it's because he's eating more solids or what.  Always something different going on to try and work out lol.

I think the whole milk does make it all more adult like as well. Yuck, hey?!

Sounds like a sensible plan to me.