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Author Topic: 8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing  (Read 1248 times)

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Offline LovelyLilyandJack

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8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing
« on: July 07, 2010, 19:52:39 pm »
My almost 8 month old has always been a bit disinterested in eating once the edge has been taken off her hunger (breastfeeding was a real effort from 4 months on cos she didn't want to stay still and eat ever), but recently she's completely gone off her solids once she's had a few mouthfuls. 

I recently discovered she'll eat quite happily if she has a toy to play with at the same time, or is standing up in her walker (I take the toy tray off it).  She's always previously been a good eater and has been trying to feed herself since 5 months but it's like she's bored of it now and wants to be standing all the time.  I'm sure it's just a phase - she has quite high sleep needs and is probably more interested in learning than eating when she is awake - but if I let her eat in the walker after having tried the high chair first, am I encouraging bad habits or is this something a lot of babies do? She stops when she's full so I'm not worried about over feeding her.  In fact if anything she's eating less solids and having a bit more milk than normal at the moment.

What do you think? The alternative is for her not to eat which interferes with her naps and leads to her waking in the night for food, so I don't really want to go there....  She won't have finger food or anything in the high chair at the moment - the most I can get her to have is 3/4 small spoonfuls whereas before she'd have about 2-4 tablespoons of food at every meal.

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Offline Tweakster

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Re: 8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2010, 12:32:19 pm »
Hi there, frankly I think it's fine.  Finn gets his meals on the go sometimes too, he just prefers to graze off his plate than to sit for a whole meal in his high chair.  He's a busy kid.  We try to model 1 meal a day with him, normally dinner where we all eat together.  I wouldn't force it really, the idea is to get her interested in solids and enjoying food at her age.  She's got so much going on developmentally, so which ever way she likes it is best!
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Offline First Time Mom

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Re: 8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2010, 16:21:10 pm »
It is a phase but I hate to tell you, it's one that goes on over and over and over again over the next few years (my 4 year old currently is not interested in her food, she just wants to play!) :P.

As Wendy said, I would do the same, and just remember to keep meal time as fun as possible so they don't resent a high chair or sitting down to eat.
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Offline LovelyLilyandJack

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Re: 8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2010, 17:00:43 pm »
Fab - thanks for your replies.  She seems to have days / meals where she'll eat well and those when she won't so I try to go with the flow but was worried I was tricking her into eating or something!  She does stop when she's had enough though, and I don't push it then.

I also sometimes find she won't eat anything off a spoon til she's tasted it (which I have to do by pressing the spoon up to her lips - she won't open them).  She will then quite happily eat a bowlful of it so she's obviously hungry but is that OK too?  Again, I'm worried I'm forcing food on her but if she doesn't eat anything at all then milk doesn't keep her full and the whole day goes to pot.  She is quite a finger food fan though so that's always good for those situations but she's never been that interested in food in general so I don't know that she eats til she's full.  I like the reassurance of having her eat some puree too.
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Offline First Time Mom

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Re: 8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2010, 12:50:32 pm »
I wouldn't worry too much, 8 months is still quite young and solids are not the main source of nutrition until closer to 12 months. At 8 months my ds only dabbled into his food and now at 11 months he will actually eat full "meals".

As for forcing food, I consider coaxing and forcing two different things; what you are doing is not forcing- getting them to taste a food, or playing a game with the food is more coaxing, forcing is when you are shoving a spoon in their mouths against their will or not letting them up out of a chair when they are crying because they feel they have had enough.

It sounds like you're doing a great job so far!
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Offline LovelyLilyandJack

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Re: 8 month old suddenly only eating while standing or playing
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2010, 16:51:33 pm »
Great, thanks!  No, certainly don't force anything on her - just want to make sure she's had a bit on her lips so she can taste it at least!

Thanks  :)
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