At the end of my tether !!

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Tyler is almost 10 months old and seems to be on permanent hunger strike !!  He has a bottle at 7am, then breakfast at 8.30am which he is fine with and will have porridge and play around with some toast and a banana.  For lunch i've tried everything and he just wont eat !!!  He prefers to feed himself which is good so i cook veg, meat, he has cheese, ham etc but he just throws it on the floor and the same for dinner.  He will have ready brek before bed though.  He wont touch anything from a spoon for lunch or dinner, and loves bread sticks so he's had them with hummous, cheese spread etc.  He is also teething but he's been like this for weeks.  I tried cutting down his bottles but he still refused food and just woke more in the night hungry..

can someone please help ??

Sarah
x

[koe2moe]

must be so stressful!  have you tried some more fruit at lunch or dinner?  does he prefer sweet or savoury?  would he like pasta?  bread?  pancakes?? 

[rach321]

How many bottles does he have a day and how do they fit in with his mealtimes? I would definitely keep offering finger foods for lunch - what teeth do you think he is teething next? Why not make up some finger foods and sit with him and keep them on your plate while you eat with him and see if he wants some of what you're eating - does that make sense? Mini burgers and pasties are nice for you to eat too - also anything with pasta in it used to go down well here.  My LO also refused a spoon for all meals - believe it or not spaghetti bolognese was finger food in our house - needless to say everything was orange afterwards!!

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Thanks for the response.
He prefers sweet, i tried pancakes this morning but they went pear shaped so have bought a new frying pan to try again.  He will munch on bread, today i've given him melba toast with salmon pate on it which he was thinking about and will try again.
He will have a go at strawberries, grapes and most fruit, loves bananas.  Its so frustrating, I try not to get annoyed but am so worried about it.  I put him back on hungry baby milk so he got lots of calories, but am now moving him back to follow on for the extra nutrients.

I make sure he has a bottle at 7am, then he doesn't have another one until after lunch (he has about 4 oz), then one before bed.  He has his two bottom teeth, one top and the other is just breaking through.  But i think he has more on the sides on the way.
He does eat pretty good in nursery, and i've tried the same food at home which he refuses.

sarah
x

[~inbalance~]

Hi there   Have you had a look at this link?  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=70142.0

It sounds like there are some foods he does like, so I would suggest offering something he likes with each meal that you know he'll eat, and something new at each meal.  All you can really do is keep offering a good variety of foods, what goes in his mouth is up to him. 

What is the total amount of liquids he is getting per day?  Remember that milk is still his primary source of nutrition until age one, so as long as he is getting enough milk he is getting enough nutrition.  I understand not wanting them to fill up on milk and then refuse solids, but for now it's safe to err on the side of more milk.

When you can, eat your meals with him and make it more of a family/social event, rather than you sitting there feeding him.  He might be more inclined to eat more if he sees you eating the same foods.

Lastly, try not to worry.  It sounds to me like he is eating, even though his diet is limited.  That's ok, some kids are naturally a little more selective.  Like I said, keep offering variety and the rest is up to him.