1yo just wants to snack

[eva026]

Hi Ladies,

I'm hoping for some advice on how to feed DD. She was a pretty good eater, loved veg, self-fed pretty well and we were on 3x meals, 2x snacks and 2x formula bottles (WU and BT).
Recently she's been sick, it's been going on for ages, about 4 weeks I think. She started off with a 2 week cold, had about 3 days of being well and started nursery where she picked up an awful throat infection. She's finished the antibiotics but now the poor thing is coughing and has a runny nose again.
I get that being sick she hasn't got a huge appetite but it's been going on for so long that I am getting worried. She'll have days where she will eat a proper meal but otherwise she'll only take small serving or only a few bites before refusing to go on. I've ended up offering her tons of different things in the hopes that she'll eat a bit and I basically end up following her around with food all over the house. Sitting down at the table is impossible. For example our morning: WU formula 100ml, breakfast 5tsp cereal (the the table) and she refused more, 1h later 3 bits of banana, 30min later I chased her around with some yoghurt and then offered her a mini rice cake of which she ate half and 3 crushed nuts. In total it was probably a normal meal but stretched over 4h!!
DH is losing patience and if she stops eating after a few spoonfuls her just gives up and lets her do her own thing. I'd be fine with that if it was a short term thing but after so many weeks I have to get the food into her somehow right? I've also taken to feeding her while she's distracted by something because I stand more of a chance then. So I carry her around and show her stuff while she chews or we chase the cat or watch sth on TV.
What would you ladies do? Go on as I have been and worry about bad habits later or go the route DH is for, i.e. if she wont eat then tough?
I have to add that she is one skinny kid, so maybe that's why I am so hell bent on preventing any more weight loss:/

[jessmum46]

I think that it's pretty common for LOs to go through a funny phase of eating round about their first birthday, and if she's been unwell too that won't help.  I would try not to worry too much - I know that's hard - but she won't let herself starve.  I would do as you've been doing, give her opportunities to eat at normal meal and snack times but don't force the issue.  You're likely to create more problems than you solve if you try and 'force' her to eat more, so I would keep it low key and remember that it is your job to provide the food, but it is hers to eat it (or not as the case may be).  Keep offering variety, and if there are some fail safes you know she'll eat, include some of those in each meal.

Fwiw we had about six weeks of very similar a little before a year of age.  DD did lose weight in that time, but suddenly snapped out of it one day and it was like we couldn't fill her up!  While she was in the odd phase she ate yoghurt, cereal, raisins and cheese and not a lot else and I was terrified she'd never touch a proper meal again, but she is right back to eating everything again now

[eva026]

I don't know what I'd do without you ladies:)
Good to hear it's normal! All she'd eat for lunch today was green beans!! Sounds crazy to be complaining that your child is eating vegetables, lol but I tried chicken, rice, banana, bread with mascrapone and no-go.
She's into mini rice cakes flavoured with fruit juice to make them sweeter, so she gets a few of those a day. Kind of feel like I'm giving her a treat instead of food.
I hope this passes soon because I feel her little ribs when I pick her up and it worries me:(