Author Topic: Baby stopped eating lunch  (Read 1828 times)

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Offline shira1206

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Baby stopped eating lunch
« on: September 29, 2015, 09:45:11 am »
Hi everyone,
My LO has been on solids for several weeks now and has been enjoying it.
couple days ago I prepared vegetable soup with chicken (chicken for the first time) and then put it in blender for her. she did not like it.
don't know if it was the chicken taste, or the veggies which she loves but their taste wasn't as strong like when i steam them for her.
A day after I tried again and even more refusal on her side.
a day after I went back to regular veggies (until now it's carrot, pumpkin, Zucchiniת sweet potato and tomato - she enjoys them all) - she wouldn't eat. and every day gets worse, not a single bite and today she started crying :(
Could I have traumatized her with that mash of veggies and chicken? I am not a very good cook but I am trying to learn, maybe it was just not tasty and now she doesn't want anything.. (to be honest for me it wasn't tasty but it didn't have any seasoning something I am use to)
I am not sure what to do - try a completely new veggi or just stop lunch for a couple of days and just give her only her bottle?
how do we get back to eating lunch again without her getting upset?
This is happening only with lunch - she eats her morning fruits.

thank you
« Last Edit: September 29, 2015, 09:47:08 am by shira1206 »

Offline cath~

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Re: Baby stopped eating lunch
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2015, 12:47:44 pm »
Hello

How old is your LO - I'm guessing around 7 mos from what you said?

How does she eat her fruit in the morning?  Is this a puree with a spoon or small pieces of soft fruit?

If she's not interested in a puree/spoon-fed lunch you could try offering her some finger food instead of a puree with a spoon - e.g. roasted veggies often go down well.  There are lots more ideas here:
Finger Foods (6 months+)

It also might be worth looking at your routine.  Could she be too tired/not hungry at lunch time?  You could try offering it at "tea time" instead (or whenever, really) and see if she's more interested then.

If she's not interested though then don't worry and don't "force" it either (I'm sure you're not).  It's very normal for LOs to go through different phases wrt which foods they like and when they're hungry.   I'm sure it's not your cooking too  :-*  Just keeping offering different things and if she's not interested/hungry, don't worry.  It's all about learning, experiencing and trying out at this age.  For both of you really

HTH x
DD1 - 8 years old
DD2 - 5 years old

Offline shira1206

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Re: Baby stopped eating lunch
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2015, 13:01:05 pm »
Hi Cath and thanks for your reply.
LO is 6mo + we started solids a bit after 5mo
Since shes a bit more than 6mo shouldn't I give her only puree at the moment? she does have 2 teeth but I am not sure. her morning fruit is puree with a spoon.

I was also thinking maybe she isn't hungry enough because she also doesn't go crazy for her bottle at the time, I think she is full from morning bottle and fruit. the thing is it's hard to fit food in and space everything since she is still on a 2h A time although her age, she still can't do much more than that.

she takes her morning bottle around 7:15 and then at around 8:30 her fruits since she goes to bed at 9
then her bottle at around 11:15 but she doesn't take much out of her regular 180ml and 1.5 h later the veggies but not much. and now not at all.
i even tried not giving the bottle at 11:15 and just giving the veggies but she didn't want them and didn't eat much from the bottle i offered after.

shes going to day care in 2 weeks, these are the hours they give veggies (around 11:30) what if she won't eat? I need to ask..

so you recommend keep trying food, but different things? not to stop completely right?

thank you!

Offline cath~

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Re: Baby stopped eating lunch
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2015, 13:13:07 pm »
Since shes a bit more than 6mo shouldn't I give her only puree at the moment? she does have 2 teeth but I am not sure. her morning fruit is puree with a spoon.
It is OK to give "finger food" (i.e. non-puree) from 6mos.  Even if your LO has no teeth it's not really an issue if you give soft things that they can mash with their gums or suck on.  If you were doing BLW, for example, you wouldn't be giving purees.  However, if you feel that your LO isn't ready for it then that's totally fine too.

I know it can be really tricky at this age to fit in all the milk, solids and sleep!  I remember going through a patch with both my LOs where it feels you don't have time for anything else but it soon passes and gets easier to fit it all in.

It does sound like she's not too hungry around lunch time doesn't it.  Maybe try offering in the afternoon after her nap or around tea time?  At this stage it's fine to move things around a little too, e.g. depending on how your day goes.

shes going to day care in 2 weeks, these are the hours they give veggies (around 11:30) what if she won't eat? I need to ask..
Even if she doesn't at first (which is quite common) as she settles into a new routine and sees other babies eating she'll be more likely to join in.  I wouldn't worry too much at this stage.

so you recommend keep trying food, but different things? not to stop completely right?
Yeah, IIWM I'd keep offering, maybe at different times, and try different things.  Even in different places too if that helps.  Unless the whole thing is making your LO very upset (in which case I'd back off and then restart again gently after a little break).  You really don't need to worry about her eating that much at this age.  Just think of it perhaps as play/learning time but with food so instead of her discovering a new toy, she's discovering about using her body to eat and what food is like.  Keep it light and no pressure on her.  Let her choose what's she's interested in eating.
DD1 - 8 years old
DD2 - 5 years old

Offline shira1206

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Re: Baby stopped eating lunch
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2015, 17:54:16 pm »
Sorry for writing back so late Cath, my mother in law was visiting  ;)

i tried to give LO some very 'soft' finger foods but i think she is not ready for it, she was chocking.

what I did to try and change some things was to sit next to the table and put her in my lap, in front of a plate with the food and her spoon. she put her hands in immediately, put some in her mouth, and then I gently gave her some with the spoon. it was OK (but OH so messy :) )
I also put some fruit in a special baby strainer they can hold and suck and squish the fruit in their mouth, she really loved it.
but generally she is not excited about eating anything besides her milk.

My mother in law made some really tasty vegetable soup with chicken and we pureed it for her. what we tried was to give her her morning bottle and then after 4 hours (no fruit in between) give the puree, before the next bottle, just to see if it was a hunger issue or she doesn't want the food. after 2 bites that was it  :-\ and then she goggled down her bottle.
mmm my mother in law was getting nervous I was not trying enough, she was saying "shove it in there"  ??? - but I would not - will never force her to eat if she doesn't want.

I will keep trying every day , little by little, i won't lie - this is a bit frustrating but since shes healthy and happy I guess there is nothing to worry about now.
I think she also needs some more time learning what to do with the food in her mouth - we will get there!

thanks!
Shira

Offline creations

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Re: Baby stopped eating lunch
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2015, 09:09:11 am »
Your LO is still very young, it really is well within the normal range not to be super interested in solids at this age. It's also well worth noting that a child size portion at 6 months is only about 2 tea spoons of puree!  Really, it is that small.

Your LO knows she wants and needs her milk, and she is trying some tastes of the solids, this is really all fine and normal.  So really 2 bites is about all you can expect at this point.  don't compare with other LOs who may be taking more, some really go for solids from a young age and some don't, there is no benefit to having lots of solids just now but there is benefit to offering tastes and finger foods for the experience of different textures.

Choking is very serious, gagging is not. Have you seen this?
Information on choking and gagging
LOs can look like they are struggling or gagging when they bring food back to the front of their mouths, this is a very normal reflex and shows they are doing exactly what is needed to protect the airway. It can be a little unsettling for parents to see.  they can even regurgitate a whole piece of food if they swallow something too big - mine did this a few times and just picked the same piece of food back up and ate it.  A baby's gag reflex triggers more forward in the mouth than an adults, so even when they gag it is further forward than you might imagine as an adult.

I agree with you about not 'shoving it in there' :)