food strike

[lisi's mum]

I think dd is trying to see how far she can push me right now. Refusing to even taste some foods I know she likes, or refusing to let me feed her then dropping everything on the floor instead of trying to eat it. Last night I made about 4 different dinners that ended up getting chucked.

Should I just let her get on with things and not be so soft, reckoning she'll eat when she's hungry? I'm still bfing 3 times a day (and 1 a night  ) and she's on the skinny side ( but no where near as bad as I thought having just found those new who growth charts  ) .

TIA
Katie

[woopster]

She won't starve. Personally, I wouldn't have made 4 different meals. You're just setting yourself up for battles later on. Don't make a big deal if she won't eat, just take her plate away when she's done.  I wouldn't react either when she drops food, just clear up when your done.
Do you sit at the table and eat with her? 

[lisi's mum]

It's not quite that bad - I didn't make 4 different meals from scratch, the other 3 were leftovers and cold.

I do sit at the table with her, but don't always eat at the same time. Breakfast and lunch are had together, more or less but dinner at 5.30 is just too early.

I get nervous that what she doesn't eat during the day she's going to try and make up for during the night. I'm working on the night feeding by giving her a very dilute bottle if she wakes before 5.30. After 5.30 she gets half a bf but we're having big fights at the moment, and a lot more night wakings than usual which I'm sure are part of the same problem.

[mcruari]

Would you consider giving her a bottle of cow's milk before bed? Are you already giving her that? If she is not eating a lot during the day, maybe a nice bottle with a thickener like Plasmon biscuits would do the trick and you know that way that she is getting some nutrients into her.
  for still doing the b/f at night You are one brave woman 

[lisi's mum]

for still doing the b/f at night You are one brave woman 

not brave Sinead, weak and foolish 

I haven't introduced cows milk yet - a first birthday treat. Maybe I have to think about replacing the last bf with a mega calorie bottle.

[mcruari]

My ped. let me introduce milk at 11mths although the first 2 weeks it was half milk and half water. Maybe you could give the ped. a call and ask if that would be ok. I'm not trying to convince you (well I am really as I feel for you having to do the night b/f) but I think she may just need that boost in the evening, espcially as she is eating so little now.

Big hugs and 

[lisi's mum]

I'm being cautious on the milk front as I don't do too well with it myself. As for the night feed - she's got 2 more months and then Mummy gets tough, we'll finally be moving into a flat where she has her own bedroom. Right now she's in with us.

Will try topping off with formula before bed tonight and see how things go.

[Jenn©]

Good luck!!!!!!!

[woopster]

Don't beat yourself up about the night feedings.  I fed DS1 several times a night when he was well over a year. 

[lisi's mum]

Thanks for your help everybody.

Things seem to be getting better (I've probably just jinxed it  ) Lisi lets me feed her again for at least a little while. I'm going for small amounts of several different things eg polenta with 2 veggies in seperate piles. or a little pasta then a little of something else and if that gets eaten then a little banana.

This way she's not getting bored of one thing, and seems to prefer her food seperate instead of all mixed up. At least today anyway, who knows what tomorrow will bring.

She drank 4 oz of the formula bottle last night on top of a bf, didn't really bring me any extra sleep though, but I managed to delay the night feed to 5am. Better than it has been.

It's an adventure, this food thing eh!