Advice please. 11 month old has stopped eating.?

Question

Hi all, my 11 month old has stopped eating, from being a really good eater he has gone to eating one or two spoonfuls then spits the rest out. He is just starting to eat finger foods but will only eat a small amount of those too. If I give him something sweet like a fruit puree he will eat all of that, but I don't want him eating sweet things all of the time, I want him to have a healthy balanced diet. How do I get him to start eating again?

to rossminton, i came on yahoo answers to ask other parents advice, i suppose as the father of a 1 month old you know it all do you. Sometimes the advice of a fellow parent can be supportive not critical. its nice to get advice from those with experiance.

as for you gangsta, i can't belive someone would suggest force feeding a child.

Answer 1

dont worry babes, he has been introduced to finger food and now he wants big boy food. he will go through the phase of not eating, both mine did, they dont want baby food now they had tasted the joys of adult food, try and get him to eat a variety of different finger foods, sandwiches, nibbles like cheesy puffs and salad like cucumber, also good if hes still teething. there is nothing to worry about, make sure hes still drinking plenty of fluids, and if all else fails try him with a nice pudding, banana is good but not too often as it can be the cause of constipation.
hope this helps, but dont worry.

Answer 2

I have the same problem to this day with my son and hes 3 and a 1/2. It sounds like hes a picky eater. My son started this around 1 years old. As long as he is getting plenty of fluids and does eat a little bit, he'll be fine. Keep introducing new foods to your lil one. Sticking with the same thing all the time, they get bored with. Its good that you've already started with finger foods. Try fresh fruit as well. Apples, bananas, oranges, kiwi, fruits that are easy for your lil one to gum at. They have all the natural sugars. You can also try some vegetables that are easy to gum. Make homemade french fries, celery sticks, cooked carrot sticks, etc etc. You get the idea. Hope all this helps and the best of luck to ya!

Answer 3

i know you dont like the idea of force feeding the child from your comment to someone but you have to make them relise you are the boss and you want them to eat. Obviously Im not saying stuff it in no matter what but if they spit it out put in some more and nicely say something like 'come on, eat it all up' make them realise its dinner time and you want them to eat. I went through this while being a nanny and it was because the baby was teething. I made sure she had plenty of fluids and milk and made her eat what I could get down her without upsetting her or making her sick. Try something like baby bonjella before a feed and see if this helps.

Answer 4

He's going to do this off and on for the next few years, he is slowing down on the food because he's getting ready to go on another growth spurt, then his appetite will pick up again. This is completely normal, just keep offering him a variety of foods and if he doesn't et much, it's ok. He will also go on "food jags" where he will only take a few foods and you think he will be undernourished, but he will be fine. Fruit puree is fine and very healthy. Whatever "real" foods he will eat is ok, just don't offer cookies, and junk. All kids do this, so relax, mom, and trust his God-given built in appetite regulator.

Answer 5

I wouldn't bother with worrying about it, if he's hungry he will eat.

I also agree with one of the other answers - he could be teething, try giving him hard things like bread sticks to gnaw on and vary the food in front of him.

I assume that he hasn't gone off milk? Just make sure he gets plenty of milk along with whatever food he will eat.

My daughter went through a picky period and would only eat fruit. My health visitor told me to give her whatever she wanted to eat as there is plenty of time to sort out her diet later and at least fruit is healthy.

Answer 6

Just give him the fruits for now. It is better than him not eating at all... second he may have a small cold or even a tooth coming in, take him to the doc for advice but i think it is just a phase and will pass in a week or so. Good luck.

Answer 7

My daughter was a fiesty eater... I kept on offering the same food but served different fun ways... Believe me When he is hungry he will eat. Dont give in to the sweets... hehe as funny as it may sound they know that you will give in if they say no to the "yucky stuff" and give them the sweet stuff. Try to not give him any drink during mealtime it fills them up faster. Try different textures of food and colors to try to excite him into eating. Good luck

Answer 8

Just put a variety of savoury foods like bits of bread, cheese, apple etc in front of him and he will work his way through them in his own time.

You certainly can't force him to eat and making an issue out of mealtimes is asking for trouble in the long term.

Answer 9

they do go through this at different ages i was worried that my 8 month old would end up eating only sweet she didn't she's now teething and is only having bits and bobs i would offer the savoury till they refuse then give a yogurt they soon get back on track xx

Answer 10

Dont panic, its normal.
Their tastebuds are still developing and sweets are reconized earlier than other tastes.
Just feed him regularly, what you know he will eat, but introduce a new taste each time, like a new veggie or a new mixed meat. He will eventually eat one and he`ll start eating better again.