my daughter will be one on sunday, she is alert and happy but will not eat?

Question

She will maybe take a spoonfull or a bite of finger food but that is it. She will take all her formula bottles and will even baby sign for those but as for "real" food she is not bothered. Has anyone got any ideas or had a similar situation? may sound trivial but it worries me silly that she is not getting the nutrition she needs. thanks

Answer 1

it does sound to me unfortunately that you are giving her too many formula bottles a day, by this point with my kids they weren't getting any at all and i have a nine month old who is on 2 small bottles a day but eats anything and everything! all i can suggest is that you go back to basics she has you under her thumb and at this age they are all to aware on how to wrap you around their finger, she is being lazy start the weening process again and gradually remove bottles from her daily intake, but do start on very soft pureed food and be strong it is hard but you are the boss and if she is hungry she will eat!!!! good luck x

Answer 2

The answer to thid question depends alot on several things. Has she always done this? Are you giving her the solid food before the formula? How much formula is she having? It sounds like she may be filling her tummy with milk, and therefore doesnt want the food. Have you spoken to the doctor or healthcare professional about this problem? Many children go through this stage, and it passes in time, but it may be worth you taking her to get checked over just incase! Good luck.

Answer 3

I don't think this is trivial she needs to start getting more nutrition than she is getting from her milk. Is her weight normal for her height? If so you should start reducing her milk. Did you know that from 6 months they only need 500ml or 16 fl Oz's a day. 2 bottles a day and less than that from a year. Try introducing foods that are mixed with milk like wheatabix or porridge and yogurts. She should be having regular meals perhaps cereal for breakfast, steamed fruit for lunch and maybe some mashed potatoes for tea. You need be patient and strong try and make it fun. Don't worry too much, it will all come. Hope she has a lovely birthday.

Answer 4

You need to really cut down on the formula feed...she won't eat simply because she's not hungry enough.

Lay out some finger food at certain times of the day and put it away after an hour. She WILL get hungry and she will eat. Try not to get anxious or she will pick up on that then food will become a real issue.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Does she have some teeth coming through? this often makes eating uncomfortable. If not i think your little girl is clever enough already to realise that her not eating has an affect on you. As children grow they discover that they have a little bit of control in there world and although this usually happens later on its not unusual for children to start behaving like this at a younger age. She sees you fretting and likes the attention it gets her. Its very easy for me to say but try and relax (or at least appear to be relaxed!)its great she is signing and asking for her milk but maybe you should try cutting down on this a little to see if she becomes hungry, if she still doesnt feed give her back the milk so you know she is at least getting some nutrition. Please try not to worry she will eat when she is hungry x

Answer 6

Babies have a stomach the size of their fist. Often times when it seems like they are eating too little they are feeling full already.
I would recommend feeding her a few bites of baby food from the jars or cereal or even instant oatmeal since it tastes better.
My son preferred pureed table foods at that age because frankly they taste much better than baby foods.

Answer 7

You could reduce the amount of formula she is having, but personally, I would let her go her own pace, provided the finger foods are healthy. Try offering her new items.
How about discussing the amount of formula she has with your practice nurse or health visitor, as if she is full of milk, she may not be hungry. so there is not the need to eat anything.
If she is alert and happy, then it is unlikely she is going short of anything.

Answer 8

My son was the same and what worked for us was my husband would make pancakes but make shapes with them that our son was into at the time -- dinosaurs, sailboats, etc. We also made a rule with our son that he had to try different food but if he didn't like a particular food, he could spit it out nicely with a serviette. Now he is 17 going on 18 and is very adventurous with food -- will try anything!!! Be very patient and find things to interest him. Ask him what he wants to eat and make it exactly as he wants it made -- it's a pain in the butt but will pay off in the long run as it did with our son who is going to go to college next September as a chef so whatever we did worked wonderfully! Patience, perseverance and lots of love!!!

Answer 9

Don't worry about it. She will eat when she's hungry. A doctor told me that - no baby/child has EVER starved itself to death. I had the same worries about my son. Your daughter is clearly getting all she needs from her formula for now. She'll eat when she's good and ready :-)

ps: GP makes a good point too - laziness was part of the problem with my son - he's 8 now and still extremely lazy when it comes to food.

Answer 10

Its never silly to worry about your child A child's eating habits develop at different stages If it concerns you a great deal then SMA progress is used in alot of cases similar to your own to ensure that the child is getting the correct nutrients But don't give up Try foods like mashed up bananas and yoghurt's as this usually helps them to get used to different sensations in their mouth Once she gets used to these kind of things she will grow more curious herself and want to try new foods