One year old is refusing to eat!?!?

Question

My one year old used to eat anything and everything in sight... NOW he won't eat anything. His one year molars are coming in but he won't eat anything except an occasonial bottle of 6-9 oz. He won't eat any table food or baby food. We are trying to get him to eat food during the day and only bottles at night time but i don;t want him to not be reciving enough nutrition througout the day. I don't know why all the sudden he has been rufusing food. If it's because of his teeth... how long will it last? How long does it usually take for their molars to come in? He has been working on his of about two months now and he has bruised gums and a lot of swelling. There is several points on his gums but now have come through yet what should i do? PLEASE HELP?!!!!!?

Answer 1

He's a bit too young for the phase of not wanting to eat, but it may come early for him. It's probably his molars coming in that's making him not want to eat. Offer him colder foods to eat, let him have a damp washcloth or teether to bite on. Try putting some baby anbesol on his gums to soothe the pain. As long as he is maintaining weight, I wouldn't worry about his eating habits, unless it continues after his teeth come in.

Answer 2

If his teeth are coming out it can be extremely painful and just like you in pain or ill there is less appetite, try not to make a big issue out of it, bottles of milk have vitamins and protein, in my case it never lasted more than a a couple of weeks, make sure you offre a variety of food, and maybe put a selection of your dinner cut in small easily swallowed on a plate near him, he may be tempted by it, some children focus on colour or consistency or shape etc, it is a phase many parents encounter, he will not suffer as it will not last months, it is ok, just be patient.

another way is to make a game, sing a song, tell him a stroy with his favourite character or firetruck /animal and an adventure,"he picked up his food and travelled up a high mountainaccross a river in his bathtub etc and foudn this lovely house/cave/ blabla and let him open his mouth so you may continue the story, songs work really well at that age. also make sure baby has had no food at least 2 hours prior to mealtimes (including juices) and if possible some fresh air and playtime, it can help open appetites
good luck

Answer 3

Keep offering foods, but really push the formula. The rule for breastfed babies is at 12 months 75% of their nutrition should be coming from breast milk, so I don't see why this wouldn't be true for formula.

Try making frozen formula Popsicles, formula slush. You can even add some flavoring to it if you get really desperate. Make sure your son is getting at LEAST 20oz of formula per day. I have read that is the minimum for babies about that age. But if you are concerned please go to the doctor.

Also try using some clove essential oil diluted in any kitchen oil. Check the dilution in your mouth, too strong and it can burn. Clove oil is the main ingredient in most OTC temporary dental fillings so it works. And unlike anbesol and other anesthetic creams doesn't generally make your throat feel icky. I have used anbesol for a tooth problem and it really can make you feel worse.

Answer 4

Bongela or some gum numbing medication. Its ok if child just wants the bottle for a while.....try icecream or custard and different juices (like multi-v, apple, blackcurrant, orange...watered down by half strength) to add more variety. Leave off the other food until his teeth have erupted....should only take another couple of weeks if he has swelling.

Answer 5

Don't force him, or every meal will be a battle of nerves that you will probably lose. He will not starve. Give him soft finger foods like string cheese, or scrambled eggs (finger food for a toddler) and make sure he is taking his vitamin. Leave a plate out, and he will eat when he is ready. If you are forcing a spoon in his face at every meal, he will fight you. To ease the swelling of his gums, try fruit juice ice pops. Also try to lose the bottle, or you may see those nice new teeth full of cavities. It happened to my daughter, and she had to have traumatic dental procedures at the age of 3. All 4 of her front teeth had to be pulled out, because I could not take her "baba" away.

Answer 6

I was having the same problem, and i took my son to the hospital we found out he had strept, it really hurts him to swallow and this is why milk is his food of choice b/c it soothes his throat. Teeth can have some maybe all the play in him not eating, i advise you to just go back to baby food...if he won't eat try mixing the baby food in with his bottle, and making a bigger hole in the nipple, just so you'll know he's getting all of his nutrition. Good Luck!

Answer 7

How about something cool and soothing? A fruit juice popsicle? Frozen yoghurt? Have you given him any tylenol for the pain in his gums? Ask your pediatrician or dentist for some suggestions. While he is miserable, hungry and upset it's probably not a good time to wean him -- give it a bit of a break and try again when the teeth have erupted.

Answer 8

It's because of his teeth...think about it, how hungry are you when you have awful toothache.
It's okay for him to have just liquids for a few days, he will not suffer because of it.

My daughter just went through this about three weeks ago, and is fine now.

It won't last long.
Give him milk and water/juice.

Some Bonjela and Medised probably would be appreciated too!

He'll be okay and eating you out of house and home again before you know it.

Answer 9

try eating with him, or having a picnic, does he feed himself? mine loves using a fork, try frozen milk or water iceblocks, then he can get some calories and help his sore gums too or frozen fruit jellies etc. also you can get food feeders, or just a muslin cloth, and wrap frozen fruit pieces in it (like the canned fruit, and then freeze it) and he can suck on it. don't worry too much about it cause he'l be able to sense your anxiety every time it's time to eat, just keep offering him little bits of whatever you decide to give him at regular samall intervals (every half hour worked for us)

Answer 10

If he is refusing to eat I would make sure that you offer him something to eat more often. When he shows signs that he is hungry then I would offer him something soft. You could try to put a wet wash cloth in the freezer and let it get cold and let him bit on it. Good Luck!!!