Nearly 1 and no food!

[juliekim0908]

Ok, so subject title slightly over exaggerated. My boy is 1 in 3 weeks times. eek!

But food is pretty much a no go. He still has 5 bottles a day, sometimes 4.
Refuses breakfast, ive tried everything! from porridge, toast, fruit, dry cereal, soaked cereal, milky cereal. SO he tends to have 1 bottle, until nap time around 3/4 hours later with another.

lunch, same again. I'm lucky if I can get a small fruit pouch or 1 or 2 mouthfuls of something more substantial.

Dinner, sometimes he'll eat a little more, tends to have what we eat, unless been out all day and nothing prepared so ill offer some ready baby food.
has a good few mouthfuls. but nothing that would even close to filling him up!

Funny hes staying at my parents house this evening and she offered him a 7 month pouch of baby food and he had it all plus a fruit pouch!
AT home, he screams if I try to spoon feed him, he cant grasp using the spoon himself and all in all prefers to feed himself so always offer finger food. Still no joy.

I even tried taking the food into living room and feeding him bits as he comes to me, only lasts 2 or 3 mouthfuls. I'm dumstruck. babies around this age should surely enjoy and want food? even starting to think about dropping a bottle or 2?
He's allergic to dairy/soya so food has always been more difficult, but hes been like this now for around 4 months, hence why now im starting to get worried.
We should have a dietitian app soon.

 

[LaceyKeo]

I have nothing useful to add, I'm afraid.

I'd say try a professional but I see you're already waiting on a dietitian, so... I don't really know what else you could do? Xx

 

[littlemonkey]

I'd be looking at the fact he ate fine with your mum but not at home. How lumpy or smooth was that pouch compared to what he's given at home? Do you think it could be a problem with textures?

When do you offer bottles in relation to meals? Maybe try leaving him a bit longer after a meal before offering a bottle. And always offer food first rather than milk. So when he wakes from his nap perhaps give him an early lunch or a snack rather than offering milk. I get the impression he's not too bothered with food with you cos he knows he's going to get something else to fill him up.

 

[juliekim0908]

It's so difficult! I don't even know what im expecting from writing on here lol. Just as a loose end I think!

The food was very smooth that she offered him. I've tried the bottles etc.. Ive always offered food first thing rather than bottle. same at lunch, after his nap, I offer him food, anything from when hes first woken to a late lunch. he then about 1 hour after lunch has a bottle. Urgh. Im so hoping dietitian can help.

Just wanted to post if anyone has experienced anything similar? =)

 

[LaceyKeo]

From posting on here you get a bunch of other ideas, even if no one has experienced it, there's still people that may have some obvious answer that the rest of us aren't seeing, so... That's why you post here

Have you tried offering a smaller amount of milk in a cup along with a small plate of finger foods? Maybe cut some cucumber sticks and thin apple slices, offer with a cup of milk instead of a big bottle, and just see what happens? Xx

 

[littlemonkey]

I'd be inclined to push the bottles back even further than an hour and just wait to see what your LO does.

Just a question on the bottles too, do you still feed him or does he drink hist bottles himself? If you feed him it could be a comfort thing he doesn't want to give up rather than it being about food. Did you say you'd tried swapping from bottles to a sippy cup cos that would be my other suggestion to get him out of the comfort thing.

 

[mrs_b_x]

Maybe his teeth are hurting and he ate that stuff at ur mums because it was so smooth he could just swallow it? X

 

[juliekim0908]

He won't let us spoon feed him, so always do finger food now. Every now and again ill try a smooth/texured baby food to see if hes changed his mind. So I don't believe its that.

On the offering it too him in a cup and pushing it back later. That's something I think im going to try today.

He feeds himself with the bottle on the floor, so not a comfort thing in that way. But it does have it in his cot to help settle for naps, so the comfort thing may tie in a bit!.. but he doesn't fall asleep with the bottle, he drinks it, I take it away and he plays around then drops off say 20 mins later.

I'm going to try cut out the bottles myself I think, he's had 2 this morning, he wouldn't settle for a nap without it. had around 3 grapes for breakfast!

Hopefully if I slowly cut out the bottles he may seem more hungry and eat more?!.. worth a try I suppose x

 

[Mrbump83]

Could you try foods that you make with his milk? Familiar taste may help him adjust?

My lg was milk/soya allergic. On neocate from 3 months to 14 months.
We would make mash with her milk Etc.

She doesn't eat much if feed within 2 hours of a bottle. We started cutting back about at about 8 months.
We also held her in our arms for some feeds, she ate better that way.
She now eats sooooo much it's shocking really lol
X x

 

[T84]

My lo goes through the same on and off. I was giving milk in the afternoon worried that she wasn't getting enough food but was told to stop that bottle. This defo made a difference so maybe try cold turkey, one bottle at a time? It sounds mean, but he will know he's getting his bottle if he doesn't eat the food so why go to the effort iyknwim. Good luck!

 

[juliekim0908]

Thanks so much everyone. I never thought about stopping the bottles myself as he's always adjusted himself.

Its 12pm and hes only had his morning bottle. Difficult at times to say the least! But he seems to be 'snacking' more. Not forcing the 3 meals on him at the mo, just breakfast and dinner. xx

 

[T84]

Snacking is a great step forward! Even getting him used to bits of food. I'd gotten to the stage where I put so much pressure on her and myself to have 3 balanced meals that I got myself soooo frustrated! Now I consider it a successful lunch if she's ate a tiny bit of sandwich and snacked on some fruit and cheese. If she doesn't - she will be hungry enough to eat her tea later on lol!