A little history on my 14 month old daughter. She's always been a funny picky eater. Hard to feed and hard to find what she'll eat. She's always been a discontented baby that was fussy.
Our problem now is she's gone from picky eater to not eater. It started two weeks ago with her not eating much to the last week not wanting to eat pureed food at all. After two bites of one type she'll cry. At one feeding I've tried up to 6 different foods that she used to like. I know that they go through phases when they don't eat much. but I'm worried. She drinks less milk than she used to. But since she's mostly drinking milk she's not eating very much. She's having enough wet diapers so she's not dehydrated. I've called her doctor and was told that they go through phases and that if she's not eating well in another week to call them. She's cranky like she is a lot, but I'm now trying to decide when she's cranky if she's just hungry. I try to feed her and all I get is tears. Anyone gone through this? Any advice? Its emotionally draining to have her crying all the time.
14 month olds shouldn't be eating baby mush. They should be eating table foods. She can eat nearly everything you eat at this point. Start offering normal food to her and she will probably eat.
Have you tried age appropriate solids? maybe she is telling you she is done with the pureeds.
My 18 month old daughter went through this. She was an AWFUL eater. Super picky! She would only eat pureed food from the packets and never from a spoon. One day she would love the food and the next day she wouldn't eat it. It was so frustrating! And I was worried that she wasn't getting enough either. She would try and eat finger food, but wouldn't swallow it. It seemed like she just couldn't figure out how to chew the food and swallow it. She eventually figured it out and while she isn't an awesome eater (her sister will eat ANYTHING!) she is at least eating. I would try and give her some easy to chew finger food. I would try peas, cut cooked carrots, bananas, things that she can pick up and feed herself. Maybe she's ready for that. You could also give her her baby food and a spoon and let her go to town. Be ready for a big mess but my daughter LOVED feeding herself with a spoon. My oldest daughter also loved canned chicken, weird but it's really soft and easy to chew. And if it is teething, I gave both my daughters frozen peas to chew on when they were teething and they loved them and actually ask for the frozen in the summer, kind of like a healthier ice cream I guess :) Good luck and I hope she starts eating soon!
My DD stops eating whenever she's cutting teeth.
My 15 month old is doing about the same thing right now. I just try to get what i can from him. Try feeding her some more solid foods. My lil' one loves cut up hot dogs, he eats them himself, and is content with it. Both of mine also liked frozen veggies (corn, peas & carrots, mixed) again, eating/feeding themselves. It might be both a mix of not wanting to be fed "baby" food anymore and cutting teeth (which the frozen veggies do wonders). Toast was/is a big hit as well.
What i also have been doing, is giving him a spoon while i feed him he tries to feed himself. It helps occupy him a little bit while i get to shovel it in! Anything to draw attention away from the fact he is eating.
Don't let anyone tell you you are doing anything wrong, or she should be past pureed food. Every child is different and it may be not only what keeps you sane but her fed!
Just keep trying! Something is bound to work. If nothing else, just let her go and eventually she will eat something. At least she is getting those calories from the milk. You can also add cereal to the milk if it gets too bad.
Hope some of what i said helps you! Good Luck!
You absolutely need to get her checked for food allergies. The top allergens are dairy and gluten, with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, shell fish, and soy making up the top 7. It is typical for them to go through stages, but it sounds like this has been a constant in her life. Other symptoms that she has food allergies/sensitivities are constipation (not going at least once a day) or diarrhea often, dark and/or puffy circles under her eyes, rashes and /or eczema, post-nasal drip, frequent ear infections, swollen tonsils with no illness, a red ring around her anus (called a target rash), and ADHD like symptoms. I went through this with my oldest, so that is the experience I am speaking from. I could be wrong, but it sounds awfully familiar to me. And it sounds too consistent to be something as simple as teething or getting sick. If you'd like more information on how we dealt with the situation, or have more questions to determine whether or not you'd like to go this route, I am happy to talk to you about it.
Good luck!
J.
My DD gave up those baby foods at about 10 mos. and would only eat table food. Try giving her what you've fixed for yourself. Scrambled eggs, cut up banana, grapes cut in fourths, corn, peas and carrots, toast, bits of bagel, avocado, (my kids loved this as babies!), little cubes of cheese, (my kids have always liked the marble colby cheddar cheese) and any other thing you're eating that's not spicy.
She should be past purees. She can eat anything you are, cut to the appropriate size. Let her eat real foods and she might find it more appetizing.
It could be allergies, as someone said, or teething, so have her checked. It also could be acid reflux -- that makes babies hurt when they eat so they associate eating with pain. See a doctor as soon as you can.
The milk may be filling her up enough that she is not interested in eating.
You mention that she's always been a fussy/cranky baby even when eating OK. If there are no allergies/reflux/teething etc. it's possible she might be sensitive to food textures, or to her environment (light/feel of certain clothes on her skin/loud sounds/etc.). If you rule out the other things ask the doctor if those kinds of sensitivities are possibly happening.
Hello honey,
Say I see a bunch of wonderful answers here, and I would second the advice regarding teething, food allergies and letting her feed herself. I very rarely give baby food--rather I tend to feed my little guy whatever I'm eating (within reason regarding texture and spiciness) and so he naturally just wants food from my plate. That's very easy with mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, etc...
It sounds to me as if she may have some digestive upset. Has she ever had antibiotics for something? If she were mine, I would try some organic baby yogurt to add more probiotics to her system, and possibly a little bit of powdered dandelion root sprinkled on it (from an opened capsule) just to clean out anything bad from her tummy. Avoid things like genetically modified foods (corn, soy etc...) and margarine, as those are really indigestible. I would compare eating margarine to eating a plastic Walmart bag and expecting it to be digested....lol...But seriously, the genetically modified corn and soy can have the effect of producing pesticide or chemical-like substances in the digestive tract and that will definately cause a tummy ache.
Best wishes and blessings!
No, this is not right. Failure to thrive or failure to eat or be hungry is a LOW HORMONE ISSUE. There is a homrone called cortisol, it comes from the adrenal gland. If you have low levels, you will not have an appetite and will avoid eating. You also feel really crappy. Your blood sugar will be low as well. Usually (but not always) there are sleeping issues. Trouble getting to sleep, waking in the middle of the night and not wanting to go back to sleep. Usually food allergys develop because cortisol is responsible for lowering the immune response. If you dont have enough cortisol you will be hyper sensistive to foods, smells, things that touch your skin, etc.
Cortisol levels should be checked.
My daughter has low cortisol and we use 1% hydrocortisone cream on her skin. She should also be on hydrocortisone pills but we havent been able to find a decent endocrinologist for her.
She is 14 months old... she can be off... pureed foods.
Or is she teething?
Is she napping? If not, then kids get major fussy... when my kids are tired... they also cannot eat.
