Seeking Advice on Eating, Sleeping and Development Problems

I strongly recommend suggesting to your friend to contact Birth 2 3, the early intervention program. If it turns out that his poor eating has to do with some sort of oral motor problem, they can assess and treat that. As well, they will reder an opinion about how late is crawling is and if he is not sitting up (which he really should be at this time) they can get him some physical therapy which will help tremendously. My daughter was born with a brain injury and due to the services she has received, she is developing 100% normally. It doesn't cost anything thing and they will evaluate him and then she will either get him some help or be assured that nothing is wrong. Not sure what to say about the napping, but if is a result of another issue, the birth 2 3 people may be able to figure that one out and treat it as well. My daughter has responded so well to her treatment that I cannot recommend early intervention enough... she really has nothing to lose.

i think i would first get another opinion from a different doctors to put your mind at ease. If he gets a clear bill or health then perhaps i would try some different finger foods in very small pieces. i have found that when children are teething they do not want the spoon by their mouth, however when the novelty of feeding themselves comes into play they seem to eat. As you said he likes to eat cheerios i would try dicing up chicken, small vegetables, pasta cut up, just make everything tiny and perhaps he needs to be in controll of what and how much he puts in his mouth. He may be hungry and unable to sleep. But before i tried anything i would definately get a second opinion.
Good luck

Hi Shoshana,
Since babies can't express themselves they cry and scream and even boycot food cause something is bothering them. Maybe your friend should go to a different perdiatrician to make sure that nothing is wrong. He could be teething or typically boys have a lot of gas and are still developing their private parts which sometimes can be a discomfort to them. Your friend should really get a second opinion just to make sure everything is ok, and the baby is just cranky.

Hello Shoshana,

looks like your friend's baby may have some sensory disorder. how about chiropractic treatment? is his neck/spine misaligned? any digestive problems? do foods make him hurt and that's why he doesn't want to eat? so many questions... If the pediatrician does not come up w/ more suggestions/answers it's time to find another one. Good luck! ~carmen~

Hi Shoshana,

My daughter went through a phase of not eating and it was scary. She would not eat anything. I have always wondered if it was an undiagnosed colic or something. Our doctor at the time sent us to every doctor in Miami. We had her checked for everything. They finally even sent us to a phsychologist who said it was a behavioral problem(she was 8-12 months!) I finally found a real doctor who practices herbal medicine. This doctor simply just said our baby was fine and by that time she was eating but by then under the charts in weight. Moral: find a nice doctor, relax, and do not worry about the charts. As long as the baby is eating...the health is good, everything should work out. I would not worry yet about crawling either, that will probably come soon. BTW, ,my daughter is 7 now, tall, and eats fine.

Hi Shoshana,
This sounds very familiar to me. My son, who is now 2-1/2, was very similar to what you described. I was also terribly stressed-out because of sleep deprivation and just being an anxious first-time mom.
Tell your friend to not worry about the crawling thing. My son was the same way, he began crawling and then walking well after he was one, and he is fine.
As far as the teething and sleeping, have her get some Hylands Homeopathic tablets for teething, or Homeopathic Chamomile tablets. It works wonders and is totally safe for babies. Just dissolve the 1-2 tablets in a teaspoon of water and give to babe.
About the food, this is a phase and he will move out of it. Ask her to keep trying different things, or just stick to what works for now. Teething does not last forever.

The most important thing, is for her to relax. Her baby might be picking up on her stress or insecurity around something, and he might be responding to that, causing even more stress. Unless he is really sick, or does not seem to have energy, or lethargic, I hope that she can trust that he will really be OK.
Good Luck
N.

The developmental issues may merit a second opinion; if it were my child, I would take him to another doctor just to be sure that everything is OK.
If everything checks out normal, I advise you friend to back off a little about feedng her son. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but her pressuring the child to eat only adds fuel to the fire. At 10 months, her son is trying to find ways to assert himself, and eating is one of the few things a child this age can control. If she continues to press the issue, she will turn mealtime into a power struggle that neither can win.
Instead, she needs to play on his natural curiousity and desire to be part of the gang. She should offer tasty foods, but make no comment if he refuses the bait. Once he realizes that he cannot get to her by efusing food, he will most likely begin to eat more.
If he does not want the bottle, he may be ready to give it up. Under no circumstances should she try to entice him by adding special flavors or beverages to the bottle! In he long run, that would cause more trouble than it would solve.
Sleeping is another power issue. All she can really do is continue to put him into the crib at regular times, and prvide a quiet environment for him to rest. She will have to steel herself against some loud, tearful protests, but iif she can stick it out, he will learn that she will not come running at evey whimper and settle down for some rest.