[sunfish]

Hi Jeanette

I wonder whether you can help....Isabelle has been ill for a couple of weeks with what the Doctor called a throat infection, so no need for antibiotics. Isabelle has taken only to having milk and will hardly eat any solids, clamps her mouth shut and turns away from the spoon.

We've tried not to make a big deal of her not eating, but it is upsetting when she had such a good appetite. Isabelle is still bf and accepts bottles of ebm......any ideas will be greatfullly accepted. I've tried going back to basics - purreed stuff and fairly simple stuff. I've also tried some fingerfood but that seems to get chucked on the floor rather than in her mouth!!

love

Camilla & a almost-non-solid eating Isabelle

 

[suzy]

Hi Sunfish,

My baby was really late - 7.5 months -  in taking solids and the health visitor gave me this advice and it worked within 2 days.

Your baby is picking up your anxiety about food (ie him not eating it), and interprets it as there being something not quite right or dangerous about it, so he doesn't eat it.
Your job is to prepare the food and offer it, not to get him to eat it. Once you've prepared it and offered it, your job is over.
The baby will ALWAYS win.
Babys never starve themselves.
Offer the food and if he doesn't want it, take it away sooner rather than later - try to make meals as normal as possible and if its not working, don't keep trying.
Continue to offer breakfast lunch and dinner.


I can say I was a bit perturbed about her advice as I thought that most of the time, I wasn't transmitting "anxious" vibes to my baby, but withing two days he went from eating nothing to eating everything -fruit, veggies, meat, cereal, cheese, toast, and finger food (I was so ecstatic all the advice about allergies went out of the window  )

What I now know, is that he ate on HIS terms and when HE was ready - if I'd have realized that, then I could've saved myself a lot of worry.

Suzy

 

[sunfish]

Just to give an update

Isabelle is eating well again...I've been away on business so DH has had to feed her. Shes been eating more but won't eat in her highchair but on the floor....I've not seen this in action yet as I came home late yesterday, hopefully DH will give me a demo later!! I'm just wondering that she doesn't crawl off 

love & hugs

Camilla

 

[sunfish]

Hi All

A further update, Isabelle is eating when she feels like it! And we've been more relaxed about if she doesn't want something so be it!

We had her weighed today, first time in 5 weeks and she is now 4.5 oz less than she was previously. I'm not too concerned as we'd expected this. I think she's actually grown longer and she's really bright and active.

love

Camilla

 

[Sue MJ]

Camilla,

Iestyn used to eat absolutely anything and everything - it was great.  Then suddenly he became extremely mobile and the thought of sitting still for any period of time just to eat food horrified him!  So for months now, his eating habits have been very erratic, some days, he eats and eats and eats (these are few and far between though) and others, he eats barely enough to feed a  mouse.

But he is happy and healthy and definately growing - albeit he is a very slim chap (with very podgy cheeks!) - but then a part from being born big, he very quickly turned into a slender babe and went from being the largest of the babes born in my group of antenatal mums/babes, to being the tiniest (but one of the tallest) of them.

I used to stress out but now figure he'll eat if he's hungry.  I wont keep offering him different things if he doesn't eat what I initially give him, as more often than not, he turns down food without even trying it - yet I know if he tried it, he'd realise he liked it.  So if he doesn't eat now, I leave it with him for a few moments (making sure he's not about to lob it across the room or at the dog) and then take it away and get him down from his chair pretty much straight away.  Usually he just carries on playing then, so I figure he obviously isn't that hungry.

I find it tougher going when I go around friends or family  for lunch as I can not g'tee that he'll eat.  The other day he had spag Bol at home and absolutely loved it.  When my mum served it up the other day, despite me telling her he loved it - would he touch it... NO!  And that's what I find hard - I don't mind him wasting my effort at home, but when it's others that have gone to the trouble of doing him food, then that's a different matter.

I think the key overall though, is definately not to stress out and as Suzy says, a baby wont starve themselves.

All the best,

Love,

Sue xxx

P.S. I went through a stage of feeding Iestyn sat on the floor!