11Month Old Refusing Soild Foods

I have a 10 month old and can relate.

My daughter just started eating at 9 months. We had been trying to feed her since 6 months.

After many tears on both sides, the dr. recommended we cut back on her milk intake. I cut it down from 32 oz. per day to 18 oz.

This helped drastically.

She does go thru phases. For example, in the morning she wants nothing to do with any food at all. My husband believes we should stick to feeding her first then she gets a bottle after. To him, if we give her the bottle when she is throwing a fit in the morning then we are giving into her. I believe it is ok to switch things up a bit. The morning is the only time she throws a fit and after you give her the bottle she is a much calmer child and will eat.

She eats lunch at day care.

For dinner, I am trying to figure out how to get her to eat table foods. It is a hit or miss. The most important thing I want her to get in her body is the rice cereal b/c of the vitamins. After that I usually give her an assortment of things we are eating along with some plain cooked vegetables. If she ends up playing and just dropping it on the floor, I take the food away and give her the bottle. Then dinner is over. Most of the time she will pick at it and take a few bites. I have found if I give her the table food first she ends up trying more b/c she is hungry. We do all eat at the same time.

Believe me, I know it can be frustrating. Just hang in there.

My daughter is almost 3 and its still a challenge at times:) I have to agree with you on this one and I was VERY picky about what my daughter ate until she was 2. Now I'm a little more realistic but still have lots of "no" foods. Your daughter is going to go through LOTS of stages and will some days not eat anything...your family will be concerned, but as long as she is healthy, she will let you know when she is hungry. At 3, my daughter now tells me "I don't like it" when I know she does and hasn't eaten a banana in 6 months (they used to be her favorite). I guess this is my LONG way of saying....you're daughter is perfectly normal and it is too early to tell if she will be picky about her food.

Children know when they are hungry. They are not like adults who eat because it is meal time. There will be times when your daughter is just not hungry. Make sure she gets her milk. Give her a healthy variety of foods and what she eats is fine and what she does not eat, just do not worry.

I do think you should feed her what you all eat. If she does not want it, send her from the table or have her play in her high chair till you all are finished with your own meal.

My niece has never been a big eater. She is 10 and is very thin, but still is healthy and active. She eats very healthy, because my sister cooks healthy and keeps very healthy food in her house. There are times when I will see my niece eat a few spoonfuls of cooked veggies, a few stabs at a salad and 2 or 3 bites of meat and she will say she is full. She has always been a small eater. My sister does not make special meals for her.

I would not make a big deal out of it, because it is not a big deal.

Let me save you and your husband the trouble!! DON'T let this phase get you and your relationship out of sorts, it just isn't worth it. We are right in the thick of this "picky-eater" stage ourselves and trust me, it can cause all kinds of caos in your home if you don't learn to let it go. When you really think about it, it is amazing how a baby's eating habits can get us so fired up! Your husband sounds like me and you sound like my husband. I don't want to be a short order cook, so I think she should eat what I give her. My husband thinks that I shouldn't force her. After much arguing with him and the baby, I realized that meal time is the biggest source of stress around my house so I decided to talk to my pediatrician and read a little bit. It was just getting out of hand! Anyway, I read that food battles are ones you will never win--better to not even play into them. Short of shoving the food in their mouths, I guess that advice is pretty true! My daughter was always such a good eater, but my peditrician told me to expect this challenge and to not be surprised when the day came that I would "wonder how she will survive on 2 Goldfish crackers and a sip of milk." In addition to making me laugh it made me realize that this phase is something that isn't worth getting so bent out of shape about, that when she is hungry--she WILL eat, AND (most importantly) THIS TOO SHALL PASS. Take comfort in knowing that you are on the right track and stick to your method rather than your husband's on this one. This is not a sign of things to come!

You can't force anyone to eat, much less an 11 month old. If she doesn't eat, she doesn't eat.
If your daughter hasn't been feeling well, or is learning to walk, she won't eat as much. Their bodies require amazingly little food. Remember that a serving size is about the size of her fist. So, she might be getting more than you think.
As long as your daughter is not being filled up with empty calories, like juice, then she will be just fine.
Good luck.

Pressuring her will make her even more averse.

Go seek the help of a speech-language pathologist who specializes in oral motor issues.

My son did not eat solids for 6 months and then they cured him.

Hi J. J

You can get your daughter some childrens Probiotics, as antibiotics is against life, probiotics is for life. Chemical antibiotics are made from mold, which is a indiscriminate killer of bad bacteria as well as good bacteria. Which leaves the sytem open to the yeast candida, which wants to be fed sugar and anything turning to sugar. So also get off the sugars and anything turning to sugar, and give her the probiotics. You should have a different child in a few days.

www.creeksideherbhouse.com on that website on the theory page is where the outline to how the body works. There is a list of books on the reading page for you to do your own research.

Blessings
J. M

I wouldn't force it or stress over it too much. Your daughter has been sick and might just be going through a phase. How many times have you been under the weather and it took you a little time to get back to your normal habits? Even your favorite foods can be a little questionable to you for a while. She's 11 months old and doesn't require as much as you would think by ways of food. So I wouldn't worry too much. I think both you and your husband are correct. She needs to eat the foods that you offer her. By that I mean that you shouldn't go through a list of "menu" items just trying to get her to eat something. That's only going to teach her other bad habits. But also you shouldn't force her to eat it if she's not hungry. However, I would make a big deal about saving what she doesn't eat for later. If she starts asking for a snack because she's not hungry she should eat what she didn't eat before. Kids are smart. It won't take too many times of doing this before she will get the picture that she's not going to get snack food if she doesn't eat her dinner. She will get back into the swing of things in her own time. Just keep offering her meals on her regular schedule. Stop arguing with your husband about it (your both right) because she will pick up on this tension and that can effect her mood at meal times. She's not going to starve herself. Just give her love and encouragement and she will be fine.

Good luck!
Jen
http://www.mommysjoy.com