My son will be 1 in July. He was nearly 8 lbs at birth but by 10 months was only weighing 18 lbs. At that time my pediatrician said he was on the low end of weight range (but not underweight). Up until this past weekend, he had been a good eater. But not he's starting to become picking and sometimes flat out refused to eat. He is becoming more independent and doesn't seem to want to be fed. I have started letting him eat on his own but he will only take a few bites and then just plays with his food. I've cut back on his milk intake to only 3 bottles a day. He might finish one meal completely but only pick at the other two. He might get one snack in between (cheerios or goldfish) but not too much. A coworker of mine told me her pediatrician said toddlers don't need to eat as much as infants. Has anyone else heard this? I'm concerned my son isn't getting enough nutrition and he's already on the thin side. Am I over reacting?
Actually he is being a normal toddler. I think every
parent goes through that; thinking my baby is starving.
He is not. Soon he will be eating everything in site.
You are doing the right thing by letting him feed
himself
Your friend is correct in saying that babies do taper off at his age. If he is getting one good meal in a day, that is good. Is he taking formula? The formula is very well fortified with all the vitamins and minerals he needs at his age. He needs Iron and calcium more so now. If he is not taking formula, then check with your pediatrician as to what vitamin suppliment he would want your baby to take.
Your concerns are warrented in that all Mom's worry when our babies stop eating as much and as often.
You are a great Mom and you're doing a great job!
Best to you,
P.
Mom,
agree it concerns me just hearing you say he is ONLY 18 LBS
at 10 months.
There is a disorder called food aversion.
I would start trying to encourage more foods.
Make breakfast a serious meal time.
For breakfast give him a cookie, or something sweet.
( yes its not healthy but if he likes it and eats it it can build his appetite and desire to eat more)
DO NOT offer him milk or formula until after he is finished eating.
Or looks for a bottle.
let him have a sip but then take it away out of his eye sight. and keep pushing the food issue.
When he is done, give him his bottle.
---
Snack offer him some fruits.
Dole fruit cups in water are good.
at lunch same thing
give him a decent lunch
( if its mc Donalds I would go for it for a week)
If its pizza same thing
Just build his appetite.
and offer him the bottle last.
For snack, give him something with a little sugar
like kix or something.
He needs the fat. and if its tastey it will help build his appetite.
For dinner, give him some chicken and broccoli.
My kids liked Ketchup so i would let them dunk their foods in that.
And the bottle afterwards.
Good luck
Email me if you want other food options.
M
Hi G.,
MY daughter was the same at that age,I would not worry for now. Her weight was about 15 pounds around 12 months. I remember because I tought it was funny how she actually followed the cloths size. She may have been even smaller. Now she is turning 7 years old in August God Willing and now she is a little over weight. 67 pounds to be exact, now I am trying to get her weight down. In a healthy way. So you for now I would not worry. :)
dont worry! my daughter was 8lbs when she was born and now at 18 months only weigh 22.5 pounds! some babies start life with a bang and then slim down. almost all toddlers are picky eaters! i used to worry so much that there was something wrong with my daughter, but then realized she is just tall and thin. her ped says toddlers tend to get their nutrition over the course of a few days, not just one day anyway. just as long as your child is active, happy, not losing weight and gaining there really isnt much to worry about. and make sure when he does eat its the most healthy like avocado, banana, etc. not cookies lol good luck!
I think you need to give it another week or two. Just like us, sometimes we feel like eating a large meal and other times were just not hungry and justhave a snack. Typically when a child goes thru a growth spurt, you'll notice changes in eating and sleeping habits, this may be the case.
Some people are natural snackers. They eat 6 to 8 very small meals and snacks (a much healthier way to eat), rather than the 3 meals a day that we're used to.
My suggestion cut back on the milk (make sure to offer water) and try offering a larger variety of nutritional foods throughout the day. His tastes are changing and developing, he may not like some of the foods he did just a few weeks ago.
I remember when my daughter (then age 2) went on her cherios and banana diet for about 3 weeks. That was all she wanted to eat. After 10 days I called the pediatrition, he said that non-sugary cereal was one of the best foods for a toddler because of the vitamins and minerals and to wait a week or two and she would out grow out of it.
How much does your son weigh now? I think teething really effects appetite. Please do not worry too much. Your son does not have a "disorder". My son is the same way and I have to be pretty creative because he has practically no appetite when he is not feeling well. Try to offer a variety of foods and dont be discouraged if he refused something. Just try it again a few weeks or even a few days later. I still feed my soon a jar of baby cereal with extra cereal and milk in it in the morning. But he wont eat it unless he is in his exersaucer and either looking at a book, playing with a toy, or watching a show. Some would say I am creating bad habits. Who cares? People love to judge the parenting of others. Its true, toddlers do eat less then infants. See what his weight is at his next appt and don't worry.
We went through this and I asked my doctor about it. He told us that toddlers don't eat like adults. They "snack" throughout the day, not three meals a day. He suggested sitting with our son every couple of hours to have a balanced snack- fruit with part of a sandwich, yogurt, sliced cheese with sliced apple, etc. Just make sure that what he is eating has nutritional value and is something he can feed himself. My little on is much more likely to eat if he can do it himself rather than waiting for me to feed him.
Hi G.,
Teething could affect your little guy's appetite.
At under a year, he still gets the majority of his nutrition from his milk, whether breastmilk or a formula. Food is still a supplement til a year. The thing about babies/kids is ... they know when they are hungry! I know we think of babies as needing us to do everything for them and make decisions for them, but a baby knows when he is hungry. If he was hungry, he would eat. Continue to offer him a variety of foods that he can choose from and allow him to feed himself
Good luck!
all kids go through a phase when they refuse to eat for a week or two (or eat a lot less than they used to). It will pass, and he will start again. just make sure not start giving him junk during this phase. Stick to good nutritious foods and let him eat as much or as little as he wants. he'll be just fine. snack with cheese and veggies and fruits instead of preservitves and chemicals filled goldfish and cheerios. there are so many good fruit choices in the summer, take advantage.
good luck!
