Son Wont Eat - Old Forge,PA

My son was a finicky eater for a while on baby foods. I moved him onto table foods when that happened. His pediatrician said to try a large variety and then stick with what works for about a week or before adding something new. My son doesn't have reflux but he has eczema brought on by food allergies. We got him tested and found out that, although we had been told just about everything was an allergen, he was only allergic to eggs and strawberries. I read labels carefully and use a lot of produce when feeding him. All foods are required to post on the packaging about any allergens contained in the food. (this has been a big help for me)

Another side note, some medications start to affect appetite. After my son switched meds, his appetite was better. We also became careful of what time we gave him his meds. This helped too. His pediatrician may have some more suggestions. Good Luck.

he might be tired of baby food. have you tried offering him finger foods, cooked pasta, pieces of fruit, pancakes. . .
i know once my girls stopped eating the jar food that was it. we were on adult food. didn't eat much but the texture of real food was more filling than the jar ones.
good luck
vlora

Both of my boys went thru a stage around 1 yr that they barely ate. Sometimes children just go thru these phases. If you are really concerned I would contact your pediatrician. I also would personally maybe try for a day or 2 on cutting back on his formula maybe a little and see if since he would be more hungry if he would then eat. I definitely think that this may be the problem.
As for the sleeping, I am not sure what to say besides to try to make sure he is full before bed, and stay in a routine. I always bathe my boys right before bed, use a soothing night time lotion, brush teeth, sing a bed time song, and read a book. Though my 17 month old rarely sleeps thru the night still!
Good luck, and hope you get some sleep soon.

Hi L. I am a mother of four boys all 5 and under. I nursed them all for 1yr. We offered table food just what they could eat at around 7-8 months. Finger foods mashed potatoes thing like that. My middle son had reflux and he did wonderful on regular foods. They are all wonderful and healthy with not one food allergy or any kind of allergies. All the right size they are perfect. Good luck.

HI L.,
i have been to my little girl's doctor on 2nd of march for the same problem.my baby is nearly two and half and she has never been very good at eating..always had a small apetite..but this time its been 3 months and she was not eating properly..so i had to go
doctor says that chirdren do this till the age of 4.If he doesn't have any problem healthwise..
u have other kids,so u know that Teething can be a reason..whenever my baby started getting a new tooth,she stopped eating.children do that..so u have to look for this too..
I don't know its right or wrong but i put on her fav cartoon character on TV and then try to feed her,but its always on meal time.u know sometimes u just want them to eat.i don't give her anything to eat before 2 hours of meal time.
If he wakes up at night for the milk it means he feels hungry and he needs more solids.
Wish u good luck
F.

Definitely talk with your son's physician about this problem. Is there a particular food that loves? If so, offer him more of it. We tend to think that children want a variety like we do. We also think we have to offer breakfast food during breakfast time and not lunch time or dinner. Whatever works for him then go for it. Yogurt(fat free) is excellent! Try oatmeal or cream of wheat (add fruit), which are excellent source of iron. Make sure eating time is a fun experience for him, which will help alot with him taking the food. Don't allow him to see your frustration. If he doesn't take it the first time, offer the food again 1/2 hour to a hour later. As the other mothers posted, he may be outgrowing baby food.

YOu may want to take him to the ped- maybe he has an ear infection or something else affecting his intake. Also cont to try different textures and let him self feed. Many kids this age are doing mostly finger foods and soft veggies and fruits. You may also want to cut back on the milk and eliminate the juice all together. Babies this age generally need 16 oz milk and don't 'need' any juice. I would feed 3 meals and 1-2 snacks timed 3-4 hours apart, limit beverages between, and offer milk after he's had an opportnuity to eat as much solids as he's willing. While going down to 16 oz/day is the goal, you may cut back slowly as he improves his food intake.

I would call your Doctor and talk to him about it. I have a friend who is having the same problem. Her doctor told her that she need to get him off the bottle because him getting formula every so many hours is filling him up and thats why he doesn't want to eat. With him not able to eat things with milk in it that has to be hard. I would say when you are buying thing that you eat look at the label on it and see if it has soy or milk in it. I would start off by giving him something that is soft and chewy like bananas or look for milk free yogurt. And only give him a couple of bites. I know its hard seeing what he can eat. But just try different things. I wouldn't try then all at once start by giving him something different every couple of days that way in case he would get sick it would be easier to tell what it could be. I hope I help you a little. But most of all call his Doctor and talk to him/her. They are the ones who would be to help you since they know the problem he has had.
I hope all will work out for you.
-Brittany-

Hey,

Just wanted to give you some ideas. I'm a young mom of two. I have a boy 4, and a girl 3mos. The 3 month old is finally sleeping through the night!! thank god. What i have done is put them on a schedule. She eats at 7am, 11, 3 and 7pm. At night i add cereal to her bottles and give her a bath. That seems to help her sleep. I would also cut way back on the juices. Less sugar might help him sleep at night. As for the eating, i wouldnt stress about it too much. Kids go through there stages; sometimes they eat like crazy and other times they dont want anything to do with it. BUUUTT my mother-in-law told me that she use to give my husband frozen peas and he loved them! I thought she was crazy but i gave them to my son when he was around a year old and he loved them too!!! You might want to try giving it to your son it also might help with teething while getting in some nutrients

Hi L.,

I know how concerned you must be. I was a mom who wanted my kids to eat well too. However I have a big eater and has always been that way and two children who love to eat junk and skip meals. People have always said i have to change them but I personally believe you are what you are.

Anyway, back to one year olds. First they are so busy. They are so involved in the environment and learning about everything. I assure you they will eat what they need and when they need to. Also around this time they are learning and eager to walk and that takes alot of there interest. I am sure your son is getting what he needs in the food department. As I remember one doctor saying we the parents expect them to eat like us however they are only 20 pds so they don't need the same amounts of food we expect them to need.

As for a bottle at night. My kids didn't give up a bottle until around 2. I would give my children a snack at bedtime and a full bottle if he wants that and then he is full for the night. If he should wake up I would give him another full bottle because A) he's hungry maybe he didn't get enought during the day and B) it's easier to get a full baby back to sleep.

This is just my opinion on your problem and I hope you have success from the advice you get. Good luck!!!!!!!

If you are nervous about the milk and soy allergy, try offering softer vegetables and fruits. I did the frozen peas, and my daughter loved it!! Also, frozen blueberries. They make a mess, but if they like it! I could not even open the freezer with out my daughter screaming for either peas or blueberries. You could also try bits of cooked carrots or green beans. Or use a potato peeler and shred some apple or pear. Even little bits of ground meat or shredded chicken. By a year, my kids had pretty much what ever we were having, just in little mushy pieces.
About the sleeping through the night. My daughter did not sleep through the night until she was 2. Some babies just want to be assured that mom will be there when they need her. Also, if he is not getting what he needs nutritionally during the day, he will make up for it when he is not so busy playing and exploring.