I was just wondering if anyone had a problem getting thier child to start eating baby food? My son is 14 months old and will not eat anything. He only wants to nurse. He goes through periods of eating a little then not eating at all. He is on medication and I know when we start meds he stops eating because he thinks everything is medication.
(I think) Anyways just wondering if anyone had tricks or tips that has gone through the same thing!
My daughter was like that at 5 months. I put her baby food in her bottle to start with. She was just very picky. Now she does great with everything. We also changed her bottle cause that was the only bottle she would take, no binkey, nothing. Once we changed that she takes her sippy cup, binkey, and the spoon for her food. Good luck:)
Hi M.! I know it is concerning but honestly this sounds like very normal nursing behavior. Continue offering him foods at meal times and he will eventually get it. Also, if the medication is interfering with his food intake, it is a good thing that you ARE still breastfeeding because you can be reassured that he is getting a nutritious healthy snack from your milk. My son went through periods like that and sometimes when he's not feeling well or wants to be close to mom he nurses quite a lot without eating as much solid food. (My son will be 2 in a few weeks). As long as he's happy and healthy, just be persistant and continue to offer a wide variety of foods.
Also, La Leche League may have wonderful tips for you... I know they've helped me out a lot!!! Here's the website... http://www.llli.org/
You can even find a group close to you and contact a Leader personally.
Enjoying breastfeeding,
K.
I found that my kids (8 of them) liked to graze all day at that age. Mealtimes had no meaning for them within a specific time frame. (Like breakfast, lunch and dinner.) Maybe let him pick up finger foods that you have available within reach for him. On the coffee table maybe? Also if he is nursing more and on medication, maybe he doesn't feel well and his appetite will pick up as he feels better.
Is it possible he has reflux or a sensory issue?
What have you tried feeding him? Maybe start off with foods that dissolve like Gerber puffs. I know every kid goes at their own pace. I wouldnt worry about him not eating he is getting the nutrition he needs, but if your on the verge of weening then getting him on solids would be a good thing. Just keep telling him its good food when giving him food and when he needs to take his medicine let him know its medicine and it will make him feel better.
Hope that helps.
my son was the same way. he had a hard time cutting down on the formula/breast milk, and then did not want to give up the baby food when we started to introduce table food. (he is 16 months now). for me, i think it is just part of my son's personality, he sees it as: hey it's not broke why are you trying to fix it. it is harder to make the transition at first, but what we did was not offer the milk until the other food was offered and tried first. this is hard because fits are thrown, but he eventually got hungry enough to try something new when he had no other choice. the other thing that makes this harder is the age. our pediatrician said that after 12 months the appetite disappears and then fluxuates daily. one day he may be hungry and want all kinds of stuff and another day he may not want much at all. and that we should not force anything if he does not seem hungry because then eating time becomes about control and can cause other types of problems. so all in all, as slow of a solution as it is, i would just keep offering him the new stuff, and eventually he will take it. good luck :0)
At 14 months, my son was eating regular table foods. He did NOT like the baby food and wouldn't eat it since about 10 months. Our pediatrician said if he could eat regular food, that was fine with her.
Some kids have texture or taste preferences. Maybe your son doesn't like anything too mushy, or maybe the pureed peas just aren't salty enough for him. Try giving him small bites of whatever you make for dinner and see if he likes it. Experiment. Breastfeed him less often so he isn't full around a meal time. Kids will eat when they get hungry enough.
A friend's daughter did the same thing. When she was 13 months they found out that she had an oral aversion and didn't really know what to do with the food she put in her mouth. A few sessions at a speech therapist their pediatrician recommended helped her out and now she eats just fine (just the typically picky diet of a 2 year old).
One thing the speech therapist recommended was switching straight to table foods versus baby food. He said that spicing a food up a little, like adding garlic or onion powder, etc to make it more interesting would help too. With her daughter it did help.
Good luck.
I am still nursing a boy who will be two this Friday; all my children were nursed from 22-24 months. Unless this is a real sore spot for you or he's having true health problems I'd let this go. Most likely he is nursing for comfort and maybe out of habit. He WILL eventually give this up, with encouragement from you. After all, many cultures nurse their children up into their third year with no ill effects. What does he do if he's with another caretaker? Obviously he can't nurse on that person. Does he refuse to eat with your DH?
I do know a woman whose 18 month old daughter was totally breastfed because of severe allergies and when that woman was forced to wean her, the daughter ate nothing but watery rice for months. Then she began accepting more variety. She's now a grown woman with children of her own.
Do you eat the same food that you are offering him? My daughter often refused to eat something and I would say "okay, mama will eat it" and eat some of it. Then she was more interested. She has also always preferred to eat off of my plate.
I hope you find something that works for you.
