my 14month old son refuses to eat jars of food, porridge etc

Sally - posted on 08/12/2009

if your worried (and i would be if my babies had swine flu and wouldn't eat) take him to the dr maybe the initial sickness just made him detest food for a bit i know it sounds bad but u might have to make him eat just to keep his nutrients up and also crush up multi-vitamins and give him that cause he could have a vitamin deficiency my daughter doesn't have any sickness she's 4 and weighs only 29.5 lbs so i have to do that to so she can get what shes missing (she's a VERY picky eater) hope this helps

Julie - posted on 08/11/2009

My daughter is 15 months and she only weighs 21 lbs. The two best things for her is giving her lots of snacks. She eats 3 big meals a day and then snacks between them all. Also, If i make her something from my baby cookbook she'll always eat it. I agree that him being sick has caused him not to want to eat like he did before, he should in time get back to eating like he did. I would suggest feeding like you did when he was first learning start small and work him back up

Haley - posted on 08/11/2009

he is on soya milk as he has an allergy to milk and lactose. he has stay the same weight wise over the past month. and i have had him to the health visitor and she said some babies appitites go and come back and to just get on with it basically. they were the same when he didnt sleep for a year! so im on my own really. i do offer him everything i can think off. and he has been eating biscuits but i was worried he would get into the habit of eating that instead of a proper meal.... so i feel like im stuck between a rocka nd a hard place.



i think it could be teething along with getting over being ill its just knocked himf or 6 and its taking him longer to get back to "normal" this time. im going to give it one more week and if he still hasnt improved im taking him to see a doctor. (but you can bet yr money they will make think im being paranoid) fingers crossed eh.



thanks though alison, nice to know there is someone i can talk to about this without being made to feel useless or over concerned. i appreciate it i really do. from everyone. x

Alison - posted on 08/10/2009

Are you giving him toddler formula? Has he continued to loose weight over the past month? If he is at least maintaining it is not as worrisome as if he is still loosing weight. Personally, after a month, I would be concerned and want to give him a general check-up to make sure that he really has recovered from the illness.



Did you try offering cookies? When my dd was sick with chicken pox all she wanted was chocolate chip cookies and the breast, so I gave her that.

Haley - posted on 08/10/2009

he wieghed 25lbs before he got ill and now he is down to 22lbs. i guess im just worrying that if he doesnt heat he will lose more weight and he is soo little as it is! he just wont entertain anything othern formula and thats been nearly a month now. however yesterday he ate one chicken nugget and thats it. maybe it is a case of just waiting and offering little bits and see if he take it.



anyway thanks for all the advice......i'll keep you posted!!!!

Tomi - posted on 08/09/2009

Haley, don't worry or stress out. If he is eating bottles of formula he's getting his nutrients. It sounds like either his tummy just isn't up to solids yet after being sick or he's going through the same phase my son went through a few months back. Either way he'll eat again when he's ready. One thing to remember is that our little ones are just realizing they have no control over any aspect of their lives except what goes in and out of their mouths. I stopped trying to force feed him anything except his bottles for a few days and then slowly began to offer him baby food, cereal, then other solids. At first he'd take it one time but not the next. If he didn't want it, I'd say "that's okay. You can eat it later" and pack it up. After about a week he was eating again and has never had another issue.

Renee - posted on 08/08/2009

How much did he weigh before he got sick? If he is still about the same don't worry about it. My son weights 26lbs and is at the 76% for his weight...

How long has he been over the swine flu? He still might be feeling a little under the weather. It is like when we as adults get sick we don't get back to our normal diets right away. Just keep putting out the offers of food and start with the more bland foods and work your way back to his normal diet. Try some fruit...normally when my son won't eat anything else he will eat fruit chunks.

Rebekah - posted on 08/08/2009

My son is 25 lbs and they said hes in the average range at 15 months. So I would guess that he is ok. I am sorry to hear that he had swine flu. Probably he got used to a fluid diet while he was sick and you will need to slowly work him back up to solids. Remember, milk is a baby comfort food and he's been a bit miserable. Who would want to give up their comfort food if they could have it all the time? NOT ME! :) Plus the recommendation is breastmilk til 2 so I am sure formula is the equivelant...



Start by adding some cereal to his milk again until he is eating it thickened from a bowl again. Add some sweetness if needed ;) You might try baby yogurt if he's taking milk willingly to get some other flavors in. Accept if he will just take one spoonful of solids and build up from there. Sometimes it takes up to 15 exposures to accept a new food. Since he used to eat foods, try introducing the ones he knows first and branch out.



See if his eating improves over the next month and speak to a pediatrician if you are still worried, especially as you do not seem to trust the nurse.