[deleted account] ( 23 moms have responded )
My one year old son is refusing to eat spoon-fed food now. I've tried distracting him and shoveling some in, but he's on to me and can spot that spoon a mile away.
And for finger foods he will only eat cheerios, cheese duck crackers, bread, and oranges. All other foodgroups are completely cancelled and end up on the floor. He's been doing this for over a week now, and I am concerned that he is not getting a healthy balanced diet. He's also eating far less than when he was spoon fed pureed food.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Penny - posted on 03/16/2010
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i take the approach, not to seem too bothered to your child. if they see theyre getting extra attention for this fussiness they will keep doing it. my son has gone through different phases of not eating mashed up, refusing to eat anything etc. but dont get too stressed over it, it has always passed in my case. my nan said something to me that i always think of when i feel im working myself up about him not eating and thats " eating is for moms peace of mind, not the babies health" a child wont starve itself.
Jane - posted on 03/18/2010
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i LOATHE the self-feeding stage! but that's just how it is. they have to go thru it to learn how to feed themselves. he won't starve. they go thru phases and it's messy and you worry about their intake but you can't do anything about it. sorry, i wish there were a magic answer. if you find it, let me know. as long as he's gaining weight and giving you wet diapers and dirty diapers, he's fine. milk goes a long way in keeping them fit and most foods are iron fortified now. a lot of can be teething as well. we don't feel like eating a whole lot when our teeth hurt either. their bellies are a lot smaller than our grandmothers and mothers make us think.
one mom on here said that you can't control how much they eat, but you can control what they eat. so if he's only going to make a mess of your floor, give him what he'll eat and save the worry for when he's 16 and goes on his first date.
Krystle - posted on 03/16/2010
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My daughter does the same. now i feed her out of my own bowl of food and shes happy to eat or i just give her finger foods which usually get wasted. If your concerned about her getting the nutritional requirements ask your doctor about giving you baby pentivite. Thats what i gave my daughter but i dont bother anymore because shes 18mths old now and seems to be growing fine
Michelle - posted on 03/19/2010
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Two things to remember. One, kids won't starve themselves. They eat when they are hungry. The second thing is all kids go through stages. Your child might not want to eat as much right now, because he just isn't hungry. Just keep trying to feed them small portion sizes. In a month or less he might start eating tons of food. Also, if you are giving snacks maybe cut back on them or don't give him snacks for awhile. One other thing to remember, kids also go through another stage of liking certain foods and then not liking them. Another thought is maybe he wants to try and feed himself.
Don't get discouraged. It's probably just a stage. I have four boys from ages 6 to 2 yrs old and have gone through this and am still going through this issue even with the older ones.
If you are really worried you can always talk to your Pediatrician. Good luck.
Cassie - posted on 03/18/2010
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well Laura I have four kids who were all picky eaters at one time, I too had the same concern until someone gave me some good advice, and now all my children eat really well. First quit tring to spoon feed your son. Second offer him the food he eats most in small amounts as snacks. Third offer him foods he tends not to eat at meals, by the end of the week he will probally eat more willingly. never stop offering new foods to him. you can tell if he really dislikes something or is just being picky. If he is hungry enough and he know you wont give in he will eat the new foods.