14 months and STILL not eating

[tilder]

Dc3 is now 14 months and still eats very little, if at all. We started blw when she was just over 6 months and I have been a little complacent with the whole 'food is fun until they're one' thing, just offered manageable portions of our food and let her get on with it. Am getting slightly anxious now and just looking for opinions really.

She is offered everything we have but is very selective. She eats yogurt (only thing she has ever taken from a spoon) and has 2 small pots a day. She eats dried breakfast cereal and hill have approx 10 rice crispies and 3 shreddies for breakfast (yes really). She eats plain cous cous. She sucks on toast and will tolerate a bit of mashed avocado. She eats roast, baked and wedgie potatoes. Sometimes eats roast parsnip or beetroot. Loves sausages, ice cream, birthday cake, biscuits, easter eggs etc when she can get them. Everything else goes on the floor.

I think back to the stuff my other two ate at her age and feel like I've failed with weaning. She is perfectly capable if eating, she just doesn't.

She has been on the same weight centile since she was born and sleeps through. Otherwise has 3 bottles of cows milk plus 1 bf a day.

Have no faith in hv but am going to see gp for an opinion. But would like any mn opinions first please!

[Iggly]

That's a lot of milk. I suspect that's dampening her appetite. When my two were 1 they were down to about 2-3 bf a day.

So I'd swap at least one bottle for a snack and water instead.

[VinegarDrinker]

Sounds similar to my DS at that age. He is my PFB though so I didn't know any different! He is fine, has gradually started eating more and now at 2y1m has a reasonably varied diet.

One thing is that it sounds like quite a lot of milk to me for 14 months, I may be mistaken though as my DS was never a big milk fan.

[tilder]

I know what you mean about the milk. Tbo not sure she gets anything from the bf. She has a bottle at 930 after school drop off, another bottle at 230 and then the last at bedtime. I have tried reducing the milk but then she just has a carb bases snack, so her nutrition is even worse. Arrgh!

[VinegarDrinker]

DS survived on "toast with..." and "pasta with...." for quite a while. We just tried to get a variety of toppings/sauces into him. Eg toast with peanut butter/hummus/mashed avocado/mashed banana and pasta with various veg/lentil/bean based sauces (mashed or pureed).

We tried to do one meal a day we knew he would eat and one new thing.

[seasaltbaby]

This sounds very similar to my 17 month DD and I constantly feel like I've failed with the whole weaning thing. She survives off plain toast or bread, plain pasta (sometimes with a sauce if I'm lucky!) yoghurt, cereal, fruit, fish fingers & corn on the cob. Biscuits etc she would love but I limit them. She rejects most meals we have & I literally can't remember the last time she ate any meat or veg! I just keep telling myself she is growing, seems happy and is developing normally & hopefully things will improve one day. It does feel very demoralising at times though especially when her friends will eat anything put in front of them! Just got to keep trying....

[tilder]

Thank you seasalt. Am slightly relieved its not just her. Was lulled into a bit of security by the food is fun til they are one stuff, plus advice not to reduce milk to encourage her onto food. Just hit me when she turned 14 months how little she eats. If one more person tells me how great blw is, how babies naturally select a balanced diet and how it produces nonfussy eaters I think I will scream!

Your daughter's diet sounds remarkably similar to mine. I keep telling myself she will eat at some point.

[nevertoooldforindie]

I could have written this post in fact I was just looking in weaning to post for some advice on my dd 17 months. She too hardly eats but has a very sweet tooth although I try to limit biscuits and sweet things. She still has a bottle am and bed but was wondering about cutting down can't remember how much they need at this age ? Also was wondering if its a good idea to keep offering the same things or lots of different things? I too feel I was too relaxed about the food for fun and now worried what a limited diet she has

[justabigdisco]

I think that's def too much milk. What's wrong with carbs? My 15mo has been on 2 feeds a day (morning and night) since she was 1. As long as she's getting about 300ml milk a day (for calcium) then you can cut down.

[5eggstremelychocaletymadeggs]

My ds2 was like this until 18mths ish. No bottles as he waa bfed. He gradually got there... Bfed until almost 4yrs and now at 10yrs eats like a horse and eats anything, not picky, loves spicy food wtc. I just kept offering and didnt make a fuss or big deal.

Its always been 'eat it or leave it' in our house i wont offer an alternative.

[5eggstremelychocaletymadeggs]

From one yr they should have minimum of 12oz milk a day. How much does she have in a bottle?

[nevertoooldforindie]

Does the 12 oz have to be in milk form or can it be cheese or other dairy? Is that from 12 months until what age (this is my second one you'd think I should remember these things)

[5eggstremelychocaletymadeggs]

It can include cheese/yog etc. I think its up to age 2-3 but not sure and i have five so should know these things

My dd is 27mths and has milk on cereal in the morning, a 5oz bottle before bed and eats cheese, yog etc.

[nevertoooldforindie]

Many thanks5eggs I think I might try reducing the amount down in both bottles gradually and see how that goes

[5eggstremelychocaletymadeggs]

Thats what i had to do with ds4, he had 9oz in his bottles and i gradually cut down to 5oz morning and night and then he had one at bedtime till three yrs four mths when we went on holiday and 'forgot' his bottle, he was fine then and didnt miss it.

As i said dd is 27mtjs and still has 5oz before bed, until recently she had the same in the morning but we were busy one morning and i realised she had asked for it so she was ready tp give it up :)

[daisydee43]

I find with dd1 that she likes to be left alone to feed herself or she WON'T eat so i make her dry-ish food and chop it up small and put it on her highchair tray

Typical day - toast with butter and jam or scrambled egg

Sandwich with ham or cheese and quavers

Chicken nuggets and alphabet chips

She's gone off desserts but will drink a cup of cows milk and a biscuit for snack and loves bananas!!!

[fishybits]

My 14 month old DD has to be left alone ignored too. If you try to help speed the torturous process up then that's it - game over.

[StitchAteMySleep]

My 13 month old can breastfeed up to 8 times in 24 hours, but still eats 3 meals plus snacks so not sure milk volume is solely responsible for your little one not eating.

You could try offering disguised foods. Minced chicken and potato patties might be acceptable as she likes potato. Flapjack type bakes with added ingredients like hemp seed for breakfast/snacks. Yoghurt with avocado/cucumber/other fruits mixed in. Carrot or chocolate corguette cake with less sugar in.

Does she have any signs of reflux? I have heard that can affect babies weaning process as certain foods make it worse.

[Sparklyboots]

I could have written this a year ago, DS is now 2.3 and a big scoffer with a varied diet. I figured since he was BF there was nothing to worry about, but I did go through moments of doubt... He was 17/ 18mo before anything changed notably and I'm glad we held our nerve. He is easily the most adventurous eater of his peers (sorry it's a bit boasty to say). We stuck to the 'rules' quite rigidly so have never tried to coerce him into eating, shown no interest in when he either scoffs the lot/ leaves it all/ gives it a lick and massages it into his plate. We also do a thing of not asking whether he likes it or not and not taking any notice of stuff he claims not to like as that seems to relate only to stuff he doesn't want to eat at that exact second, rather than a statement of preference. We've never presented food with a fanfare/ as particularly tasty/ a treat/ healthy as we literally want his appetite to be the only 'agenda' with food.

If it all sounds a bit over-thought, it probably is but my family history is full of eating disorders, from the just-a-bit-picky to the nearly-died. Thiss strategy was designed in negotiation with my therapist and it's going v. well so far....