Refusing to eat :(

[LilRedWG]

DD (10 months) and has a cold (was throwing up pre-cold), is suspected to be teething again and has been off her food for the past few weeks. Will eat the occassional yoghurt but that's about it

Am I the world's worst mother or do all babies occassionally decide that "three bottles a day is plenty thank you and why the hell should I bother to eat?"

Why won't the child eat? I am fed up of PIL/friends etc. telling me that their precious ones never did this! Arghhhh!!!!!

[lulumama]

DD is 19 months and the queen of not eating,, she can go for 2 days with barely a morsel passign her lips, but will drink her milk....if she is teething, has a cold, in a strop, she won;t eat.......perfectly normal and as long as producing wet and dirty nappies and not listless, she is fine and will eat when she can be bothered!

[lulumama]

BTW, when she was 9 or 10 months, i forget which, she had gastoenteritis and did not eat solids for 10 days !!

[LilRedWG]

Thanks Lulu - am feeling like the world's worst mother at the moment, with everyone and his MOTHER saying, well if you'd just give her puree - argh!

Was very proud of DD last week, whilst in CenterParcs with PILs. CP provide free Hipp Organic jarred food in the restaurants and I was desperate to get her to eat something, so thought, "Swallow your pride LilRed and try the damned stuff, just to prove to PIL that she DOESN'T like it". Even though I really wanted her to eat I was so proud when she spat it out immediately and shuddered. DH admitted later that her was trying not to laugh.

Back to the original subject, she is having wet and dirty nappies and although a bit more sleepy than normal, which is due to cold and Medised, if fine in herself, so will try not to be a paranoid mother.

Thanks again.

[LilRedWG]

he was trying not to laugh - God, I can't type today!

[lulumama]

don;t worry !! a 10 month old should not be given puree really , especially not to make MIL happy...you are not a bad mother ! honestly, many many babies do the hunger strike thing !

[LilRedWG]

Thanks you Lulu. DD is awake so go to run, but I really do appreciate you taking the time to help calm me!

[Ceebee74]

I know exactly what you are going through - my 8 month old has been on just milk now for a couple of weeks due to him having a cough and subsequently vomiting all his solid food up (he can seem to keep milk down!).

Went to visit my parents for a few days, and my mum continuously dropped hints about solids (he was eating a bit before this) - ie me coming down from putting him to bed and commenting that he was a bit restless and mum saying 'oh, maybe he's restless because he needs some solids' despite the fact that he had about 8oz of milk before bed and was quite content with that and slept through (as always!). So after 3 days of comments like that (and her giving him a bit of toast and half a rich tea biscuit - grrr!) I completely sympathise with you!

But, DS had lost quite a bit of weight whilst he was vomiting and I think he has put his weight (and more!) back on quite quickly when I reverted to milk (and I have been giving him an extra bottle) so I am fairly comfortable with my decision. Stick to your guns and ignore everyone else!

[LilRedWG]

Thanks CeeBee!

[lulumama]

all fine and dandy thanks Ceebee...hope you are too ! xx

[deaconblue]

I gave ds puree til he was 10 months and then he started refusing to eat, so tell your MIL puree would make no difference. I think food must taste weird with a cold as stuff like roast chicken which he loves keeps being spat out. I keep telling myself a) it'll be better when the cold goes or b) it's only a phase

[hunkermunker]

LilRedWG, I don't know about you, but if I have a cold, I don't feel like eating. Can't taste much, bunged up, possibly sore throat - don't push it. If she's happy with milk, let her be happy with milk.

You need Harpsi's "serene indifference" for the rest of it - just say "thank you for the tip", smile vaguely, and get on with doing it just how you want to do it.

As for PIL and friends telling you their precious ones never did it - they're lying. Or to be more charitable "misremembering"

[LilRedWG]

Thanks guys I do know I'm being paranoid, but can't seem to stop it - LOL.

[LilRedWG]

Update - The doctor totally reassured me about her eating - or lack thereof - she said that if I lived in Africa or India she would only have milk until she was over one year old and that I should just offer food at every mealtime, as I have been, but if she doesn't want it that's fine and the same goes for drinking water. She said that even though only a baby DD knows what she needs in her body.

DD is extremely constipated and the doctor expects it to take three months to "clear the backlog" so she'll probably take that long to get back to normal with eating I guess.

I've got to get her weighed by HV and then take her back to the doctor in six weeks for a review.

Note to self - must tell Aitch I've found a good doctor re weaning....

[lulumama]

do you feel better now ! poor little mite.

[LilRedWG]

Totally - I know I'm not a paranoid mother blowing things out of proportion! Thanks for listening to my whinges Lulu.

[lulumama]

don;t be daft !! not whinging, worried..there;s a difference !