12 Month Old Wont Eat, Has Little Tantrums & Im Going Crazy!

My daughter will do this. We found that she will eat only if she can hold her spoon/fork herself! So I let her hold them and she makes a mess...and sometimes everything ends up on the floor. I got a bowl with a big suction cup on the bottom to keep it in place. I hold a second spoon and try to feed her as she is trying to feel herself. She is now almost 17 months and is getting very good at using a fork/spoon....and now she is slightly less prone to throwing everything down as well. What I noticed from my son who is now 6 is that this is just a normal stage. They love knocking things over. So...we build towers just for her to knock down. Just the other day she actually tried to build a tower! I was happy to see that! My son didn't try that till over age 2 (boy, he loved destruction. Every book had to be knocked off the shelf and every toy spilled out of the bin with him). Anyway, hang in there. It slowly gets better with the "destructo-baby mode".

My son is the pickiest. eater. EVER. When he was about 11 months, he would only eat Gerber Little Cruchies. Then it was Crunchies and graham crackers. Then crunchies, graham crackers, and fish sticks. You have no idea how many tears I shed as I kept offering and offering and offering new foods. I also learned when he was going through a growth spurt and when he wasn't. He didn't gain ANY weight between his 9 month and 12 month checkup, but when he went back 3 weeks later for a cough, he had gained 4 pounds!! Persistance is key (how many times have I said that on here, LOL!), continue to offer finger foods, and if she won't eat, she will when she's hungry, I promise ;) Continue to offer milk in a cup. As long as she's gaining weight appropriately (and like my son, she may not ALWAYS gain), she's fine. Now, my son only wants graham crackers, grilled cheese, and olives. What can I say, he's a stinker ;)

Children go in spurts with their appetites, She may just not be hungry.
She is becoming more and more mobile, noticing more of her surroundings and wants to explore.. Just not hungry right now..

Children will not stave themselves.. As a mother you are not any kind of failure because your baby does not want to eat. Just let her out of her high chair and let her be. All you can do is try.

Offer good foods at each meal and during her snack time. If she shows interest great, if not, honor it..

What you are describing, both the eating and the toppling blocks, is very normal at this age. It will be months, maybe a year, before she is going to want to do anything other than knock over the blocks. It's very normal for her to have a smaller appetite. Put some food in front of her, and if she eats it she eats it, if she doesn't she doesn't. She's not going to let herself starve! She will eat when she's hungry. The song and dance you're doing is very entertaining to her. She's having lots of fun. That's not a bad thing. She loves you, and she thinks you are fun!

Don't worry so much. As long as you keep offering healthy foods, she'll be fine!

Sorry...no advice...going thru the same thing with 1 yera old DS and my DD is a preschool picky eater...so I am beginning to hate mealtimes.