My 9 month old doesn't seem to like to eat anything - milk, baby food, etc. He doesn't seem to really have an appetite, even when he wakes in the morning after several hours of no food. He used to love to eat and at 2 months old he was eating about 4 1/2 oz every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs and couldn't wait. After his 2 month vaccinations, over night he stopped waking and stopped eating regularly. He began sleeping excessively about 20 hr days (from 14 hrs)and would only wake after 5 to 6 hrs for a few minutes to eat, and then only about 2 oz or so. He changed completely over night and has not been the same since. We took him back to the pediatrician several times and then switched pediatricians and they are saying he will grow out of it, but it has been months. His sleeping took about 2 full months to improve, but the eating is still a struggle. We have taken to feeding him when he is falling asleep mainly as this seems to be the easiest and most successful way to do so. With that he has maintained a good weight of 19lbs, but this is exhausting. Has anyone had this strange experience, as we are unsure of what to do next and it is getting no better/easier.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful responses. I will be following yr advice IMMEDIATELY. The funny thing is I found Mamasource as I was desperately looking for answers, I just wished I had posted this sooner. My son is doing better with the sleeping although this took 2 full months of excessively sleeping 20 hr days, and several dr appts where we were disregarded. After the 2 mo, he gradually improved on sleep. One dr said that they believed this was his body's way of righting/correcting itself, which I pray is true. His eating habits have not improved though. At 2 mo, he was eating 4+ oz (similac advanced) every 2-3 hrs. Left to his own will, he will now only eat about 3-5 oz (similac advanced) every 5 hrs or so. This is why we have taken to feeding him when he is falling asleep, it is when he is least resistant and most willing. We are trying to ensure he gets at least 24 oz a day, to maintain his healthy weight. We have tried so many things to entice him. He will take a bite of this or that, but then he locks his lips and refuses to eat. He will drink from a sippy cup, but only water and only a few sips sometimes and if he eats baby food, then he will not drink milk - it is one or the other. He is reaching his milestones now, such as rolling over, clapping, laughing, etc. No crawling yet, although he appears to be trying to stand, so maybe he will skip that stage. Since the 2 mo shots, we made a personal decision to halt on future shots until we know more. We are too fearful of another reaction and then him not waking at all. So we would like to get him a good dr and a good evaluation. I am from NY, Dutchess county but will try to get an appt at the NJ locations at yr advice. I know they need shots for school, so I guess I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I thank you all again, and ask for yr prayers that all will go well.
Seems like at 9 mos. and 19 lb. he is a nice weight.
My grandson is a year and 20 lbs and looks great. So,
could it be, that he gets enough and it is you who
thinks he is not getting enough. Just a thought. Try
finger foods. You have to remember their stomach is
VERY tiny. Good luck.
Hi there,
You have said nothing about his development, other than his wieght, which is FINE. Has he hit is developmental milestones, ie. is he rolling, sitting independently, creeping or crawling, even pulling to stand? Is he babbling? Is he trying to hold or pick up finger foods such as cheerios?? (you didn't mention how much baby food he is eating... babies at this age often get bored with the bottle and are getting more interested in baby food or even finger foods- although you did say he wasn't interested in this either). Have you tried a sippy cup yet?? I know my niece was always difficult to bottle feed... she did much better when she started the sippy cup. As a guideline, at 9 mos, my children were getting baby food at breakfast and dinner time (cereal and a fruit or veggie), and sometimes a yo baby yogurt at lunch time/or more baby food, and 4 bottles per day (about 6-7 oz. per bottle). I would usually mix the baby food cereal at morning and night with formula or breast milk. However, it is not too early to start using a sippy cup to get more formula/breast milk...
What concerns my most is that your child seems to be sleeping excessively and has little motivation to eat (drink). Babies at this age will go through phases (periods of time when they might be teething, more interested in the world around them to eat), but generally show interest in eating and drinking. If he has hit his developmental milestones, I would not worry too much. However, if he is not moving around (creeping, trying to crawl, reaching for toys, trying to clap, sitting independently or with little support) and babbling, lauging etc., I would be more concerned. I am an Occupational Therapist who has worked with young children with a variety of Special Needs. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more specific questions. I feel like I didn't get a lot of other background info from your request.
How many hours a day does he sleep now? 20 hours a day for longer than a few days sounds off. Is he fine and developing normal otherwise? I agree with the previous post, 19 lbs at 9 months is completely normal, pretty good actually. My son started changing his eating preferences at that age too. Try doing finger foods and letting him do some of the feeding. Also, try to feed him when he is occupied with something else. If all my son has to concentrate on his me feeding him, he totally is focused on not eating. Try feeding him in a bouncy seat or other place. Just get creative!
please take him to childrens Specialized Hospital they have 3 locations. (mountainside, new brunswick, and hamilton.) The phone # is 888-childrens. It takes a while to get an apt. They might want to do 3 evals. #1 being a feeding eval. 2nd being physical therapy eval and 3rd a occupational eval. Occupational Therapy for babies and children is much different than OT for adults. You did not mention his milestones if he is reaching them, but I can't see how he can if he is sleeping 20 hours a day. PLEASE call them.
D., your son had a serious reaction to his vaccination and you need to report it to VAERS (the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). The sleeping and eating reactions are not normal, and could have serious consequences for your son if he is not treated by a vaccine reaction-knowledgeable doctor. I don't know where you are located, but in NJ the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccine Choice (NJCVC) is a wonderful resource for information regarding vaccines and reactions, doctors, and for support from other parents going through a similar experience. Please, get your son do a doctor who does not dismiss your observations about the changes in him following the vaccination. The NJCVC website may have a list of pediatricians in your area, or could direct you to someone who does. I'll try to include links for them and a VAERS reporting form at the end of this. Good luck!
VAERS e-submission form (you may need some info from the ped who administered the vaccine): https://secure.vaers.org/VaersDataEntryintro.htm
NJCVC list of coalitions in other states: http://njvaccinationchoice.org/homework.html#resourcelinks
I can't find the list of vaccine-recovery doctors right now, but I'll post it for you later.
Dear D.,
There is no reason for you to fear the worst and think of autism or any other terrible outcome as some have implicated in their responses. There have been several international very large studies to determine whether vaccines might cause autism and there is no evidence that that is the case. In fact, not vaccinating your child can have serious consequences. Also note that new vaccine preparations no longer contain mercury. However, some people certainly can have allergic or other reactions to vaccines and that could be what is happening to your baby.
Several of the mothers who have responded to your question have offered great resources for you to follow up. You definitely need to have your child evaluated further by the experts they mention. It is good news that your child is at a healthy weight and I hope everything else goes well with him. Best wishes.
D.,
What you are describing could be much more serious than a pediatrician is trained to diagnose. Yes, hopefully he could grow out of it. Or it could indicate a developmental problem that needs immediate intervention. Either way, trained child developmental specialists can help him/you get thru this exhausting time alot quicker.
Please consider calling these two great facilities to discuss his symptoms and getting him the skilled eval that he needs. I personally recommend the teams at: Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ and the Early Intervention Program associated with the children's hosital at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown.
Best wishes
We experienced the same situation with my son, and it isn't a simple answer. After each round of shots, my son stopped eating, started having excessive bowel movements and then vomiting. He regressed into the world of "autism" after a flu vaccine at 15 months. No one is seeing what is happening to our children today, and the medical community cannot fix what it doesn't recognize. My son is no longer "autistic", it's been 2 yrs of healing but he is fine, no more leaky gut, no more colitis, no more toxicity. My days are now spent helping others to help themselves. Email me if you would like more info. R. Jones
I'm not sure what to tell you D.. If he is 19 pounds, it seems that he is managing to eat and get decent nutrition. your post said nothing about what he actually eats on a typical day, so it's hard for any of us to know whether his eating sounds normal or not. Sorry not to be of more help but your post mstly talked about how his sleep patterns changed 7 months ago but not about what he is actually eating and that was what your question was about.
I hate to scare you because this very likely is NOT the case, but I saw a "Barbara Walters" special about a child who was immunized and changed dramatically. The child developed severe autism and it was believed apparently it was triggered by the preservatives used to keep the immunizations fresh. Of all things, it contained mercury! Mercury? Why would someone use that as a preservative for something injected into an infant? Keep an eye for changes in development, attitude and his interaction with you and others. I am sure I am probably freaking you out and if so, I am sorry. If you can't find another reasonable explanation and it is accompanied with a change in personality, I would demand to know from the pediatrician what brand of immuniztions were used and what it contained as a preservative. I would also demand from any other pediatrician to know exactly what they are injecting in your child, possible drug interactions and side effects. Hopefully there has been no change except for appetite and I am giving you potentially useless information, but it is still good to know!
My son is 10 months and frequently goes through stages where is appetite lessens and he sleeps more than usual. He will eat like crazy for a couple of weeks, then his appetite will go dramatically down and he will sleep more than normal. I've noticed after the sleepy stage wears away that he grows a 1/2 inch or so! My six year old did the same thing as a baby and it became a regular "growth spurt" period. (I probably should've put this info first as to save you the potential heart attack!)I am sure your baby is fine and maybe is going through something similar, but it never hurts to do some research on the other subject as well. Again, I am sorry if I've freaked you out, but I make the pediatrician give me ALL information about every product used when it comes to my son since watching that special- it may pay off for you to do the same.
D.,
If you are able to feed a sleeping child you are obviously very resourceful. I would not stop until you find out about what was in the 2-month vaccination, then follow up with the vaccination department mentioned by Jennifer O. Some children can have very serious reactions, and if his sleeping and eating patterns literally "changed overnight," I would definitely follow her advice. I'm sorry you have to go through this, seven months is a long time to look for answers.
19 lbs, are you kidding me. My son didn't weigh that at 1 and my daughter was barely 20 lbs at 1. His weight is fine. And as long as he continues to gain weight I wouldn't worry. That is truely your judge. I never worry about how much my kids eat. It's all in what they weigh. The sleeping thing isn't right though. Have you tried waking him.
I would stay away from any more vaccines. how much more info do you need????
Hi D.,
Nine months is a delightful age! They are so busy that they don't want to bother stopping to eat. Try putting out little 'food stations' with finger foods for him & see if that helps. A small bowl of cherrieo's or fish crackers..... cut up strawberries in a bowl, cut up fruits & veggies in a bowl or on a napkin, placed here & there, on the couch or where ever, for him to find and munch on while playing. Just a thought. Good luck!
D. N.
Hi D.,
I agree with the previous posts. 19 lbs. is pretty good, however, if his weight drops then I would be concerned. He is probably teething. I know some babies when they are teething do not like anything in their mouth and they go through a phase of not eating much of anything.
