Eating Enough

Hi N.,

Some babies simply are not ready for solid foods at this age. One theory is that children that delay solids may have food allergies and by delaying eating solids their immune system becomes stronger and more able to handle them. Dr. LaCava in our area does not want babies to start solid foods until their stools are solid. I have known many babies exclusively BF for 15 months. So, I would not worry as long as she has been gaining really well--double birth weight in 4 months, triple by 1 year.

D. P., RN, IBCLC, CEIM
http://www.thenewbornbaby.com/the-new-born-baby-blog/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-New-Born-Baby/765886083...

My middle child did not like food. He just wasn't interested. I'd check with your doctor, but tiny ones actually need very little, and the doctor always told me that mine knew what he was doing, so I gave up worrying. i always offered him a variety of healthy foods, and he ate what he wanted. He did have a preference for easy textures. He prefered things like chicken "meatballs" to plain chicken, or plain peas to beans. He also liked things like banana bread cut up in little pieces. I made sure that he wasn't just holding out for "treats" He is now 11 and perfectly fine.

My three and a half year old son went through (and still goes through) phases like that, and my mother tells me I did too. When I was little, my mother asked her doctor about it, and he said that as long as I was healthy and still gaining a little weight that I would be fine. You'll notice as she gets older that she all of the sudden will be eating ALOT, and you'll know that's your cue that she's going to need new clothes! You may want to start keeping track of how much she nurses, and maybe change your feeding schedule a little...at that age, my son would fill up on formula or milk and not be hungry. (we still have to keep an eye on how much milk he drinks and when he drinks it)

Another thing you might want to consider is texture. My son went from a baby who would eat any baby food you gave him, to a kid who only likes chicken fingers, turkey dogs, corn, apples and grains of just about any kind...I've been told this is pretty normal, and as long as he gets his vitamins every day and I watch his weight, he's fine. I swear he lived on Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal baby food for two months!

Also, once they get to be around two, what food they eat is one of the few things they have control over, so don't sweat it as long as she's healthy, and just keep introducing new foods when you can. What I do is make a regular dinner, and just make sure he gets one thing I know he'll eat alot of. We actually kept giving him stage 3 baby food until he was almost three, just because there's so much adult food he doesn't like.

Maybe she's too full on milk and so not motivated to eat big-girl food? We were continuing to rely too much on formula as our son got to about 12 months. They need more than just milk. Try cutting way back on the milk and introduce a sippy cup that she can do herself. The nursing is more of a comfort thing at this age. I think once she gets the hang of the sippy cup she'll be proud of her new skill. Maybe nurse only before bed? Just my two cents. Good luck.

My 2 1/2 year old was this way and still is. There are days I swear she's going to starve to death but she hasn't yet and she's still growing and developing normally.
So as long as your daughter is growing I wouldn't worry.
And great job on the breast feeding!

I wouldn't worry about it since she is still nursing. Breastmilk is full of all the good stuff she needs!! It's not just for comfort at that age at all, the nutrition didn't disappear at a year. I'd just try offering different finger foods and let her explore to see what she wants to eat. As long as she is growing and meeting her milestones, all is well.

She's getting most of her nutrients from breastmilk (great job!), and food is more for exploration, itself. Just keep offering different things and don't give her a hard time if she doesn't want to "clean her plate." As for when to worry, just check with your doctor as to whether the growth is coming along OK. But if your daughter is happy, alert and appears healthy, she probably is! Keep up the good work!

well i'm no expert but i know what your going through. my daughter who is now eleven was and still is the same way. you have a picky eater on your hands. i recall asking her pedi about this and she suggested many things especially vitamins(like flinstone chewables) to make sure she got enough vitamins. well my daughter is still very picky, but if u find a food that she really likes stick w/it and try not to push her to eat too many differnt foods at once. for instance my daughter loves pasta as long as its not mixed w/anything else in it, but what i do is i will sneak veggies in there she cant see or taste them and it works like a charm. all i'm really trying to say is be patient w/her, food is new to her along w/everything else. she will grow up to be a strong girl, just like mine did. and actually my daughter was a preemie and u should see how healthy and big(not fat) she is now and remember she is still very picky w/food, your daughter will be fine in the end because your going to make sure of that.