Hi Moms,
You've been SOOOOO helpful with all my other questions so I figured I'd ask just one more before we get ready to pack up and move. I see so many other babies our daughter's age drinking from a sippy cup and ours may (or may not) take a few sips here and there throughout the day and that's it. She has always been strong-willed...we tried everything when she was an infant to get her to take a bottle or pacifier and after a few months we gave up. She's a very light eater, and though I offer her several foods throughout the day (in addition to meals), she mostly shakes her head no. I even went against my good senses and bought blueberry Eggo waffles in the hopes she'd love those...she doesn't. I offer healthy options. She tends to do the best at breakfast time, eating a good portion of oatmeal and some banana and mango. The rest of the day is so/so, and my husband and I try very hard to just let it be, to not make a big deal out of it if she doesn't want anything...but sometimes I feel bad, worrying she didn't eat enough because I didn't provide her with something she liked (last night I made scrambled eggs, which she spit out, then melted cheese on bread, which she spit out and finally she ended up having oatmeal and a bit of yogurt). So, I guess my question is twofold: A) Will she EVER drink from a cup or sippy cup?? and B) Will she EVER eat more?????
I don't want to make food issues a power struggle so I just accept that she eats what she wants. She only has 4 teeth, so perhaps that's the problem, but at 14 months I'd like to see her eating more. She's about 18 lbs which is the 3rd percentile but the pediatrician has no concerns whatsoever (both my husband and I are petite). She does nurse about 3 times in a 24 hour period so she has enough wet diapers...I just feel so irritated sometimes (and then guilty that I feel irritated) that she doesn't do what so many other babies do: Drink from a cup, enjoy stroller rides (she lasts about 10 minutes max), like car rides (she usually whines and fusses), etc etc.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
P.S. I have tried several types of sippy cups per the suggestion of moms on this site...it doesn't seem to matter, though she does so slightly better with the straw ones. I've also tried water, and various types of milk...I don't think it's the flavor; I think perhaps she just isn't a big drinker altogether???
How about not saying anything? It sounds like your anxiety may have created a power issue. So, just put a sippy cup out at every meal and say nothing. Put food out, say nothing. If she eats, she eats. If she drinks, she drinks.
I would caution giving her just oatmeal adn yogurt It may be what she likes but she is also dictating what you will feed her.
Give her what you eat. Mash it up or cut it small if need be and give a cup. Then be done. She will not starve.
Our kids skipped sippy cups altogether. They thought it was really neat to drink out of water bottles like mom, so we didn't even bother wasting the money on cups. We went from bottles to water bottles to regular cups.
On the food question--kids eat when they're hungry. Just don't allow her to fill up on liquids and junk and she'll eat when she's ready.
Instead of expecting her to drink and eat at say the dinner table, and at meal 'times.' Try... leaving out SEVERAL sippy cups around the house wherever she is playing. On the coffee table etc. The thing is... a sippy cup does not have to 'only' be used at a meal time... it should be available at other times too. AND... put out on a cute food tray... some chopped up bite sized foods... that she can self-feed with. Put that on a coffee table too, wherever she is.
The point of all this is: instead of just expecting and making her eat/drink ONLY at a dinner table while strapped into a high-chair... make these things available and approachable to the child.... else where..... where they are hanging out or playing. This thus, makes it more attainable for them... and they can at-will self-feed or drink.. .and get used to it and used to seeing it.
That is what I did with both my kids. And by 6-12 months old, they were drinking from cups and eating & at-will feeding.
ALSO... MANY kids just HATE being in a high-chair for meal times or feeding. That alone, can make them not want to drink/eat.
For me, I got a child sized table and chairs... and THAT is where my kids were then "successful" at eating and drinking... from cups and whatever I made for them to eat.
And, some kids are just "grazers" ... meaning they will not or do NOT eat in bulk... at meal times, 3 times a day. They graze. My son is like that. He eats, in smallish amounts, throughout the day. Versus my Daughter, will eat in full amounts and heartily, at EACH meal.
So... know your child... and... her style of eating...
This is what I did with my kids... both of them. And it worked. And, they were still breastfeeding, and they were healthy eaters. BUT, they HATED eating in a high-chair or being strapped into a chair. They would not eat that way. Many kids won't. So, find a more approachable place or child sized chairs and a child sized table for her to sit and eat in. I always had lots of sippy cups out and about, for my kids, throughout the day... wherever they were playing, so they could self hydrate. I don't see a point in only giving them a sippy cup at 'meal times' only. That is only 3 times a day. Kids, or even adults, don't only drink or get thirsty at meal times. I don't. That is too restricting. Ditto for snacks. Just leave it out and make is accessible.. thereby increasing the 'practice' for it and the probability for the child to see it and use it and grab it... even if just playing with the cup... they are getting sensitized to it... getting used to it.
All the best,
Susan
If your doctor is not worried, then just keep offering her healthy foods.
Yes, she will drink form some sort of cup at some point.. let he read the way. if you pretend to drink from a straw, or sippy cup, she may be more interested. Pretend it is the best thing you have ever tasted.. .
The food thing is very typical.. As moms we feel like failures if our children will not eat. In reality a young child will eat when they are hungry.Children will not starve if you keep offering food. Just do not make it a big deal. Keep offering healthy choices. Offer what you eat, just offer really tiny servings. IF she eats it give her a tiny bit more, but do not say a word or make comments.
Some children eat like birds. Some will change week to week.. You never know.. Put your energy in other fun things with her..
A word of advice about the straw cups. Sometimes, they don't let very much, if anything through. Try to drink from it yourself. If it's difficult, take the straw apart and make the hole bigger. We ran into that problem. Just keep trying to give her food options, but without pressure. (Not that I think you're pressuring her.) My son is 16 months and an awesome eater, he'll eat anything I put in front of him. If you told me he'd be that way 2 months ago, I would have laughed. He refused just about everything until a month or so ago. I just kept offering and one day, he decided he was interested. Now, he loves food!
I don't know about the sippy cups, but she will eat eventually. I think the suggestion of the straw ones is a good idea. As for the food, my daughter just turned 2 and is only really now eating pretty good. On good days, we get 2 good meals in and some healthy snacks! Still working on dinner :) For a long time, we have to give her carnation instant breakfast to get some calories and V8 to get fruits and veggies because she really truly only wanted milk. Her lowest percentile was just below 10th. Now she is in the 40th. Your daughter will come around, but I know how frustrating it is! Good luck!
Sippy cups are a waste!!!! We took our children from breast to bottle to straw. The playtex straw cups are awesome, and they close easily with no leaks. Both of my kids found it MUCH easier to suck from a straw cup.Try it :)
totally normal and since she is still nursing you know she is getting the nutrients she needs. she may just go straight to a regular cup soon. i wouldnt worry about it just keep offering it to her. GOOD JOB on the nursing still!!!! had you not been doing that she may have easily been one of those "failure to grow" labeled children since she wouldnt be getting your nutrient rich milk. I dont know if you know but when you decrease nursings the milk becomes more dense with nutrients so even though she is nursing less she is getting more bang for her buck! GOOD JOB!!!!
As long as your pediatrician isn't concerned, you should be OK. I still nurse my 14 month son and he doesn't like to take sippies from me but at daycare he drinks from them like a champ. Our kids just associate us with nursing and that's OK. Don't worry about the cup and just keep nursing - she's getting plenty of nutrients. As for the food, I know the things my son likes and doesn't like. I always give him a little of our dinner but I make sure to include a yogurt (which I know he'll eat) and a sprinkling of Cheerios (which he eats as well but it also gives him something to do while I finish preparing dinner). That way, he's exposed to what we eat and I'm not a "restaurant order taker" but at the same time he's still eating some staples that he likes and fills him up a little :) Good luck and don't stress! Babies are babies and they'll pick up on regular habits eventually!
Yes. She will.
Keep on keepin' on.
S.
She probably won't go for a sippy cup while she's still nursing. And since she's not a big eater its not surprising that she's not a big drinker either. The cup thing will come with weaning. She will probably eat more when she's getting ready for a growth spurt and then slow back down. As long as she's healthy, which it sounds like she is, don't worry about it. She's eating enough to sustain her body.
have you tried a straw cup instead of a sippy cup?
and try leaving a few around her play area available for her to drink from.
If she does better with the straw cup, stick with it. It's better for her teeth and speech development.
Keep trying with the foods. I've had the same issues. Mine loves the Trader Joes meatballs (all kinds) and freeze-dried fruits and snap pea crisps (weird pea snacks that are all veggie and oil). We had a nutritionist suggest all of those.
Mine was falling off the growth chart. As long as your daughter is maintaining her weight percentile, she is ok. If she has lost percentiles (more than just a few), your doctor should be concerned.
