baby food..please advice..

Madhulika77

I have a 10-month-old, and I recently went through exactly the same thing you describe in your post. Your paediatrician would be the best source for how much you should be feeding your baby, and what, since information varies greatly depending on who you talk to, or what you read online. I think the rough guide for a 10-month-old is at least 3 8oz bottles of formula a day, in addition to solids. I don't know about breast milk.

This forum may help (it seems this going off food is "normal" at this age):

Berkeley Parents Network: Refusing Solids at 10-12 Months

Every time my baby refused/refuses something, I try something else. I never force her to eat, even if she ends up not eating much of a meal at all. I keep a close eye on her weight and keep talking to my paediatrician about it. So far, there has not been a problem with her weight, so I continue with this strategy.

She has gone completely off her purees which she used to eat with such relish, so I am trying new things every day, especially things with some texture since she now has 6 teeth and I suspect the purees are just too boring for her.

The one thing she does eat religiously every day is an entire 4oz cup of Yobaby yoghurt. I love this yoghurt, because it comes in some varieties that has full-cream yoghurt, fruit, and cereal all mixed into one. This means she has at least one complete meal once a day.

In addition to this, she will nibble at teething biscuits (I give her the Earth's Best barley biscuits), dry cereal, baby puffs, tiny pieces of mushy, ripe fruit (papaya, avocado, watermelon, banana), cubes of soft, cooked vegetables (sweet potato, potato), grated cheese and cottage cheese, scrambled egg yolks, small pieces of buttered toast, and grated vegetables like carrots and cabbage.

She does not eat very much of anything, but even if she takes a few mouthfuls, I'm doing a victory jig. I also give her as much opportunity as possible to feed herself; this is a messy prospect, but she seems to enjoy the independence and it also gives me a break, although the cleaning up afterwards negates that somewhat! If you do allow your baby to feed himself, make sure you supervise him closely, in case of choking.

There are some great ideas here

Baby Finger Foods, Baby's First Finger Foods Recipes and Ideas for Healthy Baby Finger Foods!

that may help you. My best advice would be (and bear in mind, I'm no expert - I'm muddling along, trial and error all the way) to try something new every day. Whatever he doesn't want to eat, don't give it to him for a few days, and then try again. When you do find something he really likes (like my baby loves her yoghurt), make sure you feed that to him once a day.

Don't be afraid to think out of the box, and also, give your baby a small taste of whatever it is you are eating (as long as it is on the accepted foods list for a baby your son's age). My daughter loves it when her father hand-feeds her mashed up rice, curd, potato, dhall, and whatever else we're having that's not too spicy. They were even eating pizza together the other day when I wasn't looking!

Please don't feel like crying - the baby's supposed to be doing that I'm sure you're a very good mother, and this is a just a passing phase. See it as your son's desire to try new things, and branch out a little from the food rut he may be stuck in. I know how awful it can feel when your baby windmills his arms and takes a swipe at the loaded spoon that's coming towards him, but don't take it personally.

And remember that even at this age, he should still be getting most of his caloric needs met with breastmilk or formula. A few scanty meals here and there won't do much harm, unless your paediatrician says he is underweight. Enjoy your cooking, and enjoy feeding your baby whatever it is you are cooking. Even a simple cubed baked sweet potato, or steamed broccoli, mashed up with some grated cheese, is a good enough meal for a start (supplemented with BM or formula).

I hope you feel better soon, and that your little one starts showing more interest in what you're offering him. Good luck!

P.S. I forgot to mention, my daughter also loves Creamy Wheat porridge (I think this is the same as rava or semolina). I cook it with water, sugar, and butter, and it is delicious - I love it too! You can add BM or formula after cooking for more calories, and to make it creamier. My paediatrician said something which stuck with me - he said, "Every bite counts, so don't be afraid of using whole milk, ranch dressing, butter, oil, cream and all that other good stuff we shouldn't be eating!". So, if you are worried that your son is not getting enough to eat, make every bite count, and give him foods which are nutritionally dense and calorie-laden.

 

Hi Madhulika,
My LO is 8 months old and i also face the same situation as urs..watever she liked 2 weeks back,doesn;t seem to like tat any more...consulted Ped and he advised us to try different recipies with the cereal,rice,raagi,rava and said babies will be like this till they complete 1 year or so-like if we try ragi with jaggery one day,the other day ragi should be made into some upma.Some new innovation must be tried by mothers.Nothin else can be done.They tend to play more...
He also said if babies tend to throw food,they ll throw the food forever if anythin new is not given to them.

Even the whole day if they play with less food,they can still get the whole energy.Per day if 1000calories is wat is required for the baby and they take 1500Calories,the extra 500cal will help them gain weight.But these LOs eat nearly 500cal and for energy they take the fat that is stored in them and hence they will look little skinny.

No need to worry.
Just keep an eye on ur LO's weight...there is nothin much to worry...

Things will get back to normal very soon

 

Madhulika

I don't mind your questions at all

My baby weighed 17 pounds at her last doctor visit (9 months well baby check-up), which is below average weight. Like your son, she is also very tall - in the 95th percentile for height. I'm not really worried about her weight, after my paediatrician said she was still in the normal range. If your paediatrician says not to worry, it's probably safe for you not to worry!

I do not want to transfer my fear and anxiety to my daughter, so even when our feeding sessions are frustrating for me, I tend to hide it and pretend all is well. Food can become a control and power issue, and I don't want to get into that with her. So, I make a conscious effort not to let my own anxieties show.

She didn't eat much of her lunch today (grapes, peeled and cut into quarters, cooked sweet potato, and grated cheese) but ate a fair bit of the minestrone soup that I was having for lunch. This is how we get through every day, with some losses and a few tiny victories.

Yesterday, I spent the better part of the morning making little "burger" patties for her from that wholesomebabyfoods site (one with potato, broccoli, and cheese; another with sweet potato, shredded chicken, and grated cabbage) and she would not eat any of it! After I had a quiet inner cry about her cavalier dismissal despite all the effort I had put in, I've frozen all of them to try another day. So, I know exactly how you feel, but I think this is par for the course with babies this age. We just have to keep trying new things and have our nervous breakdowns in private, or on IL!

I have not started whole milk yet, but I plan to very soon. She has not had any reaction to the tiny portions of milk she has had in the porridge or other foods she's eaten off our plates, so I'm guessing it'll be safe. I hope your son takes to his whole milk well and that makes you feel a little better

My baby never went to sleep with rocking or on us, so she is sleeping quite well on her own. We recently moved her crib into her own room, and she sleeps through the night and takes her naps with no problem. Here is a link that may help you with the sleep issue:

31 WAYS TO GET YOUR BABY TO GO TO SLEEP AND STAY ASLEEP EASIER

My baby does still use a pacifier, but only to get to sleep, and I plan to wean her off the pacifier soon. I don't know how hard this will be, but even if it causes some crying and fussing, I expect it will be temporary. Here are some ideas from Dr Sears again:

PACIFIERS: IN OR OUT?

He says, "Pacifiers bother adults more than they harm babies", so I don't think you should be worrying so much. I'd guess that you should let your son have his pacifier while you're weaning him off sleeping with you, and wean him off the pacifier only after he becomes comfortable getting to sleep on his own. Taking all his comforts away from him at once may be too distressing for him.

Like I said in my previous post, I'm no expert and I'm trying to work it out as I go along. I think it is normal for you to feel some anxiety and confusion, especially because babies come up with new tricks just as soon as you get used to the old ones! So, I hope you'll continue to look for answers to your concerns, and remember to enjoy your baby while you're figuring it all out. Aren't they growing up so fast?!

 

Madhulika, I am glad you feel better. I think motherhood will be full of moments of confusion, stress, and outright panic at times. So don't worry about being worried!

We didn't face any major difficulties with teething, as far as I can remember. My baby drooled a lot, chewed on everything she could get her hands on, and used her teethers all the time. I had some I could cool in the fridge that she seemed to like. I don't remember her crying much, and I don't think she went off her food.

If your baby is teething, you should be able to feel hard little nubs if you press gently on his gums. The front, centre teeth usually emerge first. My daughter loved to chew on wet washcloths, which can also be cooled in the fridge. Just make sure he doesn't put anything he can choke on in his mouth. I also have a baby toothbrush that I'd let her chew on under my supervision.

Good luck with Mission Putting-Mister-To-Sleep-On-His-Own