10-Month-old Son Suddenly Won't Eat Food

J.,

My daughter began refusing food at 7 1/2 months. She only wanted to eat herself. Have you tried offering some finger foods to your child? We gave her: cheese, avocado, pasta, scrambled egg yolks, deli meats (sliced thin and cut up) diced fruits and diced veggies (cooked to soften). It's messy, but she loved being able to do it herself.

HI J.- I have twin 13 month old boys. I remember that between 9 and 10 months they both started to get very particular about eating, as if they wanted to be more independent. They continued to take their bottle or sippy cup no problem, but typical jarred "baby food" was being refused, where before they had both been pretty good eaters. My doctor told me that this is the age where infants start refusing the "spoon" and want to start more table foods/finger foods. I have to say it was true for both my guys. They loved the idea of picking up food and feeding themselves. Of course I started with softer foods and made them bit size portions. Both of them had mastered the puffs and cherrios, and they were able to mash food with their gums and the few teeth they had at the time. You mentioned that your son still takes puffs, so my advice would be to start introducing some other choices that he can pick-up off his tray. I started with small cut up pieces of soft cheese, cooked carrots and peas, peaches, pears, soft noodles, etc. Hope that helps. Good Luck.

M. B

Hello J., This is just a stage, babies revert sometimes. Instead of having a power stuggle with him and setting up major issues over food for the future, allow him to have more formula. My grandson is 13 months old and went throught the same thing. After a few days he was intrested in food again, but wanted what the adults were eating instead of baby food. There are 3 things that we cannot force our children to do, sleep, eat and eliminate. These are the areas that power struggles begin in. Instead allow him to feel like he has control over his own life by letting him have choices, this or that. He will not starve himself and he will grow to respect you as a result. Good luck.

It is most likely teething (or possibly an ear infection). It will pass. my daugjter went through it for a week when she was cutting a molar AND had a canker sore on her tongue at the same time.
Keep an eye on him, maybe tug his ear a little to see if his response warrants a trip to the doctor. Most likely it is teeth. In the meantime, let him have his bottle, but continue to offer (interesting) finger foods that give him the control :)

I would give him a little toddler spoon, put down a plastic mat around his chair and let him have at it. Although my daughter did something like this a little later, she did exactly the same thing when she decided she was DONE having us feed her. She would eat nothing she couldn't do herself.

So ... I let her. She's been a happy camper ever since. Occassionally when she can't get the last bit of yogurt out she will ask for help and allow us to give it to her.

The other thing you can do is start offering table foods. Soft cooked veggies, fruit, etc... Cut them up in easy bite sized pieces.

I went through a similar phase with my now almost 1 yr old daughter, she started out eating anything I put in front of her and I think because of a combination of factors, having a cold and getting 3 molars she became very picky around your son's age. This continued on & off until this past weekend when I took away daytime bottles. Depending on how much your son weighs you may wait until closer to 1 yr, but now that she isn't filling up on formula every few hours she is eating a lot more solids at mealtime and it has become a lot happier since she now actually wants to eat. She mostly drinks water during the day, and a few ounces of formula from her cup, so she is still getting a bottle in the morning & before bed, but I honestly think she wasn't hungry enough during the day to stop playing & eat.

She also very much prefers to feed herself. I can feed her some yougurt and applesauce if I let her have her own spoon and feed herself bites in between me feeding her bites, but mostly she will only eat food that she can feed herself.

At 10 mos. I don't think he's mastered the concept of independence yet. Be consistent. Keep putting the stuff he used to eat in front of him. And if he squacks about it, hey too bad. That's harsh yes, but you're the parent and the sooner he understands that concept, the sooner he'll adapt to other new concepts. Give in and you'll be giving in longer than you want.

J.,

I have 5 boys and it sounds like it may just be a stage, he may be teething and just not hungry, or he may be coming down with something. I would say just wait it out and do NOT make it a battle. If he refuses the solid food just let it go, he should still be getting the majority of his calories from formula or breast milk at this age anyway. He will come around and start eating again, they always do...especially just before a growth spurt. Good luck and try not to stress about it.

He may have an ear infection or a sore throat! That`s what always happens to the little ones in my daycare-along with all 3 of my own kids!
Good luck!

At 12 months our son decided he would only be fed yogurt and applesauce, everything else had to be his fingers. I would try new finger foods and see what happens. Cheerios, cheese, chicken, turkey, bread, pasta, are all good.

Teething? Ear infection?

Hi J.---I sympathize with your situation as it is very difficult to see your little one upset, for whatever reason. And if he's not eating a balanced diet, you are probably concerned for his health right now. I agree that this is probably a phase, learning that he has likes and dislikes, but then has no way to express what he's thinking because he doesn't even know what that is!!!

I have been studying wellness for several years and I will be a certified wellness educator soon. One of the resources I like to share is Dr. William Sears' website. I have the priveledge of working with him from time to time in my at-home business. Dr. Sears has written over 30 books with his wife and contributes to Parent and Baby Talk magazines. In fact, one of his sons, Dr. Jim, is on the ABC (I think) show, The Doctors. Anyway, you could pick up a couple of his books for tips, and you can also check out his website, www.askdrsears.com. He has lots of great ideas for picky eaters and I'm sure you'll find advice on why your son is going through this right now.

Another option to consider is to give him a highly nutritious whole food supplement to fill in the gaps while your son is exploring his dietary 'options'. Dr. Sears recommends this supplement as well. It is made from 17 different fruits and veggie powders and is available in capsule, chewable or gummie form. Let me know if you have any questions about ANYTHING. I also have other charts and suggestions for kids diets and health, but they are not easily shared in this format. Give me a call and we can see how and if I can help. I love to help people get and stay healthy.

I look forward to hearing from you. In health, D.
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Hi J.,
I wouldn't worry about it to much. It's probably a stage. I have 2 boys and it amazes me that sometimes it seems like they don't eat anything and then a week later they always seem hungry. He's probably just not going through a growth spurt or maybe getting a cold. I would keep offering things to him but if he doesn't want them don't force it. Good luck.
Chris

He is probably either teething or he may have a sore throat. Try maybe feeding him somewhere else since he is associating his seat with something that he doesn't like, for whatever reason he is not eating. It really sounds like something is not normal for him, like I said it could be teeth. My daughter would eat like a champ until her teeth hurt, then you could hardly get anything down her. Give him what he wants right now, but still try the other foods, but end with what he likes at the moment. Good Luck!!