10-Month Old Not Eating Enough?

Hi R.,

Our daughter also became very picky, at about 8 months. She actually refused all food except breast milk for about two months (until she was 10 month old)! Now she's eating avocado pieces, little cubes of bread with olive oil on top, pear, steamed/boiled pumpkin, and she LOVES tofu. She will only eat things she can pick-up herself. She didn't gain any weight for a few months which really had me worried, but she's doing fine now, back on the "normal" curve of the growth chart.

In my opinion, you don't have to worry if she's still breast feeding a lot. She's getting her nutrition that way. I think in some cultures babies are exclusively breastfed until 12 months or so. You could ask your pediatrician about adding a vitamin supplement if you think she's not getting enough.

I worried a lot, but didn't force her to eat and now she's eating again, and slowly trying new things. Hopefully Talia will, too! Besides letting our daughter feed herself, I've found that she likes more flavorful food, so maybe let her try some bites off of your plate?

Good luck,

H.

2 moms found this helpful

i haven't read the other responses, so i apologize if this is repeat at all. a strangely unknown fact in our society is that babies aren't really supposed to be eating grains until they have molars, which occurs sometime between 1 and 2. and actually, a conservative person waits until 3 because some children do not develop the enzymes needed to digest grains until then. grains that you are feeding baby should be whole and have been soaked at least 6-8 hours with a bit of whey (the liquid that comes up on yougurt) to get the digestion started since the needed enzymes is not fully developed. so it concerns me that the only solids she is eating are ones that she is not getting any nutrition from.

some babies are not really ready to be eating at this 'traditional' six month mark our society gives. don't worry if she not that into solids, but the solids she gets should mainly be fruits and veggies. also, perhaps she is on some sort of 'eating pause' which seems to happen after a growth spurt or when teething is really painful.

finally, i have recently learned how much fat babies/toddlers need in their diet--a whopping 3-6 tablespoons a day! and it should come from traditional fats, not plant fats. so butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and animal fats. so coat those veggies in butter with a dab of salt, and i'm pretty sure she will chow them. i still feed my 14 month old pureed carrots because he loves them and still can't really chew whole ones. so when i warm up the carrots, i add a dab of coconut oil in it. fried egg yolk in olive oil or bacon grease. at least spread some butter on that bread. our bodies really need fat, especially preggo mamas and babies.

some 'light' reading for you: In Defense of Food by Michael Polllon (sp) and research Wise Traditions on-line about feeding babies/toddlers. also the cookbook Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fullon (sp) for raising healthy and wise families.

good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

Nutritionist Ellyn Satter's book "Child of Mine, Feeding with Love and Good Sense" is a good reference for these things - it helped put a lot of my "are my kids eating enough?" worries to rest. She gives a lot of useful info on things like how different developmental stages accompany changes in eating habits (i.e., when your child starts becoming more independent and able to do more things for himself/herself like pulling up, crawling, etc., he/she often wants to assert more independence in eating - instead of just accepting whatever is put in front of him/her, they might wait until you've offered it several times before they decide to try it.)
Also, keep in mind that your child is getting all her nutritional needs met by nursing - when they're under 1YO, any solids are just a bonus, not a nutritional necessity.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi R.! My daughter is 9 months and I am going through the same thing. She only seems interested in bread, crackers and cheerios. She never finishes her baby food fruits and vegetables. She seems to like cut up banana, raspberries, and avocado, and peaches. It is frustrating but I just continue to keep offering her the baby food and soft other fruits, veggies, and meat. I also still breastfeed 5 times a day. Good luck and just keep trying! She is getting all of her essential nutrition from your breast milk and will eventually start eating more.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi R.,
I also have an 11mo old, who seems to be similar. He LOVES his cheerios, and is just starting to feed himself (actually getting it IN his mouth). He has been a little picky lately, but I've made some things that he still takes probably b/c they aren't so plain anymore. He loves a chicken with grapes recipe, and brocolli with peas mixed. I've made all our food, which may help. He used to love his rice cereal, and now he gets bored with that after about 1/2 of what he used to eat. So I am feeding him more veggies; roughly pureed and then I give him finger bites as well for fun. Sometimes I just give him cheerios for him to play with and eat while I spoon feed him something else (veggies, a meat casserole, or rice). I think he really is getting into finger foods so I am trying to switch over and make things more 'finger' accessible.
I'd make a few things you know she likes and freeze some; so you just thaw it when you feed her. If she is nursing that much then she is fine. That is where she gets most of her calories. I've heard they just go through phases and in a month she may like things again or not like the crackers all of a sudden. They never are boring! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Dear R.,

Talia is old enough to be sleeping through the night unless she is sick or possibly in a different location then home. You may need to cut back on nursing so many times, especially if it happens in the middle of the night. Speak to your doc about this.

Offer her the regular meals and liquids. Limit snacks. Too many Cherrios, cookies, crackers and juice boxes and no child will be hungry at meal time.

If a child won't eat what is prepared, and is offered something else, and something else, etc., this is what creats a "picky eater". Prepare and offer, if she refuses, let her down and go about your business. When it's time to eat again, she will probably be hungry.

Blessings...

Well, I think if she's still nursing a lot she is probably getting enough nutrients, at least for 2 more months. Try making the "super porridge" recipe in Ruth Yaron's Super Baby Food book. Our little boy liked variations on that for a good while. But being picky is pretty normal. I also find Ellen Sattyr's Child of Mine book very helpful and reassuring.

Kids go through phases. My son would only eat macaroni and cheese for the longest time. I'm surprised he didn't turn into a macaroni. It is quite normal. Offer new foods she hasn't tried, but be mindful of the ones that cause allergies before age 1. She should still be on formula or breastfeeding til 1 years old, so she is getting enough nutrition. Over the next few months her food tastes will vary and she will get fixated with one or a few foods at a time, as well as, not want foods she normally loves. Have fun exploring her new choices with food.

She will probably be in this picky eater phase off and on for the next couple of years. just keep offering a balanced meal. Their little bodies know what they need and like me she may prefer one food group one day and something different next week so it all balances out over time.

She's probably not that interested in the solid foods due to the nursing. At this age, my kids ate the regular 3 meals a day & had bottles or were nursed about that much a day as well. This is what the books as well as our ped. recommended. I suggest you cut back some on the night nursing first cuz, really, she shouldn't need to nurse at her age thru the night & see if this makes a difference in her day time eating. Just a thought about her night nursing is that the milk is just sitting there on her teeth & can cause damage to her teeth. I've known kids (& moms have written in here abotutthis) your daughter's age & older, who are nursed &/or bottle fed frequently throughout the night, the milk just sits there on their teeth & they end up needing some dental work...some minimal & some very involved. I also suggest you limit her snacks & keep offering her foods at regular meal times. Don't turn into a short order cook making all different kindsa meals just to get her to eat. Food is one is just a few areas kids have control so she may also be trying to show her control. Keep this in mind & maybe offer her 2 choices for meal times. I also suggest you don't get all stressed about this cuz she'll just pick up on that & run w/it. A lot of kids go thru a no-eating phase. Also, kids are smart, even at 10 months, they eat when they're hungry & if she skips a meal, dont' worry, she won't starve. Best of luck!

Have you tried feeding her the soft veggies with pieces of cheerios broken up with it. I know its not good to bribe her, but if your worried about her not getting enough nutrients than anything extra will help

Dont worry
I have a friend whose child has eaten noodle and parm cheese ONLY for 3 years, he is FINE. HE now is 8 and still as picky with a small addition to his diet.
I have two children who have been "classified" as "failure to thrive"...Which means they have fallen under the 3rd %ile. So we had to change their diet by making their foods more fatty...SO what they liked I buttered...I know...noodles they liked I ranched...even at 10 months old..They will eat anything now and they both are fine. One is 6 and the other is 18months and still getting him to gain.
Talk to your ped 1st about the milks.