Hi Everyone! I have an 11 month old little boy, and lately, he has been refusing everything I feed him. I have tried everything. I make him home cooked food, snacks, veggies. He only wants to eat fruit and I'm going nuts trying to feed him. Any advice??? I am really worried about his nutrition. Even when hes hungry, he will refuse everything unless I feed him fruit or cereal puffs. He is still breastfeeding, but I want to wean him soon. Any advice will help.
Mom, this is normal.
He may just not be hungry. Don't you sometimes just not have an appetite?
Just offer him what you would normally feed him. Do NOT make this a big deal. When he is hungry again he will eat.
If he refuses, then he is done. No need to beg or run around trying to please him. Do not take it personally or worry. Just let him BF or give him milk and let him be. I promise when he is hungry he is going to let you know.
One thing I learned early on...from my nephew before I had my own kids, is that kids go through spells of not eating. And, invariably they are followed by a growth spurt. Both of my kids did the same thing. Their lack of appetite didn't last long and they got right back on track when it was over.
As moms, it makes US feel better when our kids eat, but sometimes they just aren't as hungry as normal and it doesn't mean it's a sign of anything wrong.
Kids will eat when they are hungry.
Continue to offer foods, but don't worry if he's not really into them. He'll pick back up where he left off and if he's anything like my kids, he'll eat even more and make up for it.
Kids go through these phases intermittently.
My youngest is 16 and still goes through these phases. It hasn't stunted his growth any. He's over 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds.
Best wishes.
Hi, J. - I was told long ago that their stomach is the size of your fist. Not huge, if you think about it. Yes, just a phase, he is becoming independent and taking charge of what he eats/does. I weaned mine around 6-7 mos, as they had teeth and I had to return to work, lol. As crazy as it sounds, they will not starve themselves. How varied is his diet? Mine didn't like cooked veggies much, but if I let frozen peas/carrots thaw for a bit, they ate them up since they were crunchy. Not sure if he's old enough for a choice - you say do you want 'this' or 'that'? They like to have the power to choose, but if you control the choices, it's a win-win. He will be fine!
One of my babies refused to eat any solid food when teething - he would only nurse. It would last a week or two, until his mouth stopped hurting and then he would go back to eating. So if he is teething, you may need to just wait it out, and he'll go back to eating well on his own when it doesn't hurt.
We used jarred food. DS would take down loads of stage 1, or stage 2, but turned his nose at stage 3, but would happily eat ceral, fruit or puffs. who's to say what was behind this. We moved towards self feeding, and finger foods, and he's across the board happier.
He's thirteen months now and he happily feeds himself -cereal, yogurt, all fruit, hummos, avocado, chilli, chicken, cheese, beef, lasagna, potatoes, peas, carrots, string beans, corn nibblets, beans, rice, egg, fish, zucchini, peppers, and wants a taste of whatever we are eating.
Good luck to you and yours,
F. B..
Hello J.,
My sons both went through the same thing when they were 9 months. All they wanted is white rice with nothing else during meal and not even anything in between for about two weeks. They are both 5 and 2 years old now and they are healthy and happy. So don't worry too much. I imagine every kids gone through it and just give your little boy whatever he wants to eat and also keep trying new food, because you won't know when this will end... Keep you spirit up and smile, I'm sure he will be fine. ^_^
M. B.
You'll want to feed him courses. Give him his least favorite course first, his veggies or whatever it is. He cannot move on to his next course until he finishes the first, and he only needs a small spoon full. If he will not finish those veggies first then he's done with that meal. Don't let him just suck down milk as his meal either. If he's hungry, he'll eat. He'll start getting the idea. You're not feeding him liver and onions so he shouldn't be so picky. Don't give in and give him fruit cuz that's what he's expecting so why would he bother eating anything else if he knows he can turn up his nose and he'll be given his beloved fruit. Stick to your guns. If he's hungry enough he'll start eating other foods. It's normal for them to be picky at this age and older. Just don't let him get into a bad habit of getting his own way.
K. b
mom to 5 including triplets
