14 Month Old Won't Eat...

In my experience, this is pretty normal behavior for a breastfed child. Sometimes they pull back from solid food before they even have symptoms of illness, sometimes it's just during the recovery period. And yes, you are right, teething could be involved as well!

You can rest assured that she is getting better nutrition from your breastmilk than she would from pedialyte, juices and teas. And that she will start eating solid food again soon! She is too big to stay away from food for long. So don't worry, just continue to nurse her on demand and offer food, she will start eating again as she feels better and her gut heals. Her poop will switch back to breastfed poop after a few days of mostly breastmilk, it will switch right back when she starts eating, again, very normal.

Good foods to offer might be bananas, brown rice, applesauce, whole grain toast (the BRAT diet) plain whole milk yogurt- you can sweeten or flavor it at home if desired with a small spoonful of all-fruit sweetened jam, orange juice concentrate, maple syrup, raisins, etc.- kefir, fruit juice gelatin squares, homemade chicken broth or chicken soup- add lots of garlic and parsley, fresh squeezed orange juice, kiwi fruit. Foods that will add bulk to her stool, foods high in vitamin C, and foods that will replace and replenish beneficial bacteria in the gut. Foods that contain gelatin, which is a hydrocolloid, will absorb excess bacteria in the gut and keep her stools from getting too hard or too soft, help her retain liquid in her system and prevent dehydration. Homemade chicken broth will have natural gelatin and no MSG. Garlic and have onions have natural antibiotic and antifungal properties, parsley is mineral rich and a natural diuretic.

Hope that helps! Take what you like and leave the rest.

This seems normal for a baby that's teething. My son would get diarrhea during teething and would do nothing but drink. She will probably be back to normal in a couple more days. You might try giving her some biter biscuits or a frozen washcloth to gnaw on. Hope she feels better soon!

you can check with your doc but it will probably pass in a few days. She's probably not feeling well, from the teething or maybe a stomach bug. Trust her to know what she needs. I've learn the hard way from my 4 yr old that sometimes he knows better than Mommy. When He doesn't want to eat and says he doesn't feel good, if I force him to eat even just a few bites I'm most likely going to get vomited on. So when all he wants os something to drink I let him. Usually once whatever is was passes he's very hungry and ask every 15 min. for something to eat.

When my son was about 16 months old and was nursing about 2-3x a day he got the rotavirus and was very sick for a couple of weeks and only wanted to nurse, which was bad because I didn't have much milk. Once he was better he went back to eating normally. When we're sick, we often don't feel much like eating either, and nursing is comforting for them.

My children all nursed more frequently and ate less when they were sick. My guess is that she may have an upset stomach. The flu is going around and it seems to really hang on this year. When my kids had the flu they seemed fine in between throwing up, having diahreah, and running a fever. Try chicken noodle soup, crackers, yogurt, banana and anything else that is easy on your stomach.

Hi M.,

I've gone through similar situations with my kiddos too. I have 3 and have extended breastfed each of them. I have found it's very normal for my kiddos to go on nursing marathons when they aren't feeling well. I've always been amazed at how it seems they just know what they need. I wouldn't worry much that she's nursing more, breastfeeding is supply and demand and your body will make what she needs. Breastmilk is the superior food and you are providing your daughter everything she needs.

I've always found it helpful to take some extra vitamin C and a probiotic or an immune boosting supplement daily when my kids are sick(and nursing). I've always found that when my kiddos are nursing they're recovery time seems much quicker too.

Hang in there.

Hugs,
J.

Hi M.,

Have you consulted your pediatrician yet? Not sure how long she's had diarrhea or if she has a fever....He or she would most likely be the best source of advice. Is she nursing enough so that she doesn't get dehydrated?

Are her new teeth close to coming in? I hope so for her sake. Teething sometimes caused diarrhea in my children, but they continued to eat solids.

If she has no allergies, you can offer things like broth/bullion, jello, Pediasure. If she's keeping that down, I next tried the "BRAT" diet - bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Then maybe sherbert, or, if dairy isn't bothering her stomach, ice cream (not the kind with all the candy and brownies in it!) and milk shakes.

I hope she feels better and starts eating very soon - I know you're worried. (And probably tired if you're nursing a lot more than usual - take care of you, too!)