8 1/2 Month Old Not Eating!!!! HELP US PLEASE!

Hey K.,

My daughter pretty much did the same thing when she started to teeth..she didn't even want to breastfeed much...my daughter also didn't want to eat unless she was feeding herself, but that happened when she was around 12 months. Good luck, if you're concerned, give your doc a call, their there for us to make these phone calls! :)

Take Care!

R.

K.:

Is she theething?? When my daughter was about 6-1/2 mo old and started theething she displayed this same behavior, would take a couple of spoonfuls and then stopped. She was nursing fine but wouldn't eat with a spoon at all, as soon as the theething subsided she went back to normal and started eating with the spoon again. She weaned herself from the breast at 7 mo :o( and now takes formula. She only had two teeth for a while and about 10 month she started theething againg with her second set and same behavior stopped eating with a spoon but she still took her bottle, the teeth are finally out now and again she is eating normal. Hopefully this helped.

O.

Hi K.,I would call the Dr. perhaps Mara has a sore throat,my grand daughter too would refuse food when her throat hurt. She'll be just fine

K., Hope this helps. My DD, now one has gone thru many phases with eating solids. It has been for seemingly no reason or as obvious as teething or illness. Some days she just does better than others. She has also rejected foods she seemed to love at first. If she is breastfeeding and seems satisfied by the amount she is getting I wouldn't worry at all. The milk is still a very good source for her at this stage. If she seems to be sluggish or some other sign of illness ask your doctor. Best wishes.

I own a childcare center and have been around children for over 25 years. I would tend to blame her lack of appetite on teething. Remember it's not how much they eat in a day but how much they eat in a week. When she is hungry she will eat. If she is also having difficulty sleeping then I would take her to the doctor and check for an ear infection. Good Luck!

Did you look in her mouth? she might be getting more teeth. I have a 7 month who usually loves food but she just cut two teeth and she is barely eating but will nurse. I remember that my son did the same thing when he was teething. It lasted about two weeks with him and then he was back to normal.

It never hurts to call the Dr. With that being said, I would like to share my experience.My daugher goes through phases, normaly in connection with her teething- even if a tooth doesn't pop out- even if they are only pushing up a little... She will go 3 or 4 days and not eat much at all, and then she has other days where she pigs out. It could just be her too, I know myself growing up had eatting patterns, one week where I'd stuff my face, 2 weeks where I ate pretty normally, and one week where I would practically eat nothing. That was just normal for me. Our pedi says when she gets hungry she will eat, and to not force her, that will only lead to obesity issues later in life. BUT, if you are that concerened- no one knows your kid like you, then call the DR. Good luck!

I had that happen to me a few times. It turned out to be that she was teething. She got thru it after a few days. Don't let her fill up on breast milk. SHe is not going to let herself starve...she will eventually eat. Good luck.

She is probably teething. Babies will not eat when they are teething and it is very painful. Even if you don't see any teeth coming in, they are. Try giving her cold thing to chew / suck on.

she may have a sore throat...try popicles.

you can call her dr. but i'm sure it's just like what i (and the majority of my friends) went through w/ our kids around that age. 1st of all, is she teething? getting some molars or any teeth in??? that makes a world of difference right now. for molars, and those "fang" teeth, my daughter would eat just about NOTHING but pretzels.

she was the BEST eater, would eat anything and everything...then that age came where i wasted more then she would eat. and the moment i found something she liked, the very next one she would refuse to eat it and throw a fit.

this is one of the most ANNOYING stages, because after while, you'll KNOW there's nothing wrong with them, and realize it's definitely just a stage. oh, and this is usually where the throwing of food onto the floor starts!

all i can say is try to be as patient as possible, give her a variety of extremely soft things (like cereal, and any puree fruits/veggies) then really hard stuff if she is teething, like pretzel sticks (the tiny ones), some cold/frozen carrots, etc. you WILL be wasting a lot of food for the next couple months. try to hang in there. and IF you're still not feeling too comfortable with the responses you've gotten, definitely call her dr. it never hurts to be safe rather then sorry!

It's time to call a doctor. Definantly sounds like a bad sore throat. Good luck.

I would put a call into the pediatrician. Perhaps she is having an intolerance to something in her diet that is causing her tummy to be upset.
If she is nursing normally without issue, I would increase the feedings to keep up her calorie intake. Good Luck!!

My son did this at 9 mos & it turned out to be that he wanted to feed himself but didn't know how to tell us. Once I started giving him chopped up food, he settled down. So, whenever I gave him something that needed to be spoon-fed, I'd gave him some fruit, toast, cheese, or crackers to work on in between spoon bites. Maybe your daughter is trying to assert her independence...

Also, could she be teething? My son never eats more than a few bites when he's teething, which is usually my indication that new teeth are coming.

Good luck-
A.

If she is getting breastfed normally, then she is fine for now. Just continue to offer the normal meals everyday and if she doesn't take them again within a week talk to her doctor about it. The doctor may want her to come in to check for other issues that would make her not want the solids.

Good Luck!

I think you should call your doctor if you don't see any new teeth about to emerge. Because she is normally a good eater, something is obviously bothering her. This isn't normal behavior for her. "Real" tears usually indicate a problem. It may be something as simple as a new tooth, but I would have your pediatrician take a look for peace of mind. Please keep us posted. God bless you!

K.,

It really may be that she is teething. Does she have any teeth yet? have you noticed any new teeth coming in? My daughter is a really good eateras well, but around her teething stages, she didnt want to eat either.