My 10 Month Old Does Not Want to Eat Solids Anymore

My experience has taught me, the more fuss you make about food, the less the kids'll eat (it). Whatever it is. As long as there is no abnormal weight loss, and the child otherwise seems healthy, I wouldn't worry. Your son will eat solids again. It's pre-programmed. I never push either one of my children. There are times my son's diet seems lopsided, but I know overall and long term, he's getting enough of everything. Think of the cravings during pregnancy. Those are o.k. We tally that up to our body going after something it needs and just go with the flow. Well, our children can't do anything but.

What I would worry about, is whether the babysitter is the right one. This mini-food strike might be his way of saying he doesn't like his caretaker away from you.

Keep doing what you're doing. He will get hungry eventually & eat what you provide him. I do not recommend getting into the habit of offering one thing after another. You will end up running a restaurant. Keep offering healthy items. My 4 year old eats really well now-the rule has always been that she must taste everything on her plate. If she genuinely doesn't like something- she gets PBJ. That's it. But she really likes all kinds of different foods now. Just keep at it- he'll eat when he's hungry.

Is he fed similar solids each day? If so, it's possible he wants more of a variety. When my oldest daughter started on solids she wanted to try everything! My husband is the same way, loves to try new foods, so the two of them were always trying new things.

Good luck!
E.

He's probably just teething very badly. My son went through the same thing. Motrin and baby orajel sometimes does the trick but you'll just have to wait it out for the most part. Just keep trying.

When my baby is distracted he tends to try to grab the spoon and not eat. Sometimes I'll only get a few bites in his mouth. I still nurse him too. I always do it before he eats as well. He's 9 1/2 months. My husband found this website, www.wholesomebabyfood.org (I think that's it)because we had wanted to make all his food. It has some great info, like adding cinnamon as a spice (sorta sweet and pleasant). We try to add sweet things that he will always eat, like banana, to things when they don't go over well the first time. Like pork. We usually buy the organic carrots and steam them, well one time we used these non organic ones I got from my mom and he would hardly touch them. So it could be quality. You should have seen his cute little face scrunch up. I don't know if you buy the jars of baby food, but I have tasted a few and they really don't taste good. Maybe try making your own?

I'm sure it is just a phase. The best part about this is that it sounds like you have had him on a superb diet! I don't think he will be lacking. Just try to up his fluids if you can but don't sweat it. Before you know it he will be on a growth spurt and eating like crazy! It's so easy to stress about this isn't it?! Oh, just remembered that you are nursing!!! That's actually all he needs before age one so all is well! Great job!

Children grow, obviously, continuously, but they also have growing spurts in which they grow alot in a short amount of time. When they grow like this, their appetites usually match. If they are in the midst of a growing spurt they seem to be ravenous and can't get enough to eat. When they are not growing as much, their appetites decrease as well. If he does not seem to be losing weight, and is eating an appropriate amount of breast milk for his size, I wouldn't worry, but still check in with your Pediatrician just to be certain. I would pay attention to his preference to the sweet apple sauce and sweet and carby crackers. It should probably be an occaisional option, but always offer the good foods first. It may be tempting to feed him what he wants since he isn't eating any of the other foods and you feel he's not getting enough to eat. If the other two are not always offered, he may start back up on the original favorites. Hope this is helpful...

My 10.5mo is doing the SAME thing. But I've found that every few days he shifts his focus slightly on what he wants to eat. What I'm seeing in mine is that he's focusing on other things right now (like learning to walk), so I think the food thing is on the back burner for him. I think this is a normal part of them 1)asserting their will & control and 2)managing their energy & focus because they tend to concentrate on one area at a time. But it sounds like we're not alone. :) Hang in there, I think it will get better. Just keep trying on the other stuff and he will probably get back into a groove soon.

J.,

You're not alone. My 10 month old has recently started to refuse all solid food except toast and bananas. He continues to breastfeed, but has no interest in sitting in the highchair to eat. I was worried that he was't getting the proper nutrition or enough to eat, but I was reminded by my doctor that many children are exclusively breastfed beyond 12 months. Hang in there...our boys will grow out of it soon!

My son, who was normally a very good eater, went on an all-liquid or pseudo liquid (yogurt, ice cream, etc) diet when he got his molars. Is there any possibility that's happening?

alot of new parents (even me) think our children are going to starve to death if they do not eat but they will not. when they get hungry they will eat do not force them to eat that will start a well against each other,you thinking you know best to keep him healthy and him thinking I'll show her. stop giving him any finger foods or snacks, only feed him at mael time if he dose not eat thats ok he will get hungry and eat at the next meal just like a puppy when you give them treats and people food then try to give them puppy food they are not going to eat it but take away all the people food and treats they soon begin to eat the puppy food. he is not loseing weight so he is being subborn, he is eating enough to get by on

Being a first time mom, you might not know about the toddler diet. On the toddler diet, toddlers eat little to no food at any given time. What they do is eat throughout the day. They play with food learning what's food and what's not food. They build with it and throw it. They stuff it inside things and hide it behind other things. It appears that they don't want to eat and never do eat. This isn't the case however. What you need to do at this stage is look at what they've eatten over the course of a week. If their diet has been fairly balanced over a week's time, call it good and move on with no stress. What I do for my toddlers is to make them a snack tray. I use an ice cube tray and fill it with items they may grab on the run and put it in a low place within their reach. Items are all things easy to prep and that can sit out all day - cherrios, goldfish, carrots slices, quartered grapes, etc. I refill throughout the day as needed. I make another one for those items that need to stay cold and put it on the lowest shelf in the fridge. This way the child always has options that are safe for him/her and variety from the other snack tray. This one may have things like sliced cheese or cheese chunks, frozen corn, apple slices, etc. I focus on how often I need to refill the trays as to whether my child is eating or not. This behavior is normal for this stage. They will grow out of it. There's no need to worry unless your child starts dropping lots of weight all of a sudden and there's no illness or other reasons you can clearly see. Otherwise, no biggie - they all do it and live through it.

Have you tried doing pick up foods? Perhaps he doesn't want to be spoon fed anymore. This might be exciting to him and you can sneak in some spoonfuls of other food while he is trying to feed himself. The baby does not have to have teeth to do this. Lots of good options - all of those foods that he had as a baby, but cooked and cut up small - peas, green beans, avacado, banana, crackers, cheerios, pasta, little pieces of toast with butter or jam on it... You can also try cottage cheese and yogurt. Keep experimenting - he's probably ready for more real food now.
You can check out this web site for some other great ideas... http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

My daughter is also 10 months and tends to go through this as well. Usually it's when she's teething or getting sick- especially with a runny nose. From what I have read babies that are breastfed by 1 year are still nursing about 90% compared to formula fed babies who are eating about 50/50 solids and formula. I don't know what all you have introduced to him, but if you are able to make fresh baby food or buy the organic commercial stuff he may respond better. Have a taste yourself and you'll see why :-). Also, if he is used to small bites of finger food this may be the way to go. My daughter wants to eat everything that I am so would much rather have small bites of chicken, veggies, fruit, gerber puffs, etc than baby food..it's like she thinks she's too old for it already. Good luck.

Have you tried just cheerios or any of the other "gerber" dry finger foods? Little pieces of cracker or bread? Our son started about 10 months with very small pieces, of course, but liked the novelty of trying to feed himself with his own two hands. Perhaps the novelty of feeding himself will push him back towards the solids. Good luck!

Don't sweat it. Our son did the same thing and would only one food of choice every so often too. They go through stages, just go with the flow and don't worry. He will do great! The fact that you are still breastfeeding is great for him too. That is all he really needs anyway.

Just out of curiosity, is your little guy teething? Maybe his gums are a little sore/swollen and too tender to eat solid foods? Or another possibility, is hehaving "movements" on a regular basis? Sometimes when my now 4 year old son would only drink at that age, he was "full" and then when he had a "movement", it was back to normal. My now eight month old son is the same way. He got his first 2 teeth at 5 months and right now has his top 4 coming in at the same time, so sometimes he drinks {formula} 8 ounces and other times he's only interested in 3~4 ounces. I wouldn't worry too much unless he starts losing weight and then maybe ask your doctor. ~A. J.

If he isn't otherwise acting differently and isn't losing weight, I wouldn't worry about what solids he is or isn't eating. I have raised six healthy kids and you will find that they do go through phases with their eating habits and preferences as they grow. But that is all they usually are - phases. I would keep offering him some solid things as you have been, but don't try to force the issue. He'll eat them when he is ready.

Hi, my kids are 4 and 5. They still go through food phases. One day they love something and the next they hate it. He is coming into his own. Keep introducing new foods and old ones. If he starts losing weight or becomes fussy in other ways, take him to the doctor, he may have acid reflux or something like that. Give the doctor a call , and ask for advice. I love being a mom too, you will never stop worrying, that's what makes you a great one. Good luck, J.

Hi Jamie
Feeding should be messy, nutrition should be easy, and both should be fun.
First, salt, sugar and fat in excess are not only unhealthy, they are downright addicting. A good rule to start now is not to add any of these to foods except when they are necessary to make them edible or cookable.
Second, use fresh foods as often as possible. When you buy processed goods, check the labels; you do wants foods, such as cereals, foritifed with iron; you don't want foods containing artificial coloring or sweetening. Preservatives are necessary for food safety; but try to limit how much you give your baby; foods that don't require preservatives because they are fresh are much healthier.
Third, encourage variety. Each meal ideally should represent at least two food groups. You can keep track by evaluating the color scheme of each meal. If each food is a different color (a white cereal, green or yellow vegetable, yellow egg yolk, brown meat, red or blue or white or yellow or purple fruit you are probably doing fine.
Fourth,keep portions small, 1/4 to 1/2 c of each food, with a total of about 1/2 to 1 c of food at each of three meals, and maybe 1/4 c at each of two snacks. And never expect the baby to eat all of even these small portions. Remember, they have a little tummy.:)
Then watch out for the allergy foods; chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, egg whites, and cow's milk can introduce allergy's. limit intake of rice cereal, bananas and cheese= spells constipation.
Grazing can confuse a baby's appetite. So have your child sit during snack time or meal time.
All this above is quoted by Laura Walther Nathanson

Here is a great book to pick up: The Portable Pediatrician for Parents By Laura Walther Nathanson, M.D., FAAP

I reference it when something comes up, many topics and it is recommended 0-5 yrs and then another book:
Mothering By Dr Grace Ketterman, M.D.
A Christian Approach for Mothers of All Ages

Unless he loses significant weight or gets sick I wouldn't worry about it. Kids' eating habits and likes/dislikes change with the wind. He might have sore gums, be catching something, of just be feeling persnickety. Hunger will drive him, so don't worry! I would suggest continuing to try all kinds of foods, and vary the textures, too. Picky eaters are taught not born and it's a heavy burden on everyone when people are not been trained to eat whatever is placed in front of them.

SAHM of seven healthy eaters

Try just plain pasta in differnt shapes. Also try spplesauce but the kind you make at home, cut up a few granny smith apples and add 1 tablspoon sugar and cimmamon combined with 1 c water and cook down. I have very picky eaters too its never easy.
Also try bananas cut in to pick up chunks, pineapple in the mini chunks, carrots steamed and cut up, same goes for every item, cut it in to bite size pieces and let him try picking it up and feeding him self. He might be just bored with getting the same ole and needs a new challenge. Thats what it took for my girls to get in to eating again. Specially my youngest shes still a lil stinker sometimes at the dinner table and shes 3. Good luck

hey jamie try to change ur solids as covering up the solids with other foods because my daughter was very picky when she was younger also and now whe is 19 years old and now my daughter will not eat meat but she is healthy so i would try to cover up some of the foods with other foods but i wish u luck anyway

S.

I have a 12 month old daughter, and around 9 or 10 months she did the same thing, but I discovered that it was because she was more interested in what we were eating, she would throw a huge tantrum when I would put her in her chair and start to feed her baby food. so now I make a more conscious effort to make at least part of the meal that she can eat.. I just scrape some of my food to the side of my plate and feed her off of that... as long as she thinks she is eating my food I have no problem getting her to eat anything... but if I put it in a small bowl that is just for her she doesn't want it... they are strange little creatures, and so smart.

HI J.

My son went through a similar phase. He just stopped eating and drinking. It made me crazy! I thought he was going to starve himself or wouldn't be receiving proper nutrition. Then a very wise friend told me that he knows his body even better than I do and to just let him get through it. I still gave him plates of food, but if he didn't eat, he didn't eat. And eventually he grew out of it. He started eating and drinking again like normal. Now he's 2 and starting the same thing again. It still drives me batty, but I know he'll get through it just like before. So, I guess just have faith that your son knows what he's doing. If he was hungry, he would cry. It's just a phase. Not to mention, he's only 10 months, so he's getting all the nutrition he needs from your milk. He'll be fine and so will you. Hang in there!

My two are now 3 & 5. They STILL won't eat anything when they're at Daycare or even at Grandma's. My 5 yr old says it's because the food I make is extra special :-) (he's a little ham hey?) They are very healthy - they both eat healthy foods. I quit worrying about it, my philosophy is this - No kid is going to starve themselves. Evidently they don't really need the food. And - extra bonus, your little one is getting everything he needs from the perfect source - you. Some Pediatricians say all they need is breast milk for the whole first year. There are days when they DO eat more - and right after that they seem to sprout an inch in a day I SWEAR! LOL Anyway, when they get to be teens we probably won't be able to keep enough food in the house! Don't worry. You're doing your best.