My 10 month old son has recently started not wanting to eat, and just not eating well at all. I am very worried. The last night he took his formula good was on Sunday night and it has been getting worse all week. It first started out at night but then yesterday and today it has been through out the day. Today he took 3oz of formula in the morning, 2 oz at lunch 3 at dinner and 3 for bedtime. He has eaten some other foods but not well and he just does not want to eat. I am probably taking him to the doctor tomorrow but I was wondering if others have had this issue and if the could do anything about it.
My son who is now almost 2 did the same thing every now and then. It is a normal phase that kids go through. Some times they suddenly start eating a ton other times they seem to barely eat. As long as he is still producing wet diapers, and is still eating something, don't worry so much. You can try offering small snacks in the day as well. It is most likely just a stage he is in and will probably be just fine.
My first thoughts are that he is teething or has an ear infection. I wouldn't say that your little guy needs to drop a bottle necessarily. Anything is worth a try, but my 1 year old still does 4 bottles a day. He's a very picky eater so I feel like the bottles supplement what he doesn't eat. I would take your son into the doctor like you said and go from there. Their appetite can drop like crazy when they are teething. Also, a lot of babies go through a period around 10 months where their appetite drops because they aren't growing as much during that time. My son's never did (they were both around 23 lbs at 1 year) but they are all different.
Good Luck!
I pretty much agree with the others with the whole teething or ear infection. Also I wanted to add that..this would be a good time to start letting him feed himself (if you haven't started yet). You can do bananas, bread, pancakes and other small soft things he pick up. It will keep him interested. Messy at first but he'll get the hang of it. Also he might be at that point that he doesn't want baby food or formula. Some kids wean themselves earlier than a year old. (I have 3 boys and they are all different)Of course for those who think this is too earlie..I did talk to my Dr. about it and my son started drinking milk by then and not formula anymore. Also he stopped eating like that at 10mo and I found that he just didn't want the baby food anymore. You need to be creative. He really liked mushy veggies (like carrots and stuff) and I mixed the meat baby food in it so he couldn't figure it was in there. He is almost 1 now and has been off baby food for almost a month now. He is small for his age but since he has been eating big food...he is thinker now and eats great that he can do it himself. Plus doing a sippy cup now would be a great idea too. All my boys were done with bottles at 9mo. and still drank plenty from the sippy. Just a suggestion. Good luck!
Is it possible that he's teething? My son will be 11 months old tomorrow, and I know that when he's teething, he eats much less than usual - particularly bottles. I think the nipple must just put painful pressure on his little mouth, so he refuses it. Teething pain is often worse during the evening/nighttime hours. I would say though that generally if your child is still wetting diapers, he's probably getting enough. However, I'm not a dr, and I know it's worriesome, so definitely talk to your pediatrician if it continues and you're still worried.
Whenever my daughter has issues with eating, it always corresponds with an illness or teething. Ear infections, teething, or a cold that's brewing may be the culprit.
Also, four bottles seems like a lot to me with a ten month old. My 9 1/2 month old has weaned herself down to three bottles and three meals. Do you think he might take more if you change one of those bottles to a small snack and allow him to get hungrier for it?
I'm no expert. My child eats like a bird and is only 18 lbs at 9 1/2 months. I hope he starts eating well for you soon.
I have a ten month old with the same problem. I asked my pediatrician about it, and he said that often at this age they become more aware of their surroundings and just start to get distracted very easy. He said just to go with the flow, and he'll eat when he's hungry. I still try and feed him lunch and dinner and snacks, and bottles and he's just grazing everything including bottles. One bottle a day he'll sit and eat a large amount, otherwise he's just doing little bits at a time. My son is 23 pounds and in the 75% for weight to give you an idea of his size. He's a big kid. :)
I personally wouldn't worry unless he's fussy, acts sick, has a fever. Always check with your doctor though if you're uncomfortable.
Take care!
if he is not having wet diapers you should bring him in asap as they can get dehydrated. if he has wet diapers and is acting and sleeping normal, probably just going through a food strike.
