11 Month Old Won't Eat!

Updated on January 29, 2011
L.P. asks from Davis Junction, IL
7 answers

My 11 month old daughter is really starting to dislike baby food- but she will not eat much finger foods. She is hungry and crabby but I can't figure out what she wants to eat! Help!

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

Is this a new thing? She could be sick, or she could just be sick of mushed up baby food. Up until a year old, a baby's primary source of nutrition should be breastmilk (or formula if that is what you have chosen). If she is drinking the amount that is appropriate for her size, I wouldn't worry too much about the food intake right now...it is all experimentation at that age. However, since she is close to a year, now is the perfect time to introduce her to all the yummy foods around. Personally, none of my 4 kids ever cared much for baby food, we just fed them little bits of whatever we were having. I know you said she won't eat many finger foods, but what are you giving her? Most of the commercially available "finger foods" (grain puffs, baby crackers, etc.) are nutritionally empty, and if she is truly hungry, they won't fill her up.

Try giving her what you are having. My 11 month old loves little bits of chicken breast, ground beef, well-cooked carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, cheese, scrambled eggs and more. He will also let us feed him yogurt and oatmeal, but he grabs the spoon and makes a mess since he wants to feed himself. The only things he really has problems with is tougher cuts of beef, but we don't have that often anyway.

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M.P.

answers from Modesto on

Hey there Mama, I had a little boy who was very much like that and it turned out that he just despised baby food. When I started mashing up what we were eating he started eating very well. I gave away the baby food, bought a baby food mill and he was happy as could be =) Give it a try, you may just be pleasantly surprised!

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

All little ones go through phases where they don't eat like usual.
It's often nothing to be alarmed about. My kids did it just before a growth spurt and were back on track within a week or so.
Your daughter could be teething, maybe her ears are bothering her.
Are you only offering baby food and finger foods?
Are you letting her feed herself?
Have you tried giving her some of what you are eating?
My first baby cried every night at dinner time and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She cried when I tried giving her baby food. One night, I just gave her some bites of what I was having and she was happy. I honestly think she was frustrated because she could smell wonderful food cooking and the stuff I was giving her didn't come close to tasting like what she could smell. She ate EVERYTHING. Chicken, fish, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Some people will say not to give her that type of thing until a year old, but both of my kids did fine earlier. Neither of them had any food allergies or anything.
Maybe she's just not hungry when you are trying to feed her.

Try some different things and don't stress. Babies won't starve themselves.
Check for signs of teething, ear, or tummy discomfort.

Best wishes.

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C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

My daughter wasn't eating much either. I went to eHow.com and looked up how to get a baby to eat baby food. There were a few good tips, like putting the food in front of the baby, then you do something nearby and look away from her. She won't eat if you're staring at her or nagging, but if you ignore her, she'll start to explore the food on her own. It worked for my baby.

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

sounds like something other than food is bothering her.
khairete
S.

P.W.

answers from Dallas on

is this a new thing? possibly teething or getting sick? Is she pulling at her ear or have a little fever?

If no to all that....... just keep trying different things.

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

I was gonna say maybe teething or an ear infection too. If it's not either of those maybe try bananas, yogurt, cheerios, a bagel, etc. My DD never liked baby food either so I had to try to be creative.

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