12 Month Old Refusing to eat..still!!

Updated on June 20, 2010
A. asks from Denton, TX
3 answers

My 5th child will be 1 in a few weeks. She is perfectly healthy and reaching all of her appropriate milestones, except for eating. She flat out refuses! Always has!! No baby food, no table food..nothing!! She holds her mouth shut and turns her head away, and if I force a bit into her mouth, she gags and has been known to throw up. The rather experienced mother in me says not to worry, that she will get there. She has never put things in her mouth, not toys or anything, so it just may take her more time. I guess I just want a little reassurance that someone else's child waiting this long, and turned out alright! Or, of course, ideas on what I could be missing..is this a sign that something is wrong? The ped. has said to just wait, and that she trusts my judgement..which is nice..but none of my other 4 children did this. Give me anything you've got ladies:) Thanks!

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F.W.

answers from Cumberland on

My daughter took to baby food quickly and then abruptly started to refuse it a few months later. The more I tried the more she refused (10 month old at the time). She wanted table food and she wanted to be in control of it--messy yes but she started eating again. You mentioned she refused table food but I wasn't sure if you were doing the feeding or allowing her to self feed. Is she interested in what you are eating? Reaching/grabbing at it? Maybe eat a meal with her on your lap ? If the doctor is not worried just try to relax --some kids clam up with the extra pressure even at that age-Good luck!

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J.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

It's probably "normal" for her, and clearly she's getting some nutrition or she'd be ill. Maybe she will always have a mild appetite, or maybe something will kick in later. All of 3 my kids went through funny "no eating" phases, and then would go through weeks of being hungry all the time. Growth spurts and activity levels affect that, as you well know.

When our then-14 month old daughter went through a very long phase of "gagging" and not swallowing food, the Dr told us to ignore it, assume it was about texture (and possibly attention), and look at her diet as being comprised of 7 days of food, as opposed to worrying about each day's intake. That made perfect sense, and when I wrote down what she did eat over the course of a week, it was far more than I thought. I was told to not wean her yet (she was still getting a few a day), and to use a "follow up" formula if she would take it, until she outgrew the phase. That went against everything I had read, but was spot on, as she was more content, and it was only for a few more months. I didn't have a harder time weaning her later (as I thought I would). Also, I gave her lots of yogurts and mashed veggies or fruits, etc, that she could feed herself, and that seemed to maker her want to eat more. It was a mess, but who cares?!

However, my nephew was like this from the time they started him on solids, and at age 4 was still not outgrowing it. Finally, the pediatrician recommended they see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, who found an abnormality in his tonsils that was not apparent to their regular Dr. After minor surgery, he started eating normally! He's 12 now, and eats like a horse, by the way!

There is probably nothing wrong with your daughter, but I had to mention this as a possibility. Good luck and try not to worry!

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W.T.

answers from San Diego on

My son "tasted" and I mean tasted food til he was 14 months. He was breastfed on demand though and I didn't worry about him. He would poke a finger in food and put in his mouth. If, and that's a big if, he got a half a teaspoon at meal times, it was a big deal.

At about 14 months he became very interested and startede eating with a vengeance.

My second son is now 8 months and I haven't even offered him food. Maybe will in the next month. We will do baby led weaning which means whatever he can get in his mouth, he can eat....so I don't anticipate him eating much until a year at the earliest.

Trust your judgement and good for you for finding a pediatrician that isn't ultra conservative.

Give it another few weeks/months. If you are still worried, get a referral to an occupational therapist that can help with eating. They may give you some "exercises" that can help your child practice.

I wouldn't make it an issue, you definitely don't want food to be an issue.

Good luck.

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