14 Month Old Does Not Eat Enough!

neither of my kids were meal eaters...they would much rather graze like their mother. I wouldn't worry...she'll eat when she's hungry.. My son would refuse to sleep if he was hungry so I would let him have a banana at 2am but then again, I'm the same way. It took until he was about 4 to finally stop the 2am thing, I worked a healthy, small snack into their bedtime routing. Something like applesauce or grapes or carrots, that wouldn't need a drink, they both sat and ate on theliving room floor (a real treat for them) while I read their bedtime story to them. Finally got them over it, helped them unwind before bed and ended up being good quality time with them.

Have you ever heard of a highchair you put your child in the highchair she has to stay in it because she can't get out .You can play eating games with her and get her intrested in food ,the worst thing is giving her a bottle every couple hours she's not hungry because she's drinking milk and that fills her up.

My son did the same thing. He would play and eat, then play and eat. The best thing you can do is BE TOUGH. Put all the toys away, put her in her highchair and tell her "it's lunch time, not play time. You can play after you eat." ... it will be hard, but even if it takes 20-30 minutes... leave her there. Sometimes it helps if you eat with them! Then of course after their done, let them play. They will get used to the routine in about a week or so. As far as the bottle goes... same thing, BE TOUGH. Take it away cold turkey right now. No bottles or sippy cups... nothing at bed time or nap time. It will rot their teeth quickly!! The child will be very angry possibly screaming and crying for the first 15-30 minutes, before they fall asleep, but after about three to four days of this, they will understand no more drinks at bed time, and then this battle will be over for you, but remember... BE TOUGH. Don't give in to them, otherwise they will do it all the time!!! Trust me... my son did it to me for three months until I had to buckle down and just take it away, i felt so bad, but now things are working out GREAT!!!

I just went through this with my 15 month old son. I was asked by his pediatrician how much milk does he drink a day (it was between 4-6 9 oz. sippy cups a day, sometimes more). She said that it was too much, that he should only be drinking up to 24 oz. a day & that was probably the culprit (but because he didn't eat I thought milk would be the best alternative, & it became a habit) She also said that I was putting him at risk for Anemia! Because milk reduces the absorption of iron (I don't know why I didn't even think of that!). Anyway maybe this will help you as it has made a tremendous difference in my sons eating habits. GOOD LUCK!

Hi, I think I can help...
My daughter (14 mo)was a little tough at the beginning of learning to eat table food. She was more interested in feeding the dog than herself. I just stayed firm on her only eating while she was in her chair.
I offer her breakfast around 7:30, snack around 9-10, lunch around noon, snack again around 2-3 and dinner at 5. She eats what she wants and when she tries to feed the dog or get down, she's done.
My husband feeds her a bedtime bottle of milk, she drinks about 4-6 oz and goes to sleep. She sleeps through the night and has done so since 7 mo, but I think it's due to the fact that we stopped feeding her at night then, and stopped responding to her cries.
I agree with the first mom, probably, you need to stop feeding her at night. She will only cry for a couple nights and she will start to see that the routine is changing...and here to stay!
It's easier said than done for sure, but I think if you stick to a firm schedule of feeding & cut out the night time bottles, she will do better.
Good luck!
A.

My son is almost 13 months and we've had a similar problem with him. I'm going to respectfully disagree with some of the other moms here.

It don't think it's always useful to force the little guys to sit in their highchairs because it turns meal times into a fight, which makes eating an unpleasant chore for them (I know, I tried it). I don't want eating to become a control thing for my son. Instead, I try to respect his independence by putting him in his highchair until he gives me the "all done" sign, then I take him out and sit him on my lap while I eat. He'll frequently take several more bites that way. Then I let him get down when he's ready and let him come back for more when he wants it. Or, if I feel that he really needs a little more, I offer him some more bites and bring him back to the table if he takes it. It sounds chaotic but, believe it or not, his eating habits have improved tremendously since I stopped the all-or-nothing approach.

I've also experimented with different kinds of finger foods that he can carry around with him if I think he needs to eat more over the course of the day: Cascadian Farms whole grain wheat cereal in his snack cup (he likes the crunch, and they're relatively low in sugar and sodium); lots and lots of fruit (I cut up peaches and melon because they're easy to pick up and go with); sandwiches. I know it's not ideal and it's better if he sits and eats but, like you, I want to make sure he gets enough and I'm willing to do what it takes to make that happen right now.

Also, you might want to avoid differentiating between snack and mealtimes. Some people prefer many small meals over the course of the day vs. 3 big meals. Maybe if you think about how much your daughter needs to eat over the course of the day and then prepare to offer her the option of a grain, a fruit, veg, dairy and even a protein at each meal (even those designated "snack" times) she'll ingest more in small amounts.

Let me start by saying I didn't really have to deal with this when she was younger just now that she is almost 5. I think you are going to have to bite the bullet and stop giving the bottles at night and after a few days she will start eating more. She won't let herself starve.

My daughter has always been a good eater, but now at night she takes a few bites and then says she is finished and wants to go play. I explain to her that if she leaves the table she does not get anything else to eat that night. I usually leave her plate on the table because within 5 minutes she says she is hungry. I tell her to heat up her dinner and she can eat that. It took about a week of tantrums but it is getting better now. She is eating more before she says she is finished and she knows that she has to eat a good portion of her dinner before she can have anything else. I will usually give her fruit after dinner.

At 14 months though obviously this is not going to work for you, but I think you are going to have to cut back on those bottles. She will keep doing it if you keep giving it to her.

This is just my opinion. Kids are very smart, even at this age.

Snacking is such a terrible habit to start. I think you need to stand firm and not offer her food outside of meal times. I know it's easier said than done, and you'll have to find the best way for you and your daughter, but it's really better for her. I find the harder something is to do, the greater the reward - which leads me to sleeping thru the night...she may not be waking up because she's hungry... she may just be manipulating you. I think this, because my son was doing this to us. We did the ferberizing method, which my doctor recommended. it was hard, but it was worth it...

good luck!