Feeding advice | ExpatWoman.com
 

Feeding advice

47
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 January 2012 - 15:52

Does anyone know where I can go and get advice about feeding my 1 year old DD? She does not seem interested in food at all and I have to really bribe her to eat. When she does eat, she never seems to enjoy it and although I can get a few things down her, she will not try different things and therefore has a very limited diet. She hasn't really put any weight on recently and I was never too concerned because she always drank her milk but now that has stopped as well and I can't get her to drink as much as she should be having. I've tried everything and am at my wits end with her! My paed just said that she will grow out of it but I really need some professional advice about what to do. This has been going on for months so it's not teething or because she is unwell. Thanks.....

47
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2012 - 08:35
Thanks beckybeach that makes me feel bit better. She is a very happy little thing and very active. I guess I see other babies of a similar age tucking in to all sorts of things and she just isn't like that - yes I know they are all different but it doesn't stop you worrying. I'll keep persevering!
23
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2012 - 07:47
I have 3 kids under 6 and ALL of them went through phases like this .. I promise she will eat when she gets hungry enough .. is she drooling a lot? maybe she's teething and eating is uncomfortable? My friend just asked me this same question with her 1 year old. Unless she's showing other symptoms of sickness, I would really just keep offering foods and try not to worry to much. Is she smiling/happy/playing/sleeping? Does she look like she's starving? Hang in there .. this parenting thing is HARD WORK!
47
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 January 2012 - 07:29
Thanks for the help ladies but I have tried all these things. I never make a big deal out of meal times and give her lots of encouragement and praise. I have tried ignoring her and just leaving her to it. Tried different high chairs, different meal times, sitting down as a family, taking her out for picnics - seriously I have done almost everything I can think of. She is quite independent and does prefer feeding herself so I try and encourage her to do this as much as possible. The problem is she will not try new things and just shuts her mouth and shakes her head or she will take a nibble and then throw it away. I don't feed her anything naughty like chocolate and for snacks (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) I try and give her fruit or rice cakes etc... She just isn't interested in eating!!
1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 31 January 2012 - 00:02
lol well looks like we gave you the exact opposite advice (re grazing/snacking), I guess try both and see which one works. The irony is that HAK and I both have children that eat like horses. Why do you think grazing is unhealthy HAK? (assuming its the same sort of food) I think in my mind it's very different from having more frequent, but smaller meals. My kids will have 3 sit-down meals a day, but then a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon, generally when and if they request it. The snacks could be a piece of fruit (or several!) and/or a couple of ricecakes... whereas meals try to get in the mix of carbs, protein, vitamins and schtuff that we all aim for. For me, grazing is almost constant nibbling and without the structure of a meal, it can often turn to not-so-healthy snacks, like biscuits, crisps, etc. From a dental point of view, your saliva takes about 30 minutes to neutralise the acid contained in foods (including drinks), so just as sipping juice throughout the day is considered bad for your teeth, so would constant grazing/snacking.
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 30 January 2012 - 21:02
lol well looks like we gave you the exact opposite advice (re grazing/snacking), I guess try both and see which one works. The irony is that HAK and I both have children that eat like horses. Why do you think grazing is unhealthy HAK? (assuming its the same sort of food)
1861
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 30 January 2012 - 17:39
Supernanny tactics here - eat with her at a table and just get on with your meal. Stop the bribing, coaxing and getting het up about it, stop trying to "get stuff in her" and don't fall into the trap of having to distract her to surreptitiously winkle a spoonful in. Mealtimes should be relaxed and sociable. Eat together and chat about your day between bites. At the end of the meal, regardless of how much she may have eaten, ask her if she's had enough/ finished/ wants more/ wants a pudding, clear the table and move on. Concentrate on mealtimes and whatever you do, don't let her snack/graze to compensate for her lack of appetite at mealtimes, because it then enters a catch 22 situation - she snacks so she's not hungry at mealtimes, so she snacks... It's also not the healthiest eating habit to instil in them! Above all, try to relax, because she can sense how worked up this is getting you. Infants have no idea of starving themselves to make a point, at least not until they start feeling hungry again! It might also be helpful to keep a log of what she eats and when, because you may be surprised. If there are any foods that you wish she didn't eat so much of, then simply stop giving them to her.
2782
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 30 January 2012 - 15:56
Do you let her feed herself? I think sometimes with children with small appetites, feeding time has become a stressful situation (with mum getting ore and more frustrated and trying to force them to eat things they don't want) and so they have learnt to dread it too. Maybe try these tips from Dr Sears and forget about the highchair and spoon feeding altogether? http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/feeding-picky-eater-17-tips
 
 

ON EXPATWOMAN TODAY