Going out of my mind with DDs feeding

[hercfreak]

HELP!!

My baby girl has just had her first birthday, but I'm having a nightmare with her eating. I'm at the end of my tether and my health visitor has been next to useless in helping me.
She is point blank refusing finger foods, except; Pom Bears, Mini Ginger Bread Men biscuits and milky bar buttons! All of these she will quite happily take them straight from the packet or her little snack pots. Try to give her anything else and it just gets emptied out of the bowl and/or swiped off the tray (much to the dogs delight)
My child minder has had the same with her. I've been having to send puréed/mashed up food for her to eat for lunch as she is just refusing to eat anything else.
When it comes to the non-finger foods the only way I can get her to eat it is to feed her myself. She has shown an interest in trying to put food on her spoon but that's as far as it's gone.
The other reason I'm worrying is because she has been losing weight too. Over the last 6 weeks she has lost over a lb.
I have successfully got her off of a bottle and onto cows milk. Which is a bonus.

Please, any help or guidance will be very gratefully received.

 

[hercfreak]

Does no-one have any advice?

 

[MindUtopia]

What happens if you just don't feed her those things that she likes for a time? She might refuse to eat anything for a few meals, but after a couple days, would she try something new that she might not have otherwise?

My daughter has a particular preference for fruit and yogurt at the moment. Sometimes it's the only thing she'll really eat all day, despite all the other tasty things I offer her. It's mainly because I think it's sweet and she's really into sweet things at the moment. But if I don't offer fruit/yogurt at a meal, sometimes she will eventually try the other things I've given her. I know if I cut it out altogether, she would eat other things, though I generally don't do this as fruit and yogurt are perfectly healthy foods.

Maybe just put all those foods away for a week and try offering some new things that she hasn't tried before (you could try making them especially high calorie/fat with added cheese or butter so it makes up for any calorie loss and helps with the weight loss issue). If she's still taking plenty of milk, she won't go hungry, even if she doesn't eat much at a few meals. Also, are you eating with her? Some people find this helps. For us, sometimes it works, or sometimes it's actually distracting. Often if my daughter isn't eating, I find if I busy myself around the kitchen for a few minutes, she actually takes interest in her food and will have a good go at it.

 

[Rachel_C]

I would put her back onto formula if you're having issues with weight loss. It's natural for a baby to be breastfed until well past 2 years old so I think the same should apply to babies who are formula fed. You *can* give cow's milk from a year but I don't think it's the best idea as the only milk, particularly so when the child isn't eating well. Up until a year old, most of her calories should have been coming from formula or breastmilk and there's no magic switch over on the 1st birthday. If she's just over 1, most of her calories should still be coming from formula or breastmilk with a gradual change to most coming from solids. It's true that you probably don't want her to fill up on milk and then not want food, but if you time her milk and food right there shouldn't be an issue e.g. milk after breakfast, before her nap, before bed.

I would reintroduce formula in a cup/beaker that's okay for her teeth and stop with the chocolate, biscuits and crisps, or at least cut them down to the level you'd like her to be at with them, whether that's one 'bad' thing a day or one a week. I'd also stop or drastically cut down on purées and mashes. Give her foods you know she likes the taste of - what does she have puréed? Do those as normal foods, but I would also make sure the family diet includes some mash-type stuff... some porridge or Weetabix for breakfast, maybe mashed potatoes or mashed carrot and swede with dinner, some thick soup etc so it's an easier transition.

I'd sit at the table together and shut the dogs out of the room while you eat. Perhaps put down a shower curtain. If she throws things on the floor, calmly pick it up and put it back on her plate/the table, tell her if she doesn't want it she can just leave it on her plate. At that age I used to pick things up twice then take it away on the third plate tip.

 

[4 boys]

Like many mums have said above. I think it's best you reduce the food snacks she likes and replace with a similar food. Whatever new you try she will not like or not eat but I was always told 'a child will not go hungry' I had many problems with mine 2nd child eating and he's 9 yr now and still a fussy eating.
If she's lost weight I'd put her back on her formula milk and still cows milk, but in the cooked food that she likes always add butter or margarine it adds extra calories health visitor told me that and also get your health visitor to help even if you have to ring her everyday,
Also try get her to pick out fruits veggies she might try them if you play or experiment with her.

 

[hercfreak]

Thanks ladies, will give those ideas a try from Friday. We're taking her out for the day to finish off the xmas shopping tomorrow and I want to be at home when we make all these changes. I'm hoping to have this sorted by xmas day as I don't need any extra stress that day!