Best Ways to Feed a Baby Who Does Not Want to Eat

If you lot would similar a PDF version of this weblog delivered straight to your inbox, popular your details below.

Are you lot battling with a baby that constantly pushes abroad the spoon? Often babies get off to a bang-up start with weaning and so suddenly they don't want to swallow, and it can exist a worry!

In this blog I'll take you through some of the mutual reasons why babies reject to eat and what you can do to help overcome this.

Why do babies refuse to eat?

Let's start by going through the reasons why babies refuse to eat. Some of them are a normal office of their evolution and others may be linked to feeling unwell.

Gustatory modality and flavour perception

Babies are born with a preference for sweet tasting foods (primed to seek out breastmilk), and therefore bitter or sour flavours like green veggies may accept a footling more persuasion to consume over sweet foods like fruit.

Babies also have more gustatory modality buds than adults, which means that foods tin can taste different to them.

Rejection of a food does non necessarily mean they don't or won't like it. They just need lots of time and feel with those unfamiliar foods. They about have to larn to similar them and this tin can final for several years.

Growth slowing down

Between nascence and their get-go altogether your baby goes through a massive growth spurt. Typically, they volition triple their nascence weight but this slows down quite significantly after 12 months.

Therefore, if you have an older baby who is suddenly turned off their food, information technology is likely because their appetite has reduced in response to their lower nutritional requirements. This is completely normal and to be expected.

Routine and milk feeds

Sometimes babies don't eat well if they accept milk and food also close together. Milk is very filling and so babies who honey their feeds may just exist also full up to accept any desire to eat.

Information technology'southward likewise worth remembering that drinking milk is easy but eating nutrient requires skill and then oftentimes babies will gravitate towards the like shooting fish in a barrel option.

Once your baby is on three meals a solar day (commonly at around vii month) it's skillful to cease feeding on demand and introduce a schedule leaving gaps of around 2.5 - iii hours in betwixt milk and food.

If you're not sure how this looks or can't work out how best to fit this around naps, I have baby routines available in my store for 7-9 months, 10-12 months and ane-3 years. You volition likewise go a sample repast plan and a portion size guide.

Tiredness

Is dinner the hardest repast of the day? Oft parents tell me that their lilliputian ones do quite well at breakfast and luncheon but dinner is a disaster.

It may be tiredness that's the event hither every bit it's getting towards the terminate of the day. Call up I mentioned that babies oft gravitate towards what's easier? Well, eating food tin can be difficult work and so conduct this in listen, and make dinner an like shooting fish in a barrel meal.

A top tip is to make breakfast and lunch a petty more substantial and that will take the pressure off dinner time.

Why do babies reject both new foods and foods they previously liked?

Babies tin exist quite unpredictable. They might love a certain nutrient i mean solar day and and so spit it out the next. Exist reassured that this is completely normal and frequently you just demand to take it in your stride and be patient with them.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is when parents see this rejection of food as dislike then stop offer information technology. It tin can take multiple times (some people quote up to 10 times and other enquiry shows upward to 200 times) for babies to accept tastes, flavours and textures, and so my communication is to persevere. (1)

Endeavor over again another fourth dimension. And then over again. And again. And so on. Repeated exposure to food is so important during weaning and toddlerhood.

But my baby is suddenly refusing all food!

Ok, and then we have covered the normal (and somewhat expected) food refusal that happens. But what do you do if your infant is of a sudden rejecting all foods you offering? Starting time, nosotros need to empathize why.

Are they teething, unwell or coming down with a problems?

Pain, discomfort or more often than not feeling under the weather will switch off appetite completely and babies won't want to eat. The most common of these is teething which can be painful for babies.

To ensure they continue to consume some nutrient, offer baby paracetamol and make certain this is given regularly in accordance to the instructions on the bottle so that they are continuously topped up and their hurting doesn't pause back through.

Are they comfy in their highchair?

Babies need to have expert stability to be able to master the skills required for eating. Believe it or not, eating is a complex process and involves 8 dissimilar sensory components.

Condolement and stability around their middle, effectually the backs of their legs and under their feet is crucial. A good highchair will back up hips, knees and feet at xc degree angles yet I often see little legs dangling!

That can be a real problem when it comes to eating well, especially the more than challenging foods. My advice is to invest in a decent highchair or if you can't manage that, buy a strap on footrest like the Footsie. You tin can get 10% off if you use the lawmaking TCN10 at the checkout.

Are you encouraging them to consume a chip too much?

Ok, a bit of tough love here but y'all need to know that babies and toddlers really don't like it when we parents encourage them to eat. Because babies are nevertheless learning, and nosotros are incredibly worried that they are not eating well, babies volition interpret our mothering equally force per unit area. And pressure releases a stress hormone in their bodies that switches ambition off!

The best affair to do here is to take a pace back, bite your tongue and let your little one explore the food, play with it and make the decision on whether to consume information technology or not for themselves.

If your baby is persistently refusing to eat, is losing weight, coughs or splutters during mealtimes and is really struggling with food, delight do seek help from your GP or health visitor to rule out whatever medical problems. (two)

Can babies develop a food disfavor?

Just similar anybody else, babies besides can dislike sure foods. However, as we discussed to a higher place, make sure you don't make this assumption based on the first few tries! Food aversion is different.

It stems from when your baby associates eating with an unpleasant feel they may have had such every bit a choking episode, unmanaged reflux, an allergic reaction or being unwell. (5) (half dozen)

Food aversions are a true fright response and your trivial one volition need professional person assistance to overcome this. (3)

Can this be linked to bottle aversion?

Yes, this is often referred to by the medical community as oral disfavor and may have started from an experience associated with bottle feeding or tube feeding if your infant was premature (4).

The fear that food (or milk) is going to injure them causes a spike in adrenaline and babies volition often become very distressed, cry and arch their backs if food or bottles are brought towards their mouths.

Again, professional help from a feeding team is really important here.

How long volition my baby'due south nutrient refusal final?

It depends on the nature of the refusal.

If it's part of normal development, tiredness or an outcome with their routine, it may well pass with the adjacent developmental spring or the changes y'all brand.

If it is a feeding aversion, then there is much that needs to be addressed and it may take longer.

Is food throwing a sign of my baby refusing to eat?

No, not necessarily. More often than not, a baby will throw or drib food because they are experimenting with it. They are learning object permanence and where does the food go if I drop or throw it? And they are likewise noticing the sensory response i.e. the sound of the splat it makes when it hits the floor!

They might too be doing it to get a reaction from you. They may be testing boundaries simply they also may be looking for your attention, even if information technology's negative attention. Babies will as well throw or drop nutrient to get rid of information technology. Frequently, this can be a sign that they're not hungry or that they accept finished the meal.

Whatever the reason, I imagine this isn't a addiction yous want them to stick with, so practice remind your infant that "food stays on the table."

Is your baby refusing to swallow because of yous?

Your piffling ane might be looking for your attention.

If they spend all twenty-four hour period at nursery while yous are at work, they may employ mealtime behaviours as a way to get a response from you. Even a negative response is good to them, but considering they get your attending. Often the best way to manage this is with lots of one-on-once outside of the mealtime.

The best way to manage this

Sit down with your baby while they eat and engage with them.

Just like the states, babies don't want to eat without company. Pull upward a chair and consume together rather than pottering around the kitchen or starting on the washing up.

It may be too early on for you to swallow merely if you can have a tiny portion of whatever they are having then that y'all tin can share the mealtime, your baby will benefit hugely. You tin can always have your proper meal after.

Portion sizes for babies

A common worry amidst parents is 'Is my baby eating plenty?'. It'south of import to retrieve that all babies are unique. One baby volition eat differently to the next and it's so of import (but not easy) to avert comparison with your friend's baby.

If your little one is growing and gaining weight, has frequent moisture nappies and seems content and happy, so information technology'due south probable that they are getting enough.
Let your lilliputian one guide you. Babies have an amazing power to cocky-regulate their intake. (8)

Every bit long as they are offered milk and nutrient, they tin can decide how much they need.
If you need a little chip more help, or are worried that your baby isn't getting plenty, you can purchase our helpful mini guides on portion sizes for weaning here.

What should all parents practice to help their baby eat well?

There are a few top tips I tin can give yous and so that your infant grows upwards to be a happy healthy eater and interestingly, many of the parents that I work with know this, but don't practise it.

Repeated Exposure

The last matter you want to do if your baby is refusing to eat certain foods is to cease offering them.

Perseverance is key as oftentimes picayune ones take to 'learn' to like food. A brilliant example of this is my son Charlie. At the historic period of three he eventually started eating mushrooms despite refusing them every time beforehand!

Exist A Part Model

Eat with your little one and eat the aforementioned food equally them. They are much more likely to accept the nutrient if they encounter you eating (and enjoying) it too.

Keep Calm

Attempt to be a calming influence. If they observe that yous're worried, your baby will become fifty-fifty more than unsettled and y'all will have less chance of them eating.

Avoid Encouragement

Never be forceful or even pressure level them to endeavor or have one more seize with teeth of the food. Permit them play effectually with the nutrient. They may just need time to get used to information technology before they want to requite it a endeavor. Baby steps!

Routine

Try to stick to a good schedule for meals and milk feeds. They may get fifty-fifty more fussy if you chop and alter in response to their refusals. (11)

Exist Responsive

Responsive feeding refers to observing your child's cues and interim accordingly in response to them. Information technology's nearly letting your lilliputian 1 guide you.

As a parent, information technology's your role to:

• Determine what your baby's meal will be

• Make up one's mind when they will consume - their routine

• Determine where they will eat - in a well supported highchair

Your infant's role is to:

• Decide if they are going to eat (sometimes they might not)

• How much they are going to consume

• When they have finished eating

Information technology'due south actually important not to keep offer your baby more food when they are showing signs that they are finished.

Signs might be, turning their head away, avoiding eye contact, clamping their mouths shut, throwing/dropping food over the side of the highchair. (12)

Past request young children to eat, or terminate eating, it is going against their intuition - a skill that babies are born with which could pb to problems later in life such as overeating and loss of appetite regulation. (8)

If you're worried that nutrient refusal is impacting on diet

The best manner to appraise if your infant is getting enough nutrition is if they are growing and gaining weight.

Your wellness visitor will regularly have weight measurements and plot them on growth charts. You lot may need to ask for length to be measured. If your little ane is following their centile line, then you lot can be reassured that they are doing well!

Don't forget that plenty of diet even so comes from breastmilk or formula milk during early weaning.
Meal planning to ensure babies get a wide variety of foods is of import in one case iii meals a day are established. This is unremarkably around the seven-nine month marking.

Hither is my 5 step guide to baby meal planning:

1. Starting time with an atomic number 26-rich protein nutrient (meat or plant based) like some boring-cooked lamb, a minced beefiness meatball, a lentil puree or ½ a boiled egg.

2. Add together a Vitamin C rich food, for example, a broccoli floret or a couple of strawberries halved.

3. End with an free energy rich food like a soldier of buttered toast or sugariness potato mashed with butter.

4. Consider the range of colours, textures and smells. The sensory experience is simply as important as the nutritional one.

5. Ensure yous're giving a vitamin supplement containing A, C and D daily (if you are breastfeeding or if your infant is having less than 500ml of formula) such as Nature & Nurture Baby & Kid vitamin drops.

For farther guidance on baby nutrition, check out my blog post.

With thanks to Claire Pearson, Lauren Telford and Catriona Lawson for their help in bringing this blog together.

Sarah Almond Bushell MPhil, BSc (Hons) RD MBDA - Registered Dietitian & Children'south Nutritionist

turnertriblend.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.childrensnutrition.co.uk/full-blog/babyrefusingtoeat