At 7 months my son refuses all solid food and is hungry at night
Samuel is a happy baby and has always eaten well until two weeks ago. Now he refuses everything offered to him regardless of what it is. I have tried finger foods and he just throws them on the floor. I have given him a spoon to hold whilst I feed him; it makes no difference, he just won’t open his mouth. I have tried tricking him by offering water which he will always take and getting a spoon in as he opens his mouth, but he is wise to this now. He is having three milk feeds a day, but because of his lack of food intake is waking once again in the night for feeds.
Last night he woke at 12.15am, I tried not to feed him but he was still crying at 2.15am so I gave in, fed him and he slept to 6.30am. Samuel has been breast fed since birth, he refuses a bottle when offered and has done so for months.
Before this problem began he was sleeping twelve hours a night. Samuel is now grumpy and I am exhausted through lack of sleep.
I have tried teething gel before a feed but that makes no difference. He has had a cold this week but is getting over it, otherwise he is well.
He is taking breast feeds at 7am, 2.30pm, 7.30pm and 2.30am. He takes water at 11.45am. He presently weighs 17lbs 7ozs.
His rejected his breakfast of cereal and fruit puree. He took some pork and apple casserole after being tricked with a feeder cup and the yoghurt. He took some spaghetti and tomatoes with cheese, again eaten by being tricked, along with apples and custard, again taken when tricked into eating. Most of each meal was rejected. He took three cups of water during the day.
He slept from 9-9.30am and 12.30-2.30pm. He settled to sleep at 8pm.
As Samuel had been good about accepting food until his present strike, it would appear that the combination of teething, coming down with a cold and generally a bid for independence have rather affected him.
Teething can cause discomfort whilst eating, and babies usually find it more comfortable to suck.
Giving Samuel a spoon in each hand, may distract him enough for you to feed him. If you place the bowl within his reach, and encourage him to have a go at loading his spoon, he will also be distracted and probably let you spoon more in.
Be aware that filling him up with water at meal times will take his appetite away, especially as it is not that great due to teething and a cold. Try feeding him at least half his meal before you even show him his beaker.
Looking at your notes, it appears that the food he is receiving is ready made although he was weaned on fruit and vegetable purees. When you are exasperated and at your wits end with a reluctant feeder, it is easy to resort to jars as they are quick to prepare and somehow don’t seem such a rejection to you as your own carefully cooked food.
The problem is with commercial food is, that although your baby appears to be eating as much as he would with home-made food, their composition is totally different, so his nutritional needs are not being met in the same way. A lot of prepared food contain sugar, have a high water content and contain starchy fillers to bulk up the ingredients. The protein they contain is much less than a comparable home made meal, and this is what often causes the start of night-time waking again. Samuel is genuinely hungry in the night, as he is just not having enough of the right kinds of nutrients by day.
Now he is over his cold, make up two or three batches of homemade food you know he has enjoyed in the past. A chicken and vegetable casserole and one made with lentil and vegetables would be good to start with. Give Samuel his 7am feed and offer him a small amount of breakfast. As he is still breast fed, you could offer him his breakfast having had one side from you and then see if he wants any more, having taken some solid food. Don’t be in a hurry to increase his cereal too much as you want him to be hungry enough for his lunch.
Make sure he is not too tired to eat at lunchtime. Some babies are ready by 11.30am, especially if eating breakfast at 7am. As stated before, offer him at least half of his solids before he sees his water beaker. Encourage him to help you feed him with his spoons and keep trying with finger food. Make it attractive to look at, so try using cooked frozen mixed veg with its variety of textures and colours. You only need cook a small amount so wont have to feel that all his food is going to waste. Once Samuel is accepting homemade solid food again, begin to spread some of the casserole of pieces of bread roll to encourage him to feed himself.
As Samuel has dropped his milk feed at 11am and is accepting water from a beaker, begin to offer some of his 2.30pm feed in this way too. Having a full breast feed at this time, especially when not eating solids well, will only serve to diminish his appetite at tea, so cutting back on this feed will also help him to eat a good meal later.
Encourage Samuel at meal times even though you may be feeling unhappy about his low food intake. Once he is eating more home prepared food, you can begin to settle him at night with cool boiled water rather than a feed. It may take a few days for him to be eating enough by day to manage to get through the night again. A realistic amount would be about 6-7 cubes at lunchtime, made up of meat/protein and vegetables.
In The Complete Weaning Guide there is a case history on p63 which may help you see how commercial food can affect sleeping through the night.