Feeding FAQ: 9-12 months – General Food Refusal

Since having a heavy cold my 9.5mth daughter is refusing all her solids and waking hungry in the night

My daughter was very good sleeper (7pm-8am) and enjoyed the routine until she had a very bad cold last month. She stopped eating solids during the day, waking up at night and taking up to 3 full 8 oz bottles. I don’t know how to turn it around. I tried everything, cuddling, boiled water – nothing helps. She falls asleep only if she has had milk. If she does not have enough she will not settle or wakes up after an hour. My daughter used to love solids, it all has changed now. We are trying to encourage her to feed herself and she enjoys finger food. I am afraid it is not enough to make her sleep during the night. We do prepare fresh food following Gina’s recipes and she used to love all of them.

My daughter feeds at 8.30am 6ozs, porridge, which she sometimes refuses after her 8oz bottle at 5am. 12.30pm Protein based meal which she now refuses to eat. Finger food, cheese and bread. 4-6ozs water. 2.30pm 8ozs formula. 5pm Vegetables and pudding, she refuses to eat both. 5.30pm 6ozs, 10.30pm 8ozs, 1.30am 7ozs, 5.30am 7ozs. She weighs 10kg [22lbs]

My daughter naps at 1-2pm and settles at 7pm.

Getting a baby back on track after illness can take some time. Now that your daughter is fully recovered you will need to cut back on her milk intake in order for her to have more of an appetite for food. As she is genuinely hungry in the night start cutting down on the amount of milk she takes during the day so it will be easier to eliminate the night feeds.

Treat the bottle she has at 5.30am as her breakfast milk. If she shows little interest in porridge for her breakfast offer her something lighter such as natural yoghurt and fruit until her appetite returns. If she likes to feed herself, give her some fingers of toast spread with cream cheese or a handful of dried cereal, such as Cheerio’s, along with her yoghurt and fruit. Offer her a small drink of water after her breakfast rather than the 6ozs of formula.

Cutting back on her milk at breakfast should help her to have more of an appetite for lunch. She may even need this meal slightly earlier so she is not too tired to eat. Now she is interested in feeding herself offer her the meal in a divided dish so she can see what she is being given. If you are giving her Shepherd’s pie place the meat and potato portion in one division, a small amount of chopped carrots in another and one or two florets of broccoli in the third. Seeing her meal laid out like this should tempt your daughter to feed herself. Give her a spoon so she can try to feed herself. At this stage she may resort to using her fingers and it can get messy, so prepare for this by covering the floor and having several clean, damp flannels close by. If your daughter gets interested in feeding herself she may be less resistant to you popping a spoonful of food into her mouth now and then. Once she loses interest in her meal remove the plate and offer her some fresh fruit if she enjoys this.

Before your daughter settles for her lunchtime nap offer her a small drink of milk to see if this will help her sleep longer at this time of day.

To help her regain her appetite for tea cut right back on the amount of milk she is drinking at 2.30pm. You can increase this feed again once she begins to eat better in the day and stops needing milk in the night. It will be easier for you to cope with her being slightly cranky in the day than to cope with her repeated waking in the night.

If your daughter seems hungry by 4.30/4.45pm offer her tea. Try thick vegetable soups with mini sandwiches; bread sticks or rice cakes; pasta with cheese or vegetable sauces; jacket potatoes with grated cheese; baked beans or other vegetarian teas which you make “finger food” friendly. If your daughter enjoys bread and cheese try this toasted with some sticks of lightly cooked vegetables, such as carrot or small cherry tomatoes chopped in half. Getting your daughter to eat a carbohydrate rich tea will help her be less hungry in the night. Once eating again you can give her a bottle of milk at 6.30pm rather than milk at teatime. If she seems thirsty after her tea, offer her a drink of water.

Keep the 10.30pm feed in place until your daughter’s appetite picks up in the day. Once she starts eating properly again she should lose interest in this feed.

When you feel that her eating has improved in the day you can start to eliminate the feed in the night. This may take a little time if she associates waking in the night with being fed. Offering her water when she first wakes at 1.30am should settle her for a while longer. Gradually stretching her night out again in this way, along with an increased food intake by day, should help her drop this feed fairly quickly once she no longer really needs it.

Recovering from illness takes time but getting your daughter interested in her food, and letting her feed herself as much as she is able, should encourage her to once more enjoy her meal times. Keep mealtimes happy and relaxed and finish them once it is clear she has had enough to eat.