He Just Wont Eat!

[Xero]

It's sooo hard getting my son to eat. It's just always been a subject that drives me crazy! I can't figure out how to successfully get my son to eat three meals a day! Or forget that, even one meal! He's never been all that interested in his food. It's just got me at my wits end, because I've been trying and trying since he was 5 months old. I'm just not good at it. I'm doing something wrong, I have to be!

I've always tried feeding Eli jars of food, starting with one a day, and eventually two. He would NEVER eat three in a day, that's just beyond my imagination when it comes to him and food. It's ALWAYS been a struggle to get him to eat. There would be certain days where he would eat his food SOOO good, and then other days where he wouldn't eat it at all! He would just cry and get mad, and now that he's older he'll actually smack the spoon away or throw all of it off his tray or whatever you can think of an 11month old doing.

I've always thought, okay well I'll just try my best to get him to eat, and it will be okay because formula has all the nutrition he REALLY needs anyway, and a lot of babies don't eat anything but breastmilk and formula for the first year! But now he's turning one on Sunday, and as of right now, we're slowly switching him over to whole milk instead of formula, and I know regular milk doesn't have nearly the same stuff in it as formula, so I know that he HAS to start eating more!

I get food out for him three times a day, and I let him have a taste of anything I'm eating too. But even if it's time for him to eat, or AFTER time for him to be way hungry, he still will only take a couple tiny bites IF that! And then he'll just cry until I give him a bottle. He only gets three 8 ounce bottles a day, sometimes (but not usually) one 8oz bottle in the middle of the night if he wakes up and wants it, so maybe 4 if you count that, but not always.

I've tried so many things that I thought he might like to eat. I've given up on the jarred food and have been just giving him everything that we eat hoping he would like it better, and there's really no difference. Please help me, I have to be doing something wrong. How can I get him to eat his food? Is there any way to get him to eat three meals a day? I've got to figure this out so he gets the nutrition he needs.

I'm definitely thinking about flinstones vitimins too, or whatever. Can you give those to babies?

Help! Thank you!

[Dadu2004]

If he's at the proper weight and seems healthy, then I'm not sure that it's a problem. Kids can be finnicky eaters. Delaney will eat like a hog for 2 weeks, then eat next to nothing for 2 weeks. Do the best you can to get him to eat, but ultimately, he'll eat when he's hungry.

Yes, you can get kids flinstones...try the gummies!

[Sirk]

I agree with Dadu. In between growth spurts I swear my babies lived off of love. But once they hit a growth spurt again they're eating everything in sight. So long as he's a healthy weight & height, don't worry about it.

[Xero]

Oh, ok.... well that's good to hear. I think I will get him some flinstones gummies, that would at least ease my conscience a little lol. If you guys have seen any pictures of him, he's certainly a healthy weight and height haha! But anyway, yeah it's like he lives off of love and formula. lol. (soon to be milk)

[mom2many]

Do not stress, a lot of little ones have no interest in food untill around 15 months, as long as it isn't made into a battle things will be fine. Offer the food, if he takes one bite and is done, then he is done. Babies will not starve themselves, it is programmed into them to get nurishment when they can. I would also trade his night time bottle from milk to a formula that is made for toddlers. That way you know that at least one of those bottles is nutrition full.

As to the gummy vitamins, they aren't geared towards toddlers, not to mention trying to convince them that one is all they need, and that they aren't candy. Stick with the toddler formula, it is the same price and will last just as long. I never remove bottles until I know that my little ones are eating a somewhat decent meal, and once that happens you will see them needing the bottle less and less!

[Skyburning]

At that age its not as important what they eat in a day as much as it is what they eat in a week. So if he has a good day on monday and eats a variety of things its okay if he doesn't eat much tuesday or wednesday as long as he's getting a balance of things throughout the week.

[Nikita]

I know where I live, we can get liquid vitamins. They are specifically designed for under 3. My oldest has been on them since we switched from formula to milk.

[Xero]

Oh really, what is it called? I would much rather give him that then give him a bottle of formula each night. It's a good idea and everything, but I'd rather he be on the same thing (milk) all day. And I'm switching him from the bottle to the cup in the next month here, so formula might be weird in a cup (or maybe I'm just weird for thinking that lol I dunno). But if I can't find these kinds of vitimins, I'm probably going to give him one bottle/cup of toddler formula. I'm telling you guys, he just doesn't eat enough. He'll try to fill up on milk I just know it.

[mom2many]

Poly V Sol is the name, made by Enfimil, but it taste nasty and their poops.....PEEYOU! Mine don't like it, so I stick to the formula it doesn't confuse them in anyway.

[Sirk]

The health food store I go to sells liquid vitamins for babies.