OT - fussy 8 month old eater

[bpetrow]

Hi everyone. I have a strange new thing happening with my little girl. She's 8 months old (tomorrow) and has been a great eater since she started "real" food. Her current feeding schedule is as follows: 6 ounce bottle, fruit, and cereal in the morning; 6 ounce bottle and vegetable for lunch; 4 ounce bottle mid-afternoon; 6 ounce bottle and fruit/cereal combo for dinner, sometimes a 4 ounce bottle before bed. The only meal I get to feed her in dinner - the others she gets with her babysitter during the day. All her jars are Stage 2 organic foods (Earth's Best brand).

In the past 2 weeks or so, she has started fussing horribly (we're talking crying and screaming so bad you'd think I was pulling her apart limb by limb) during dinner. She was getting vegetables for dinner so I first thought the fussing was because she didn't like the veggies - so I switched her veggies to lunch and she loves them. So it's not the veggies. She still fusses and fights at dinner even with fruit! Like I said, during the day she's a gem and eats up everything given to her. At dinner she's horrible and a mess. She's hungry - she's showing me all the signs that she's hungry - she just fights and screams about it.

Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions? I'm so frustrated and now I even DREAD dinner time. I don't know what to do and I'm at my wits end!!! Please help!

Thanks in advance!
Beth

 

[mjkacmom]

It's been a while since I dealt with a baby. How about some real food? Cherrios, soft cheese, pasta, avacado, tofu?

 

[kevschickee]

She is probably read for table food. I always started my girls around 6 or 7 months on table foods. Start with soft mushy meats and veggies, I did scrambled eggs to. Cooked pasta is good and let her try and pick it up she will make a mess but you keep feeding her to.

 

[laughinplace199]

Is she sleeping/napping enough? My kids were always a mess by dinner if they didn't nap well.

Which does she get first at dinner, the bottle or the cereal? I always gave my kids the bottle first, since that's where they get their nutrition at that age. If she has a bottle and still seems hungry, would she take an ouce or two more instead of cereal?

 

[Bren's Mom]

My first thought was overtired. Can you move dinner for her earlier? Even if the rest of the family isn't ready to eat.

ETA: She's having 26oz a day of formula. 16-20 would certainly be enough at that age. It's not bad for her to have more, but she may be full after 10 oz of formula (afternoon and before dinner) and that's why she's refusing food. Maybe try eliminating the dinner bottle and see what happens? Give the afternoon 4 oz. Then dinner. Then the bedtime bottle if she wants it, if she's truly still hungry she might drink more then.

 

[bpetrow]

Thanks everyone! Great advice! I think we'll try some "real food" tonight and see how it goes!!! Wish me luck

 

[kevschickee]

Good luck!! It is scarry the first few times but she will be ok. If she gags in the begining it will pass she just has to get used to the texture. Shredded cheese is wonderful to.

 

[natnelliesmom]

I'd scream too if you tried to get me to eat jarred food!! YUCK!
Chop up your own food into tiny pieces and let her feed herself. It's better if she learns to eat what you are eating anyway. Are you going to make her a separate meal when she's 2?
It's time for real food, not mushy jar junk.
-Sarah

 

[cuppycake]

At 8 months, she should be getting most of her nutrition from formula or breastmilk, so I don't think you're feeding her too much of it. Food, at this age, is for experimenting...learning how to eat, etc.

If she's eating jarred foods just fine at other times of the day, i doubt it has anything to do with wanting "real" food. Wether you feed her table food or "baby" food is simply a decision for you and your family and what she seems to like more. I had one who didn't deal well with textures until she was around 13 months old, and one who couldn't stand mushed up food from the get go.

My girls tended to eat bigger meals during the day at that age as well. Lunch was really our "biggest" meal for them until they were well past 2 years old (and even now at 4 and 6 sometimes!). It does seem to sound like she's either too tired or just not that hungry.

Everyone is different, but in your shoes, I'd just not worry too much about feeding her other food in the evening if she doesn't really seem to want it. In a few months, when you are starting to decrease her formula more, then I would try a little harder maybe.

Good luck finding what works for you

 

[minnie1012]

I agree with the maybe she is tired. I have a 9 month old who was like that a few months back and I think she may have been tired because she's better now. She wasn't napping well in the afternoon (do to alot of gas and GERD) so by dinner she was a mess. Now I have other issues she still spits up and I think she is teething so eating is a chore again. Good luck!

 

[tlh0726]

I was always worried if my kids were getting enough or not. I came across sample menus on Beechnut.com that I used as a guideline. They have menus for different age groups. Below is what they had for 8 month olds.




More Solid Foods
Every baby is different. Yours will let you know how much he needs to eat and what he likes or doesn’t. He'll also eat different amounts on different days. This helpful guideline will help you plan his meals. Print it out and put it on your refrigerator for reference.

Feeding Guidelines (approximate amounts per day)

Breast milk or formula – 20 to 24 ounces in four feedings
Fed with meals or in between

Sample Menu Using Beech-Nut® Stage 1®, Beech-Nut Stage 2® (DHA plus+™ and Good Morning or Good Evening) and Beech-Nut Stage 3®:

Morning
Prepared cereal (1/2 cup)
Fruit (6 ounces)

Mid-Day
Meat (2-½ ounces)
Vegetable (4 to 6 ounces)
Fruit (4 to 6 ounces)

Evening
Dinner (6 ounces)
Fruit ( 4 to 6 ounces)

 

[HGD24]

Is she sleeping/napping enough? My kids were always a mess by dinner if they didn't nap well.

Which does she get first at dinner, the bottle or the cereal? I always gave my kids the bottle first, since that's where they get their nutrition at that age. If she has a bottle and still seems hungry, would she take an ouce or two more instead of cereal?

I agree 100% with this. Most nights at that age, DD was happy with getting a bottle and going right to bed. We always gave her the bottle first and if she was still hungry, she might eat 1/2 a jar of stage 2 food. She got a total of 22 oz of formula via 4 bottles per day plus 2 jars of food and some cereal in the morning. We also used Earth's Best and she loved it!!! She was on jarred food until she was 11 months old. No need to rush table foods if she's not ready for them.

 

[badblackpug]

Teething?

 

[MSSANDRA]

I am differnt. I think she might be reacting to mommy being home after being gone all day. She would rather cuddle with you than to sit in some type of chair to eat food. Try either just giving her that bottle for that feeding or holding her in your arms as you spoon feed and do not worry. She will eat if she is hungry.

 

[koima]

I was always worried if my kids were getting enough or not. I came across sample menus on Beechnut.com that I used as a guideline. They have menus for different age groups. Below is what they had for 8 month olds.




More Solid Foods
Every baby is different. Yours will let you know how much he needs to eat and what he likes or doesn’t. He'll also eat different amounts on different days. This helpful guideline will help you plan his meals. Print it out and put it on your refrigerator for reference.

Feeding Guidelines (approximate amounts per day)

Breast milk or formula – 20 to 24 ounces in four feedings
Fed with meals or in between

Sample Menu Using Beech-Nut® Stage 1®, Beech-Nut Stage 2® (DHA plus+™ and Good Morning or Good Evening) and Beech-Nut Stage 3®:

Morning
Prepared cereal (1/2 cup)
Fruit (6 ounces)

Mid-Day
Meat (2-½ ounces)
Vegetable (4 to 6 ounces)
Fruit (4 to 6 ounces)

Evening
Dinner (6 ounces)
Fruit ( 4 to 6 ounces)

Wow, that is a LOT of food!! My 9 month old is lucky to finish a 4 oz jar in a day, along 4 oz. yogurt and some Cheerios and lots of milk. She likes finger foods, so lately I've been giving her little bits of things she can feed herself and she's eating more. If she doesn't nap well, she's a very cranky girl indeed and meals are not fun! Maybe sleep is the culprit?

 

[TheDizMom]

I would be inclined to believe that her better meals are just earlier in the day and she isn't as interested at dinner and really that is normal. Most kids have a certain time of the day that they eat well and one they don't. To not eat well at dinner I think is most common just because it's later in the day and they are more tired and gearing up for bed. Heck I was lucky to get half a jar of any food into my DD at any given time. I agree that giving her the bottle at this age is most important and if she doesn't want the solids it's not as big of an issue. If she decides to eat solids great, if not, don't sweat it. I'd offer it to her and then go with whatever she is feeling that night. It is most likely a phase and she'll go back to eating solids for dinner when she's ready to again. We as parents are always worried they are going to starve, but really kids will eat when their hungry and forcing them is never a good idea. We want them to learn that it's OK to eat when they're hungry and to pass when they're not. It will give them better eating habits as they get older. Don't stress over it and just sit her in her high chair while you eat and concentrate on the spending time together aspect not the food aspect.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Wow, that is a LOT of food!! My 9 month old is lucky to finish a 4 oz jar in a day, along 4 oz. yogurt and some Cheerios and lots of milk.

Actually, that does not sound like that much food at all. My dd was switched to only table food and whole milk at 10 months because she was not satisfied with the baby foods. She was eating 2 jars at breakfast, 3 jars at lunch and 3 jars at dinner, along with bottles.

I think the reason your child is not eating much lies in the last 3 words of your reply "lots of milk". If the child is getting too much milk, they will not be hungry for food.

 

[HGD24]

I would be inclined to believe that her better meals are just earlier in the day and she isn't as interested at dinner and really that is normal. Most kids have a certain time of the day that they eat well and one they don't. To not eat well at dinner I think is most common just because it's later in the day and they are more tired and gearing up for bed. Heck I was lucky to get half a jar of any food into my DD at any given time.

So true! Our DD's big meal has always been lunch. She's still not a big dinner eater.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I agree with the posters that mentioned maybe she's tired or teething. Seems like more tired to me. If she's eating fine for all the other meals, I would tend to think the issue isn't food.

 

[megan4777]

I was a nanny and am now a mom......

I've dealt with plenty of kids that were used to being fed by the babysitter/nanny and when mom/dad came home they just wanted the attention from mommy or daddy...

I've also dealt with the kids that were teething at this age....

Maybe have the babysitter feed the baby at night for a few nights (without the baby knowing you're home) to see if it's that....

Hope you have some luck soon!