Forum home Babies Baby

What do you think?

Hi everyone,

Well about a week ago I posted that I was pretty much at the end of my tether with Ellie's eating & didn't know what to do. I took all the suggestions on board and tried thing that I had done in the past to see if they worked this time. Her eating isn't really improving so I asked my HV to come out on Tuesday & an hour before she was due out she cancelled & asked me to go to the baby clinic yesterday instead.

Off I goes with Ellie's food diary that i've been keeping for over a week & feeling that I might finally get some answers only for the HV to look at the diary & say 'awk you must have one of the smallest tummies of anyone I know' then weigh her and see that she's 16lb 13oz and go 'oh lauren she's fine nothing to worry about'!
She told me that Ellie's healthy & that I should take her dummy off her because it's hurting her gums sucking it all day, I said she doesn't bloody get it all day only when tired!!!!!! Anyway did a whole rant & rave that Ellie is starving herself but if it was me starving her & I was bringing her up there unwashed, with a dirty nose & uncared for then they'd be on my case 24/7 about her weight but as it is they just say it's BEHAVIOURAL!!

She is 11 months old, will be 1 on the 30th this month & has never weighed over 16lb 13oz. The last time she made it to this weight she then promptly lost over 1lb in a week & dropped down to 15lb 1oz.
I don't know what to do but I keep being told to relax and chill out because I am making her behave badly because she knows it's going to annoy me?!
Anyway I want to know what you all think about a baby who is nearly 1 & still wearing 3-6 month clothes, who wasn't premature, she weighed 6lb 8oz at birth and is tiny!!

SOrry for the long post I am in a wonder mood over all of this :evil: lol xox

Replies

  • be back in a minute.....
  • hi honey!

    just wanted to get my red book so i could plot the weight!!

    when Ellie was born, she was around the 9th centile, so that now she is only on the 2nd (there or there abouts). because her drop isnt unusual, that is probably why the HV isnt concerned about her weight.

    she wasnt big to start with, still isnt big, so that is why she isnt bothered.

    however, although i wouldnt be concerned about her weight either, i would be wanting additional advice on how to get her to eat properly!!

    you've probably answered all these with your other post, but i havent been on properly for a while - sorry!)

    how many bottles /breast feeds a day does she have?

    any known allergies?

    how many meals are you offering

    will she eat any type of finger foods

    does she want to feed herself?

    does she show interest in what you eat?

    does she go and stand in front of a cupboard / fruitbowl where there is something she likes?

    do you get stressed when feeding her - can she pick up on it?

    if there is something you know she likes, can you add it to something else until she likes the new stuff (ie, my lo loved apples, hated mash, so added the apples, then less and less until she ate mash)

    if she objects to something, dont push it, just get her out of the high chair and leave it

    try not to worry too much honey!! you'll both end up resenting feeding time
  • she is 16lb 13oz at 11 months
    my son is 4 months old and 16lb he is on the 75th centile
  • Hey,
    Thanks for the reply!
    She gets 4 bottles a day 8am, 12, 4pm & 8pm & one at some point through the night!
    She gets breakfast, lunch and dinner & her snacks in between which are all finger foods. Only recently has she started showing interest in what i'm eating & tries to feed me!

    I really need help with getting her to eat because she fights when I try to feed her, then I get stressed & she gets stressed & when she takes finger foods she takes a bit or 2 & then chucks it at me!
    She still gets smooth food but can take lumps she just seems to prefer it smooth?
    I've been putting her into the high chair & giving her something she likes such as soya yoghurt & then taking her out again as soon as she's eaten it so she knows that she enjoys feeding at certain times!

    She is cows milk protein intolerant & on special milk for it & has no dairy in her diet at all
    xox
  • Hiya,

    Just wondering...does that mean Ellie is on 4-5 bottles a day? Lucas has been on 3 6-7oz bottles since 7 months. Do you think she's getting full up on milk?
  • Yes, she gets loads of milk but the bizarre thing is when i dropped her bottles to 3 a day she ate less and she was taking less milk.
    I really don't know what to do about it because I thought she must be filling up on milk but the less milk she gets the less she seems to eat?

    She's on neocate lcp which is a special formula prescribed by the doctor. I am beginning to think there is another allergy/intolerance underlying but most of her food is gluten free as well as dairy free so I don't know? xx
  • It is a nightmare and you have my sympathy trying to fatten up a child who seems happy to throw food at you rather than eat it !!
    I think you are doing a grand job so don't feel bad, I would perhaps reduce her milk again to see whether it stimulates her appetite- although she dropped her food last time you may need to give it a few days more.
    I am also thinking that apart from her size she is not causing you any concern - perhaps she is just diddy and someone has to be the smallest? My son was always years behind and even now at 18 he looks about 13. Nothing we did made any difference apart from stressing us.
    Could you ask for a dietician referral- they will happily process your food diaries to check she is getting everything she needs (eg iron deficiency causes loss of appetite) and may give you ideas or reassurance.
  • Can't really offer any solutions for you but just want to say my lo is a year old and is only 18lb 15oz, they do say great things come in small packages!! I used to get totally stressed trying to feed her up but now just let her eat what she wants (mostly finger foods) and it's improving, she is a wee greedy guts now ! Also worth bearing in mind the more they are crawling and walking the less they will put on weight, my lo sill wears a few tops aged 3-6mths.
  • I did reply to your original post so wont repeat myself. Just to let you know I have a little'un as well. Charlotte was only 5lb 14oz at birth. At her 1 year review on 22nd January she was 18lb 1oz (on 9th centile - always has been apart from birth) and her length she was nearly on the 75th.
    So I have a very lean lo - the only chubby thing on her is the top of her legs but she is very healthy & happy.
    If you are still concerned I agree with Katie and you should ask to be referred.


    [Modified by: ccbmommy on March 09, 2009 09:14 PM]

  • My concern is really that she's not eating properly and it's an argument and fight to get her to take something no matter how hungry she is!
    The HV is sending a dietician out next week to watch Ellie eating so fingers crossed they can shed some light...if they even offered some support it would be nice! xx
  • hi again honey!!

    i think she could be having too much milk - maybe try dropping one feed a day for now- maybe the 12 / 4pm one, and seeing how she gets on with that.

    if she is having normal poo, settles comfortably between feeds and for bed time, doesnt vomit a lot (even weaned babies do have "blurps" of food), then she may not be allergic to anything other than what you know about.

    coeliac disease is usually characterised by fatty poo and round, fat bloated tummys and very skinny arms and legs!, if she is slim all over, she probably isnt gluten intolerant.

    after what you have put about her diet, i think you just have a very slim baby, who is probably ok! you could also try (if you havent)..

    let her feed you, and if she wont take her spoon off you, give her one too- then you can both feed her - babies love this! also maybe get one of her dolls / teddies, and feed them too - one for them, one for you... she may think it is fun, and do more of it herself! the problem with this is that they then want to feed themselves with their hands! beans..... Nice!

    see what the dietician says, and i hope it gets sorted for you!

    xxxxxxxxxx
  • hey ollier thanks for replying made me smile!
    have been giving her her own spoon & letting her feed me but she loves her baby doll so i think i'll give that a go. i'm definitely dropping her 4pm feed to see how it goes because she usually only takes a few oz at most then anyway so she'll maybe not miss it!
    I must just have a skinny babby after all! xox
  • hey,

    firstly as she's still having lots of milk she isn't necessarily staving herself - she will be getting lots of goodness from the milk.

    I think you need to really focus on all the foods she does like and build up meals from them. Louise has very few spoon foods as she prefers finger foods so I base her diet around finger foods - last night for dinner she had roasted parsnips, carrots and sweet pototoe and a yogurt. She wont eat cheese unless it's melted so I give her toasted sandwiches, yesterday I melted chese on crumpets.
    you could for example try dipping fruits/bread sticks in her yogurt.

    Do you eat at the same time as her? Louise loves to try what we're eating and wants to feed us to - maybe that would help?

    Fingers crossed the dietician helps, otherwise you could go to your gp.

    It must be hard but try not to let meal times become a fight - make a big effort to tell her what a good girl she is when she eats. If she starts aking a fuss, try to ignore it and finish the meal time.

    Snacks she likes are a good way to fill her up a bit if she hasn't eaten much.

    Hope it gets better soon

    lisa
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions