feeding problems

[SamiJayne]

My 6 month old is getting teeth 5 & 6 through at the moment. And has caught my partners cold. So he's full of the sniffles, and coughing. So his sleeping is rubbish. I was up about 5 times last night that I can remember trying to sooth him, and my partner got up at least 3.

 

But he's also refusing to eat at the moment. I did get him to eat a banana yesterday one for breakfast and one for lunch. I had to trick him in to eating this morning, by making him laugh and then putting the spoon in. But he's just not interested anymore. Going to try roasted Carrots.. as he does love feeding himself.

 

Also going the health visitor today, but I just wanted to know (since america and the uk don't agree on how to look after babies) how the amercans deal with this sort of thing? Should I try him with soup? maybe thicken it up a bit with corn flour?

 

He's on 3 square meals a day now. And was doing fine, until the whole teething and cold turned up. Should I go back to his baby meal milk until he's better? or just keep trying to feed him since he's in a routine now?

 

I'm clueless. Can only visit the health visitor on a wednesday between 1-3pm... which sucks. =( so wiating until this afternoon.

[Catdancer]

When they are stuffy and dont feel good they dont want to eat, just like when adults dont feel good, we dont want to eat. With Landon, his bottle is comforting to him, so I give him bottles with a little rice cereal in them, so at least he gets the vitamins and minerals and a little something on his tummy.

[Catdancer]

Also, give him Tylenol for pain. This helps Landon alot. Your little one is too small for motrin or advil, so Tylenol every 4 hours and this will help him sleep.

 

When Landon is sick, I give him his bath before bed and I give him the Tylenol while he's in the bath. Then we dry off and he takes a bottle. Usually this helps him sleep. It controls the pain and put something in his belly so he doesnt wake up hungry every hour.

[turnera]

I'm not that worried about a baby not eating that much when they're sick. They aren't going to starve themselves to death. And going without as much food in a day isn't going to harm them. I agree about handling the pain before you try to feed them.

[Shortpants]

I found that when Littlepants was not feeling well (cold or teething) she did not want to eat the same as usual also. I actually used the Hylands teething gel for her teething pain. I don't know if you can get these over there, but here's alink to the gel:

link removed

 

They also make teething tablets, I have not used these myslef, but they are made by the same company and I have read many good reviews:

link removed

 

I would supplement the solid food feedings with formula or breastmilk until he is feeling better and eating better. I actually STILL give occasional formula to my 19 month old because she doesn't really care for meat yet and I'm concerned that she isn't getting everything she needs in her regular food diet.

 

Good luck and hope your little one feels better soon!

[SamiJayne]

We do still give him formula but its no longer a food/milk. It's just formula drink/milk. So we still give it him. Also he had the whole of his lunch today, and wanted more. So I let him have more.

 

But if he does skip a meal, I do try and give him number 2 in formula which is food/milk. As I do worry! Even though he's a little fatty!

We don't have those types of medicines, we use calpol, and bonjella for his teeth. They help a lot.

[turnera]

Minor T/J, regarding worrying: This is for later in your child's life, but I've always had my daughter eat whatever was cooked for meals. If she didn't like it, well, she didn't have to eat dinner that night. But she did have to try one bite of everything.

 

It would freak my husband out. She'll starve! It'll make her sick! She'll become anemic! He'd try to sneak her food, or cook her something else when I left the room, until I put my foot down. Today, she'll try anything. Her favorite foods are sushi, salads, pastas, hamburgers, fruit, stir-fried anything, and shrimp. She doesn't drink sodas - I never served them, but we always had them around - just juice and water and tea and tons of milk.

 

She's in college, and she plans to figure out how to combine a degree in psychology with a degree in nutrition.

 

Oh, another thing we did was we always had junk food around. I grew up seeing it as a treat, something to sneak, or spend all my cash on, cos my mom would never let me have it. So I decided to NOT make it such an elusive thing. So we've always had a junk food cabinet - always there if you want it (after you eat your proper meals, of course, and within reason). So, as I suspected, she grew up not really caring if she got cookies or chips or candy, because it was always available. Her friends, on the other hand...the first thing they do when they come over is head straight for the junk food and start pigging out. And they're nearly all overweight.

[Batya33]

My doctor always advised me not to force my child (he is a bit over a year old) to eat or drink (unless there's fear of dehydration of course) if he had a stomach thing or a cold. I wouldn't do corn flour because it's not whole grain, but that's just me. I would do the bananas, carrots, whatever he likes to eat usually.

 

I'm so sorry he was up a lot last night - I hope you all get a restful night's sleep very soon.

[Hope75]

In the US the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies primary source of nutrition until 1 year is breastmilk or formula, meaning anything else is just supplementary. Typically here we are giving 1-2 'meals' or solid foods per day at 6 months and a 3rd is added around 9 months with the mainstay of nutrition still being BM or Formula.

 

If he is able to nurse (or bottle feed depending on what you are doing) I would do that more than encouraging table foods, since it has more nutritional bang for the buck than anything you can feed him on a spoon.

 

My daughter is almost 11 months and is still taking about 25-30 oz formula a day on top of 3 small meals of solids that we do.

 

Hope that helps! Sick babies are miserable, I have one fighting a cold and teeth right now too.:sad:

[Hope75]

Also, give him Tylenol for pain. This helps Landon alot. Your little one is too small for motrin or advil, so Tylenol every 4 hours and this will help him sleep.

 

When Landon is sick, I give him his bath before bed and I give him the Tylenol while he's in the bath. Then we dry off and he takes a bottle. Usually this helps him sleep. It controls the pain and put something in his belly so he doesnt wake up hungry every hour.

 

At 6 months it is OK to give Ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) in a pediatric dose if needed, but you need to read the label as it is every 6-8 hours vs. every 4 and you cannot give it for more than 10 days straight.

[Batya33]

In the US the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies primary source of nutrition until 1 year is breastmilk or formula, meaning anything else is just supplementary. Typically here we are giving 1-2 'meals' or solid foods per day at 6 months and a 3rd is added around 9 months with the mainstay of nutrition still being BM or Formula.

 

If he is able to nurse (or bottle feed depending on what you are doing) I would do that more than encouraging table foods, since it has more nutritional bang for the buck than anything you can feed him on a spoon.

 

My daughter is almost 11 months and is still taking about 25-30 oz formula a day on top of 3 small meals of solids that we do.

 

Hope that helps! Sick babies are miserable, I have one fighting a cold and teeth right now too.

 

 

fyi - it sure was hard to get him down to 16oz of milk a day after a year - he was also doing 30oz formula a day and 3 small meals

 

Hope thanks for reminding me about the food/formula difference under a year - OP I agree to focus more on the milk/formula than the solids right now.

[SamiJayne]

It's so odd how different the uk is to the usa... My health visitor said to just keep on the solids. That feeding him milk/food formula will encourage him to be lazy. To try to keep giving him water in a sippy cup and loose the bottle all together. =/

[Batya33]

It's so odd how different the uk is to the usa... My health visitor said to just keep on the solids. That feeding him milk/food formula will encourage him to be lazy. To try to keep giving him water in a sippy cup and loose the bottle all together. =/

 

We were told to keep giving him the 30oz or so of formula a day until a year old - and at 6 months old, food was still more of a dessert/supplement. He needed the formula for the nutrients in it and the calories and would never have eaten enough to make up for the calories - formula has about 20 calories an ounce as compared to let's say carrots which has 40 calories in a 6oz jar.

 

we also were told to limit water at 6 months and under and certainly not to replace formula with water.

[turnera]

About what we were told, 20 years ago. Also, when DD19 was one year old, he wanted her off the bottle completely.

[SamiJayne]

It's so different. I don't buy baby food jars either. I make his food myself.

[Hope75]

fyi - it sure was hard to get him down to 16oz of milk a day after a year - he was also doing 30oz formula a day and 3 small meals

 

Hope thanks for reminding me about the food/formula difference under a year - OP I agree to focus more on the milk/formula than the solids right now.

 

Right but her little baby is just 6 months.

 

It is really strange as we are told to limit water up to a year and really no water under 6 months and babys kidneys are not mature and can't concentrate or dilute urine according to fluid level so they can easily get electrolyte imbalances.

[Hope75]

It's so different. I don't buy baby food jars either. I make his food myself.

 

That is fine and even encouraged in the US too. I give my daughter a lot of home made mashed foods and just a few things from a jar. She really prefers finger foods over mashed/pureed anyway.

[anya1607307555]

It's so odd how different the uk is to the usa... My health visitor said to just keep on the solids. That feeding him milk/food formula will encourage him to be lazy. To try to keep giving him water in a sippy cup and loose the bottle all together. =/

 

SamiJayne, to my knowledge I don't know that there is a huge difference. Have you seen this link removed (click link inside to download) I'm not here to doubt your HV but I think some information may be getting confused in the process - understandable if she is only available for 2hrs pw.

 

Also, I don't know if you use parenting forums but they are a great source of information and support from other new mums. I really couldn't recommend joining one enough... Netmums or UKParents to name but two...particularly when your HV is unavailable. There is a plenty of advice available on baby-led weaning etc. The only thing I will say is trust yourself and your baby, don't force it, he will let you know what he needs.

 

Just to add on a personal note with regard to the sippy cup and water, I followed the advice your HV is giving you with my now teenage son. Offered sips of water at mealtimes from 6months, but then he was gradually down to one bottle for evening feeds by 12months and drank milk from a cup during the day. I never encountered any problems and he does have the most lovely teeth lol.

 

Do with that information what you will, hopefully something here will be of use to you.

 

oh yes, my least favourite weaning food? porridge in hands and hair. Yuk.