Parents of Schoolgoers  Discussion Forum

Hello friends,
M a working mom of 1yr old baby.our problem is our baby never take food properly, 2-3 people altogether make her eat food (forcefully). Many time she vomit whole food out , many times she dont eat the full (any how), some times one or two spoons only. After this (in the morning) she don' t eat any thing till evening. I came at 6 in the evening and feed her. she didn' t had any milk for last 5 months (Other than my feed). we have done all the things to make her eat, including dancing, singing , showing different things, changing food but....... m very much worried about her. Archana Pawar replied. Hi Mamta,

As Mel said try the techniques and first of all, you relax. I am too a working Mom and i know how dependent we have to be on the person who is taking care of your child back home.

There can be some reason for the baby not taking the feed, try to evaluate it one by one and someday i am sure you will reach at a conclusion and once you diagnose the problem then treatment is easy :)

Reasons can be
1. The activity must not be enough as required. Allow the baby to play as much as possible. Sometimes our elders in the house dont allow the baby to do their regular bit of playing/falling/crawling with the fear that the baby will fall or get hurt. Once the activity is there then the child will feel hungry and you may try to introduce new feeds during this time.
2. Stomach not clear: There are also chances that the baby has a gas problem and therefore doesnt feel like eating anything and womits or the digestion system is a little weak (my daughter had this problem). A paed can suggest some medicines or home remedy is \" kala namak\" to mix in your milk and give in the night. This can be on an experimental basis. Ensure that she doesnt put plastic things in mouth or hands in mouth all the time.
3. If the baby was not introduced to new food from 6 months onwards by now her taste buds must have been developed and therefore doesnt want to eat anything other than the usual food. As mel suggested keep introducing new food and some day you will be successful.

I understand your problem. My daughter is 8 years old now and i had similar problems because had no time to look after her eating habits when she was very young and had to rely on Mom to give her feeds. I therefore feel that your child has to be in your control and the care taker has to be given specific instructions. Also i referred to a book on Child raising by Dr. Spock.

Take care and let me know if any of my suggestions helped.
Mel replied. First of all, try and relax. I know that this is the most frustrating thing, since I have gone through the same.

Now, it is important that she takes a certain amount of food and milk to ensure appropriate growth and development. But, also remember, now that she has crossed the one year mark... she will get increasingly fussy about solids... which is ok.

Try and get her to have milk. It will be difficult, but if you are persistent, it will work. My son fell sick when he was 4 months old, and the doctor asked me to stop giving him BM and FM and give him only Nestum mixed with water. After he recovered, he refused to have any milk whatsoever. He must have not touched milk for about 5-6 months. It was a terrible phase for me, but you cannot force them.

Here' s what you can do. Since she has your feed, try expressing your milk and refridgerate it. Let someone else give her your BM from a bottle / sippy cup. Slowly add a little bit of cow' s milk to the cup... and very gradually increase it. She will eventually start having it. Another way that I reinstated my sons milk drinking was through the night feed. I used to offer him FM in a bottle at night, and he used to drink it in his sleep. So, try that too.

About food, don' t force her too much. Try giving her an assortment of things... Healthy alternatives... yoghurt / mashed potatoes / dal chaval. Try feeding her, if she resists, let her be. Let her play for about an hour or two after her usual mealtime, and then sit her at the table and put a plate in front of her with 3 or 4 options. Put a little dahi on one side, some french fries / baked potato bits on one side, some small pieces of cheese on another side, and some small biscuits. Just put the plate in front of her and go away, carry on your work as usual.

If she doesn' t touch it... don' t say anything, just remove the plate after about 10 mins.

Don' t be disheartened. Just keep at this. And eventually she will start picking at the food on the plate.

Keep two key things in mind:
1. Give her supplements. Speak to her paed and ask him / her to prescribe a good multi-vitamin and multi-mineral syrup. Also, make sure to give her calcium supplements.

2. Make mealtimes stressfree. If you make a big deal about it by stressing and fussing, and showing her anger or disappointment, it will increase the problem and her aversion to food. Just allow her to relax and slowly enjoy the concept of eating.

All the best. And don' t lose heart.