I think our girls are on a hunger strike…

[Anonymous]

I’ve got three questions. Q#1: my 23 month-old niece has been waking up at 4-5 am lately asking for her milk. She brings my sister to the fridge and says “milk” and will not go back to sleep until my sister gives it to her. And when she does drink it, sometimes she doesn’t want to go back to sleep anymore. She doesn’t have the greatest appetite and is a very picky eater (so breakfast, lunch and dinner is always a challenge). I’m suspecting she’s hungry. My sister’s worried (naturally) that she’s not getting enough nutrients. Any thoughts on that?

Q#2: you could tell that Ariella and Victoria (my niece) are related. All of a sudden, Ariella doesn’t want to eat her food anymore. She drinks milk fine but when it’s time for fruits, veggies and chicken, she’ll eat a a few spoons and takes off her bib (that’s her sign for “I’ve had enough”). I don’t want to force her but at the same time, it can’t be enough for her since she’s been eating all of what I gave her + drinking her formula on top of that. What could be going on?
And one final question: I’ve started with finger foods with Ariella. She’ll pick it up and throw it on the floor and she’ll eat ONLY if I feed it to her. Should I keep giving it to her even though ALL OF IT ends up on the floor??

mariannardh2007-07-11 16:10:23

[Anonymous]

I don’t know what to tell ya about the hunger strike. Sarah’s appetite dropped a little this past week out of nowhere and I’m not sure why either! Is Ariella teething? Sick? Fever? Ear infection?

I would keep persisting with the finger foods. Can you guide her hand to her mouth with the food to “show” her that she can feed herself? Do you have a dog? I know my friends little girl enjoys dropping her food for the dog to eat! I’m out of ideas but don’t give up!

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Amy, she’s been very VERY cranky lately. I don’t know what it is. I’ve taken her to her pediatrician a few times to see if she’s got an ear infection (b/c she keeps tugging at that ear) and he keeps telling me that there is nothing going on and she may be doing it b/c of the teething pain or just b/c they’re there. She’s “actively” teething now but she’s got 4 teeth already and I never noticed any drop in appetite with the other teeth. I don’t know, I’m confused. I’ll probably keep a diary of the things she’s eaten and amount of formula she’s drank. I’m afraid she’s not getting enough.

[Anonymous]

The diary is a good idea. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s teeth. Some teeth have been a BREEZE for Sarah and others have been awful…mostly awful, but maybe these new teeth are particularly difficult for her.

[Anonymous]

I can’t answer the question about your niece, but around Ariella’s age Kaelyn just stopped being interested in food for a while. It would take us three meals to get one jar of Stage 1 food into her. We kept giving her finger foods as well. She ignored them for a while. Gradually, she started eating more and more finger foods until she was actually eating what seemed to be an “appropriate” amount. I still have a lot of days when I cringe at the amount of food that gets wasted because both girls can be such picky eaters.

[Anonymous]

I think I may have figured out the mystery. I’m beginning to suspect that Ariella’s “bored” with baby food and wants more finger foods. She enjoys biting into the food…

[hellbennt]

at 9 months I started w/ proteins

beans (canned: black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, chick peas & also refried beans mixed in w/ pasta or rice or spread on toast- yes I’m weird- creative, but weird LOL- the beans make the noodles stick together & make it easier to pick up, plus they’re full of protein & iron)

), poultry, etc

sticky rice is good

french toast w/ egg yolk

pancakes (black strap molasses is good to put in french toast & pancakes-it has a lot of iron & calcium)

pasta

chunks of sweet potato, avocado, steamed veggies (broccoli, all kinds of squash, green beans, peas) and fruits (apple slices, peach slices, papaya, melon)

gerber puffs & wagon wheels

teething biscuits

toast- you can even spread babyfood on the toast or mix babyfood in w/ the pasta/bean glop

I used jarred carrots for sauce w/ noodles bcse i was scared of tomato sauce…

[Anonymous]

Laura, thank you for the advice. I made her chicken the other day and put it through the blender. She would not take it so I masked it with carrots (her favorite) and she ate it with no problem. Beans?? She would not get gassy from them? I got her the gerber puffs and she thinks they’re a toy so she plays with them and throws them on the floor. She’ll eat them only if I feed them to her. I’ve been trying the hand over hand technique but she hits my hand as if she’s saying “leave me alone”. (Big sigh)….

[hellbennt]

try a few beans- I haven’t had a bad ‘gas’ reaction from either of my boys, LOL

try putting some noodles on her tray- ari loves noodles- too cute!

I’m probably too relaxed with worrying about choking…I let him do his thing & knock on wood so far he will spit out his mouthful if it’s too large…(but he’s not one to stuff his face)

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