My Baby is 10 Months Old and Doesn't Eat Properly

by Ellie
(Toronto, Canada)

My 10 month old baby was an exclusively breastfeed baby since birth and we started introducing food when she was 7 months but she is just not interested in food, not her food any ways and hates to eat from a spoon.

My food she wants, but more out of curiosity than anything else. I let her try some time if is not something offending to her. She'll play with it around and then throw it out.

I'm extremely worried about her iron levels since she is not getting it from anywhere, but the Dr says breast milk is good and all she needs until a year and not to worry about, but he also offered to do a blood test which I didn't do.

She is a healthy baby and is hitting all the milestones in time if not before, but I do know of some babies that at this stage are eating 3 course meals 3 times a day and my baby in nibbling here and there. What do you think?

Sorry about the mess if I don't make much sense typing one handed here.

TIA!

Find answers and comments below.

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Baby Help Line Response:

Tips on babies that reject baby food

Hi Ellie!

I completely understand your concern! It's tough when you have a very picky eater, especially during this half year when babies are supposed to transit from breast milk and formula to solid foods.

The first thing I would do in your situation is to accept the doctor's offer of a blood test. As I'm sure you know since your pregnancy, it is a really simple and quick test.

Most likely, your daughter's iron levels are just fine and the test results will take a whole lot of worrying off your back. If not, you'll have the doctor's attention!

But since your daughter is healthy and alert, she really is likely to be OK.

As for your daughter's eating... That is one milestone she is obviously not reaching early, but if she is healthy it doesn't really matter. My youngest was a bit like your daughter; it took the longest time for him to accept anything but bananas. Well over one year he was still very picky, but improving.

What I do is I try to offer him a variety of different tastes and sometimes (usually not) he finds something that he likes. And then I also give him his favorite foods, so that I can be sure that he eats at least something.

Funny thing - he is not skinny, very normal, and he grows perfectly along his growth curves. I've visited a nurse to measure him from time to time to stop my own worrying.

I really think you seem to be doing what you can. You are not trying to force your baby, rather offer her foods, which is good.

Give her finger foods if she seems to enjoy that and offer her pieces of healthy foods also in between meals, to not make such a big deal of her eating.

She'll get there!

Paula

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