12months old and not eating much at all...?!

My DS just turned 12 months and has been sick :( He couldnt hold any formula down and kept throwing it up (after having gastro) .

Now im giving him cows milk- only one bottle in day, and rice milk in the night so its not too much on his belly til he gets well again...

However, im concerned cause he doesnt eat much!? give him one weetbix in morning, and he has toast... i give him a couple of biscuits (arrowroots, cause he gobbles them up) for lunch i give him a sandwich. And try to give him fruit. And he refuses dinner most nights...


How much does/did your 12 month old eat, and should i be concerned that he wont get all his nutritional value and get sick? ( i dont even fgiv him meat, he only has it occasionally like fish fingers and pieces of chicken)

Izzy is a really small eater. An example of a good day is, one weetbix or porridge with banana in it for brekky, a piece of bread with cheese spread on it for morning tea, a snadwich with ham and cheese for lunch, sultanas, fruit, cheese for afternoon tea and whatever we are having for dinner ( usually chicken or fish too) with steamed veg, etc. Yoghurt too sometime through the day as well. That is a good day though, most days one of those meals will be refused, but I just offer her little bits of cheese and fruit through the day.

If he has been sick you will find he won't eat that much either. Iz has not been well and tends to refuse alot. She also still has 2 formula bottles a day, I haven't gone to cows milk yet because she is such a small eater. I would say he is eating what he needs, most people say that toddlers won't let themselves starve, so as long as you are offering a variety of food, including lots of fruit and veg I wouldn't be too concerned. HtH.

Hi Stacey, that doesn't sound too bad, especially since he's sick and probably gone off his food for a bit. I find that my DD who is almost 12 months will eat much more if she feeds herself. If I feed her with a spoon from a bowl, she'll lose interest faster than if I place the food in small chunks on her tray. For dinner, even if it's something sloppy like stew or a thick soup, I can tear up bits of wholemeal bread, soak up the stew and place the blobs on her tray. Doesn't loom appetising but she seems more enthusiastic that way about the meal.

Hi Stacey,

I don't have a 12 month old baby but I have posted similar threads in the past wondering why is she eating/drinking so little. I have a small eater baby too and I find that babies don't starve themselves. They will let you know when they get hungry. Also, your DS might still feel be experiencing some belly discomfort since he had gastro. Just make sure that you give him enough fluids. If he doesn't drink his bottle, try giving him some electrolyte drinks designed for babies just to keep up with his body's electrolytes. I am sure he will be drinking and eating more again when he feels better from his gastro. Hope he feels better soon. Keep up the good work hun.

My almost 1yr old is doing the same thing. He was going off his food before last week when had a vomit a day (sounds funny when I say it like that ) and has had bad nappies. But sometimes he'll eat and sometimes he wont. Today he had oats for brekky and a peice of bread with cheese on (he picked all the cheese off and threw it on the floor and just ate the bread). Apparently for dinner he had a little smidgen of rice with a small bit of pumpkin and potato (I'm at work so DH passed on that info). ATM I'm just happy he's eating but wonder whats got into him coz normally he's a hungry hungry baby.