1 year old doesn't eat breakfast / doesn't tend to eat any solids until afternoon

Hi all,

Bed-sharing breastfeeding mum here, whose DD won't eat any breakfast (sometimes will have a taste of this or that, but that's it). She generally doesn't eat any solids until the afternoon - today it would have been around 1pm or 1:30 before she had any solids.

She (breast)feeds a lot overnight - generally from around 2am-4am she's on and off continually, feeding almost the whole time. She must wake up full from breastfeeding overnight. Generally she refuses breakfast (even if I have waited an hour or two after she has woken up to offer it), but then she will ask for a breastfeed 30 mins or an hour or so later. I always let her breastfeed when she wants, when she asks - I would like to keep having an "open door" policy with breastfeeding. Having said that, sometimes recently when she has been feeding and it is REALLY obvious she isn't hungry at all, I have distracted her with a book and read a story with her instead (something she really loves, to provide the comfort / attention in a different form than breastfeeding). She will often only eat solids in the afternoon, and will therefore be exclusively breastfeeding for 18 out of 24 hours in a day.

What can I do to get around the breakfast situation? Do other mums have toddlers who don't eat breakfast? What do you do? I would like her to eat some solids in the morning - I've never forced her to eat anything, I would be happy with just a little bit.

Thanks. :-)

Shell, I am a big believer in breakfast being the most important meal of the day, but I don't think you need to worry. My first DS barely ate until he was nearly 1, and even then it more like 17 months before he ate any quantity of food. I think often bf bubs just don't need so much extra nutrition, and when I was going through it, I was assured that if they need it, they do eat. It turned out to be true and one day he started eating well.

I would just go with the flow. I'd be tempted to put food in front of her - something she can eat herself such fruit or toast, and then leave her to it. If she eats it fine, if she doesn't just take it away without any fuss. I wish I had had this advice when DS1 was younger! GL with it.

shellshell i think this is perfectly normal. my daughter is similar - breastfeeds a lot at night, and isn't too interested in solids in the morning. usually what i do is offer her a piece of toast or fruit, which she'll have a little nibble on before throwing it away (this morning she ate a little piece of avocado, which was a big brekkie for her!). she has little snacks throughout the day - bits of whatever me and ds are eating, since food is so much more interesting if someone else is eating it! - and eats 'dinner' in the evening, when i sit her in her high chair and put various foods in front of her, most of which will end up on the kitchen floor. but really, the amounts consumed are tiny and i probably would be worrying about this if it weren't for the fact that her brother was much the same til he was about 18 months.

i think interest in solids develops slowly in some kids and quickly in others - best not to compare your baby with others, just let her go at her own pace as long as she's healthy and gaining weight!

oh, i should also mention that dd's favourite foods are the scraps she finds for herself on the kitchen floor :rolleyes:!

Thanks for your replies. I am pretty much just doing that - I offer her a bit of what I am eating for breakfast and she might taste it, but sometimes she doesn't even do that, just stiffens her legs so I can't get her in the high chair and cries. So I don't force the issue with her. The only reason I really want her eating some breakfast is that I really want to start TTC again soon and I haven't had a period come back. I really hate the idea of weaning to get a period back, but I thought I might be able to reduce her feeding slightly if she ate breakfast. For those of you whose bubbas didn't really start eating a lot of solids until around 18 months, when did you get your period back? I know every woman is different, but just curious. Ideally I would like to get pregnant when DD is 18 months, but I am getting anxious to start early because it took over 2 years to conceive the first time. Oh well, what can you do?! It's not easy... !

Shell, with DS1 it came back when he was 7 months. But he didn't feed during the night between 6 weeks and 8 months. Usually your hormones are higher when you feed during the night, apparently between 1am and 5 am particularly. So if you want to hurry her up, you might need to find a way to reduce the night feeds, or stop altogether. That can be really tough if she's still wanting them, which it seems like she is.

If you decide to go down that path, I would give the ABA helpline a call on 1800 mum2mum and get some tips - they also have a great booklet on weaning for $5. GL.

what about offerring her some yoghurt?i found my ds1 would eat this but no toast/cereal

Thanks for the tips. I've tried yoghurt - same thing. Tried sheep's yoghurt because DD is severely cow's milk protein intolerant (diagnosed by paediatrician) - which of course adds in it's own issues - ie. wanting to breastfeed for as long as possible, until she's hopefully okay with cow's milk.

MantaRay - I am thinking I will leave it until she's 16 mths - hopefully a period will come back naturally by then. If not, then I will look at night weaning. I'll need all the help I can get for that, I imagine - thanks for the tip to call a counsellor. ;-) I think it would be easier to wean during the day than nighttime.

Thanks again. :-)

Thanks for this - My DS is the same and I thought it was just him! If he has like a spoonful of food before lunch time it's really remarkable

ShellShell, my DD2 is doing the exact same thing! bfeeding at night, little bites in the day. I found porridge to be a winner in the mornings and last thing at night actually. It really works for the times when she's not in the mood to chew.

DD1 actually refused all solids completely until she was 11 mths and then slowly moved to eating solids, so i consider myself lucky that DD2 will eat (a little bit of) anything!

I actually got 1 period when DD1 was 10 mths old (despite feeding round the clock and her not eating solids), conceived DD2 and that was it (very lucky for us).

For us too, i think it will be easier to 'wean' during the day than at night. There's so much to be able to distract her with in the day , but at night all she wants is mumma!!

my ds is an excellent eater but bfast is not his thing....
i just try it each day - some days he eats and some days not... i figure he makes up for it later and will do a good breaky at some pt...

Well, she's eaten breakfast these last 3 days... Guess what it was? Peas and broccoli!! Okay, so she wants to eat vegies for breakfast! lol