mealtime meltdowns

[mummymoo]

My dd is 10months and has recently started having mealtime meltdowns. She has eaten fairly well so far but is difficult to commence new foods with. Breakfast is usually OK but lunch and dinner are disasterous. As soon as she sees the bowl and spoon coming with the food she starts crying. I pop a spoonful of food into her open (yelling) mouth and she'll eat it then go right on crying. I try to keep the texture of her food consistent although it doesn't seem to make much difference. Something she'll eat today will cause histeria tomorrow. I am giving her formula at mealtimes which she seems to be holding out for. Other than the milk being an issue, I don't know what else could be causing it. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them as I'm out of ideas myself. :banghead:
Thanks
B

[ozzysmum]

i don't know if it'll help at all but ozzy sometimes gets like this at meal times and i give him 'dessert' first! he always gets yogurt and/or fruit with lunch and dinner and if he's grizzly (usually because he's tired or working on a poo:o ) i'll give him that first and then whatever the main is. i only offer water with meals unless he's really, really not into eating then i'll BF afterwards. i also think sometimes they just want to do other stuff rather than be strapped into the chair and eat. no solution there unless you're happy to have your dd wandering around the house trailing biscuit crumbs!
maybe it's just a stage and she'll be happieer at mealtimes soon :)

[reAllytee]

Sounds like its just the normal pattern she is going through she is starting to get her own tastes probably as well as possibly wanting to feed herself.
Have you tried finger food ? I found this to be the source of our problems around this age Boof wanted to be independant so started having sandwiches & fruit for lunch then dinner it was different vegies he could eat by himself etc. I also gave him a spoon which he would also try to use this & its good for them to get an idea around now anyways.
Try not to stress too much its hard i know but they wont let themselves starve & also at this age try not to allow herself to be filling up on her milk too much as its an easier option obviously.

[Merlion]

Jess is actually going through that stage now. She wants to be independent and refuses to let us feed her. At about 12 months old we started giving her finger foods so that she could feed herself and leaving her milk till about 1/2 an hour after she's had her lunch/dinner. It seem to work and she loved feeding herself. It might take 1/2 an hour longer than normal but who cares as long as they eat is my theory

[mummymoo]

Dear All
Thanks very much for thoughts and suggestions. Lunch today was a slightly happier affair and I didn't do anything differently. I think someone just wants to show me who's boss (like I don't already know). I do let her feed herself and she's pretty good with finger foods. Maybe it's time to change her meals to "self serve" and see how she goes. Once again thanks very much.:thumbsup:
B

[the pero clinic]

Dear Mummymoo,

It’s hard to say what the cause/s of your little one’s sudden change in feeding behaviour could be. Perhaps she is teething or has been unwell lately?

If not, some ideas you could try include:

Experimenting with the times that you give her lunch and dinner. She just may not be hungry when you are offering her meals (or you have just missed her peak in appetite).
Offering your daughter a change of foods. For example, if you have been offering her mashed vegetables, try to now give her cooked vegetable pieces as finger foods.
Separate meals from bottles / cups of milk. If you feel that she is rejecting meals for milk, do not offer the formula immediately after she refuses her food.

the pero clinic