Claire Baseley
Infant nutritionist / Makes Ella's Good
When routines get wobbly: tips for tough baby days
Your baby might be in a perfect routine of eating, napping and playing until, one day, there are
tears,
tantrums
and turned heads at mealtimes!
With little mouths clamped firmly shut and food left uneaten.
First up, know that this is COMPLETELY normal and not a reflection on your cooking or parenting. Here’s what to do when the routine goes out the window.
Appreciate appetite ups and downs
Some days, grown-ups can be more hungry than others and your baby is no different. In fact, growth spurts can have little ones gobbling up everything in sight, while teething or feeling under the weather can reduce your baby’s appetite. It’s all completely normal so, if one meal or one day doesn’t go to plan, don’t worry, just move on. They’ll be back to normal eating patterns in a day or two.
Top tips
- Keep calm and be reassuringly smiley
- Don’t force your baby to eat if they don’t want to
- Just having food in front of them still counts as a foodie experience, even if they don’t eat much – it’s all sensory exploration
Keep calm and take it away
No one likes their homemade masterpiece getting rejected without a second glance but, rest assured, it’s not your cooking! If your baby turns their head away, clamps their mouth shut or in some other way rejects their food, just calmly take it away and wait till the next mealtime. Don’t be temped to offer an alternative. Just try again later.
In the know
It can take around 10 tries of a new food before it’s accepted, so don’t give up
Comfort foods
No, we don’t mean sticky toffee pud! If little ones are feeling off colour, sticking with the familiar, tried + tested favourites - whether it’s cottage pie or chicken curry - can encourage your little one to take a nibble, even if they’re under the weather.
Tricky day toolkit
If you know why your little one is low on appetite, you can take steps to soothe them.
- Teething gums can feel sore so cooling foods like yoghurt can help
- If they’re unwell, try familiar foods in smaller portions, more frequently throughout the day
- If your baby is over-stimulated, try removing distractions like TV, radio, screens and toys at mealtime
- Fussy babies can benefit from eating together with you or the family, especially if you’re all eating the same food and model good eating habits
This too shall pass
Remember, tricky days don’t last forever. The odd few days of eating less than usual will pass. It’s what your baby eats over a week or two that’s more important and they’ll be sure to make up for it once they bounce back.
more helpful stuff to explore
Handy video
rejecting foods
Claire Baseley (infant nutritionist) shares her top tips with mum, Naomi Courts on what to do if your baby is rejecting foods during weaning and how to make weaning fun!
Play >
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