Baby

Bar the Bull

Bar the Bull

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
9,534
Location
Llandubno, West Wales (very west)
I have a baby. Archie is eight months old, and exploring everything. All he wants to do is crawl, and stand up. He has no interest in just sitting; in fact he could crawl and stand before he learned to sit up properly.

The problem is this; he has been off his food for the past 10 days or so. As soon as he goes into his chair, he starts squirming and wants to get out. He refuses to eat more than a couple of bites and then he will turn his head away from the spoon.

I have had to chase him round the floor with a spoon and his food, whereby he will take a spoon in between crawling and messing.

I am well aware that he is too young to start disciplining, but when do I start laying down the law? Is it good to cave in so easily?

It drives me fecking mad having to spend upwards of an hour feeding the little angel on my hands and knees. And I only get the privelege the odd evening and at weekends; Mrs. BtB gets it in the neck every meal time.

Any ideas?
 
"We" feel that you have to draw lines even at this stage.

Archie will eat when he is hungry, if you and Mrs. BtB carry on feeding him on the hoof then he might try pushing the barrier even further.

If he is taking his milk alright don't worry about things too much.

You say he is off his food, have you checked in his mouth to see if he is teething?

It was all a long time ago mind you!
 
When he wants to stop eating leave him alone, he will be hungry next meal/next day and will soon learn not to mess about when the opportunity arises.

Not that I ever listened to my own advice. I always thought I was torturing the child if everything wasn't eaten, but deep down you know its not the case.

If the above does not suit, mash a banana into Yoghurt. He'll eat that.
 
The difficulty is that when they want food they'll cry. They learn that crying is rewarded with food or a cuddle. If you don't respond you worry if people think you're being cruel.

My advice is never chase after a kid to feed them. If they won't sit where they're put, don't feed them. If they cry for food, ignore them until you decide it's time to sit them where you decide and feed them there. (Or feed them to the dogs.)

It's very long ago now (20 years) for me but my daughter still cannot eat unless she's sitting at a table.

In my opinion, very young children need a clearly defined routine whether they realise it or not.
 
Thanks lads.

I kind of guessed it wasn't a good idea to be chasing him with the spoon on the ground. We'll persist.

I got a text from HQ to say that he had behaved himself at breakfast and lunch, so maybe my wife's persistence is paying off. She is better at all of this than me.

Gareth,

Is the scart lead that thing hanging between his legs?
 
I love the fact that it's the men that have responded with useful tips for BtB to this thread! I hope Barry tells Mrs Bull where the helpful tips have come from - well apart from Gareth's of course. :what:

I am not very baby orientated. I would have tied up a hay net in the corner of the kitchen and expected it to graze when it was hungry. :what:
 
I love babys at that age , starting to get their own little character , or is it Mischief :D ......Has he thrown his unwanted dinner at you yet !! :what: ...my grand-daughter was exactly the same ,.....my daughter cut out all the in between little snacks , so she had her normal bottle of milk in the morning , tried her with some ceral or something light for breakfast , if she didnt eat that she had nothing except a yoghurt till dinner and so on ....she soon started to eat her food !! went to the doctors , he said she was perfectly healthy and that she would eat when she was hungry ....

Im sure he will start to eat properly soon.....then they never stop :laughing:
 
Thoroughly agree with the advice handed out above. Children won't starve themselves - when he's hungry, he'll eat alright and it's good sense not to make an issue out of food.

If he wriggles to get down and explore, I'd just let him go and, other than his milk, that would be it until the next mealtime - definitely no snacks or treats in between!

Sounds like an adorable lad to me - enjoy!!!
 
I agree with all the advice too - have defined times and a place for eating, and stick to it

- otherwise he'll be running riot in the streets and taking heroin before you can say "sit down"

Seriously, kids like animals need routine, but they'll push the boundaries as far as they can
Allowing them to will just make a rod for your own backs

Friends of mine had a daughter who was a nightmare about food -
I remember one visit when she'd eat nothing but raw red cabbage, another when it was jam sarnies.
The tantrums were Oscar-standard

- she's now a tall blond stunner of 28 doing a PhD in Film Studies, and got a First at Oxford in English
 
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