10 month old not eating well after bug

[happymummyof1]

hi there, my 10 month old little boy has been following annabel karmel since 4.5 months old and he was always doing really well. because of his silent reflux which was quite severe i cut out a lot of foods with acid but he still had a variety and ate all meats and fish and lots of veg and fruit etc.. and ate really well. he's lots better now with his reflux now though so i will try to introduce those foods now like apple and tomatos etc..

he had a bug a month ago and for 10 days barely ate anything or drank his medicated milk. he lost 12 oz! and all he would eat was rusks. since then it gradually improved but he then refused chicken or pork and would only eat beef and liver! some salmon with spinach.

we went on holiday last week to spain but i cooked over there just two beef dishes and he refused them. he pushes the spoon away before it gets near, then i try to get it in somehow and sometimes he eats a little and others he just keeps pushing it away, he's having a quarter of what he's been having for about 4 months now. he's very happy with fruit and rusks etc...! and will take that off the spoon no trouble.

trying to figure out something, i gave him some ella's kitchen meals and he seemed to try those, today he refused them though so i gave him some on the spoon for him to feed himself, he didn't eat much but at least he ate something! lots of mess!

i read in gina ford that this age is when they can get fussy and start to refuse foods they enjoyed before. is it too sloppy? i find it hard to get the right consistency without making it so it's hard to swallow so they can be a little loose sometimes. he won't drink water or juice so i don't like them to be to dry.

i'm so frustrated and just want him to be full and enjoying fresh home foods.
any help would be very very much appreciated!
rachel.

[DrP]

I would try him on finger foods if he is not already eating them. He may well want something he can interact with himself. Lots of variation, fruit pieces, steamed veg, toast, pasta, cheese, fish, thin stips of chicken. Instead of spoon feeding him try letting him feed himself with these sort of things and see how he gets on. If he will try feeding himself with a spoon then let you can also let him try away. It is important to let him learn this even if doesn't eat massive amounts and makes quite a mess.

Even if he won't drink water it is worth always leaving a cup around within reach so that if he is thirsty he might try it. No spill cups of some description are best, something he can play with without spilling water all over the house.