The Weaning Diaries | What to feed your baby when they’re ill

The last few months have brought a lot of coughs and colds our way. This week Austin had just got rid of a cough and two days later a new one arrived – boo! Illnesses are annoying as it is, but of course they affect appetite too and so start the weaning wars….

That’s probably a little harsh to be fair as it isn’t a war – maybe a slight battle. Austin is normally great with food and will eat absolutely anything (although he’s started to learn to blow rasperries after receiving a spoonfull of food, which he thinks is highly amusing – more on that soon!) It’s a real shame to see him refuse his meals as I know he must feel really rotten 😦 But he’s only human and I know when I’ve got a horrible cold I go off my food too.

So, what have I done this week to try and trick him into eating?! Well, as he’s usually spoon fed, I’ve been giving him lots of finger foods. He’s good with his hands and does usually have toast or little sandwiches, rice cakes etc so I was hoping that by sucking and playing with the food he might actually get some in him since he was refusing the spoon.

Puree, philadelphia sandwiches, breadsticks and houmous and ham

It kind of worked. He normally eats well with finger food but this week it’s been more of a distraction than actually managing to swallow anything I think. I made a bowl of puree anyway so I could be sly and sneak in a few mouthfulls which did seem to work. I’m not too bothered though, as like I said we all lose our appetite when ill. I just made sure he drank lots of milk and water instead.

This morning he did eat well – we both had eggy bread and grilled asparagus and green beans. It was so yummy!

Overall he’s probably eaten fine and if he hasn’t, he’s made up for it by taking extra bottles. I’m not a worrier when it comes to babies and their food – after all he’s hardly going to starve! He’ll tell me when he’s hungry which I know will be as soon as he’s better.

Another important tip is to buy some multi vitamins. We use the WellBaby liquid every day because Austin has always drunk below the recommended daily amount of milk for his age. We have spoken to health visitors and they advised that if children drink less than the daily guidline, we should give them these vitamins. It means that even though he doesn’t get enough formula, he will still get all the vitamins he needs which is very important. Even if your baby drinks enough, it’s always good to have a bottle of this at home for days when they are poorly and don’t take in enough food or drink.

Has your baby had the same problem when poorly?

Thanks for reading! 🙂