Breast or bottle refusal can be a distressing occurrence for both mother and baby. Often the baby has previously fed happily, then for some reason, begins to refuse a feed. Causes may be apparent such as: an alert baby being easily distracted, over-feeding or force-feeding, gastric reflux, illness in the infant or if breastfeeding, oral or nipple thrush, mastitis, medications and hormonal changes (e.g. ovulation, menstruation), or mother becoming ill. There may also be issues

Part 2 of Fussy Feeders In the previous article I discussed some of the behavioural reasons behind fussy feeding. This month I would like to take a closer look at those children who are plainly not comfortable while eating or are literally starving themselves. These babies are often labelled ‘Failure to Thrive’ babies. They are babies and toddlers that are not gaining weight they should or are under weight. Having worked amongst many babies and toddlers who either fuss

Having worked amongst many babies and toddlers who either fuss at the breast/bottle or are refusing or fussy with their solids I would like to discus some of the reasons I have found are quite common causes of this fussiness. Fussy feeders covers quite a large age range from newborns through to childhood and can be due to various reasons and therefore should be looked at closely to decide if or not is behavioural or is there some other more sinister cause. In this article I

The psychological impact of your baby’s reflux on you and your family I am a mother of two children who both suffered from reflux as babies and a psychologist who continues to see exhausted and distraught mothers of babies with reflux in my practise. Having been through the incessant and nerve shattering screaming of the baby in pain, the broken and insufficient sleep for the entire family and the merry go round of searching for the right treatment, I can relate to this iss

When Karen Eriksen’s son began refusing almost all food at the age of two, it would take five years and several specialists to establish what the problem was. My child lives on air alone. You think I am exaggerating, but not really. My seven-year-old boy, Finn, eats small quantities of dry white bread and chips (or potato balls) with tomato sauce. He also occasionally eats vanilla ice cream, pikelets or banana bread from a café. He drinks water, juice and sometimes strawb

For the first few months of a baby’s life your baby has three basic needs - feeding, sleeping and love. A well fed baby is generally a happy baby. ‘Nutrition’ then is the first and most important need of a baby, for without it you will not succeed in accomplishing the second which is ‘sleep’. Right from the beginning we need to put into place good eating habits. Some Facts If your baby feeds well, they will generally sleep well. Feeding a baby to sleep is not a good idea,

As a mothercraft nurse I visit many homes with unsettled babies. Parents pacing the floor, pulling their hair out having tried every remedy and potions family and friends have suggested with little or no improvement. The nightmare some families go through with their babies often results in shattered confidence, mental and physical exhaustion which can lead to postnatal depression, family feuds and marital breakdowns. So why are these babies so unsettled? There may be severa

Breast refusal can be a distressing occurrence for both mother and baby. Often the baby has previously fed happily, then for some unknown reason, begins to refuse to feed. Causes may be apparent, but often there does not seem to be a cause. Known factors are: an alert baby being easily distracted, over-feeding or force-feeding, gastric reflux, illness in the infant or mother, oral or nipple thrush, mastitis, medications and hormonal changes (e.g. ovulation, menstruation),