Refusing to Feed/Eat

It is important to look for hunger and fullness cues in infants. When a baby is full, they may turn their head away from a nipple and refuse to feed anymore. Refusing to feed is a feeding problem that usually starts when a baby is six to nine months of age. When a baby is consistently not feeding or is often refusing food or has a lack of appetite, it can lead to growth problems.

Refusing to feed/eat & CMPA

Why does my baby refuse to feed?

There are many reasons why babies can be finicky about food and feeding. However, it is not always related to an illness. It is suggested that food/feed refulsal could be related to teething, or your baby is tired, or he/she doesn’t need as much food as you are feeding them or they are trying to indicate that they are full.

Could it be Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy?

Feed refusal can be a symptom of Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA). However, babies with CMPA usually experience more than just one symptom and these symptoms can be very different from one baby to the next. Therefore we recommend you discuss it with your baby’s Healthcare Professional. They will look at the symptoms in detail and often use a symptom scoring system to decide if it is related to CMPA.

Keep a diary of when your baby feeds and of any symptoms that occur during or after feeding. Be sure to note down the time e.g., in minutes, hours or days, and when the symptom/s happened.

If your baby is breastfed, the mother should also record everything she is eating and drinking, as well as timings of symptoms after feeding. It’s a good idea to keep this diary for at least 1 week before seeing your Healthcare Professional.

What to Do Next?

If you are worried that your baby has symptoms related to cow's milk, you should seek advice from your Healthcare Professional. While you are preparing to visit your Healthcare Professional, it can be a good idea to record your baby's symptoms over a few days before the visit.

Record your baby's symptoms related to cow's milk using Pre-CoMiSS™, an expert designed tool, that can support your discussion with your healthcare professional.

Pre-CoMiSS™ tool