12 month old will not eat and vomits almost daily

My daughter is 12 months old and hates to eat.  She weighs 17.6lbs. and is 70cm tall.  I am becoming very concerned as she is not getting enough of the nutritional value of food that she requires.  It started shortly after birth with the vomiting and being a breast fed baby I took dairy and nut products out of my system which did not make much of a difference.  Well today she is 12 months and still vomits 3-7 times in a week.  She dislikes food but you would to if you always vomited.  I try finger foods, baby foods, you name it.  Sometimes the food goes down OK and other times you know it is going to come back up.  She gags on all types of foods mostely baby cereal.  She cries everytime I put her in the high chair for a meal.  In the past two months she has started Homo milk which has been better and she drinks 4 8oz bottles daily.  In fact she loves her milk and would rather drink all day long.  Since changing to Homo milk she sleeps better only waking 1 in the night compared to 5 or 7 times and has put on 1.5lbs. in 3 months.  My problem is the lack of nutrition, why she cannot eat, and the constant vomitting.  I should mention before she vomits she is very fussy and after she vomits she is the happiest baby and can take a bottle like nothing.

[Renee Radenberg]

It sounds like she wants to eat but the vomiting stops her. Has she been seen by a MD and checked to rule out reflux? If not, then suggest having her tested. In the meantime the following suggestions may help. The feeding position is important and should be almost a sitting up position when feeding her. Never lay her down on her back right after eating or 1 – ½ hour after feeding because the acid from the stomach goes into the esophagus and causes pain. Raise the head of her crib to a 45-degree angle too so she are not flat on her back. Feeding her 5-6 times day can help. Feeding that way keeps the stomach acid constant which helps the reflux, she grows, and weight increases at a steady pace.