So my 15 month old has never been the best eater but for the past few months he flat out refuses table foods. He will eat yogurt, applesauce and Gerber jars and crackers but that's about it.
This is beyond a phase and I am trying to get an appointment with early intervention as the ped thinks it might be a texture issue, but in the meantime I would love to know if anyone has gone through anything similar.
We have tried the not feeding him, but he just wakes up starving for milk in the middle of the night.
The problem is compounded by the fact that daycare won't move him to the next room until he eats lunch there. (Right now he will only eat a pouch) an I feel that this is holding him back - he is already the oldest in the room by a few months.
Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? I feel so frustrated about this and am sick of cooking meals for him only to have to resort to Gerber jar or yogurt to her something in him!
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I assume you have tried things that dissolve in the mouth like puffs or Cheerios? That's the only thing I can think of that might help him transition from soft food to solid food. Or what about yogurt with fruit pieces mixed in to get him used to chunks?
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I am sure you have tried everything so forgive my silly question but have you tried cooking things like noodles or fries? Or mixing other foods into the gerber jars or fruit in with the yogurt?
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@Aimed: yikes, that must be frustrating! LO is going through a mild table food strike, which is what I thought this thread might've been about. Has he ever eaten much table food? Will he eat any puffs/Cheerios/goldfish?
Have you tried mesh feeders? Does he like the chunkier purees? I've heard of people having success with transitioning from the chunkier purées to pasta with purée on top, as kind of a gateway to getting their LO to eat more table food.
Good luck, I hope EI can help! We utilize EI for a different situation, but have found them to be extremely wonderful people.
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@MamaMoose: yes, he will eat Cheerios and puffs and cereals but nothing like dinner foods, no shredded meat or anything remotely like that.@Lindsay05: not silly at all! I have tried puttin other food in the jars - no dice. You name it, I've cooked it to no avail :(@Applesandbananas: he won't go for the mesh feeder either. He just bats everything away. Thanks for the good word about EI though, I hope they can help!
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@Aimed: Just here to commiserate. Sadie (14m) will eat a few things (crackers, Nutrigrain bars, fruit, cheerios, and a couple other things), but mostly refuses table foods. I'm pretty sure it's a texture thing. She doesn't like to touch things that are slimy or "icky." Our ped wasn't much help - basically just told us to keep offering, and if she doesn't eat it, she'll make up for it next meal. But, I don't feel comfortable starving my baby! I'm trying to just wait it out. She is basically living on fruit + veggie pouches right now!
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@photojane: thanks for the commiserations! Sorry you are going through this too but at least we aren't alone!
My LO will just eat the pouches Of fruit and veggies too. It's just so frustrating, especially when daycare is holding him back too
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@aimed: You could have been describing my 15 month old in your OP! He eats yogurt, applesauce, cheese, bread, cereals and crackers. He's never been a diverse eater, either. Did your pedi recommend EI? DS had his 15 month appointment 2 weeks ago and our pedi didn't seem concerned. Like @photojane, our pedi told us to keep offering a variety of foods and that eventually DS will eat more. I don't think it's a texture thing for DS, though, because he's started scooping his yogurt with his fingers. All the same, i's super frustrating and worrisome. Good luck!
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Does he like feeding himself? Our progression started with pouches and puffs, then went to muffins or egg muffin type foods because they are really soft, then on from there. Peas? My LO (15 months) has a fit if he can't feed himself so those foods helped...(also big pieces of banana...)
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@Aimed: is daycare willing to budge at all on moving rooms? Hopefully if EI gets involved, they can help you advocate for your LO at daycare. In our state, the regulations allow parents to provide alternative foods if they provide a note for the child's file. Maybe your daycare will allow you to write a note for his file to explain the different food so he can move up. Maybe seeing other kids eat table food will help?
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@Katrocap: our ped didn't seem overly worried but suggested EI if we wanted so we are pursuing it. We'll see how it goes!@Mrs Green Grass: he does like feeding himself but he won't eat many finger foods either, he just picks them up, sniffs and flings it on the floor - mealtimes are wonderful at my house!
@Applesandbananas: thank you so much, I think that we are going to set up a meeting with the director and talk about it all. I know he's little but he tends towards the lower end of the range of normal in development milestones so far so I am eager for him to be with the bigger kids rather than babies as it might encourage him with his words and even eating. Right now he is with 12 month olds and younger and I don't think that's helping -
@Aimed: good luck! I hope the director allows him to move up
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Does he chew? My son is being seen by an oral motor therapist because he doesn't chew well. He kind of mashes food around and then swallows, which limits the foods he will eat.
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@Aimed: @photojane: I'm in the same boat as you ladies. Xander's almost 14 months and won't eat any table foods. He only eat purees (but is FINALLY eating chunky purees, YAY) and pouches. He'll sort of TRY to eat table foods (bananas, carrots, apples, puffs, etc), but he'll just put them in his mouth, chew, and then spit them back out. If he swallows anything, it's an accident. I have no advice!
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@Aimed: Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. My LO is 19 months, and other than bananas, she won't eat any fruits or veggies whole (all purees). She will eat a lot of grains, breakfast sausage/chicken/meatballs, bananas, and every once in a blue moon, a piece of pasta or two . . . but no dice with the fruits and veggies!
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