Well... this isn't the post I was alluding to in my prior one. But, this is a topic of more concern for me at the moment, so let me put it out there and get your advice.
My little man is 10 1/2 months old now. (hard to believe, isn't it?) At his 9 month dr. visit, the doc said we definitely needed to be up to 3 meals a day (we were doing 2 at the time) and that we should be moving to table food. Something I pretty much knew already. Problem is...........
He. Won't. Eat.
I do good to get the 2 bowls of food in him a day. I've tried working a third meal in at different times in his day, but no matter where I put it, he won't eat it. I've tried adding an earlier meal... somewhere between 8:30 & 9:30 when he first wakes up. But, he doesn't want to eat when he first wakes. He snuggles and nurses and plays a bit and then I can FINALLY get him to take food between 10 & 10:30. Which makes noon too soon for lunch.
He goes down for his nap around 1 most days... depending on when he wakes.
He eats dinner at 7, when the hubby & I sit down to eat. So... logic says, put the next meal somewhere in the middle of things.
I'e tried before nap. I've tried after nap. He just won't eat it. He much prefers to just nurse.
I know breastmilk is best for him, and all he really needs the first year. But by now, shouldn't he be eating more? I know at the daycare, our toddlers were fed a meal or snack (they alternated) every 2 hours because their little bodies need the calories since they're so busy. And he's much closer to toddler than baby these days, so I worry.
Add to that, the texture thing. I make all his food. And it is all pureed smooth. We try giving him bits of things: cheerios, cooked veggies, etc. He picks them up..... and tosses them right to the floor. Stuff doesn't even get close to his mouth. He won't even try. And we've even offered french fries when we're out, hoping that might do it... but, no. Right to the floor it goes. He does NOT like texture.
Last night, I started feeding him dinner. Carrots. And apple chicken. Both things he's had before and liked. Chicken wasn't quite as smooth as usual. He had 1 bite, gagged, started signing "all done" and refused to eat another bit of anything. Typical for him. And sometimes the "no-eat-after-gagging-on-texture" refusal lasts a couple of days before he'll finally eat again.
But. Nothing small goes to his mouth. If he's playing and fights a scrap of paper or something, he reaches out his hand to give it to me. I've never had to do a finger sweep to get something out of his mouth that he shouldn't have. He just doesn't chew stuff like that. He has a couple of toys (and the foam table guards!) that he'll mouth, and that's it.
So... what to do? The educator inside, reminds me that all kids are different and he'll eat bigger amounts and more texture when he's ready. But, the mommy worries.
Ours will be the kid whose first birthday photos are not of him covered in cake... but of him nice and neat, eating a bowl of oatmeal.
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9 comments:
I wish I had something more supportive to say, but we're going through the same thing with Gavin right now. I just keep reminding myself that they're still going on instinct right now, and if they needed the food, their body would be telling them they are hungry, and they would be eating. I just keep offering him food every two hours, and try not to stress about it if he doesn't eat it. It's hard, I know!
Hi kat,
Hailey did the same thing nothing in the mouth until about 11 months then it was everything in the mouth and she loved textured foods. I started her out on those biter biscuits and the fruit mesh feeder.
As long as Andrew is eating and getting his nutrients you do not have to worry I know easier said than done. I think if you just keep introducing the textures he will eat it eventually.
Hope that helps.
Jaime
I don't know... if he is gaining weight and otherwise heathly... I don't see a problem.
That's a tough one. My kid has been an eater, and a good one too since we started her on food. I am no help.
Uhm, no idea. What the others said!
i've been alternating nursing and feeding food every 2.5-3 hrs. here's our schedule. dd wakes up around 6-6:30, i nurse her and she goes back to bed for about 2 hrs. when she wakes up, i feed her level 2 fruit (about a half cup i think). then about an hour and a half later (about 5 hrs after last nursing), i nurse her again and she takes a nap. when she wakes up i feed her a size 2 veggie. (she just started eating a whole container last week). we play and then nurse again and nap (about 5 hrs after last nursing again). she eats dinner around 6-6:30, usually apple chicken or turkey and sweet potatoes. i bathe her and nurse her and in bed around 8:30. generally i feed her the pureed food when she wakes up and then nurse her before bed.
when i started the mid day veggie meal, she only ate about 1/8 of a cup at first. i gradually gave her a bit more as her appetite grew.
i'm not sure if any of that helps, just wanted to share what works for us and maybe you can find something in there that might help. i agree with the others though...he'll let you know if he's hungry and he's still getting those nutrients from bm and the food he is eating. good luck!
Hi Kat!
I am pregnant with my fourth, and NONE of my kids have been eaters. They all LOVED to nurse. And my pediatrician says ALL they need the first year (at least) is breastmilk. They would toy with finger foods like cheerios, biter biscuits or wagon wheels, just for fun, but were not at all into baby food. They also didn't start on table food until age 1. I think the texture thing is common, too. My nephew is the same way! All that to say . . . try not to worry. All that matters is that he is HAPPY, healthy and his percentiles are staying relatively consistent. If that is happening . . . let the cutie play and nurse. Sounds like a good life, if you ask me!
Amy (from m/c board on BBC)
I don't know what to offer that may help. I struggled with this until the past 4 or 5 days. All of sudden, she's loving solids. Prior to this, she would feed herself arrowroot biscuits and her favourite cinnamon graham crackers. Then she learnt to feed herself formula in a sippy cup but solids were hard. We tried pureed, we tried textured, we tried table foods. It was all hit or miss. Some days, she'll love it, most days she didn't. Then all of sudden, she is liking it and can eat a lot more. I have no idea what happened, I have been offering the same stuff.
All you can do is offer him as much variety as possible, as often as possible, and don't fret if he doesn't eat it. He will eventually figure out that solids tastes much better than BM.
Just found your blog, but wanted to comment that my first daughter REFUSED any solids until 13 mo. Texture didn't matter to her - she spit everything out. So she ended up nursing exclusively for 13 mo! Second daughter refused for 11 mo. Just a few more datapoints. best of luck, Christina
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