Food Troubles

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.

Anyone Out There?

Is anyone even still out there, checking up on my slacker blog posting? Have a post brewing. Need your advice/opinions/stories. Just wondering if you've all given up on me and if there is anyone left to get advice from.

Stay tuned...