10 1/2 Month Old Hates Thicker Food and Other Melt-in-mouth "Num Nums"

I haven't had my baby yet, so I don't have any advice to give. Just wanted to wish you the best and see what other moms had to say. Good luck!!

Put him in the high chair and feed him the food you would like him to eat first when he is most hungry.

I remember my son as being a very picky eater. The only way I could get him to eat a new food was to offer it first morning noon and night. I did that with potatoes, eggs, squash in the applesauce, etc.

Give him things like cherrios and cooked peas as snack foods. Do one for a week.

Are you making sure he's getting enough water in addition to breastmilk or formula? In this heat it is easy to get dehydrated and breastmilk/formula isn't enough to hydrate -- they need plenty of water every day too. Symptoms of dehydration include sunken 'soft spot' on forehead, listlessness, and skin that holds its shape briefly when you pinch it, before it bounces back to its original state. I just realized that my daughter was a little dehydrated and that's why she was preferring the 'thinner' foods. I gave her water and she drank almost a third of a bottle in desperation of thirst! I'm so embarassed I could have made such a mistake but I wanted to alert you just in case this was happening with you.

Also, at this age their main staple and source of nutrition is still breastmilk/formula, so don't forget to focus on those.

Stop worrying about this! Many, many children are not ready to eat any solid food until 12+ months. I really think parents can create bad eating issues by forcing a baby to eat before they're ready. My best friend just went through this with her baby (he's so small that he wasn't on the charts! -3%) and got so stressed out about it. It turns out that he really wasn't ready to eat solid food until 14 months, then one day it just "clicked" on and he eats everything. Before that he didn't actually digest anything that he ate either, proving that his system wasn't ready for food. This is one thing that doctors are not correct about, period.

(My friend's son is 16 months, 29" tall and ONLY 18lbs. The woman's child below sounds chunky compared to my friends baby)

I strongly feel that force feeding a child before they're ready will set them up to only eat junk food. Since they're not ready the only foods that they'll actually eat are full of sugar or white flour, thus making it very hard to feed healthy food in the future. IE: The woman below said that her kid will gag on everything, except cookies!

I went to China in 2003 and asked a local woman if she knew anyone (adult or child) that didn't like vegetables. She couldn't think of ONE person! That means being a picky eater is a very cultural thing and that in America we do something wrong!

Relax and feed you child when he shows you the cues that he's ready. :)

percentiles are based on averages

the "average" weight for babies after a few months out of the womb is exaggerated because of all the formula/foods that we in America are encouraged to feed our babies so much earlier than less materials-available cultures can (and naturally they cannot metabolize those things well and the digestive system/food available/nutrients ratios all combine to mean more baby fat) ... hence, "low" percentiles can be reasonably interpreted as "more natural weight"

before I gave up on even caring about percentiles (my kids' heads were big off the charts, their height average, and their weights about 25th percentile), back when I was still taking them to a pediatrician, I would just get constant pressure about these things ... literally in the same visit once, though, we chatted about how overweight gradeschool kids are and how awful their eating habits are ... and then he told me five minutes later that I should be feeding my kid whole milk and as much ice cream as she would take, to put more weight on her. ARGH! *why* do those gradeschool kids *have* bad eating instincts? Hmmmmmmmmmm ... it's a big mystery.

Anyhow, if your child is a laughing, developing well, active kid -- there is probably nothing at all to be worried about. Sick kids, or kids that are in pain, don't act healthy--at least not unless they are taught to do so by grownup reactions (unlikely at this young).

You probably Know if your child needs help in the growth department. A doctor saying scary things is something to hear and consider ... but not something to worry too much about if you aren't yourself worried.

As far as the food, specifically, I agree with the 'play with it' moms. Put a bunch of whatever on his tray and sit and eat your meal while he explores it. Among *many* possible things, children (especially boys) can have 'sensory integration issues'--where some 'normal' sensory inputs trigger weird reactions or (in most cases) rejection of the unfamiliar. It just means their brain isn't wired for that stimulus yet. Letting him explore the textures, colors, and (accidentally probably) the tastes on his own means he will pace his process as he needs to, and will eat in a healthy way as soon as he is, in a healthy, ready way, capable of eating.

With mine, I just didn't have time/energy to spoon-feed them after the second one. #3 I breastfed exclusively until like 9 months because I couldn't find the time to make the babyfood thing happen, and then she transitioned quickly to mashy foods and crackers and such. #4 has largely been left to his own devices as soon as he was old enough to sit up and have enough hand-mouth coordination to put mashy food into his own mouth (I did spoon-feed him the purees for about a month because he started being interested in food around 5 months ... #3 really hadn't shown interest in food until 9 months).

Many children simply aren't ready to eat so quickly. Our culture really pushes food on our children fast. It's normal in other cultures to strictly breastfeed through the first year with introduction of foods coming from mom's plate as they show interest. They will start out chewing, sucking and exploring food and then spit it out. Over time as they get used to the taste, texture, sight and smell, they will mimic you and start to eat it. Many babies hate "baby food," so feeding off your plate might make a big difference as they will see what they are supposed to do with the food. Plus it has more appeal than "baby food."

As far as growth, sometimes they will gain weight before a growth spurt, so when they grow in length, they do not gain weight. As long as his head measurements are on track, his personal growth chart is steady and he is meeting milestone markers - ignore the standard charts and "need" to gain weight each month, he's doing fine!

I suggest first of all, that if he sees you prepare his food, it is likely he knows about the 'jars' and simply is thinking its different because you prepared it different. Hard to believe at 10mo. that he might be noticing that but he might. Anyhoo, don't let him see first of all. Use those jars that that the food came in (good way to recycle too). Simple wash them out and save them and when you make babyfood, fill those jars with a days worth of meals to store. Start with things you know he likes. Bananas can cause tummy problems I've found. My daughter has a hard time eating even a half a one at age 7. SO, I suggest that you go with other textured foods. Bananas can also be sort sticky, and hard to swallow and kinda slimy. Mix with yogurt or something to make them more tasty for him. Some might be the color..you can drip a few drops of lemon juice on bananas and they won't turn that icky brown color. Cook all food before mashing. (except bananas..but maybe put them in a blender and whip them up and then fold them into yogurt, pudding, etc to help. You can even add them to mashed potatoes. (We used to add everything to mashed potatoes..it was the only starch my son would eat for about three months :) With spaghetti, use the elbow mac if you are mashing it up..smoother texture than the string spaghetti, or just use Raman Noodles broken up and cooked soft. . They work great and kids love to try to pick them up :) When you open those jars say things oh "here's those bananas you like," etc. Sometimes kids pick up on things we think are icky, and if we react differently so will they. Putting it in the jars might solve that and you can just "pass it off" as store bought too :) Good Luck. As far as those "melt in your mouth" things..depends on the kid whether they can melt or not. I'd go with "puff corn" and things like that for now. Give him stuff he can gum on..like hard-toasts (melba toasts) etc. He will gum them soggy but will accidently eat some too :) Also, instead of spending the money on all those "melty things" simply freeze yogurt with cheerios mixed into it and give him yogurt-cereal pops (and since it's summer he'll like that too). You can even add other fruits pureed and frozen..or add banana to juice and make juice pops. There are lots of ways to convince them to eat, but we have to be sneaky sometimes. We also used to eat a lot of soups with him..might be he is starting to recognize that you have different food than he does too :) SO, make him think its not by giving the whole family a bean soup dinner or something...he will probably eat what he sees daddy or you eating more than what he sees as only himself getting.

1. patience. This too shall pass. Sometimes kids have a hard time getting used to new textures - mine certainly did. She wouldn't eat anything solid-like until she was a year.

2. let him play with food - let him smear it around and put his fingers in his mouth. let him do all this without expect him to eat. Expose him to lots of different foods. (Advice from occupational therapist for my daughter.)

3. When my daughter started getting more non-milk nutrients something that worked early one was yogurt-smoothies. Stoneyfeild farms make some that are baby friendly. She would drink them before she would eat anything. It may be a way to get more calories in between now and when he eats more.

4. You can also water down purees until they are really thin. If you can get him started, you can slowly make them thicker.

5. my daughter also did better with something she could hold and gnaw on, instead of a puree to spoon in - frozen blue berries, or anything you can put in a mesh-feeder. http://www.babysafefeeder.com/ She would eat pancakes herself long before she would let us spoon applesauce to her.

I think your baby just needs more time. I would keep feeding what you know he likes while offering some more texture maybe every few days instead of everyday. He might be feeling overwhelmed with too many new things. Having said that, I think being persistant with trying new foods until you find something that clicks with him is important. I hear it can take up to 10 trys for a baby to accept a new food or flavor. There are many things I keep having to put back on the shelf, so to speak.

My 9 1/2 month old is going through something similar and I've found that Snyders Old T'yme Large Pretzels make a great teether and segway into having bits in the mouth. Just watch them as it starts to break apart so you can monitor the size of chunks and I knock the salt off before giving. These work better for him than the Mum Mums since they don't soften as fast. The other Barley or Zweeback teethers may work great too. After a week or two of this treat my son has welcomed cherrios and a few small niblets of my food and is starting to accept the Mum Mums now. But he's still pretty resistant to new stuff so I have to go slow. He only has 3 teeth so it really is a matter of them being comfortable with firmer texture and wanting to use their gums.

As far as your concern with weight, I wouldn't worry as long as he's still getting his milk feedings and eating something, even if it is still only the super pureed stuff. My Dr told me it's normal for breast fed babies to come down in the percentile as they grow because they are just leveling off as they develop whereas earlier there were great leaps in weight gain from the breatmilk. He'll come around. Just be patient and enjoy his process of learning.

If he has teeth give him the same thing you eat and be done with baby food. He could end up being one of those texture kids but if not then eventually he will get hungry enough to eat. It is up to you if you want to cater to it or not. One thing to remember is that he will not starve himself. As for gaining during a grwoth spurt they only will if they becoem the bottomless pit while going through it, if not then they will maintain or lose a bit and they are in a lot of growth spurts during their first year. Good luck.

Hi M.,

You can try shakes with vitamins in them. We sell Herbalife which is very helpful for getting food in our child who is dealing with chemo treatments. Also, if your child refuses to eat you can get a feeding tube if necessary. I have a friend who did that with her two sons as a last rsort adn it was very helpful.

Blessings,

K.S.

I had the same problem with my first boy, and it turned out to be a milk allergy. Here's how it worked: the milk allergy created a lot of mucous in his throat, so when we tried textured foods he'd gag on them and hork all over. I went on like this for about three months, cleaning up lots of puke, before switching him to soy formula and avoiding all milk products. Within 2 days of doing so, no more gagging, no more puking, and I had a little boy who ate table food with no problem.

Good luck,
AMD

Have you talked to your doctor? I know saving money is important but have you tried giving him jello? not pudding but "jello". What does he do then? I think whether he has teeth or not, to eat what YOU eat as someone suggested is a bit to young. To much of a chance on choking. I would stick to the Stage 2 baby food and introduce the Graduates slowly and when you do...mix it with the stage 2 food...for instance...take a bit of the graduates food on a spoon then dip it in to the Stage 2 food where that food is on the tip of the spoon and the first thing he tastes. Don't introduce to many new things at once. Just one or two things a week. If he likes it and you're not having any problems then add something else next week but also keep giving him what you were giving him the week before. As he begins to eat more and more of the "new" stuff then you can start dropping things off and switching things up a bit. Don't stress him and don't stress your self. It is probably just a phase and will pass. Personally I wouldn't worry about the percentile thing..all kids develop at a different rate and as long as he is healthy both physically and mentally don't worry about it. My son was a very picky eater and now he eats everything! Well except I still cant get him to eat anything that has ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise in it and he is 21 now! lol good luck and keep us posted on how things are going.

My oldest son did this, he would suck the sauce off of junior stage foods and store the 'chunks' in his cheeks or spit them out. He had this uncanny sensitivity in his mouth. So it was baby-baby food until he could tolerate anything different. We made finger foods available and offered smashed family foods, like mashed potatoes, applesauce, peaches, crumbled hamburger meat. Your son's activity level is increasing so he should be eating and drinking more. If he's not consuming his calories through food, how much formula/breastmilk is he consuming? You need to make sure he's consuming enough to grow and thrive. With this hot weather, give him frozen juice pops or pudding pops. Yes, it's going to be messy, but all learning is. Every child is different in their likes and dislikes, how things feel to them... it's all new and again it's learning.

boy do i understand. my little man is now 13mths and i have had this problem from the start. the same exact one your having. he hates textured food. he chews and the spits and rakes it out with his hands. so frustrating. but give him something sweet like a cookie and it doesnt happen. he was also in the 25%. now he is like 7%. i am worried also. he is only 29inches and 22lbs. let me know if you find a solution.

I'm not sure what consistency stage 2 gerber stuff is, but if that's the consistency he'll eat right now, then go with it. It sounds like his weight gain is more important than the consistency of what he's eating right now. We used plain yogurt to change the consistency and add calories when my daughter was that age. As weird as it sounds, one of her favorite combos was egg yolk (no whites yet!) and vanilla yogurt.

My youngest would throw up EVERYTHING if she ate anything with any texture other than completely smooth. This lasted almost 18 months. I tried everything, pureeing, blending, straining, but she could only keep down the gerber food! It was so frustrating, especially since she wanted to eat other food, she'd even grab food off our plates at restaurants only to spew everywhere. (I can't tell you how many restaurant floors I cleaned up!!) I always carried multiple changes of clothes (for me and her) just in case! I wouldn't worry about it, just feed him whatever he can eat and good luck!!

I wouldn't worry about the texture. Just give him what he is ready for. My son didn't really start solids until 8 months, and for a long time totally refused anything that wasn't smooth. I worried way too much about it. Part of the problem was that he was really late with teeth. He is on the lower end of the weight scale, so I decided to worry about calories/vitamins rather than texture. I just tried to make his food as nutritionally and calorically dense as possible. When he was around 15 or 16 months, it seemed like he was suddenly ready to chew his food--almost overnight. Now, at almost 2 1/2, he eats almost everything and has no problems with texture. (that said, some kids do have sensory integration problems, so it's worth a mention to your ped.) He is still on the thin side, so I still give him one meal or snack per day that is soft, such as scrambled egg mashed with avocado or yogurt mixed with fruit puree and cream. I am really glad now that I put nutrition over texture