13 Month Old Is Refusing to Eat Solids. Any Advice?

My youngest went through a super picky phase around that age. It passed after a couple weeks.
Another thought I had was about teething. It's not uncommon for a baby's appetite to change if they have teeth coming in. You might want to keep trying soft, cool foods and give her Tylenol if you think this might be the case.

I really can not give expert advice I can only tell you what I have done with my daughter. My daughter used to gag quite a bit when she was about 10 months old. Now that I think about it, it was around the same time that she started to refuse baby food. She too was a picky eater and I thought she was not getting enough so I started putting dry baby cereal in her Yo Baby Yogurt this was around 10 months of age that we started her on the yogurt. But what she really liked and still has every morning is Eggo Pancakes. We started the whole pancake breakfast thing around 11 months old. She went off the bottle at 12 months and we are strictly on a sippy cup. She is now 14 months old and doing well. She likes full flavored vegetables...asparagus, peapods, carrots. I recently have been trying different fruits..plums, kiwi,etc. You might want to try giving her some food right off your plate maybe the reason she is refusing is because she wants the real stuff not the pureed stuff anymore. I would give it a try. Oh and just remember to watch her carefully because if you are anything like me I was deathly afraid she might choke on that piece of carrot or cheerio. Which amazingly enough she knew when she had too much in her mouth and would take it out. They are sooo smart for being sooo young.

I would feel her gums and see if her molars might be coming in early. I have a 13 month old who has been fussy lately, not eating as much and I felt her gum this morning only to find she had a molar all the way through, and another on the way. It's early, but it can and does happen sometimes.

My son was pretty "gaggy" too at about the age of your little girl - it's hard, isn't it? He lived on baby oatmeal and baby food for a long time but got sick of it and started to not take it as well either. We had some luck with mashing up cottage cheese, applesauce and yogurt. We just kept trying and trying and trying...Another thing I read and tried was to "massage" their gums (particularly along the molars) with a wet, cool washcloth...I can't really tell you if it worked, but I figured it couldn't hurt! For what it's worth, my son is a much better eater now (19 months) and is no longer gagging! Good luck!

Texture issues can be huge with some children. Maybe she had a recent bad experience eating that triggered this, or maybe she has sensory issues - has she been screened for that? In the meantime I'd keep offering all types of foods and as many bottles/cups as she'll take. If it's a phase, it will pass. If not, sensory screening will tell you how to address it specifically.

SAHM of seven, my youngest (18 mos.) just went through a phase where all he wanted was bottles, too - triggered by a recent illness, I assume.

My 2nd daughter was super pickey and I started putting her pureed baby food (Gerber or whatever) right in with her formula/milk. It worked until I could get her to eat with a spoon. Does she maybe want to pick stuff up herself? Maybe try cheerios, perhaps she's trying to be independent. Good luck:-)

Hi B.,
I can completely sympathize with your situation. My son was around 13 months old when we had the same thing happen. Anytime I tried the Gerber size 3 jar, with textures, he would gag and spit it out. I was so concerned I called our local "Birth -3" program and had a speech therapist who specialized in eating problems work with him. Turns out, it was more or less a phase. In our particular circumstance, we discovered through her work with him that he had a peanut allergy. I am not saying this is why he would not eat solids, so please don't panic! He is almost 5 now and is still a very picky eater, to the point that we have to make him seperate food or he won't eat. Bear with it, I think at this age they have discovered that they do have control over what they put in their mouths and plan to assert themselves in the only way they know how.... to make their parents crazy!!
Good luck!
Let us know how it turns out!
P.

Has she gotten a taste of "real food"? My kids started refusing baby food once they started eating regular foods. There is much more taste, and they figure that out right away. When my youngest started eating soft foods from the table she gave up the baby food. I ended up giving away a whole cupboard full of the jars because she wouldn't touch it. I even tried to make her eat some or trick her into taking a bite and she would just spit it out all over the place. Maybe it is time to introduce regular food? I also agree with the other responce about teething causing them to loose their appetites. Sometimes it is hard to tell for sure if they are cutting a tooth, but you could try Childrens Motrin if you think that could be the issue. Oh and my daughter loves milk too! She will fill up on the milk and then doesn't want to eat. Try limiting the milk a little or giving it to her after she's had her breakfast.

I think it's too soon for you to worry but I'll tell you my experience anyway...

My son had a terrible gag reflex - he even gagged on my breast and bottles from the start - He was still on baby food at age 2. After going for an eval at the feeding clinic at Children's hospital and other evaluations he was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder and went through a few years of OT. Looking at him now (age 9) you'd never know he ever had issues.

Like I said, I don't think it's anything to worry about at 13 months.

Don't measure your daughter against your son is my first advice. Girls are often like this with food. They'll eat for a month, then stop for a week, then eat for a week and stop for a month! Amazingly enough, they still grow just fine. Boys, on the other hand, eat and eat and eat.

Pressuring a child to eat is inviting eating disorders. Let her eat what she wants when she wants. She's only been here a year, her little body needs plenty of time to adjust.

Check with your pediatrician, but with feeding problems at 13 months I'd consult a speech therapist. If your insurance doesn't cover it you can get a free evaluation (and therapy if she needs it) through birth-to-three.

J.

Go with the flow. I had two kids who were very slow to start eating solids. They both ate pureed foods and baby cereal up until they were 2 1/2. They also had severe reflux and other gasterointestinal issues. What I would do is always serve very finely chopped or steamed solids along with their baby food favorites. With time, they gradually would start eating more of the textured foods, and less of the pureed stuff.

Last but not least, don't hesitate to talk with your pediatrician, just to make sure everything is okay.