Worried About My Daughters Eating Habits

I always loved this advice by Dr. Greene and have used it. It applies to more that just peas. :-)

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&...

try to give her the solids through one of those new teether eaters. you put the solid food in a soft pouch and it sort of strains the food. that might be enough to get her used to the texture of food. also I had a little girl I used to watch who did not like her veggies I used to cook up carrots and peas( and I know it is a bad habit to play with your food but thats what I did with her.)We used to both squish the peas in our fingers and than eat them. I used to play one for me one for you. for about a year she had to squish them in her fingers before she ate them but she ate them!! the carrots I just cut in to different shapes circles and squares she liked the look of them so she ate them. well I know it is hard but you are doing a good job!! solid food is a hard transition and as i always say food is not just a nutrition thing it is also social so show her you eat it too!!

Take what she loves (esp if it's more basic like rice or pasta) and add tiny bits of cooked vegies, bits of meat, or shredded cheese to it--but only one new thing at a time until she starts to chow down on it.

Feed her the newer things when she's most hungry because she's much more likely to actually try it out!

Bag the graduates foods. They're expensive and not nearly as healthy as every day foods. I quickly found my daughter liked many foods raw that I had crossed off our list because I'd only offered them to her cooked. Just mince them nice and small so they're not a choking hazard and see how she does. Seriously, she can totally handle table foods by this age. Gerber just doesn't want you to know that. (However, I would recommend putting off offering her dips and sauces--ranch, ketchup, maple syrup--as long as you can so that she actually gets used to the flavor of the real food you're offering.)

It usually takes a few tries for anything sweet to be accepted if your baby is picky about her foods. However, anticipate it taking like 10 tries for her to like most vegetables. Vegies have a stronger flavor and aren't necessarily as sweet as fruit. Once she likes them, though, she'll probably chow down.

Try soups (drain out some of the liquid). My girl when she was 11 mo was incredibly picky at home, but when we visited the in-laws she was chowing down more than I'd ever seen her. I felt like a horrible cook for a long time, but then I realized it was the combination of a growth spurt and the fact we were eating lots of soups there. Soup--doesn't matter what's in it, she'll eat it--is still one of her favorite things.

Overall, try not to stress too much about it. You remind me of myself at that point with how picky my child was (she only ate rice, eggs, and pasta until she was probably at least 9 mo or something!). Just keep exposing her to new foods and don't let it be a big deal if she doesn't want something. My girl now eats better than my husband! LOL!

Hey D.--The best advice I have is the what my peditritian told me. Relax! Children's taste for things change rapidly. My daughter is a great eater and I have seen her appetite, food preferences, and calories needed change almost weekly sometimes. Here are some overarching principles that have worked for me:
1. provide a variety of foods from all the food groups at each meal--protein, whole grain, veggie, fruit. Encourage her to eat a little of everything. If she doesn't, she doesen't. Just keep providing it--she'll get the message of what a healthy meal looks like so she will grow up expecting a healthy plate of food to look that way even if she isn't eating that way yet.
2. Don't push food or deny food or use it as a reward. Meal times should be anxiety free so she can learn that eating is pleasureable and meets her needs. If she doesn't want to eat, she is not hungry. If she is scarfing something down, she is. Kids' eating habits are all over the map and this is normal. Kids have gut reactions about food purely based on need at this point. They only eat when they are hungry. It's our job as parents to teach them to go with their instincts. If she doesn't eat much at one particular meal, she'll make up for it eventually. If you think about it, this is the way adults are, too. Ever had a day when you just didn't feel like eating much, but the next day you were really hungry? It's the same for kids. As long as you are feeding her nutritious, whole food, it won't matter.
3. It's great if you are still breastfeeding as long as it is mutually agreeable for your daughter and YOU. The World Health Organization (one of the leading authorities on breastfeeding and child nutrition) says babies should be breastfed until one year and then as long as desireable after that for both mother and child. If both of you are still enjoying it, there is no reason to stop. She may not be ready, but if you are, wean her. You may not be ready, but if she is, follow her lead. At this age, children are still getting the bulk of their nutrition from breastfeeding or formula anyway. Right now, food is new and novel and she might still be skeptical. It takes awhile for tastebuds, digestion, etc., to catch up to the desire to eat table food.

SO, just relax, it will all work out. When I get stressed out about my daughter's growth and development (she is 4), I just say, "I doubt she will be doing this when she is a teenager." I guarantee she won't want to breastfeed and that she will be eating table food by then. AND she will have done it at her own pace because you relaxed and followed her lead. She knows what she needs and she will teach you! peace, cm

Until she starts to eat more solids I would keep breastfeeding her. Breast milk is still very beneficial to toddlers, especially those that aren't eating well. Certainly talk to your ped about the gagging thing. But rest assured; you won't be sending her to kindergarten with baby food in her lunch box.

Hi D.! I can't really offer any advice, just wanted to say I'm right there with you! My son is a couple weeks from turning one and still only eats stage 2 stuff. We've tried everything to get him on more solid food, but he just gags and throws up what he's already eaten. In watching him eat, it's obvious why he gags: he's still just trying to push food down his throat without chewing it up. It's very frustrating.

We asked the doctor about it at his 9 month visit and they said not to worry about it. But, as with you, now that he's a little older, I'm getting concerned. I guess it's one of those things he'll just eventually get, like crawling and walking. I have another friend who struggled to get her little girl to eat solids. She said it just clicked with her one day around the time she turned one. So anyway, if you get any advice, I'd love to hear it. Until then, you're not alone in this boat. :)

J.

I would definitely second the idea of continuing to feed her your milk until she is more established on food.

One great way to get veggies in is to shred them and put them in pancakes. My dd (also almost one) LOVES pancakes and will eat them in just about any form.

Avocado is a great first food for babies--it has lots of healthy fats. Egg yolks are as well--it's the whites that are more allergenic and the nutrition is in the yolk. You can hard boil them and peel the white off, or use an egg separator and scramble the yolks. Yogurt is also good--just look for a kind without food dyes and other yuck in it, preferably organic.

Hope those ideas help! Just keep offering, even if it is frustrating. She will figure it out!

I used to keep a little girl that did the same thing. It turns out it wasn't the taste of the food that bothered her, it was the texture. It just took her a little longer to adjust. Keep offering it to her and she will get used to it, or grow out of it.

D., First, I would advise you to talk with your child's doctor. In the meantime I wouldn't worry about what she is eating just so she is eating something. However, do keep offering her a variety of foods. You could try something, and if she didn't like it wait a few days and offer it again. As far as the gagging, my guess would be that you might want to try and add more milk or formula to thin the solid food down so it is close to the same thickness as the stage 2 baby food. Also, you might want to make sure the food is not too cold because it may just be a matter of the temp as well. You could also, continue mixing the sweet potatos with other veggies and just gradually eliminate it. Good Luck!

No matter what doctors or anyone else tells you, I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe she's just not ready! Kids are all different! I have two girls, 1 year and 4 years old. They are already completely different! As long as they are drinking, I would just keep trying some kind of snack cracker or something like that! If your child is teething, that can make a difference in what she wants to eat! My daughters have both done this! They only want crunchy things to eat when they were teething and they drank plenty of fluids. If you're worried and she doesn't like anything crunchy, I would try giving her chewy vitamins or something, if you think she needs them. Kids are only kids once and they go through so much that they're not sure about or familiar with, so many stages that only last a couple of months sometimes. So, I would just give it time and try the solids again! Both of my daughters are healthy and have done similar things...I think it was just a stage! It didn't last long! Just keep trying! That's what parenting is about!