9 Month Old on a Food Strike

My daughter did this about the same age. Hers was an independence thing, she just wanted to feed herself and decided she no longer wanted the pureed food. I started giving her really soft cooked veggies that she could feed herself, and she gobbled them up. We pretty much went completely off the baby food at this age, and I just cut up all her food super small and let her have at it. I even would give her a cup of yogurt with a spoon and let her try her hand at that. Warning, this makes most mealtimes lead to a bath, but at least she was eating well. I also started cutting back the number of nursing sessions at this time so she would actually be hungry at mealtimes. She mastered the spoon really early since she had a lot of practice and does really well with most foods. Since she has been eating what we eat for so long, she is not picky at all and loves all fruits and veggies. People are always amazed at the foods she will eat. Just be creative and offer a lot of variety, eventually he will start eating more.

Try limiting the amount of carbs that you're giving him so that if he is hungry he HAS to eat the veggie stuff. Keep coming back to him with the veggies.

could be teething (my daughter's been doing this with every new tooth) or he could be ready for soft finger foods. Try giving him really soft pieces of the veggies he's been eating and see if that helps.

my son is 18 months and sometimes he will do the same thing as long as they are eating something i was told not to worry and just give it a rest on other foods for a few days and then try again you could also try sneeking other foods in with the things he is eating also try things like milk shakes for the frut items so like bananas and strawberrys in a bottle and add about 2/4 oz of milk shake well and serve my son loves this

Hi C.,
Could he have teeth coming in? My son resisited eating certain foods when he was teething. I'm sure your son is getting plenty of nutrition from his breastmilk/formula and whatever solids he is eating, but I understand your frustration. Maybe he no longer likes the texture of pureed food. My son skipped over almost all pureed foods because he didn't like the texture. If you have not picked up the book "Child of Mine" by Ellen Satter (Ellyn?), I highly recommend that you do. The book is so helpful with all feeding issues.
K.

could he be ready for foods that arent pureed? Maybe something with more texture -- he may like the change, the new taste? My son teethed earlier -- and he's got about 5 teeth now. i've been giving him cooked rice with chunks of meat (small enough bites that he wont choke on) -- things he can feed himself with. Chunks of cheese, crackers, bananas....any type of finger foods --- and he LOVES it! Just a thought....good luck!

Amy P. is right I think. When Ab's grandmother takes her out, she gives her vegetable soup and loves it. Eats it right up.
My soon to be one year old daughter was a good eater with her baby food, but wants nothing to do with it now. She is currently on a food strike and will take one bite also, then shake her head "no" in back and forth motion. It doesn't matter what I give her.... she just won't eat most of the time.She's on to mostly big people food, and still protests. Now,when she is with my mom, (once a week they go out to dinner together), my mom reports that Annabelle has eaten well. It could be us, the mommies, but Ab's doctor told me "she'll eat when she's hungry". Annabelle is also in this new phase, as I call it the "defiant phase" (climbing out of her high chair, throwing her cup, etc.) and also teething. I think maybe the formula is giving her enough satisfaction while she's teething and doesn't want to eat regular food. YOU ARE NOT ALONE ON THIS ONE! It bothers me to no avail that she is not eating properly. But my best advice would be that "he will eat when he's hungry". Don't pull your hair out.

offer the veggies, but don't expect them to be eaten.

-Try offering tofu with a pureed veggie sauce (carrot and butternut squash is attractively appetizing and sweet.)

-your kid sounds like a soup eater. Go for it.

- talk to your doc about vitamins if this doesn't budge for awhile. Some kids just do this. My kid loved something for a week and then hated it for the rest of the year, but I kept offering stuff to her. Now she eats raw broccoli and spoons up spinach and veggie soup like there's no tomorrow. She won't eat red meat normally, but one day she asked if she could have some steak, and I dutifully cut it up and gave it to her, and she choked it all down without complaining or spitting it out. We gave her tons of praise. This was after she'd consumed a full 3 oz of tofu (also grilled on the george foreman with the steaks, so it was flavored and probably prompted her request.)

Anyway, just keep offering diverse foods and don't be discouraged, kids just like what they like for awhile and as long as they keep growing the doctors don't fret too much.