Almost 1 Yr. Old Still Eats Pureed Baby Food

Hi Rose,

I had the same issue with my daughter. She just receently started eating solid foods correctly and she is 19 months. She had only 8 teeth for a while (4 on top and 4 on bottom). She now has about 16-18 teeth at the moment. I believe the lack of teeth was holding her back. Everything she would eat she would swallow without chewing. I knew this because the next day I would change her diaper and I would see the chunks of food in it. When that happend I tried to feed her food that was easy for her to eat like spaggetti or any types of pastas I could find. Anything she had to chew (like chicken) I would chop it up smaller than what the Gerber baby food had it because those chunks were just too chunky for her. I hope this helps you. :)

I would just keep offering them and eventually she will pick up on it. I still feed my son what he prefers, but then always offer something new until he gets used to it. It can take awhile!

Rose you have done nothing wrong. Your daughter just is not interested yet. Don't give up on introducing new foods to her. When my dughter was ready to start transitioning I would give her jarred bananas and place some bit sized cut up bananas on her tray. I did the same thinhg with cooked carrots, green beans, etc. Another great transition food is "puffs" and cheerios and little pieces of wheat bread. I hope this helps

Hi Ladies! My son is the extreme case of what you are discussing. My son was formula/bottle fed mainly until 6 months. Like most Moms, I slowly introduced baby food purees. Around 8 months or so I attempted to try oatmeal and other types of food that had texture. He would gag himself to the point where he would throw up at every single meal. He even started gagging when I would put the bottle to his mouth. I took him to the doctor who told me he would grow out of it. The problem is that he has since taught himself to gag just seeing a spoon. He is 13 months old and still only takes the bottle and baby food purees. Up until a month ago Gerber Baby food puffs would even make him throw up. Feeding is an emotional challenge for both of us. I have a swallow study scheduled at the local hospital to see if there is some sort of blockage or if perhaps he is still struggling from acid reflux. He doesn't eat bread, crackers...nothing! We are lucky to get ANYTHING besides formula in him. He is not under weight and is still thriving. He started walking at 9 months and has a ton of energy. I just read a book called "My child won't eat" by Carlos Gonzalez MD. Although my son is a far more extreme case from the ones he discusses in the book (at least THOSE children will eat SOMETHING), I found it helpful! I highly recommend it to a Mother who is going through this challenge. The main thing I can recommend is to try EVERYTHING. Try not using a food and let your son/daughter feed themselves. Our occupational therapist even recommended letting him dip his toys in his food on his tray to associate feeding with "fun" time. We have tried de-sensitizing his gag reflux by playing with his mouth etc. This is sooo confusing. PRAY FOR US!

Hi Rose,
This is very normal! My cousins son didn't eat solid food until he was 18 mo and he is now a healthy 6 yr old. My daughter on the other hand would eat nothing that came in a jar. Any jarred baby foods came right back at me. Finally I got tired of wearing her meals and decided to wait until she got teeth. She finally got teeth at 10 mo. I thought she was going to starve to death, by only eating formula and rice. Or fruit she could gum up. She is a very healthy 6 yr old. Every kid is different. My mom has a saying that applies to everything our children make us fret over. "This too shall pass." Good luck and have a great day!
K. F

Please don't worry! I am a daycare provider and have had experience in such matters. I currently have a 2 1/2 year old that will still not eat any foods with consistancy. we now have had to cut out most of the dairy products that he was consuming as he was starting to have a lot of mucas and stool discoloration. The child will eat when he/she is hungry. What you are doing is fine. There is not a basic plan that you need to follow. All kids are different and on their own time table. You won't see a kindergartener still eating baby food! Perhaps you can do what I did. I would mash potatoes and add blended soups, like beef vegetable or chicken vegetable. Start with the foods blended, but as time goes on, don't blend the food as much so that your child will get used to it. Try table foods like cheerios, teething biscuits in the high chair. I wish you luck. Don't worry!

Dear Rose,

YOU DID NOTHING WRONG... I write that in capital letters so you'll take a deep breath. I know how easy it is to question every move we make as moms and certainly pray that our decisions are the best ones, but don't sweat it and don't loose sleep over it.

1- My pediatrician's son would not eat anything that was puree until 15 months old... he told me to take it day by day and keeping trying- slowly.

2- I have a friend who has a son that will be 1 on June 10 and he is eating the same way. He has a very senstive gag reflex... They just do what they can and give him tiny bits along with the puree.

3- Definitely try the Stage 3 foods. It is fun to make your own because you can get more variety but certainly convenient to buy it as well. I've used a book called First Meals (worth a check out) Whole Foods sells Earth's Best and Healthy Times- you might find some new flavors there. Also, I've found VERY SOFT frozen patties at Whole Foods. They are made by Dr. Praegers and they come in a rectangular box. They have spinach and potato, brocolli and potato, and fish filet. The spinach and the fish are the softest. You can microwave the ones with the potato, but I usually heat the fish in a a pan... that way the breaded coating comes off and I can just give her the fish (my 1 year old doesn't need any more bread products!)

4- You could also try shredded cheese (the thinner the better), refried beans with melted cheese on top, smooshed banana...

5- Just a quick thought- how many teeth does your son have? Maybe that's part of the issue or maybe his gums are crazy sensitive with teething.

As my sister-in-law always reminds me... In another month it will be a non-issue ('cause you'll have a whole different issue to worry about!) AND don't worry about what everyone else says- unless your doctor and a second medical opinion get concerned- just go with the flow. (I know- easier said than done!)

Good Luck!

K.

HI! Rose:
My son is 13-1/2 months old and eats more of the Gerber food than he eats regular food. I give him both. Have you tried Gerbers Stage 3 foods? Those are chunkier and she may do better with that. I wouldn't worry about it. Everyone has their own opinion on what you should feed them and how much etc but you know your child best so feed her what she will eat and ignore everyone else.
Good luck!

Hi Rose! Great to hear your making your own food now! We have always done it -- save cereal. My son, 9 months, eats most everything we've ever given him. I think because it tastes so much better, but that's just because we're foodies. He did the choke it down thing with the chunckier textures at first, but we just kept trying. Now he likes to pick up little pieces of food -- NOT THAT IT ALWAYS GETS TO HIS MOUTH! =) I put out food and let him play with it, and when he chews really well I clap and cheer. I try to make new foods fun. We do the exagerated chewing thing too. I don't think there is a way to really get it wrong, you just have to try it over and over again. Don't forget to have fun with it too!

I went through the same thing with my daughter, who just turned one. She would gag on everything, even the Gerber stage 3 foods that have just the slighest texture. I was so worried that she would never learn to eat real food. I just kept trying new things every once in awhile. It seemed like overnight she stopped gagging and spitting out the textured foods. She is 12 and a half months old now and is eating regular table foods. My advice is don't give up and don't worry! I don't think you missed any windows of opportunities. Your daughter just needs to get used to the new foods. Remember all she has probably had up until recently were liquids and purees.

How many teeth does she have? if she doesnt have enought she may not feel she is ready for solids. My son on the other hand was determined to feed himself chunks of solid food at like 7 months. So I can't help you with whether or not you did something wrong...tho I highly doubt it. I can suggest that you put chunks in her purreed baby food. Like take a banana and cut it into small pieces and mix in her food. Then spoon feed her like normal. You can also try starting her on these puffy things that I think Gerber makes. They dissolve very easily. So you can mix those in with her food too. If that doesn't work. I would just continue to give the chunks to her at every meal time. Don't force her to eat them, just make them available until she is comfortable with thier prescence. You could even try eating them yourself straight from her high chair tray. Feed her the purree like you usually do with some chunks of banana or vege or whatever and eat a few pieces yourself as you feed her, making sure she sees you and sees that you like them. This may intice her to try them herself. Hope this helps.

The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Gerber foods won't help her trasition since they are so smooth, but you could try the Stage 3 which has bigger pieces.
You say she acts like she's choking when you try to give her "chunkier" food...does that mean ANYTHING that isn't "mush", or will she try some things (like a banana that isn't totally mashed up) that she like only to refuse other things she doesn't? Have you had her checked out by your pediatrician? It sounds like there might be some underlying issue with her eating and that coud be why she acts like she's choking, maybe she really isn't ready to tackle the tougher foods because of some sort of medical issue. If that is the case they can make recomendations to help get her eating better. Our pediatricians wanted all 3 of my kids on table food (i.e. whatever we are eating cut so they can handle it, not baby mush of any sort) by about 9 months old.
You haven't done anything wrong, but you might want to have her looked at so that if there is a problem they can help you take care of it. If they don't find anything, I'm sure she'll decide on her own to try new things (especially if that is what you offer her first before you resort to the "mush")
Good luck!

My son is exactly the same way. He has a very sensitive gag reflex and vomits any stage 3 purees, cheerios, puffs, crackers, cookies, etcetera. What I have been doing is adding oatmeal to his fruits and veggies to thicken them up a lot -- oh, I also add oatmeal to his yogurt.

My boy is 14.5 months so it's really hard. My ped suggested seeing an occupational therapist for help but I've had trouble finding one on my insurance plan.

Sigh. It's always something :) hugs to you!

I think that other people are worrying you too much about it. My daughter had huge issues with solids when she was about to turn 1 - in fact, the only thing solid that she ate was her birthday cake! She's now coming up on 2 and eats solids really well. I would just keep offering them to her and eventually she'll be interested and will just take off! Also, you can buy those strainers from Target or Babies R Us that looks like a popsicle holder with a mesh bag attached to it. I bought those for my daughter and put banana in it, and she loved it. If you really think that your daughter has a problem though, just mention it to her doctor when you go for her 12 month checkup.

Have you tried super soft foods like ripe banana and pear? Mash them up with the fork and leave some chunks.
The other thing we did was to show our son how to chew. We pretended to chew in a really exaggerated fashion and he copied us. It took us a long time too, for the chunkier foods. But try foods that are soft and wet (as opposed to dry ie. chicken).
Good luck

I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe she'll adapt in another few months. But, maybe you should have her checked out by the dentist. Maybe it hurts to chew.

I hear ya! I have a son who is now 13 months old and still will not touch anything with texture. Except he will eat those Gerber Graduate snacks that melt in there nouths. He just went to his 1 year check up and the Dr said that it is okay and he will eat the foods when he is ready and he should be by 18 months. He also told me not to give up and just keep trying. So hang in there I feel your frustration. If your baby is at her right weight and healthy and happy I wouldnt be too concerned.

my twins are 16 months old. i give them a combo of pureed food and chunkier stuff. consistency is a real issue for one of the twins. offer both, but i wouldn't worry too much about it. especially since she isn't even a year yet. good luck! no worries!

First question I have is how many teeth does she have? If she was a late teether, she may not be ready for bigger solids yet. also, at what age did you first itroduce solids. my son started at 3 months, but if you didn't strt until 6 months, she may need a little more time to master the first part of this skill.

Now, what I recommend is trying things that bacically fall apart in her mouth. My niece LOVED egg noodles boiled in chicken broth. Her mom would boil them until the would practically fall apart when touched. You can also put things like small bites of banana or soft avocado on her high chair tray while you're prepairing her food. You could also provide those Gerber veggie/ fruit puffs this way, Cherio's, peeled and quarted grades, or even some left over baked sweet potato bites. This way you are giving her something to do while you prepare her meal. Even if she just plays with it, you're still adding skills to her mental tool box.

You can also try those "My Safe Feeder" or something like that with sweet fruit pieces in it. They are mesh bags with a handel that you can put things like a slice of pear that she can hold and chew on, but all that comes out is more of a pear pulp. She is learning about texture and consistancy, but can't really choke on it. My son STILL likes getting ice in these, and he's almost 2 1/2.

Hope you find something that works soon, but don't let yourself get stuck on what's "average" for her age. She just may be very pick about textures. My MIL says my hubby would only eat BLENDED Chicken soup, tortillas, and cereal until he was nearly 12... YEARS! I think (HOPE!!!) this is a little exagerated, but it does happen.

Take care, and contiue to ROCK as a Mama! -J