Hello - I have a wonderful 8 month old daughter, who has been taking solids since 4 months old. She does very well with them, and really enjoys them - she'll eat cereals, and Stage 2 vegetables and fruits of any kind. Our challenge is that our doctor says she's ready to start on finger foods and thicker foods, but we are unable to get her to take any. We tried very ripe small pieces of banana (a Stage 2 she loves), cottage cheese, yogurt, very well cooked and cut up pasta, and thicker Stage 3 foods - she has gagged and/or thrown each of them up, as well as anything with meat in it. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just a sign she isn't ready? Or is this normal and she just has to get used to thicker textures? I don't like giving her things that make her ill, but don't want to be feeding my some-day to be 2 year old Stage 2 foods...Any ideas?
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and ideas on the thicker, chunkier foods. It sounds like it's a pretty common issue and that 8 months is on the early side to expect her to just take them without a problem. So, we have started to introduce them in smaller amounts at a couple meals a day, intermingled with her Stage 2 foods she likes. She will try them and take a little, then starts to gag, so we take it very slow. We tried to let her have some true finger foods on her high chair, but she just plays with it. That has to be the ONLY thing she DOES NOT put in her mouth!!! Thanks again!
Hi K.,
I have to agree with most everyone, she's not ready. My daughter was not either. She took her sweet time and i didn't force. The Dr. said she will when she's ready. And frankly so what if she's 15 months still having issues on baby food? She's not 5, that's when i would worry. :-) But really my daughter is now one and she's a little piggy, eats everything and anything....dirt even...yuck! Give her time and keep offering...she will.
I am having the same issue with my 10 month old. At our 9 month visit, the pediatrician said we needed to do more finger foods. And as you have said, I am fearful of my child being on "baby" foods for a long time. I try to encourage thicker/chunkier foods that my child likes and I give those at almost every meal. I figure giving the thicker texture and chunkier food all the time will help. We do small pieces of bananas, cheerios (he loves them - we give them every meal), and I am starting to make some of my own foods - I make them into a thick puree (just did broccoli - he loves it). I will give soft, steamed veggies and pasta. I have started with tiny amounts of stage 3 fruits which have chunks - he gags, but he can do it if I keep the amount on the spoon very small. I think you have to take cues from your child and just be persistent about giving some thicker/chunkier food at every meal. I have definitely noticed that my child is getting better and better at it. Good luck!
hi K., i think she maybe not ready yet, it took my daughter a while, keep offering and eventually she'll start eating chunkier foods. my daughter started around 11 months. but all kids are different so keep trying, good luck
Hi K.,
You know what your daughter will eat finger foods and thicker food when she is ready. Just cause the doctors say that she is ready doesnt mean she is.
I have a 2 1/2 year old son who weighs 20lbs and the doctors are on my to make him eat. How do you make a 2 year old eat??? So take it from someone who knows they will things on there own time. So dont worry?
If she is throwing up she may be allergic to some of the foods or her stomach may not be able to handle the thicker foods yet. My mother tells me "in time."
So no worries she will do things and eat things when she is ready. :)
H. - stay at home mom of a 2 1/2 year old son - Antonio Thomas
HI, like everyone else has said, she'll know when SHE's ready! just be patient. all kids are different. i would do like others have said. make her cereal a little thicker next time you feed her. or you can even try regular oatmeal. try giving her dry cereal and let her try them on her own. also make yourself some scrambled eggs, and give some to her, even just put them on her highchair tray and just let her pick up the chuncks of scrambled egg on her own. it may work, that's how my daughter started on her solids (quaker oatmeal and eggs). and if she doesn't like them, you can always eat it so it doesn't go to waste. just remember, be patient, and as you have things that are soft to eat (whether it be mashed-potatoes, eggs, pancakes, veggie, fruit, etc) just give her a little...sooner or later she'll find something she likes, and it'll be her start on more solid foods. after that, she'll eat just about anything if your lucky. good luck.
My son's pediatrician had us wait a little longer (10 months) to start on finger foods. She may just not be ready. Don't push her, but offer very small finger foods occasionally, and she will come around. Little ones have their own ways of telling you "it's not time yet", and she seems to be doing just that. Be patient, and good luck!
Hi K.
I actually asked a similar question in this site not long ago. My son did not like chunky foods or any foods with texture. Let me reassure you that it's just a stage. It will get better. It took my son about 2 months to start eating foods with more texture. He just turned 12 months and now he eats everything from fish to different vegetables, fruits and pretty much anything I give him. Sometimes the #3 foods have chuncks that are too big, so at first I would actually make the chuncks even smaller by using a fork.
Just hang in there.... it'll get better with time.
C.
Just another suggestion... but as she starts to tolerate the textures canned veggies and fruits are softer than fresh ones. Although they may not have as many nutrients in them as fresh, and maybe some additives they are easier to eat. My 11 month old daughter (hated the texture of pureed peas) loved canned green beans and carrots, you may still have to cut them up some depending on the size but they are so soft they almost melt in their mouths. Some baby food brands do the jarred fruit (healthier than the canned stuff because it is stored in apple juice and not heavy/light syrup) and they are already cut to finger food sizes. Besides cheerios, and the gerber fruit/veggies puffs this is where I started my daughter.
Today I was at McDonald's (I take my son and his friend on Friday's after pre-school as his mother has to take younger child to therapy) I ordered my 5 y.o. (who eats good food just usually in small amounts) a 6 piece nugget happy meal and took 2 for the baby because I am lucky if my son eats the 4, any way she not only ate the 2 nuggets broken up into pieces she had a third and ate them all before my son finished 2 of them. Relax, don't rush her and she will be fine.
Hi K.~
Congrats on your wonderful daughter. Two things come to mind...that indeed it is normal and that she isn't ready or she has a sensory intergration issue. My girlfriend's daughter had the latter of the two. The pedi initially told her to keep trying the thicker, more texturized food. She was still having the same reaction at 26 months. She was referred to our local Birth to Three program and was observed and assessed to have a sensory intergration issue. They worked with her and did exercises/therapies involving her mouth and and trying to 'de-sensitize' her. A few months later she was eating thicker, more texturized foods.
At 8 months, she very well might not be ready for those types of foods. Check with your pedi to see when he/she thinks it should be a concern. Good Luck!
:o)R.
I would suggest trying the gerber fruit and veggie puffs. These are more of a snack food but both my babies loved them. They disolve in the babies mouth so there's no worry of choking. Maybe you could try these and move on from there. Just and idea. Good luck.
I still don't like the feel of thick foods! :-) When my girls were ready for finger foods, I started them with Cheerios. I placed a few on her tray, and let her experiment. I began serving her favorite cereals thicker, rather than introducing something new. After that I would introduce one food at a time, a few days apart. Egg custard was well tolerated because while thicker, it has a silkier mouth-feel. Try offering the new food at the beginning of the meal when she is hungrier, and again after the meal just to play around with. And as always, just because the pediatrician says your daughter is ready, doesn't mean she is. Just keep offering her a few basics, and in time she'll let you know when she's comfortable moving up to other foods.
Kelly,
I agree with the mom who said just because the dr. says she's ready doesn't mean YOUR child is ready. Your dr. is giving you general advice... but your daughter is the BEST person to tell you when she's ready, so follow your instincts (always the best bet) and let her guide you.
I had the same issue with my now 2.3 year old daughter - she choked on every solid I gave her, no matter how small I made it for her. It was stressful and scary for weeks while I tried to feed her things she simply wasn't ready for. Once I decided that it didn't matter what texture her food was in, as long as she was eating, and she's happy and healthy - that's all that mattered. Feeding time was MUCH better for both of us after that.
Like one other mom said, just keep trying, but don't make yourself crazy over it. Offer it, and if she gags, then she's not ready. Period. Try again another day.
Like my best friend told me, my daughter's not going to be going to Kindergarten eating baby food... so relax. Now she eats like a champ - and has been for quite awhile. Your daughter will learn, too, when she has more teeth and she's ready. 8 months is early, in my opinion, to worry about her eating lots of solids.
And remember, as long as she's happy and healthy - it makes no difference what texture her food is!
I hope this helps, K..
cheers,
~ A
A. M Forest, MBA
Multiple Streams Queen & Coach
http://www.ClientAbundance.com
not every baby starts things right on time. as a start you can try a stage 2 food that contain oatmeal or mixed grain or rice, these foods are more of a pasty consistency and this could prep her for moving thicker things around her mouth.. and she may just plan not be ready for it. give her a little break and try something new again next week. you dont want to force her to fast so she knows what you are giving her and doesnt like the way she feels when she eats it and then refuses to eat all together. she's getting everything she needs to get right now so another couple of weeks is not going to make a difference, alot can happen with her in a couple weeks. good luck as i have learned everything will fall into it's proper place.
T.
