My 15 Month Old Will Only Eat Pureed Foods

I am not sure if this will help but my daughter did the same thing.

We made her food in the beginning and processed all the veggies and fruits but once she was eating more solid foods she suddenly no longer wanted any wheat/whole grain warm cereal nor did she want any fruit cut up or veggies.

She also made the gag sound, which made me feel bad and confused that she ate all this stuff before but no longer wanted it. She went through phases of possibly turn into a piece of: pasta, grilled cheese, bagel. We started discovering sneaky ways to incorporate vegetables without her knowing into the food we cooked. To this day she gags at anything that is baby food consistency except for mash potatoes and gravy which is what she may turn into now either that or a cheese quesadilla. She is much better now and did kind of "grow" out of it. They will go through phases but keep offering it to him or including it on his plate.

One trick I did discover for the veggies was to put a little sesame oil in the pan when I make fresh spinach, green beans, or carrots with a tiny bit of light soy sauce but not to salty (just test it). We are no big on the canned stuff. If you use a can I might drain the liquid first. The only canned thing she liked was the mixed veggie one with little square potatoes in it.

She also liked some veggies with a little butter and maybe a tiny bit of salt.

Oh and she always wanted to eat what I was eating so every once and a while she would insist on eating my food while I sat with her. So I would eat my veggies and then she would want some too. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

The feeding himself with the fork and spoon. I would talk to your pediatrician about milestone markers. But I have always gone with the theory that kids learn and grow at different levels and if the Dr isn't worried about it then I was not worried about it. He may be slow at his dexterity for now but then later is the smartest kid in the class at math time.

Don't let them put to much pressure on you. Just reassure them you are working on it at home as well.

My daughter did not use a utensil to eat until after this age as well. She would try then give up and scarf it up with her hands. But when she did do it on her own, we would clap and give her praise Yay! your a big girl! Good Job!

Hang in there

My daughter was like this but it wasn't an issue for us because I stay at home. She was a preemie and has always been behind in everything including eating. When she was your son's age she was exactly the same. Would self feed cheerios and such but nothing else and eat only the purees. I would just keep trying. Put the finger food on the tray first and then do something else so you are not hovering. Like wash the dishes or eat your own food to show example. It he eats it or even just puts it near his mouth be sure to praise him. Give him a bit of time before going to the purees and keep them hidden until you are ready to feed him. I think my daughter was around 18 months when we finally transitioned off the purees and she never really liked the stage 3 foods went straight to what we were eating. It just took some time. Frustrating yes, especially when you are getting pressure from daycare but all kids develop differently. If you suspect something else might be going on be sure to talk with your doctor. And from what I hear utensils don't get really mastered until 3. At 2 my daughter can use them but can't get the food on them, still working on it :)

I don't have answers to all your questions, however, I just wanted to let you know that my daughter had a similar problem at that age. It seemed as if she couldn't handle a 1/2 cheerio when other toddlers were scooping handfulls into their mouths. She gagged on everything and turned into quite a picky eater for what seemed like months on end. All I can say is that she eventuallyl outgrew the stage and started eating everything she could get her hands on. She's now 11 YEARS old and would prefer to order say, salmon in a restaurant than chicken nuggets like many of her peers.

Hang in there. He may just have a bad gag reflex which will improve in time.

My son (almost 13 months old) is similar although he does eat some fruits (bananas, mandarin oranges and pears). He will also eat cereals, puffs, anytizer chicken fries, waffles, bread, pancakes, french toast, applesauce, yogurt, rice cakes, graham crackers, carrots. Thats pretty much it! He will not try many proteins, meats, noodles or vegetables. I still feed him purees so he gets veggies and sometimes fruits. He too is in daycare - I feel pressure too that Im feeding him the same thing everyday and would love if he ate less starches. But I do have an older daughter who is 3 (preschool room at daycare) and when she transitioned from Infants to Toddlers I was astonished at what she ate there! She was a picky eater too! She actually ate most of what they fed her. Of course she would not eat the same foods at home but I think she did it because A) she was hungry and B) because the other kids were eating it. I made sure to have a snack in the car for the ride home. For my son, I have to remind myself to be diligent and just keep giving him new things to try. For example if I want to try peaches I would plan on giving him some everyday at lunch for at least 10 days straight. I do not pressure him, I do the dishes or something else so he can try and accomplish it by himself. That is how he liked the 3 fruits I mentioned - it was a slow start but now he hogs them down! Good luck!

My son has Sensory Processing Disorder. While he did have this issue with feeding, there were other problems as well. If this is the only "funny" thing he does, I wouldn't worry too much and just pass it off as a quirk. If he does do other "funny" things, like my son does (seeks out intense activities, avoids certain textures like sand, grass, scratchy things, doesn't like getting messy) I'd give your pediatrician a ring. If you suspect SPD but want to be a little more sure before you call the Dr., I would pick up a copy of "The Out of Sync Child." An excellent book with some checklists right in the beginning. If it is SPD, your Dr. should recommend Occupational Therapy. Good luck!