BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Feeding Solid Food => Topic started by: Catharine on July 18, 2005, 18:43:40 pm
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My dd's almost 14mths old and shows no interest in picking up any food to put in her mouth or in holding her spoon to self-feed. She'll only do cheerios and a biscuit. It feels like a constant uphill battle with no end in sight.
When she sees us eating, all she wants to do is touch it once after that she'll walk away. We've tried letting her taste our food but her mouth is always shut and head turned away.
She's also very fussy when it comes to her pureed food; she likes her regulars and refuses anything different. She won't eat a rice, pasta or fish even if they've been pureed into pulp.
I use the Annabel Karmel cookbook and 50% of her receipes are 'acceptable' when pureed.
Will my dd be eating pureed food at age 2? Looks like it... sigh...
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Henry will self-feed some finger foods - Cheerios, Teddy Grahams, bread, waffles, bagels, bananas - for me and others - peaches, pasta, grilled cheese - for daycare but absolutely refuses veggies and refuses to eat anything with any texture from a spoon.
I figure he'll eat normal foods eventually. At least for now, in giving him purees, I can get him to eat a lot of veggies and good stuff that he just wouldn't get otherwise. I'm trying really hard not to sweat about it, although it's not easy!
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I am sooo there with you! Back during the spoon refusal days (9-12 mo), he ate just about any finger food we offered. When the spoon became acceptable again, he decided it was much easier to sit there with his mouth open than actually feed himself. He'll still eat some finger foods, like cheerios, crackers, grilled cheese, pasta, and fruit, but he wants nothing to do with anything that resembles a veggie. So, puree it is! He still eats infant cereal for breakfast (he loves the stuff), and that's when he eats the most, so he gets an entire day's worth of veggie puree mixed in. He knows darn well how to get the spoon into his mouth, and will do it for a bite or two, then hands it off to me. :roll: Either that, or he just wants to play with it. He has zero interest in whatever we're eating, unless it's something he already knows he likes.
Like Sarah said, I'm trying not to worry too much about it, and it's nice to know he's at least getting his veggies!
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Catharine, my son is nearly the same age and does the exact thing! I've offered him countless kinds of finger food, little chunks of stuff, but anything hard, he won't even let me put in his mouth. he'll play with his food to no end but it never goes in his mouth! And to make things worse I am realizing now how many kids at this age won't even let you feed them so I am feeling like this is very time consuming suddenly too. Anyway we started seeing an OT last week and this Wednesday we are going again, I'm bringing his lunch this time so she can see him eat and hopefully have some ideas. I'll keep you posted if you want. ;)
In the time being... that old favorite, patience!! :lol:
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Catherine,
Just to let you know, you are definitely not alone. Our son just turned 13 months and won't let me get a spoon near him - so purees are out. For a while yogurt was okay and now its not! He has just started to finger feed himself, for about a month now, but will only eat things that resemble a cracker/cookie/cereal. I would have thought that he would have taken easier to the soft stuff, bannana, cooked veggies, pasta....but thats not the case. For now he likes graham crakers with peanut butter, cereals that dissolve easily, a little bread, gerber animal cookies and bannana snacking squares. Feeding him is tough, hence lots of formula still! He is taking a multivitamin to make up for the lack of them in his diet. His weight is good but this is a real struggle to say the least. I PRAY that he will one day eat like a normal little guy. So many Moms have kids that eat like crazy and I feel like I am always trying to get him to eat!
Katie - keep us posted on what the OT says, I am still interested to find out since our ped did not think it was needed (?????? still wonder about it) Yes , talk about time consuming....thinking about what to feed him, feeding him, wondering will he ever get the hang of eating. I am feeling like this has become too much of a focus in my life --- but its just so important :cry: What to do? :?: :lol:
Julie
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Catherine,
Nice to know you are not alone no? My dd is almost 10 months old and I know I will be traveling this road too. She has no interest in anything we put on her tray and as for puree, well its always the same carrott, butternut squash sweet potato and corn. I can sneak in courgette and the odd time pea. And yes its so time consuming, I seem to spend all day thinking about her eating and what is she going to eat, each night I get ready 2 or 3 lunches to experiment and always have the regular one on back up. I have tried everything, she has no meat or chicken, no cheese, no egg I could go on... and she only drinks a tiny bit of cows milk from a cup........yesterday I was on the point of giving up but then I just thought ok lets keep trying :-) She does eat a tiny bit of fruit, mango and apricot at the moment mixed with yougurt, but then again its sweet so why wouldnt she . Sorry rambling now but like I said its just nice to know we are not the only ones.
Take care
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Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for your replies, its really comforting to know that I'm not alone. Every toddler in our playgroup is eating so much better; there's even a boy the same age and he's got no teeth but will chomp down on anything in front of him. So, its a relief to know that I'm not alone with this problem.
Katie, please keep me posted on your OT visit, I would love to know what insight they can offer. My ped was very relaxed about her solid intake when we visted at 9mths, assuring us that she will start eating our food soon. Boy was he so wrong.
Should I just stop trying to introduce finger food until she shows some sign of interest in it or disinterest in pureed food? I don't want her to have negative feelings towards trying finger food.
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Hi Catherine,
I would say just keep offering it, putting it on her tray but without making an issue of it and maybe curiosity will get the better of her. I put scrambled eggs on dds tray yesterday.....she just about touched it with her little finger but I will persist. Good luck
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Catharine-
I would just keep offering finger food by putting a couple of pieces on the tray when she's eating. Don't put any pressure on her to do anything with it, let her come around when she's ready. Or you can work with what she does eat. A cooked pea, for example, sits nicely in the hole of a cheerio. She may pick the pea off and eat the cheerio, or she may stick the whole thing in her mouth and decide she likes peas!
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Hey Catharine,
Our appt is tomorrow, I'll keep you guys posted, just wanted to say in the time being that our ped. was pretty relaxed about it too at the 1 yr. appt.- she said he may not be developmentally ready and just keep offering without forcing (just like the other girls said! ;) ) There is no point in forcing anything. I know it's hard not to compare, but I'm sure there are things your dd does that others don't, that's just the way it goes! :D
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When, during the meal, do you put finger food on her tray?
She's also discovered that it is fun to bite a chunk of biscuit and spit it out again. I'm trying not to react to it, hopefully she won't think its fun after a while.
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Catharine, I put it out before, while I'm getting the meal ready, he usually plays with it then. I leave it there all meal, and also when we're done, while I clean up. Sometimes it can be a huge mess but oh well, I figure it's not that big of a deal. Opportunity!!! The more the better.
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Ok ladies so we saw the OT again today. First I just have to say, of course, that this information is based on Jack and what he is and is not able to do. Your lo's may or may not have the same issues, hard to say over the internet, but I will share what she said in case there in anything useful for you all. ;)
So basically he is at an early stage of eating; he swallows food like he swallows liquid- the tongue goes up and back. It's more of a suckling than a food-chewing-swallow, if that makes sense. When we chew, our tongues move side to side, to push the food over to teeth (or gums in their case) to be chewed, and then swallowed. He is not chewing at all, there is no up and down movement of the jaw. She also said he jaw seems to be weak, possibly part of the problem. She said there is no point in giving him chunks of anything as he will continue to swallow then whole and there in the danger of aspiration (food going down air pipe).
So, what to do? We have a Nuk brush (http://www.beyondplay.com/ITEMS/T485.HTM) which I didn't know how to use before but anyway, she said put some yogurt or whatever he likes on it and put it in the side of the mouth, in order to get the tongue over. There is a tongue reflex that happens when you put something in your mouth, your tongue automatically goes to that side. It worked while we were there. She said if he chews on it (which is good) to sort of move it back and forth along the side. The whole point is to stimulate tongue movement. She said to start with that, then we can do other stuff later. (what, I'm not sure) The same thing could be accomplished with a toothbrush or similar. Also can be done outside of mealtime, with a plain brush. The more the better, but only if he complies.
She said a big thing is that he is ok with me feeding him, putting stuff in his mouth, and we don't want to make him defensive to where he won't do that anymore. So NO forcing anything in his mouth, be very respectful, etc. Don't push. She thinks with the massaging he will start munching soon.
Also, tomorrow night I am going to a feeding seminar given by 2 speech pathologists about common misconceptions regarding feeding and disorders. It's been highly touted so it should be good. If I find anything useful there, I'll pass it along.
Sorry that was so wordy, but I truly hope it helps someone. :D
PS- if something wasn't clear let me know, i'll try to rephrase!
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Katie,
Just quick question, its so hard to know if our ds does the same thing as yours. I cannot really tell if our ds chews or not. He eats crunchy things, but only if they dissolve fairly easily. For example he could not eat a potato chip if I were to give him one. When he has food in his mouth, like a craker it gets broken down somehow, I just think that its not by chewing much. How was the OT able to tell that he does not chew? Thanks so much for sharing, I appreciate it.
Julie
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Hi Katie,
Thanks for the info, very enlightening. I didn't know that we could teach them to chew.
I think my dd could be at at early stage of eating that you described. Why I think it is is because:
- She eats pureed food without a problem, just a swallow action, no chewing.
- She's only clamping down on cheerios and they dissolve within seconds, so no chewing there.
- Same with biscuits; she bites chunks off with her front teeth, but they also go all soft and mushy very quickly.
- I give her raisins but she never swallows them, spits them out after keeping them in her mouth for a long time. I think she's doing that suckling thing that you said.
- She spits out any fruit I give her and they are in tiny tiny bits.
I'll give my dd her toothbrush to "chew" on since she loves it anyway. Am I suppose to put food on it and move it around her mouth to encourage the tongue movement?
Did the OT say when you can expect results?
Any more information or thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi Ladies,
I'm glad that was somewhat useful to you.
Julie, to watch for chewing, see if his mouth/jaw goes up and down or is he is just swallowing. Usually the swallowing is pretty obvious b/c it's the whole bite as once. My son couldn't eat a chip either, if he lets me put anything hard in his mouth he either dissolves it or swallows it whole.
Catharine, yes it sounds like your dd is doing similar stuff. Yes, she said put food on the brush, or leave it plain, either way, or both even. The Nuk brush we have doesn't have bristles, just little nubs, so it's easier to clean. I think you can buy them at the drug store? Not sure. Anyway she said she thought in a few weeks or so he should be munching more, if we keep up with the brushing/massaging.
I'll let you know if I come up with anything else tonight.
hth! :D
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Thanks for all of the great information Katie! I gave our little one a toothbrush tonight. He happily put it in my mouth but did not put it in his own. I will get a Nuk brush and see if he'll like that better. He does spend some time chewing on his bottle nipple if I let him, most of the time I take it away because I have heard it is "bad" to let them think they can carry it around all day. Possibly it would be good to let him chew away, the more chewing the better??? :D I have another appointment with our ped tommorow. I want her to just let him have a referal so that he can be properly evaluated. He has only started to finger feed within this last month. Before that not even a cherrio went into his mouth. Did the OT say how long babies typically stay in that early stage of learning to eat, sucking till things dissolve, before they learn to chew. I just don't know if I am jumping the gun and expecting him to learn to chew too quickly or if he should know by now :?: Is a month enough time :? Okay well enough thinking out loud for now :D Hope your seminar went well.
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Hey Julie,
I don't think there is a specific time frame as all kids are different. (I can't remember, how old is he?) Sounds like what you are doing is good! I think the bottle thing is more b/c having milk constantly in their mouth causes tooth decay, if it's empty what the heck? :D
Definitely push the referral, some docs are harder to convince than others but if nothing else then you will have another opinion. Keep us posted!!!
One thing from the seminar, kids all follow more or less the same sequence of doing things, but not always at the same times, if that helps. (regarding food and just about everything else!) ;)
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Thanks Katie,
Well we went to the doctor again today and again NO REFERAL! She gave me the phone number of a nurse that supposedly may be able to help. She said that we need to cut back on formula and that I should be firmer about offering him what I want him to eat. I get so frustrated because I do offer what I want him to eat, he just doesn't eat it! I know that he does not know how to chew and oh how I have tried with the spoon feeding to no end. I refuse to get pushy with him because it does not do any good. Basically the doctor is suggesting that I let him go hungry for a couple days and then he'll magically eat I suppose! I have tried that before and his sleep schedule got very messed up along with no weight gain which was very concerning to his previous pediatrician. I don't know what to do, I am at a loss. Any advice from you guys would be great. PS he is 13 months old.
Thanks again.
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Julie, based on what they said at the seminar last night, what your dr. suggested is really not a good idea, and it seems like you know that. Frankly I don't understand the hesitation- WHY NOT??? It doesn't seem like he is magically going to chew or he would by now! And making him go hungry b/c he doesn't know how to chew IMHO is NOT respectful or even appropriate! There are a lot of steps involved in eating/chewing, it is not simple. Grrr the more I think about this it's making me mad for you! I wouldn't cut back on formula- although as I say that, how much does he take? And I take it you haven't switched over to whole milk yet- any reason why? What sort of solid schedule is he on btw? Nutrition is the primary concern here, right? esp. if you are concerned about his weight or him losing weight. (been there when mine was younger, scary!!!) So as for advice, I would say either DEMAND a referral in no uncertain terms or find someone else who will give you one. From what I have learned, at this age, if he is not chewing there is a reason. Anyway, let me know what happens!!
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Hi Julie,
Listen to your gut feeling. I believe we're all trying everything we can to help our LOs eat and having someone say that you have to be 'firmer' gets me quite angry.
I agree with cutting back milk if he is drinking a lot more than 500mls a day. This worked for us when my dd was 9mths old plus I started with solids first then milk. I don't agree with being firmer, it doesn't work even they are hungry, its just causes lots of tears for the LO and stress for mum, and I say this from experience. It will effect their sleep and you really don't want create more problems.
My dd could be teething today and is rejecting all her favourite pureed food, so I've been feeding her baby rice cereal & yoghurt, the only things she'll eat without complaints. At least we're not stressed, there's no tears and I know its not because she's hungry if she gets cranky later on.
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Hi Katie and Catherine!
Thanks for your support and advice. I know for a fact that being "firm" with him does not help it only hinders our feeding relationship. He actually refused to eat anything besides the bottle around 11 months old. He did not want to be fed and did not have any interest in finger food. He is 13 months now and looking for some independence. Everything I have ever read says not to insist that your child eat anything. Right now he is getting about 24 oz of milk a day, sometimes less /sometimes more. I also give him pediasure at night before he goes to sleep. My previous pediatrician recomended this while he wasn't eating much solid food. She said that if he drinks it before bed it shouldn't really affect his eating during the day as their tummies empty out over that 10-12 hours they are asleep. Right now his schedule looks like this:
7 am 8 oz milk
10:30 solids (usually eats very little, couple bites cereal, couple bites of what ever I am eating if its something he likes and can handle today he tried pancake but did not seem to be impressed enough to take another bite, sometimes a little toast if I break off small pieces) He also has little snack bites after this of those gerber animal cookies. I would love for him to eat eggs, but he doesn't seem to be able to deal with the texture or amount of chewing required.
12:30 8 oz milk
1pm nap (usually 2 hours)
4:30 solids (today he ate 5 or 6 small pieces of graham craker spread with peanut butter and 5 or 6 bites of yogurt and some milk about 5-6 oz in his sippy)
7pm solids (I try to get him to eat some of what we are having for dinner but he usually doesn't really touch it much, he ate a bite of cooked carrot yesterday but wouldn't try anymore)
7:30 snack a little more cookie/cracker with a little milk
bath and bedtime with pediasure 8 oz
He doesn't in general seem to have the appetite of some kids his age or maybe I am wrong???? His weight is good, 75th percentile and height off the charts. He is by no means a chunky baby though. My husband and I were noticing today that when he eats something he puts it in his mouth, closes his lips, and it looks like he flexes his jaw muscles and moves them up and down a bit. But it looks nothing like the very obvious open mouth chewing I see most lo's do. He is obviously behind in this department. He did not start finger foods of ANY kind, not even cherrios till 12 months old. Only recently has he stopped gagging. Of course I only give him things that require a little mushing in his mouth, no meat here! Hopefully he'll improve with time, but I would really like a professionals opinion!!!!!!
Let me know what you guys think/ any thoughts suggestions would be appreciated.
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Hey Julie,
I totally agree with you, of course you don't want to turn this into a battle. No forcing food!!! :)
Just a few thoughts on his schedule- ours was similar not too long ago but the suggestion was made to offer him smaller meals more frequently, so that if he doesn't eat much at one there's not as much pressure, the next meal is only 2 hours away. This also makes meal times shorter (ours used to be about 30 min, or more!! now more like 10) and not such a big deal. Here is what our schedule roughly looks like now:
630- 8 oz bottle of milk
830- breakfast
1030- snack
1230- lunch
230- snack
430- dinner
600- 8 oz bottle of milk
The meals/snacks are all about the same size. So far it's working out well for us. Even though it's mostly soft food, I still offer him finger food to play with while I feed him.
As far as quantity, it really varies from child to child, but as long as his weight is steady, however much he eats should be fine. My son is 50-75% weight and 75-90% height, but isn't "chunky" either.
What about purees, will he still eat those? Does he still let you spoon feed him, or try to do it himself at all? I'm thinking for the time being maybe he could still do purees, for the sake of nutrition and variety? I also got some tips on making balanced meals at that seminar, if you want I will post.
Julie, I'm also curious, how is he doing with everything else, such as communication/speech, motor, etc.? Sometimes these things occur alone, sometimes with other issues. Just wondering.
Quite the discussion this is turning out to be!!! :D
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Thanks Katie I will try the shorter/smaller meals more often. That way no one has to feel like "you better eat :D " As far as motor skills goes I think hes right on track, walking up a storm and crawling/climbing up on everything he can. The other day he put his little keyboard/piano infront of the couch and used it as a step stool to climb up, too funny. He throws the ball for the dog and is in to just about everything, the house is definitely child proofed now. He is very good with his hands too. As far as talking, no first words yet, expcept for what sounds like "dog", when he is refering to our dog. He sounds like he is talking, but you know its just baby talk. The only thing I was concerned about for a while was that he didn't crawl until he was 10.5 months, but that concern has passed. He just never even attempted to crawl until he was sure he could. He never did that commando crawl I hear Moms talking about. Walking he took to very quickly after crawling. Maybe he'll be late with chewing too?(wishful thinking) The two are probably not connected in anyway. Let me know about any information you have. Talk to you soon. You help is much appreciated.
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Hey Katie and Catherine,
The shorter smaller meals are working out pretty well for the time being! :D Ds actually fed himself today with those "little dippers" that gerber makes - like a spoon but easier to manipulate. He was so surprised and proud of himself. I have not seen him that happy at a meal time ever! He also tried and liked mac n cheese. Suprisingly he ate the noodles just fine. I also bought those nutrigrain bars filled with yogurt that another mom recommended on a different previous post and they were easy for him to chew and swallow. No such luck with a piece of string cheese though, gagging :!: Gagging :!: At least he is trying. I figure the more things he eats the better he'll get at it :?: Talk to you guys soon.
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Hey Julie,
That is awesome!!! Good for you guys. Sounds like he is doing really well overall, maybe that is why your dr was hesitant about the referral. Anyway I'm glad you guys are having success! Keep us posted! :D :D :D
PS- what a cutie he is!!!
Catharine, how are things going for you guys???
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Hi,
Sorry for the late reply.
My dd's had a fever for the past 2-3days hence she has lost all appetite for food, even has no interest her favourite comfort food, rice cereal & yoghurt.
She's better today but still not eating much, so I had to resort to giving her stage 1 baby jar food which she seems to tolerate, I guess we'll have to stick with that in the meantime.
I've noticed more that she really doesn't chew her food down enough because with food like pineapple, toast, raisins, and cake all she does is chew for a while then spit it out. I can see the "remains" have been chewed or squashed to a plup but she just won't swallow it.
Good work Julie! Unfortunately I can't get gerber products here but I'll give the nutrigrain & mac n cheese a try. Is it those instant ones that come in a box?
My dd's walking & talking a lot as well and she was a late crawler, only did it for a short while then started walking. Hopefully the chewing will just click one day soon.
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Hi Catherine,
Sounds like the teething is a bit rough for dd. Our ds had a heck of a time when he went through a big teething spell at around 10 months. It seemed to last a very very long time. It was like one new tooth after another, it was around that time that he started refusing to eat from a spoon I think because his mouth was pretty sore. Anyways the macaroni was the instant kind, I had made it for myself and dh. I know its not the best for a lo, lots of sodium, but I let him eat it because he wanted to. These days I figure if he wants to try something I'll let him. Beggers can't be choosers right :!: Ok, talk soon!
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Just wanted to see how you guys are doing and if you have had any success with the nuk brushes?
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Hey,
My dd's recovered from her fever and it wasn't teething, probably a slight infection. She still insist on stage 1 jar food but now that her appetite is back, I'll give her home cooked food first then the jar if she kicks up a fuss.
There has been a slight improvement with real food. She's beginning to want to eat my food; yesterday she had some rice, egg & mince. She didn't spit it out and kept coming back for more. :D So now I know she can chew but maybe just not very well.
We tried giving her a spoon to feed herself and she understands the concept, gave it a few tries then lost interest. Will keep offering the spoon. I figured that I'll let her go wild & get dirty with her food at dinner times since bathtime will be soon after.
She's beginning to eat bits of toast with peanut butter, cornflakes, grapes (spits out the skin) and museli bars (thanks Jubee for the recommendation, she likes it a lot).
I noticed that I have better luck with finger food when she's not in the high chair. She must get bored just sitting there and starts tossing the food to the ground. If she's walking around and I leave a bit of food close to her or offer it to her then she'll keep eating & even comes to me for more. Is that a bad habit in the making?
How's everyone else doing? Keep the ideas coming.
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Hy everybody!!!
I'll do my best for make a good writing in english, so excuse me if it isn't perfect.
I'd like to share my experience with you. My doughter's name is Lucrecia and is 1 year old. Like you, I'm worried too because of the way she eats. I thought that by now, she would be eating solids like meat, veggies, rice, etc. But she's steel eating just puree and mostly sweet stuff (fruits with yogurt and cereal, etc).
Today we went to her ped and told me that it doesn't matter if she doesn't eat meat, if she keeps eating fruits and milk, but to keep trying introducing new flavors.
What I see is that she only accepts sweet stuff, but not salted ones, so is hard to make her eat veggetables and meat.
Does this happens to any of you??? :?
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Have you tried vegies with cheese sauce like cauliflower? My dd really likes it. The cheese flavour must hide the taste of the vegies. You can start with more sauce then gradually increase the amount of vegies or reduce the amount of sauce.
Also a good dish is to put combine sweet potato with peas & spinach. I have a receipe from the Anna Kambel's cookbook if you want. My dd eats half the stuff in this book, very easy to prepare.
Babies also love lentils which is a good source of iron & protein.
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Hi Catherine!
I just want you to know how funny it was to read your message because our ds does the same thing as your dd. He will eat finger food much more readily if he is just snacking and able to walk around! He has a bad cold and ear infection right now so his appetite is not so great, plus we are visiting family so he is a little out of sorts. Funny you mention she spits out the peel of a grape. Killian has done the same thing with peas a couple of times. He is seeing his similar age cousins eat like crazy so maybe that will encourage him. Although I must say it just makes me worry all the more when I see how well and readily other kids his age eat. Hopefully we'll get there :D
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Hi Juli,
Just wanted to let you know we have similar issues with our son. He accepts sweet much more readily than savory. But we keep at it :D Talk soon
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Hey everyone,
Hope all our LOs are doing better with eating.
My dd is becoming more interested in what I eat and will put most food in her mouth. If it dissolves in her mouth then its not a problem but if it doesn't then she's started this very bad habit of spitting it out. For example, chicken, she'll chew it till its in little bits then spit it all out. Same with food like prawns, any meat, even apples.
I've started to peel her grapes and that has stopped her spitting the skin out. She also spits out her food when she wants to eat something else or drink her water.
Anyone experienced this before?
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Hi Catherine!
Our ds does the same with meat, chews and spits out. He spits out things if he doesn't like them, I think its pretty normal. I also think he spits things out that are beyond his chewing capabilities. He is getting better and will at least try almost anything I offer. I have read in "Child of Mine, feeding with Love and Good Sense" that young children often will first play with the food, then put in their mouth and spit out, then chew and spit out, then finally chew and swallow when they are comfortable with the new food. Our ds has come a ways, but still doesn't chew as well as others his age (14 months). Hopefully by the time he is 18 months we can look back and see more progress :D