Window of opportunity for solids? Difficult introduction in a reflux baby.

[*Liz*]

I have heard much about there being a 'wondow of opportunity' to introduce solids - after which it can be sooo much harder.

Just wondered what others think of this?

My DS is 9 mths old now and still really doesn't take very much. He has reflux which is responsible for most of our issues.

His range of foods is extremely small. He will sometimes have a little puree, and sometimes not.

He likes a few finger foods, but most new things I try end up squashed or on the floor.

I just don't know what else to try. Its a catch 22 - he needs more solids to help ease the reflux - but because of it he doesn't like eating.

We have a few good days here and there but I am starting to get really quite worried about it all.

A typical day for us would be
Breakfast - few cheerios, 1-2 toast fingers, some fruit puree - he used to have wheetabix or oatmeal but refuses them now.
Lunch - Mini breadstick, one of those organix snack things, perhaps a bit of savoury and fruit puree. Max of about 1oz in combination.
Tea - Same as above really.

There are only 2 savoury purees he seems to like - broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato, and chicken with sweet potato and carrot.
With fruit purees he will only eat things with pear in it. I make pear and apple together, pear and apricot, pear and blueberry.

But then he gets bored with them and won't eat them - but won't eat anything else either.

For finger foods he eats toast, breadsticks, organix snack things, rice cakes (but seems to be going off these and won't have anything on them), cherrios, blueberries. He won't eat anything that feels slimy or soft - so no fruit of vegetables - he just throws them on the floor. I've tried coating with baby cereal and that didn't help. So basically he will eat really dry carbs only!!

He drinks next to no water from a cup yet, and he gets REALLY constipated. Not suprising when you have low fluids and refuse most of your foods . And I don't mean he just misses a day or so out - I mean screams in pain and passes blood if it gets really bad. He now takes lactulose twice a day to keep him going. He does go now - but its still not very soft - but I guess that is due to low fluid intake.

I'm just feeling really lost with this now. I feel as though I have been trying for months now with no progress at all - and now he is entering the fussier spoon refusal stage its just getting harder. I know with a toddler you offer and if they refuse they wait until the next healthy snack or meal - but how will that ever work with a baby who eats nothing and still ends up having night bottles.

I don't get stressed in front of him, leave him to it, often eat with him, let him make a mess and if he gets upset and cries I finish the meal. If he refuses the spoon twice I take it away.

I just don't know what else to do or try.

He is also MSPI so can't have dairy at the moment.

Any ideas anyone 

[Mimi 2]

I have heard much about there being a 'wondow of opportunity' to introduce solids - after which it can be sooo much harder.

Just wondered what others think of this?

I really don't believe this.  DD had reflux & didn't like solids when I introduced them at 4 mos (ped's advice).  It caused a lot of anxiety for me as we went to several appts at the feeding clinic and did a barium swallow test to rule out any problem.  it turned out dd was fine, she just didn't like to eat even if lots of opportunities of food being presented to her.   AS she got closer to 12 mos, she decided to eat with gusto.  We decided to go the BLW route a while back and she mostly played with her food until she was at least 11 mos.  I truly believe that babies will eat solids/regular food when they are ready. 

There is no special window that all babies must abide by.  Just keep offering plenty of opportunities for your ds to get "acquainted" with food.  Do you eat with him?  or do you have him sit with you while you eat?  I know it's frustrating when you see lots of food being wasted but maybe just give him a little bit at a time.  I know that I used to offer dd's bits of my food from my plate. 

As for trying new things, one trick i do is to offer that item first when dd or ds is really hungry.  Often they will eat a few bites.  For the consipation, try giving him a straw cup. 

Hugs.

[*Liz*]

Thanks so much for your reply Mimi - interest on solids seems to come and go a bit with Jacob. I started at 5 mth on paeds advice and for a few weeks he did really well, then got constipated and went of it all, so kind of stopped and started again.

It is all in fits and starts really. Sometimes he will eat, sometimes he won't. He has 4 bottles a day of 5oz or so.

We do eat with him as much as is practical, and do offer him things off our plates. The fact that he really has no set pattern makes me think that he tried to eat when he is feeling well, and doesn't when he can't.

We did have a feeding team appointment - and basically they said there were no physical reasons for him not eating, and that his interest seems to be there so just keep offering lots of different things and let him make a mess and play etc. At that point he was on 3 bottles a day, and one night feed. They did say try not to fill him up too much with milk though - but he is usually only having 20oz a day.

I don't really care if he wastes food. I just want him to enjoy food - and he clearly doesn't at the moment.

My HV is starting to talk about only letting him have 2 bottles a day and 'making' him eat solids and drink water the rest of the time. Surely this isn't fair? And if he doesn't want purees how can you expect him to learn all the skills he needs to eat real food like that? Then she started to talk about him developing food aversion if we didn't do something about it - but as far as I can see he has that already - and how will forcing him to eat help?

What sort of straw cup do you use? I can't seem to find many here in the UK and how do I introduce it? I just can't work out how to 'teach' him how to use it!

When you are on 4 bottles I don't think they are ever really hungry, as the bottle is always first. I seperate by 90 mins already, and anymore than that and its getting to be nap time and he isn't interested if too tired. I suppose I could do lunch before milk to see if that helps.

Thank-you so much for your advice. I get so upset by it all sometimes - not the fact that Jacob can't eat yet - but by the fact that I keep getting told off about it. I cannot force him to eat. I try to think of it as there advice being for average babies and Jacob clearly isn't average - but the professionals don't seem to agree with me.

Thanks again.

[Mimi 2]

I was also advised to limit her formula intake to make her hungry enough to eat.  They even told me to try watering it down.  It just didn't feel right to me that I'm forcing her to eat when she clearly didn't want to, kwim?  She was on 4 bottles of 8-9oz/each.  She gave up the nightfeeds at around 5 mos so I know that she didn't need solids to sleep better.  Funny as her sleep was just fine, it were the teething and physical milestones that messed up with night sleep. 

IMHO, I dont' think your lo has food adversion as he is eating something, even though it may be quite limited.  My understanding of food adversion is total lack of solids in the diet due to textures issues.  Forcing him to eat (pushing food into his mouth, withholding his bottles so that he has to eat, etc) will just give him some negative associations with food. 

I just use the Take & Toss straw cup.  http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2799857#showReviews  I remembered dd learning how to use the straw by observing me drink my own drink.  It was a slurpee.    Ds was the same way.  He just saw us using a straw and after a few tries he figured it out.

I know it's hard not to worry or to feel like something is wrong with ds but I think that you are doing great.  He is eating something, right?  Keep offering him different things to try and he will eat.