Faddy eating - problem or not?

[zebstiredmum]

My DS is 7 months today.  Began weaning at 24 weeks.  First 4 weeks went well - wolfed down veggie purees.  Then started spoon refusal, but I discovered he will take foods he likes from the spoon ie anything in cheese/ white sauce, yogurt, or with white potatoes in (I guess because it gives it a creamy taste/texture)

(but won't eat ready brek, which I thought he would because it's creamy)

I give finger foods alongside mashed/roughly blended food, but also picky about which of these he eats (won't eat sweet potato).

I have found that if he doesn't take a good meal of carbs (either sweet potato or white potato) for tea then he wakes early in the morning (5 instead of 6.30 -7), so have been serving a lot of food in cheesy/white sauce over the last week.

Lunch is usually a sandwich - houmus ends up on floor, although he liked it initially, he is now showing a strong preference for cream cheese.

So - he's taking a good varied diet, just mixed in with a lot of dairy - am I setting myself up for future problems, or is it ok to just keep giving what he likes?    :)Anyone been through this with your baby during weaning, how did it pan out?  Thanks

[Annabelp]

I was just about to post almost the same thing! Lo started off at 6 months eating anything but now we are limited to yoghurt, peanut butter, cauliflower cheese or pureed fruit. He will suck on finger foods but don't think he actually eats a lot of it.

My problem is I resort to one of the favourites when he refuses something just so I know he has something to eat. Am guessing I'm lining myself up for problems doing that though?

[Shiv52]

At this stage solids are just for fun and experience and milk should make up the majority of your LOs diets.  How much milk are your LOs having at this stage?  Have you noticed a decrease?  If you are noticing NWs it is more likely to be that they aren't getting enough milk as opposed to not having had a solid meal.  What age are they both?

My problem is I resort to one of the favourites when he refuses something just so I know he has something to eat. Am guessing I'm lining myself up for problems doing that though?

Yes, I'd say you are setting yourself up for issues.  Not so much in that your LO will expect something more preferred for meals and expect you to swap and change (too young at this stage for that thinking but it comes quickly so be aware) but more that you are getting yourself into the mindset that you NEED to make sure he is eating something.  You don't.  Their milk is enough. Solids are for experience so if they don't eat that is fine. 

Few things to bear in mind:

1.  It can take LOs to be exposed to a new food 15-20 times over a period of time before they will eat it readily so
    keep trying
2.  Milk is the most important source of nutrients until 1 year
3.  Do solids 1 hour after milk so milk intake isn't affected but they are hungry enough to try solids

I bought Annabel Karmels meal planner and I made a lot of the meals in there and froze them and that helped me provide a great variety of meals. She has a great finger food book too if you are finding spoon refusal an issue!  It was excellent for ideas.  I also found my LO was much keener on solids when I moved to more meal type foods (pureed casserole, pureed chicken dishes etc) at 7-8 months rather than offering one food at a time IYKWIM? 

HTH xx

[zebstiredmum]

Hi Annabelp & Shiv

Thanks for your replies.  DS has been on mixed foods for a while now - I have a few AK books which a friend gave me.  I wish I could be more laid back about eating and let him go down the BLW route - I try to let lunchtimes be BL, but need more finger food ideas - I usually eat salad for lunch myself and need more variety for DS. 

The reason I am spoon feeding food I know he will eat at tea is because I've noticed a definite link between how much/ what he eats for tea and the time he wakes up - small tea/ no potato or sweet potato leads to EW for some reason.  It doesn't matter how much or how little he eats - he still doesn't seem to take a very big milk feed at bedtime (BF), and he's also really cut down on the DF, so the milk just doesn't see him through anymore.   The only thing that seems to stop the EW is if I spoon feed him with veggies or fish in sauce. 

[Shiv52]

How many bfs is he having in a day?  What volume of solids is he eating?  Could you do your main meal for him at lunch and finger foods at dinner and that way he should take more milk at bed and DF?  At 7 months milk should be his main food and it provides way more nutrition than the solids.  You also should look at the volume of food across the whole day not just from dinner in terms of affecting sleep or EWs.  Just like in the early days if they aren't getting enough milk throughout the day they will wake in the night for more.  Same once you introduce solids, of you don't keep the volume of milk up and replace too soon with solids then they will wake to fulfil what they need. 

[zebstiredmum]

Thanks Shiv - he is now having a FF for the DF, and in spite of eating little for tea (I tried him with something new) he slept till 6:30!  Hooray.  Also I made sure tea finished at 17:30, so he had his appetite back for milk - in fact he 'asked' for a feed at 18:00, only fed from one side, but then fed from both at bedtime.

He does only have a small appetite for milk, he has often struggled to take a full BF - for breakfast he feeds a bit around 7am, and a bit around 8am, and the same at bedtime - it's only about every 3 days that he will have a big BF all in one go for B/fast & bedtime.  I think his appetite isn't helped by reflux (on gaviscon but it doesn't seem to make much difference to how sick he is)

He has 5 BFs a day (sometimes split at Bfast & bedtime), now having 4 BFs and 1 FF.  Sometimes eats well at B/fast (cereal & fruit), lunch is hit or miss as he doesn't always get a lot in. 

Thank you for your support - I'll keep on trying the food variations - think I'll go for AK fish and orange next!

[Shiv52]

Also I made sure tea finished at 17:30, so he had his appetite back for milk - in fact he 'asked' for a feed at 18:00, only fed from one side, but then fed from both at bedtime.

Thats a great idea!   Seems like he is on track with the milk feeds and is doing well.  It will all even out. 

Has he been ok with the solids in terms of his reflux?  No constipation or anything?

My LO loved AK fish and orange!!  I can't stand salmon so I used to dread it and hated having to taste it to check if it was cool enough but she LOVED it!!!

Keep up the good work!  You're doing great!