keeps refusing solids

[Shannonn]

My DS is nearly ten months and has had three teeth come in in two weeks time, but the major change didn't seem to effect his demeanor much-- he was, on the most part, just his typical happy self. I can only recall a couple of fussy moments when I gave him herbal teething tablets and a frozen teething ring and all was well.

As for food, ever since I introduced rice cereal at six months as well as stage 1 baby foods, he has proven to be texture sensitive. If the food was thick, he refused it. I would thin it out with infant formula and rely more on the thinner purees. He actually would eat any veggie or fruit so long as it was thick.

Knowing this would rpove to be a problem in the long haul, I slowly began thickening the oatmeals and feeding him the thicker purees such as peas-- sometimes with success, sometimes not.

Now he is ten months and has refused: cut up bananas, bits of orange, mashed potatoes, green beans (which he loves pureed), lightly mashed peas, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflour. Some of these he seemed to forget his issues and ate a little of it before reverting back to his usual MO.

I have noticed he needs more pureed baby food to fill up and this of course concerns me. I worry that the longer we go without solids, the more tightly he will hang on to purees. I try to be careful not to get into a food battle and to remain patient and happy. When he refuses, I just move on or end the meal if I think he's at least eaten the minimal amount he should have.

The long way to my question--how can I get encourage him to eat solids?

His schedule now:
7:30 3-4 oz bottle

9 a couple of bottles (stage three) veggies and fruit and a 4-5 TBSP of oatmeal mixed with formula and yogurt

sippy cup with water

10 nap

12  repeat 7:30 bottle
1 repeat 9 meal
2 nap till 3-4
4 repeat 7:30 bottle
6:30 repeat meal
7 bed

[Marisa's Mom]

Perhaps he's just not ready to move on to thicker or more solid solids. Some babies pick it up early, others don't. Mine didn't really get going in the solids dept until shortly after she turned 1 yrs old, even though we introduced solids many months before that. I wouldn't worry about your son hanging on to solids indefinitely. He'll eventually come around.

When I first started solids, it was not a daily thing. We would offer some watery baby cereal (Gerber rice cereal, Gerber oatmeal cereal). She would refuse it or show she wasn't interested. So we didn't push it. Then we'd wait a week or two before trying again. Still not interested. Ok, wait another week or two before trying again. We were in no big rush knowing that she'll let us know what she wants and when she wants it.

We eventually reached a point where it was obvious she was interested in solids, so we offered it to her daily. Once a day, usually near the end of the day between the last two breastfeeds before she went to bed. She breastfed about every 3 hours like clockwork, so we'd offer her solids about 1 1/2 hours before the last breastfeed before bedtime.  The idea was to try solids about halfway between breastfeeding, a time when she was neither completelly full nor totally starving. She'd get really cranky if we tried the solids experiment while she's hungry for food. And she wouldn't be interested in trying solids if she was already full. We gradually (over weeks, not days) increased the "thickness" of her baby cereal.

Once we got comfortable with solids in the evening, we added another solids feeding during the day. So breastfeeding sessions were the same, just inserted solids midday and evening.

The whole idea in the beginning was for her to get acclimated to receiving food off a spoon, and to get used to new textures in her mouth. So her main nourishment was still breastmilk. Solids were just a supplement. We continued to breastfeed until she decided she wanted to self-wean.

I used to stress over things like feedings. Now I've learned to just go with the flow...

-Marie

[Shannonn]

Thanks for the feedback! Yea, I've basically taken the same attitude thinking he's going to move to the beat of a slower drummer in the solids department. Ever so often, he'll want to nibble on what he sees my husband or I eating so I'm betting it won't really happen till he's about a year old. I don't want to fight him but at the same time I do keep trying a little here then a little later something else.

When I read that other babies his age were eating all sorts of "regular" food, I became a little concerned. But, one thing I do know is I can't force him nor should I try.

Anyhow, thanks for the support. It feels good to hear from someone else that their LO did something similar and to know when they moved on.
s

[¤ Efka ¤]

Just take it slow and try to keep offering.

 Some babies just don't like texture and pieces in food.
My girlfriend baby until almost a year did not eat anything with pieces in, like in puree were meat pieces , she just spitted these out.
My little sister is 7 now and she still don't eat yogurt with pieces or even chocolate has to be regular without any addition. Anyway she is picky

My point here is not to worry, I don't think so he will be giving to school still eating purees