Rasperrying a lot of food!

[monkeybear]

Hi! My 1 year old has just started to refusing to eat so much of the food I give him. His new habit is to raspberry it all out" I constantly feel like his bowl of food! He has been on mashed food for sometime and eats certain finger foods. He will eat rice cakes, toast etc but has just started to raspberry anything with things such as rice or pasta or anything lumpy.
When I do give him finger food he mushes is up and then throws it on the floor and when I do feed it to him he chews a bit thenn spits it out. Not sure what to do other than persevere but could do with some good ideas!
Thanks so much! x

[EllenS]

My first 2 thoughts would be that he likes getting a reaction out of you or has made it a game to make you pick the food up, and/or he's not hungry.  Different solutions, obviously to which it might be.

How much milk is he drinking? How are his portion sizes? Many lo's have a decrease in appetite after turning 1 yr because their growth slows down, and they don't need as much milk because they are starting to need the variety of nutrition in the solids.

And how long has he been doing this?  If it just started the last couple of days he could be teething or have a cold, etc.

HTH!

[monkeybear]

Thanks so much for replying.
He has a gret appetite normally and his milk in-take is not so abnormally huge! Approx 6 oz inclusive of milk on cereal for breakfast and approx 7-8oz before bed at 6.30/7pm.
This has just started last week - I suppose just really frustrating and I know I need to go with it and I do keep reminding myself that if he is hungry he will eat. I never had this issue woith his older sister so another new thing! Do you suggest I keep giving him the same foods go with it?
He does have a snotty nose but that has always been the case and just got a new tooth so could very well be vthe case!
Thanks again.
x

[EllenS]

Well, if he just enjoys getting a reaction out of you and making you clean up, I would just take it away at the first sign of playing.  Maybe try different foods and less messy things?  My dd is a big fan of frozen fruit chunks, which also feels nice on the gums when teething.

[monkeybear]

I like that idea! Thank you!
I have been trying not to react...although as you know not always easy! I just leave him and walk away and get on wioth something else but hey, will justkeep going with it. We did manage scrambled egg with cheese for lunch today and some tuna sandwiches for supper....he ate some of what i gave him and squished up the ones I put for him to eat! His sister just laughs when he does this so he thinks it is hysterical too....oh the joy! I guess he will soon learn that if he doesnt eat he will go hungry!!!
Thanks again for advice and if you think of any other good food ideas, please let me know.
x

[Ennypen]

I had to smile at your post as it brought back a flood of memories of when William was younger and I wrote a post about needing to wear a raincoat when he was being fed as he too would raspberry his food all over the place when he had had enough. Its as if it was his way of showing that he could suddenly control what he ate and he'd realised he could raspberry it out and it was fun.. so he did it all the more lol..

I soon learned that it was best not to react and calmly take the food away as he thought any reaction meant that it was a good game and he would chuckle and do it all the more. I seem to remember that lots of people posted at the time saying that their LO did it too and that it was a phase and would pass.. and sure enough it did pass fairly quickly.

It sounds like you are adopting a great approach.

H xx

[monkeybear]

Thank you so much for giving me hope of not being and looking like a bowl of food for too long! Oh to be able to wear clothes and not be filthy after every meal time!
x

[monkeybear]

hi!
Just a wee up-date...I think I may have figuered the problem...Joshua has had enough of baby food and wants proper grown up food on a fork fed to him! I tried and the last 2 days have been great! Well, he has eaten chicken and fish and a wee bit of broccoli. Think I will need to make fish cakes, meat balls etc with hidden vegetables! He is picky with texture so I will keep trying and hopefully he will eventually take a greater variety!
Thanks again for all your help.
x