14mth old only eats sweet food/puddings - is it just a game??

[DM588]

DS was weaned using all home cooked fruit and veg and progressed well onto more lumpy textured foods including pastas and risottos etc. I can't recall how long this has been going on for - but I know it's some time now - he gags and will actually be sick if he eats any lumps, and also turns his nose up to most savoury foods be it home cooked or jar food and even if it's blended so it's much smoother.

He used to eat sandwiches very well but now he also picks them apart and will either just eat the contents inside the bread or just throw the whole thing on the floor! I've tried lots of variations of fillings and some days he'l eat and some days he won't. This I know can be very common in toddlers but he has just been ill for a week or so and barely eaten anything (assuming loss of appetite) but why is it he'll happily eat his puddings and finger food snacks if he'slost his appetite and not hungry?? Granted - for a couple of days he didn't even want his puddings!!

Today while we were outi bought him a grown up childrens meal (he generally eats better when out) of sausage and mash with some veg. He wasn't fussed at all for any of it, tasted a little bit of green bean but quickly spat it out and then i resorted to letting him have some snack type finger food - which of course he ate!! When he got down from high chair he noticed a bit of sausage in the chair - to which he picked up and happily ate!!!! SO, is he just playing games???

My question is this....should we try cutting out all sweet food/puddings for a week or so and see if he'll realise he has to eat savoury foods??

I also think maybe i'm keeping him as a baby with pureed food so shall I just go straight into more adult foods that he can feed himself with?? he currently prefers to be spoon fed (when he does eat).

sorry for the essay, any suggestions??

[anna*]

I think he's holding out for his puddings because he knows they're coming! I'd cut them out and see how he goes.

I'd put the lid on purees too - he really needs to be learning to chew and manipulate food around his mouth, it's vital for speech development, it strengthens all the little muscles in the mouth and tongue. You could go to finger foods, give him a spoon (have two, load one while he feeds himself with the other)

[DM588]

Thanks Anna, yep that was my thought too with the puddings - guessing it'll be easier and he'll learn quicker now than when he's 2!! how would you cope with the whole gagging/vomiting with lumps? I can't quite understand it as I said before he used to eat pasta etc really well.

What sort of meals would you suggest - spaghetti carbonara, sausages and mash/chips?? I'm guessing when he's hungry enough he'll eat it?? I know he finds the texture of some food off-putting like pasta and anything slimey but hopefully he should get over that if i keep offering it to him right??

Thanks again x

[anna*]

Gagging is nothing to worry about - it's how he learns how to move the food around in his mouth. They get passed it pretty quickly if they get practice at the lumpy foods. If he vomits I would clean up and carry on with the meal, don't get upset. If it keeps happening after a few days of consistently offering lumpier foods, then I'd take him along to the GP as he may want to be seen by an SLP.

At this age he can really eat anything that you are eating! Pizza, roast chicken, mashed spuds or baked/roast/boiled... pasta, cauliflower cheese, shepherds pie, fish pie, noodles, soup, mild curry - the only things I would avoid is obviously anything with lots of salt and/or sugar added (in other words, most ready made meals) and nuts (if there's a history of allergies)