9 month old does not like "thick or lumpy" foods

[mmom]

I would just keep working on it.  At first, the play with it, examine it, etc.  If the food is just left there, he will soon want to try it.

[Danielsmommy]

He didn't like toast again yesterday lol - what kinds of things can I dip it in for him?  I've heard hummus, is there anything else?

Today I tried cherrios, but I wasn't brave... I moistened them first lol he just played with them but I'll keep trying

I was having pancakes and gave him 2 tiny pieces.  The first he gaged, the second he just made lots of funny faces.

I might try some melon with lunch today, not sure yet

Oh and I don't know if I alredy mentioned it but he's becomng a pro with baby mum mums lol

[my3girlsjde]

I used to dip toast for the girls in applesauce and they LOVED it.

[anna*]

yep - fruit puree, veg puree, plain yoghurt (full fat), hummus, mushed up avocado, mushed up banana, custard, tomato pasta sauce

[Danielsmommy]

I would have never thought of pasta sauce Thanks!!!!

I'll try it in a puree with breakfast tomorrow and go from there

[IheartR]

Hi
We are having the exact same problem!! DS is 9.5mo now and I've been trying to get him onto stage 2 type purees for what seems like ages now. Some he will eat, such as thicker cereal, but something like thicker potato or sweet potato or any stage 2 ready made baby food makes him gag and sometimes vomit. i guess the difference is he can eat finger food - he can manage Cheerios, toast, breadsticks, sometimes dried apricot although anything wet like steamed fruit or veg he just plays with! We have tried pieces of pasta too which he chewed a little but didn't want anymore. I am trying him with loads of different finger foods but he is quite selective about what he wants - most of it gets dropped off the highchair!

I guess my concerns, which I was going to post on a separate topic anyway, so I hope someone can offer some advice are:
1) he's not getting the full range of nutrients he needs as he doesn't eat any meat or other types of protein, as any meat pureed up he spits out. He also gets very little dairy as I think it causes his eczema to get worse (plus he only will eat cheese sauce anyway!). He's also now got quite selective about the veg he will eat! Loves his fruit though.
2) anything I read about it says that it is really important for them to be eating lumpy food by about 10 months otherwise they are likely to become picky eaters and always struggle with this texture. Is this true?! Like you Danielsmommy I don't want to be a paranoid worry mum but DS's eating is getting to me a bit. I seem to spend so much time making foods which he just rejects! Am trying to stay calm and not get bothered when he doesn't eat but it is hard!

Admittedly at the moment he has a cold and is possibly teething so I'm not surprised he isn't eating much but this has been going on for sometime.

When it comes to finger food Danielsmommy, I think you just have to be brave! Sometimes I'm surprised by what DS can manage to eat with very little difficulty, like the first time I gave him a breadstick he ate it with no problem at all!

Sorry for jumping on the back of this post - just thought it was relevant!!

Thanks
El xxx

[We Three]

I think it's really important to remember that until 12 months of age, finger foods and solids are just for experimentation and practice....a lo's sole source of nutrition is breastmilk or formula until age 1.  Having said that, it can make you feel nervous when they gag and reject things...but all we can do is keep offering, keep experimenting, bearing in mind that these offerings are for sensory experience, not for nutrition.  Try those baby-safe feeders...my dd loved those with cantelope inside, or soft pears...plus it is good for teething and Mom doesn't have to worry about choking!

Try bits of scrambled egg, bits of baked potato, banana...just keep offering. 

As far as stage one foods to stage 2 foods...try adding a little of stage 2 to the stage one...put a teaspoon of stage 2 into the stage one...try that for a few days, then add a bit more.   

[~inbalance~]

Agreeing with Anne, milk will still provide most of your baby's nutrition until a year.  Solid food does add complementary nutrition, but there is no need to stress yet about whether or not your baby is getting enough vitamins, minerals, etc.  It's all for practice for now.

Also it helps to remember, that even if some sources recommend one thing or another, your baby doesn't read science journals or nutrional information, so ultimately they are the ones who decide what they eat!!  You just can't force them, no matter what the recommendations are. 

I don't think not being exposed to lumpy foods will produce picky eaters.  The best thing you can do to help your child develop good eating habits is to offer healthy foods and let him have a lot of control over what he eats. 

Definitely keep offering. 

[IheartR]

Thank you, that is reassuring! I will keep offering and, like you say, he'll only eat what he wants anyway! Xxx

[Danielsmommy]

IheartR no problem about jumping on the thread.  Some good info was brought out because of it

I am getting braver and giving him more things, the problem is, he won't put any of them in his mouth lol  I got a bit of cantelope into him, some blueberry - but had to trick him and put it in his cereal lol and he loved the banana once he would let me put it in his mouth.  Anything he picks up he won't put in his mouth, which surprises me because everyting that isn't supposed to goes in the mouth lol  I did manage to get his to touch his toast this am.  I put some puree on it and he just sucked it off then threw the toast lol

I have been thinking about giving him some egg yolk.  Which is better, hard boiled or scrambled?

I tried the safe baby feeding things a few weeks ago and he didn't seem interested, maybe I'll try them again tomorrow.

Thanks again

[~inbalance~]

Which is better, hard boiled or scrambled?

Either is fine.  He might enjoy scrambled a little better and it may be easier to pick up the pieces.  Try one, then try the other another time! 

[anna*]

You know, even if he doesn't eat them the important thing is that you keep offering. Babies can need to be exposed to a food 20 times before they accept it - and for toddlers it's even higher! Don't hover and watch too closely - if you can bear to, just walk away and get on with doing something in the kitchen, leave him to play. Even if he doesn't taste anything, he is becoming familiar with the sight, smell, and touch of all these new foods, which makes him that bit more likely to put them in his mouth the next time!

[afeswick]

Just remember that these kids can change their mind on a whim...so he might reject toast 10 times in a row and then the 11th time he'll eat it up.  Unfortunately it works the other way around too...my 15 month old used to go crazy for yogurt, ate 2 little tubs a day, and then one morning he was having none of it....today I finally got him to eat it after letting him spoon it out of the tub, but this is 3 weeks later....who knows why he changed his mind.  If he seems interested in any food you're eating, try letting him have some.  This might sound really gross (sorry in advance) but if there was a food that I thought was too advanced, I would chew on it a bit to make it palatable for him or to make it a smaller size, then feed it to him.  I know, it really does sound gross but he didn't mind. If it was a sub, he obviously can't bite a chunk off, so I'll almost bite a chunk off and then all he has to do is bite down and pull and he gets that sense of accomplishment (I think).

Does that help? Hope you guys don't think I'm nuts....

[Danielsmommy]

afeswick, I do not htink you are nuts!  I actually thought about doing that this morning lol  I am glad to hear that other people do it lol

I will continue to give him lots of new foods.  Some of what I'm giving him, I know he likes b/c he eats the puree (ie blueberries) but he'll figure it all out eventually