12 .5 mth old only eats jarred OR dry food. Need help!

[meredith1851]

I posted this a while back and am still in the same place. My 12.5 mth old seems to have a texture aversion. He will still only eat the jarred food and fruit OR toast, cheese or the puff snacks. He will not eat fresh diced or sliced (in any shape) fruit or veggies or chicken/beef.  I am getting very frustrated as I would imagaine he should no being on jarred foods much longer.  Example: He will eat jarred chicken and veggies but if I make it homemade or try to give little pieces of chicken he automatically spits it out or just gives it a dirty look and tosses it.  Same with fruit and veggies and beef. I am worried he wont get over this issue. I try every day and nothing works.  He loves his toast and cheese or the yogurt puffs or crackers, but everything else has to be jarred pureed foods....HELP!

[LizzieN]

Keep breathing sweetie, he is eating and that is good
So I'm wondering if you have tried pureeing canned fruit yourself?  You can control how much juice (and thus sugar) is in there a little easier.  If you froze it into icy poles would he try things that way?  You can freeze yoghurt and fruits into icy poles and they are a great way to make food more fun
One other idea, sounds sneaky but could you cook and puree up his chicken or beef and veggies and PUT it into the baby jars?
I would honestly just go with what he is eating and then put pieces of what you are eating on his tray too, so a few little pieces of chicken, some veggie sticks and some cheese sticks etc.  Don't even ask him to try, just make a few so that you don't feel upset about the waste if he doesn't touch them....at every meal keep offering, sometimes it takes them FOREVER to try them, but take comfort one day he will
At the end of the day, jarred food is probably not what you WANT to be using but it is good food, he is getting good nutrients from it, so don't allow this to worry you too much...it's ok, he will get there!

Years later I am sure that my step daughter had texture aversions too and she was very difficult to feed as a little one, new foods were always a struggle....but now she is at least willing to try things, she knows we wont force her if she doesn't like something, she is getting there and your LO will too xx

[firsttimemummy]

Would he eat homemade food served in a jar (ie sneak the homemade stuff into the jar that he usually eats from, if that is how you do it - my friend's LO wouldn't eat yoghurts when I tried to feed her as I had taken the lid right off ).

Could you add mashed banana etc to the toast, even just a thin layer to begin with?

I assume you have pureed the food you make? Some days O prefers completely pureed food (I don't see this as a problem as most days just now we ALL are having pureed veggies - ie soup!!).

As Lizzie said he is getting a good variety through the jars.  Try to put some other food on his high chair and over time he may be interested in it and eat it (with no pressure on him as he is still getting his normal food too).

[Hedgehog17]

I have similar problems with my DS 

What seemed to work best for him was having him eat with other LOs his age (at first at nursery, now with the childminder). DH reckons the 'peer pressure' helps to encourage him to eat a better variety!

With DS the main issue I think has been his rapid teething - he's got all his teeth but 1 now, so I think he just hasn't wanted to eat or chew when his mouth has been sore, much less try anything new 

Could teething be a factor in your DS's case?

You are doing the right thing by keeping on trying, but I know how awful it feels to have all your carefully prepared food flung straight to the floor, again and again  *Hugs*

Can anybody else try feeding him? Sometimes they will take different food from a different person 

The other thing that works is to feed DS from my plate (so we often have the same lunch) to get him to eat fish and meat.

Don't worry, even now if all else fails I frequently have to give DS a pouch of stage 1 puree just to make sure he's eaten something!

Hope some of this helps, and you are not alone *Hugs*

[firsttimemummy]

Don't worry, even now if all else fails I frequently have to give DS a pouch of stage 1 puree just to make sure he's eaten something!

M still loves the Stage 1 brocolli, pear and peas Ella's Kitchen sachet (and tasting any jars O has!!)

[meredith1851]

Thank you all for responding! I will try all the suggestions and see how it goes. Seems like anything color or shape wise that isn't what he is used to gets the dirty look and the closed mouth before he even tries it which leaves me to only his usual baby food jars. I do by the organic food and fruits along with some of the apple puffs which he likes.

[firsttimemummy]

Let us know how you get on

[meredith1851]

I'm back with an update and would love to hear thoughts!

So, have not made a huge amount of progress, but some....

If I pretend to sit on the floor and nibble on say chicken nugget and a potatoe puff like it is my food, he is VERY curious and grabs it off my plate to try and then walks around the room playing etc...keeps coming back for it.  Then if I put him in his highchair and place a few pieces on his tray, he sometimes continues to eat a bite or two but then goes back to refusing it and giving it a dirty look, squeezing it and throwing it like he has never seen it before.  I hate to have him try new things by walking around in my family room, but it seems to work a bit.

Does anyone have thoughts on this?  I have been trying sliced/diced apple every day in every size, shape and form but he gets the heebie geebies when he touches it and has a bit of a gag refelx if I try to put a piece in his mouth.  He has NO problem eating apple sauce though......

[mjohnson33]

My DS is the same age as you and up until about a week ago did so good on most foods I gave him.  All of the sudden he just throws everything on the floor unless its baby food or something I am eating.  I know he is trying to cut a tooth but I cant imagine its that bad.  He will eat crunchy food and things so I wouldnt think its his teething bothering him.  But I am just trying to make sure he still has a healthy balance and hope he will snap out of it soon. 

[firsttimemummy]

Sounds like he either *could* have picked up on your frustrations at the highchair, or he just likes to eat when not focusing on it (I know it sounds daft, but could you put the tv on or something while he eats so he is busy watching that and not focusing on the food?).  Sounds like you are doing the right thing.  Also, when you are eating sit him in his highchair to watch you, and if he seems interested then pass things from your plate to let him eat them.

[mjohnson33]

It seems like my son does it more when he doesnt like something....but I dont want to get in the habit of offering something else if he doesnt like the particular thing he is supposed to eat....is it safe to assume he would eat if he was really hungry?

[meredith1851]

Yes, my DS eats better when walking around or watching tv....ugh!

[mjohnson33]

meredith, mine as well...but I dont want to start bad habits there either.  UGH, right with ya.  ;-)

[firsttimemummy]

It can take about 15 tries to get used to a new taste - we tend to try O with something and if he doesn't eat it we give him something else, but every few spoonfuls add in the new taste!! After a few spoonfuls he gets used to it and will eat it usually   If it is a texture thing (M had this with melon) you can puree it or something to get him used to the taste (even freeze it, mixed with water as an ice lolly) then try it in the normal texture.

I don't think he will necessarily eat something just because he is hungry if he REALLY doesn't like it (think of the worst food and see if you would eat it!) - as long as he eats some variety not liking something isn't too bad.  Remember soup and smoothies get lots of goodness in!

 I would offer something he doesn't like alongside something he does, so he doesn't go hungry.  Maybe eating the tasty thing means he will pick up the other food and eat it

[mjohnson33]

I normally put one thing at a time on his tray, should I do more than one food??  Maybe that would help?