HELP! I created a monster!

[alarose]

Hi mums,

I'm starting to get desperate for some help, and of course it's just in time for my return to work. I've been off with my Angel DS for 11 months and now I have to leave him all day. He will be starting daycare in one week and I really need to address this food monster I've created.

I've been making his food from the beginning; all kinds of purees (meat, veg, fruit) that I loved to make and mix together to make him delicious little meals. He eats all of them and loves them.

The problem is that now he shows no interest in finger foods or even chunkier meals (ex. he will eat pasta stars, but not even alphabets!). I made him all kinds of treats (sweet potato pancakes, banana muffins, broccoli nuggets) and he just squishes them and laughs. Nice try, Mom.

At 11.5 months I'm started to worry. Shouldn't he be on mostly finger foods by now? How do I fix this??

Please HELP!! xoxo

[Lemonthyme]

Not sure but I agree, at 11.5 months he should be on more textured foods and finger foods.  I don't have any experience of this but I know some kids in my son's nursery were still on pureed foods at this age so you're not alone.  All I can suggest is you start making the texture more coarse and offer finger foods alongside.  When my son was around 9 months I used to offer small pasta shapes, not tiny ones but ones which when cooked were slightly bigger than a pea.  He could then pick up some himself but also be spoon fed some. 

Tbh, my son never quite got the hang of stick shaped finger foods until he was older.  He much preferred the tiny finger foods like peas and sweetcorn.  Have you tried them?

Also rather than making it too much of a shock can you try your normal recipes but mixed with pasta or mashed rather than pureed?

Remember if he doesn't eat much it might be ok.  Pureed foods contain a lot of extra water so it can actually puree so you might find he eats much less once he's on finger foods and self feeding.

[Chicane]

I am going to say don't sweat it. He will not eat puree forever. He's got his own pace and I feel you can put a bit of trust in him to get there in the end.

My DS did not eat any solids until 12 months...I cooked and pureed and made everything from scratch and he was just not interested. Then at 12 months he became and eating monster. Looking back now, I can see how much energy I wasted being worried and getting stressed and annoyed at all the loving food prep I was doing that was not being eaten. In the end if you make something and he doesn't eat it, yes its annoying, but its not that bad, and it could be worse. If he is happy and healthy then you have nothing to worry about.

Keep offering him chunkier food along side the puree, slowly start making the puree coarser, go real slow but the best advice someone could have given me was to remain detached from the outcome...he's gonna get there in the end

HTH

xo

[amayzie]

HE will eventually eat your beautiful home made goodies! They sound lovely!! Freeze what you make and then you can offer them when he's more interested..

[alarose]

Thanks for the support, Mums! I think I am guilty of comparing my LO to other babies his age. He is starting to have more finger foods for snacks and is accepting chunkier purees and casseroles so I think we are on the right track. What would I do without you all?

[Lemonthyme]

Then it sounds like you've got no issues! Awesome!