Still having trouble with solids

[Skadiver13]

Hi there, we're still having trouble with solids. He is getting breakfast,lunch and dinner (sometimes we miss dinner due to EBT but getting better) He's still on 3 bottles a day becuase he's not gaining weight and the Ped didn't want to drop the bottles. I offer solids first but it's not making a difference. He's even now refusing the foods he used to eat. Maybe's he's just bored with what I'm offering? Keep in mind he's MSPI for now. So far.. He'll eat

Scrambled Egg
Pasta (rotini or elbow pasta that is veggie based too)
Avacado
Pear
Cantelope (LOVES)
Cheerios (the milk free baby kind from Happy Tots)
Mum mums (which have no real nutritional value)
carrots
Sweet potato
Peas
Asparagus
coconut yogurt (this has given him diarrhea)
prunes
peaches
loves pickles
he'll take a bit of hummus off my finger

Does not like or had a reaction to
apples
grapefruit
any type of meat chicken, breakfast sausage, meatballs
bread for the most part
most anything with texture

For each meal I try to offer a protien, veggie, carb, and fruit. He'll have a bite or two and then he just puts up a fuss. I've tried everything. I eat with him and I leave him alone to see what happens. He's very "do it myself" some days then others he wants to be fed as he's tired. Some days he'll refuse all food and others he'll eat better. But when I say eat I mean like 4 or 5 small bites of something then that's it. He's not gained weight in over 2 months.

Maybe I Need to offer more variety. Instead of little bites of something make an acutal meal? I'm horrible at this.

Here is is easy starting today acutally as we're transitionnig to one nap.

W: 6
E: solids 6:30ish
E: Bottle 8:30/9 6oz
E: 10: Snack
S:10:45-1:15
E: 1:30 solids
E: 2:30 Bottle 7 oz
E: 5:30 Bottle 8oz
Bed..6:15  I can't fit dinner in there right now??? with out dropping a bottle and I can't do that as he's not gaining weight. On days he sleeps less I can move up lunch and fit in dinner.

Please let me know what you think. I guess there are two issues. One that he just wont eat anything and two how to fit it into the schedule.

[Canadian_Mom]

Just read this this morning, I have some suggestions but will have to pop by later as the boys are up and I have to do a school run (sorry!)

[Skadiver13]

Thanks. thisz morning he woke @ 5:30 but i fell back asleep till 6 and he was happy playing in his crib. so we have done so far

E:6:30 offered greenbean pieces bread with grape jam scrambled egg and peach puree at the end@ he had 3/4 bites og egg about 1/4 of the bread no beans and no puree. He just hates to eat in his high chair. I try my lap etc. But when i let him down and hand him some bread he'll eat it. If I give a snack standing or sitting he'll eat it.
E:7:45 bottle 5oz then about 10min later 1 more oz. He was acting starving but didnt want much of the bottle
E:9 snack of a small teething biscuit and pickle
S:10:30

[Canadian_Mom]

Ok, I have a second now, so going to try to get my ideas down…

First, looking at the list it actually isn’t too bad!  Other than missing meat, a lot of the parents with picky eaters on the toddler forum would be jealous!

So all of these things he will eat a few bites of and then be “done”? Do you think that he is still hungry but doesn’t want to eat, or is there the possibility that he is full? So is it the amount that he eats that bothers the pediatrician? (there isn’t really too much you can do about that TBH , only so much you can force someone to eat!!) One of my girlfriends has a petite girl that they were always concerned about her weight with the pediatrician constantly at her to get more food into her and she just really doesn’t eat very much.  Her mom worried constantly about getting food into her, but around 18 months she finally just told the pediatrician that she has done everything possible to get more food into her, but she just isn’t hungry! (They even made her add a nightfeed when she was 10 months old and she was STTN!!)  Nothing they did made a difference and she really is just a petite little girl who is a very bright and active 3 year old now!  As well if you look at the toddler eating forum, there are a lot of kids who around the one year mark their appetite decreases a bit and therefore often don’t eat even their favourites, which even often goes for those LOs that are adventurous big eaters!

As for getting him to try new things or possibly eat more (you probably have done most of these!)…
-Distraction, this can be having a spoon and/or bowl for him to play with while you feed him, having the TV on (this was actually suggested by my son’s SLP!)
-Load up a spoon or even a fork and let him try the food in a new way.  So instead of you feeding him or him using his fingers he might be more inclined to get into his mouth using one of the utensils on his own. (DS2 loves when he gets something on a fork to eat!)
-Have a picnic! Put the blanket on the floor with your lunch and his and let him eat whatever he wants.

As for making more “tempting” food for him (so more combinations and spices) what I have started to do is try new meals for the family that he can eat so I am not “wasting” my day making two meals.  I HATE to cook and bake, so with DS2 being MSPI I am stuck with him not being able to eat most of the suppers that I cook.  I plan to slowly add new meals here and there so eventually we have a lot of meals that everyone can eat.  Two things lately that I have done that have been approved by DS1 (3.5 years old) and DS2 (10 months old) are bean burgers and a pulled beef sandwich.  Let me know if you want the recipes, they were very easy to make!

HTH!!!

[Skadiver13]

Hi Nadia thanks so much for your words of advice. Just a few things/questions. I honestly think he's bored with eating. If I let him down 15min later I'll give him a teething biscuit or something I'm eating and he'll gobble it up. He only has a few bites before he starts throwing food off his plate. Sometimes the throwing starts pretty soon after setting the food down. He'll go at certain things with gusto like cantelope and peas. Pasta used to be my go to but now he's bored with that. Too bland maybe.  But he's definitely not eating enough to fill him up. This morning I fed him solids at 6:45 by 7:30 he was screaming for his bottle and downed 8oz.

Other than missing meat, a lot of the parents with picky eaters on the toddler forum would be jealous!

I know I didn't mean to sound as if I was complaining I know I have it better than some. It's just I worry a lot. He has such a tough time eating his whole infancy it's only the past month things have evened out and he's atcually eating better bottles, and better solids. He's not picky in that he'll try something a few times and then usually like it. There are just a few things he outright doesnt' like, but it's more of a texture thing. He tried my homemade meatballs liked them at first but then didn't. I've tried hamburger patties, boiled chicken, baked chicken, chicken nuggets (mspi safe), turkey crumbles, breakfast turkey sausage links. Nada he just takes a bite and spits it out. I do give him chicken and apple puree or sweetpotato and turkey puree, and he does get scrambled eggs. Probably eats about 1/4-1/2 an egg a day.

I think he's long and lean and is just not interested in eating. He would rather do other things. I was able to get him to eat 1/2 a cocout yogurt for dinner while playing in the living room. Not with out mess that's for sure. But I tried that with a areal meal like peas, pasta etc. and it ended up all over the floor, the couch, and the dog. None of it in his mouth. I tried in front of the T.V today and it ended with the same result as if we were at the table, but I'll try again tomorrow.
 I do offer a spoon to him to hold and he will just throw it :/ I keep giving it back and loading it up and he throws it and the food. OY this child drives me bonkers. He thinks it's funny. I tell him no that's not nice and he laughs at me.

I"m like you I HATE to cook and bake. But I need to make things that he can eat you are right. I think he's parly bored with it, blandness. I would love any recipes you've tried. I've made blueberry muffins/pancakes that are MSPI safe.

[Skadiver13]

So it's gotten worse. He now will only eat a little bit of one thing I put down and that's it. He'll eat some peas, asparagus, pasta, cantaloupe and that's about it. I can't get him to even things he used to like a lot. He's not eating enough and now he's not wanting his bottles ether. Will eat 4oz then stop and want to play then I try again 5/10 min later and it's still a struggle but he'll settle down and drink another oz or 2. It's making the days very long and trying as I really worry. I tried homemade blueberry pancakes (with real syrup), breakfast turkey sausage in small bits, skin removed and canteloupe and watermelon pieces. He would eat only the fruit and refuse everything else. If I didn't give him the fruit he would just not eat.

[creations]

Just reading your thread and wondering if there is a chance he is holding out for fruit?  DS loes fruit so much I have to limit it or he wouldn't eat other food groups, I even had to go through a few days of dramatically reducing his fruit and talking and hugging him through the upset of being refused a larger portion or no fruit at all It REALLY helped though.  After 2 to 3 days he got the message that it is my job to ensure a balanced diet and fruit is only part of that.

Melon of any sort is really filling initially because of the water content, but I don't think it has enough nutritional value to keep a LO going.  Maybe he is getting full on the melon servings?  It's worth reminding yourself of toddler portions, which are very small, eg 2 portions of fruit per day with one portion being a quarter of a fresh fruit.  My DS eats way more fruit than that but I don't mind so long as the other food groups are going in too yk?  Veg should be 2 portions per day with 1 portion being 1 - 2 tablespoons of veg, so if he eats 1 tablespoon of peas and say 1 asparagus spear across the day then the veg is covered. (frozen peas as a snack are great, they just disappear like little sweets leaving meal time to be devoted to another food group).

I read a great post a while back, I think it was by amayzie/katy about picky eaters and variety of foods. Basically that we eat a huge variety now which would wouldn't have been available generations ago, it is ok for toddler meals to be repetitive, they don't have to have something different every single day. Routine and habit can even help with picky eaters, if he will eat the same pasta every day for lunch the do that, maybe change up the sauce but you don't need to be concerned about not having the wide variety that most adults eat.

I found with my LO he was more willing to take protein at breakfast time and just about none any other time of day. As a consequence I have made omelet (with some tom sauce whisked in before cooking, the only way to get him to eat egg!) or sausage almost every morning for months (and do not serve with anything else on the plate so there are no fruit distractions).  Once breakfast is over I know he's had his protein for the day and I stop worrying about it. The rest of the day can be focused on carbs, dairy, veg.  it might be worth looking at only giving veg snacks and focusing on carbs at lunch (pasta) for example, rather than trying to make every meal balanced.

sorry if the info isn't much help, hugs though, they always go down well  

[Skadiver13]

wondering if there is a chance he is holding out for fruit?

Honestly I don't think so. I only give him fruit at one meal and it's not every day. He does this with peas and asparagus too. And he doesnt't even finish the fruit. He starts throwing it off the tray. And we're talking maybe like a size of fruit that would equal the size of a 1 inch cubed. That's it.

it might be worth looking at only giving veg snacks and focusing on carbs at lunch (pasta) for example, rather than trying to make every meal balanced.

Maybe I"m expecting too much. For dinner today I offered only pasta with sauce and then tried some chicken/apple puree snuck in there between bites. He had like 3 small bites of pasta and that was it and 1/2 the jar about 35calories. How do I know how many servings he's getting when he barely eats anything. He wont even eat the things he used to love like avacado and pear. I do give him egg once a day scrambled with oregano he likes it maybe 1/4 of the time. He'll eat it if we're at a restaurant. He always eats better when we're out.

I burst in to tears today. He hasn't gained weight in 3 months. The GI doc said he should be getting 950 calories a day. I don't think he's getting nearly that. If I feed him something while he's playing or walking around he'll eat it. Normally rice cakes, he likes pickles, or coconut yogurt. He's MSPI so I can't give cheese, cottage cheese etc things that are filling. He's eating so much less than he used too. What carbs can i offer. I found milk free bread and I smear grape jelly on it and he ate a few times now refuses. Even the pasta he's starting to refuse.

[creations]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this is making you so sad and worried

OK clearly not filling up on fruit then.

I offered only pasta with sauce and then tried some chicken/apple puree snuck in there between bites

I can only say how my LO would be and he would throw a fit if I tried to sneak anything, he likes to know exactly what he's getting and nothing hidden, won't even have 'mixed up' food (ie stew I pick out all the different bits and put a clear pile of each thing on his plate so he knows exactly what each thing is and there is no way he would eat something like a shepherds pie with meat and mash potato for example - only now approaching 2.5yo will he consider picking the parts he wants out for himself and I honestly don't consider him a picky eater).  I would try just the pasta, even plain pasta if he prefers that.  Then in a different meal one or maybe two type of veg, something he can recognise.  Do you think he might prefer to self feed and not be spoon fed?

In one of your posts you said he would refuse his meal but then accept something you are eating. Have you tried making your own meal (it might not be your 'real' meal it might be a small selection of things that he likes and is safe with) and sitting eating it just letting him take yours?  Does he eat better when eating out because a big occasion is made of it, the social aspect and the full family around a table?  Do you emulate this at home? You also said he'll take a snack standing or sitting but hate to be at the high chair.  I am BIG on eating meals at the table however if I was facing this I would ditch the table and just let him eat anywhere to get him used to eating regularly.  You could gradually reduce where he eats and bring it to the table at a later date after resolving the whole 'food issue'.  Just a thought.

I don't think rice cakes are particularly nutritious are they?  I would prob not offer those because with little going in every mouthful counts.  You could find a more nutritious cracker perhaps?  I tend to throw out the packaging and keep a big selection in a tin so I don't have the ingredients lists to hand but one pack in my cupboard is milk soy free, I'm sure there must be more (3 crackers = 1 serving of grains).

I made some cup cakes from white beans (good protein, plus lots of eggs too) they are totally healthy, recipe on the allergy recipe thread if you're interested in trying it. Don't all toddlers like cake? (we all loved them including DP, Granny and Nana, no one knew they were healthy).
You can make flat breads with just plain flour, salt, olive oil and water - would that be worth a try?  if he didn't like them you can freeze and try at a later date?
Banana muffins?
Banana cake?
(I'm thinking these might not go down too well if he doesn't like texture or bread but they are very cake like, sweet and tasty)
My DS likes pate, I started making home made pate so I could reduce or cut out the salt to make it baby friendly (although salt intake is not so strict after 1yo), Maybe a very smooth pate?  Made with coconut oil instead of butter?? (or even goose fat or something like that??) - my DS was eating it in chunks the other day instead of spread on crackers!

Can you ask for a referral to a dietician/nutritionist or an OT to help with texture issues and food aversion?

[Skadiver13]

I would try just the pasta, even plain pasta if he prefers that.  Then in a different meal one or maybe two type of veg, something he can recognise.  Do you think he might prefer to self feed and not be spoon fed?

He is mostly self fed, I rarely use a spoon. I only do puree's at the end normally if he's outright refused to eat and I give him a toy to play with or sing silly songs and I can usually get him to eat some puree. That is the only way i'm getting meat into him (besides egg), by doing chicken/apple puree and sweetpotato/turkey puree. When I say sneak I meant that when he's not paying attention really he'll open his mouth for the spoon.

Have you tried making your own meal (it might not be your 'real' meal it might be a small selection of things that he likes and is safe with) and sitting eating it just letting him take yours?

I have taken his meal and put it on my plate and offered him a bite at a time. He'll ether eat it or throw it but the result is the same he'll eat a few bites than be done.

I'm not trying to sound like i've got an answer to all yor suggestions promise, just trying to show how much I've tried and how much isn't working. I have tried feeding him out of the seat on a blanket in the living room. It jsut ends up getting everywhere. He wont sit still he'll just eat a bit then smear the rest on the furniture, me, him and the dog. I've tried moving the high chair in front of the tv to see if that helped. It didn't.

I can't emulate the big meals at home as it's just him and me. DH works most nights. No the rice cakes aren't at all, but he chokes on crackers he trys to shove the whole thing in his mouth and it doesn't melt like rice cakes? I'll try to find something else. I can try pate, do you have any good recipes?

I have his yearly apt on friday I'm going to ask for a referral I think.

[creations]

There's one here
Recipes for babies and toddlers aged nine months plus
reply #26 - note the caution on fully cooked liver in the following posts.  You'll need to sub the butter though like I said. I'm sure it would be fine.

Is there a vegan cheese he can have?  If so there is another recipe reply #24.  You could trial it with subbing the creme freche for coconut yoghurt and use a vegan cheese? (sorry maybe vegan cheese has soy products - just thinking out loud here).

here's another chicken liver pate
500g chicken livers
1 onion chopped
170g butter (coconut oil, goose fat, duck fat or whatever you can think of to sub)
2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

COOK livers and onion in about a third of the butter/fat, gently until onion is soft and livers fully cooked
WHIZZ
ADD remaining butter/fat, mustard, herbs and seasoning
MIX well
CHILL

(I fill small tubs right to the top, cover in greaseproof paper to prevent the surface getting frosty and freeze them)

I'm not trying to sound like i've got an answer to all yor suggestions promise

I don't think that at all. I know how hard it is when you try everything and then someone comes along and suggests all those same things!  Hope you get some more ideas coming your way. It must be very hard for you xx

have you seen this blog
http://www.mspimama.com/p/recipe-index.html
Maybe something will sound worth a try there?

[ENMS]

(((hugs))) Siobhan.

I know how you feel I know it's stressful.  But it WILL get better. Hang in there. One day he will start accepting small things and it will grow from this until the day he eats a full meal.

Creations has some wonderful advice as usual   

I totally agree with creations' suggestion - I don't know how I would have made it until now without the OT and the nutritionnist. They were both really helpful in their own way. I still see them both once a month to help out on M's diet as well as his eating habits (which are a thousand times better than they were 7 months ago, but he still has a bit to work on). The nutritionnist will be able to calculate exactly what he's getting and tell you what he's lacking so it will be easier for you to know what foods to focus on.

Do you think it is because food makes him feel unwell? Or do you think it is more behavioral-related (sorry this may not be the right word, I can't find the right one as english is not my first language  )?

Is he still on reflux meds? Have you trialled dairy? Sorry I can't remember.

[Lindsay27]

Just reading through so I'm not sure if anyone has suggested it, but one thing I thought of was milk-free pancakes?  They would be pretty filling, probably not super nutritional, but you could add puree to the mix.  They are soft and don't have much texture so might be worth a shot if you haven't tried that already When my DS is being super picky I always revert to blueberry pancakes because he'll eat those every time. 

Someone else mentioned muffins, and on that note if that's something he'll take, I have a muffin recipe made with infant cereal and topped with jam, so they are really filling and infant cereal is packed with iron, carbs, and some protein (2g per serving).

I know nothing about MPSI so sorry if anything I mentioned doesn't fit those parameters.

[Lindsay27]

I just read the ingredients of the cereal and while it doesn't contain anything with milk listed in the ingredients, it says it *may* contain traces of milk.  So, I guess that would be something kind of risky.  I wonder if there is a cereal out there that wouldn't have that? Hmmm...

[Erin M]

Will he drink smoothies?  You can put all sorts of things in them.