Hi Katie and Catherine!
Thanks for your support and advice. I know for a fact that being "firm" with him does not help it only hinders our feeding relationship. He actually refused to eat anything besides the bottle around 11 months old. He did not want to be fed and did not have any interest in finger food. He is 13 months now and looking for some independence. Everything I have ever read says not to insist that your child eat anything. Right now he is getting about 24 oz of milk a day, sometimes less /sometimes more. I also give him pediasure at night before he goes to sleep. My previous pediatrician recomended this while he wasn't eating much solid food. She said that if he drinks it before bed it shouldn't really affect his eating during the day as their tummies empty out over that 10-12 hours they are asleep. Right now his schedule looks like this:
7 am 8 oz milk
10:30 solids (usually eats very little, couple bites cereal, couple bites of what ever I am eating if its something he likes and can handle today he tried pancake but did not seem to be impressed enough to take another bite, sometimes a little toast if I break off small pieces) He also has little snack bites after this of those gerber animal cookies. I would love for him to eat eggs, but he doesn't seem to be able to deal with the texture or amount of chewing required.
12:30 8 oz milk
1pm nap (usually 2 hours)
4:30 solids (today he ate 5 or 6 small pieces of graham craker spread with peanut butter and 5 or 6 bites of yogurt and some milk about 5-6 oz in his sippy)
7pm solids (I try to get him to eat some of what we are having for dinner but he usually doesn't really touch it much, he ate a bite of cooked carrot yesterday but wouldn't try anymore)
7:30 snack a little more cookie/cracker with a little milk
bath and bedtime with pediasure 8 oz
He doesn't in general seem to have the appetite of some kids his age or maybe I am wrong?
His weight is good, 75th percentile and height off the charts. He is by no means a chunky baby though. My husband and I were noticing today that when he eats something he puts it in his mouth, closes his lips, and it looks like he flexes his jaw muscles and moves them up and down a bit. But it looks nothing like the very obvious open mouth chewing I see most lo's do. He is obviously behind in this department. He did not start finger foods of ANY kind, not even cherrios till 12 months old. Only recently has he stopped gagging. Of course I only give him things that require a little mushing in his mouth, no meat here! Hopefully he'll improve with time, but I would really like a professionals opinion!!!!!!
Let me know what you guys think/ any thoughts suggestions would be appreciated.
