No Mash thanks, I only eat puree!

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Hi Ladies,
Am hoping someone here can help us  :lol:  Little background dd is a refluxer still on meds and has always been fussy with her food and bottles, her bottles she gave up completely at 7 months. She drinks nothing during the day, will have 2 mouthfuls of milk in the morning and some evenings again before bed. She does however eat quite well and a good range of veg with meat and chicken or lentils, though she is not overly fond of these. She has finally started to eat ready brek on its own for breakfast, she used to eat it mixed with a fruit salad mix and it took me six long months to reduce the fruit salad down to nil. She will not do lumps in any form though. Today I had her lunch made a tiny bit less pureed than normal in an attempt to start her off, she has had tiny lumps every now and then which I have missed while pureeing and she has managed to swallow them.  Lunch was not even as lumpy as the jars you see for 7 month olds. Anyway she took maybe 3 or 4 teaspoons, on each one she gagged and stuck her hands down her throat. I pulled her hands out and encouraged her to chew until she swallowed with lots of hurrahs and good girl. 4 teaspoons and that was it. I even pureed the lunch then and she still wouldnt touch it of course so she had ready brek for lunch.
Meal times in general are a torture, she whinges through every mouthful but will open her mouth in between whinges. She has to be distracted with little toys which she flings from her chair and I pick up  :roll:  If I have to sing the wheels on the bus or the teddy bears picnic one more time I think I will scream but on the other hand if thats what it takes!
My question is how do I handle this? Seeing as meal times are so bad should I just continue for a while longer with puree? She will not do finger food either though we have been trying for about 5 months. I know she can chew because she will eat toast, cheerios and some wholemeal biscuits. Dh thinks I should feed her half her lunch pureed and the other half less pureed but I know my stubborn Miss and know this wont work.
If you got this far, thank you, if you have any hints, advice or words of encouragement then I thank you even more  :lol:
Fiona

[Costarican mom]

Hi...I'm not a doctor or anything, but it seems to me like she's too old to not want to eat chunks of food like adults do.... I know with my son, it's the absolute opposite of your daughter.  I would think maybe she's teething and chewing hurts her?  But if this has been going on for months, then it's unlikely that teething be the cause.  I would talk to the doctor and have her checked out...to make sure all is ok with her throat and swallowing reflexes...don't know, just a thought...make sure all is ok on that end.

[jubee]

Well, IMHO, all kids do things at different ages.  Although I agree this is a very frustrating/concerning issue.  Our ds did not start eating "finger food" till about 12 months and it was/is a slow process getting him to like new foods well enough to eat a good amount of it.  He gagged alot at first but has learned to chew his food much better now, I can't remember the last time he gagged on something.  Some toddlers have texture issues. He is 15 months now and will eat lots of things he wouldn't have at your daughters age.  Its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel   There have been lots of posts on this site about kids with similar issues.  Some have been given referals to Occupational Therapists.  Your doc may have some good advice for you.  To me its sounds like you dd is alot like our ds and will get there in her own time.  As long as she can eat toast, cherrios, etc it can only get better from there.  Ds is just now liking mac n cheese and hot dog cut in small pieces.  Any fruit chunks are fair game.  Still won't eat egg on a regular basis or any other meat.  But it has gotten ALOT better.

[Lilah'sMommy]

Hi,

Here's my two cents: Babies and many young toddlers want either chunks or puree, not both.  (Those stage 3 foods puree and the occasional chunk are the worst.)  It's confusing for them.  The way they eat puree (just pushing it back with the tongue like a liquid) and the way they eat chunks (actually gumming and chewing) are different mechanisms.  Though most kids at your daughter's age have outgrown this, many have not.  And since with the reflux your daughter has had more trouble with eating than most, I'm not surprised that she woould still be in this either/or club.  Have you tried chunks of soft fruit and chunks of soft-cooked veggies for her to finger-feed?  She might go for those.  Since she will finger feed, find ways to meet her nutritional requirements with fingerfoods to allow her to start chewing on her own.  And don't hesitate to still give purees; if she's not drinking much fluid, she probably needs the fluid purees contain.  All kids develop on their own timeline.  Encourage finger feeding, but keep offering purees if that's how she's getting the bulk of her calories.  Eventually she'll start to finger feed more and spoon feed less, and then you get the fun job of turning the spoon over to her (our newest adventure!).