I thought I had actually already blogged about this one, but realized I hadn't. Then I realized... well, that was stupid, as this is exactly the sort of thing a blog is good for. See I need some help. Ot at least some ideas / thoughts / support. And holy cow, it turns out I have this little soapbox on which to appeal for it...
I doubt this will be the only time I blog on this one, but here's my first go. The munchkin won't eat solids. Now let me be clear here, as people never quite seem to understand what I mean. She will eat baby food (though she often balks at the stage 3's - too much texture), just nothing else. I'll say this and my friends will offer banana pieces or other soft fruits. Nope, those are solids. The only way she will eat a banana that's not from a jar is if I completely mush it with a spoon and possibly mix it with something else. And then she will sort of grudgingly agree to eat a little of it. Usually understanding dawns when I explain she won't eat a cheerio. If we give her a cheerio or a puff, she throws it on the floor for the dog. I had a big break through day the other day when she let me put the cheerios in her mouth (opened for it) before spitting them out and throwing them on the floor. I managed to hide a couple in her sweet potatoes (a first), but she made an awful face on each that went down, till she managed to gag up the last one.
Yes, I guess I should explain that part... You might be thinking - look, I know she may not want to eat these things. But you are the grown up. You mix them in with stuff and get her to try them. What I haven't mentioned is that generally any time I've gotten a solid into her mouth (solids sometimes including stage 3 foods), she has such a strong gag reflex, it comes right back up.
So I'm putting this out to the universe - or at least the blogosphere. Help! Anyone! Did anyone have a child who refused / refuses solids? How did you introduce them? Do you have any ideas at all? I'm also really worried that she's not going to get enough protein as we're currently weaning (which is going very slow, as I'm feeling paranoid) - oh yeah, I guess I didn't mention that she generally won't touch the jarred meats either. We've found one exception (sweet potatoes with turkey), so she gets that several times a week. Any ideas on how to get her protein if she won't eat solids / meats? Things she will eat include - babyfood fruits, vegetables, jarred oatmeal/cereal (not the boxed stuff - as if!), yogurt and the sweet potato turkey mix. Thanks so much for ANY thoughts!
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Is she eating? Is she healthy? Stop worrying! And stop making yourself crazy. The nutrients are the same whether a food is smashed, mashed, or whole.
ReplyDeleteThe only suggestion I have is stop the jar food and "stage 3" stuff. Puree "real" food, aka non-processed, non-jar, and let her enjoy!
Jarred meats - would you want to eat them? Puree some tofu. Puree lentils. My son still loves both because he ate them as a baby!
Would you like my booklet of home-made baby foods (really simple how to puree and mash food, but honestly so few people know how to do it) Send me an e-mail and I will send you the document (babysmartees@verizon.net)
I will BET that because your daughter is eating non-jar food that when it comes time to change the consistency she will barely notice.
Happy SITS Sunday! Your comment was above mine :)
ReplyDeleteNot to worry about your daughter... kids all do things at their own pace. But I agree with the comment above: make your own. Try the prepared jarred food yourself. How do you like the taste and consistency? I would take it one step further, and also try to use organic fruits and veggies, whenever possible. Not only are you then keeping pesticides out of your daughter's growing body, they also taste so much better than conventionally-grown produce. I find organic produce has a longer shelf life, too.
I see in your profile that ants have taken up residence in your home. We have ants all around, too, here in South Florida. I just happen to be running a giveaway, ending this afternoon, for the EcoSMART line of organic essential oil-based pest control! No nasty chemicals in here.
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Happy SITS Sunday :)
Faye @ GreenOrganicMama.com
Hello hello :)
ReplyDeleteIt's Faye over at GreenOrganicMama.com again :)
You won our EcoSMART giveaway! Please check your e-mail.
Thanks again for entering :)
Hmmm. I agree with the purees idea. It's worth a try.
ReplyDeleteCheck wholesomebabyfood.com for recipes and stuff. I lived off of that website for a while.
Miniature humans are an eccentric bunch.
Good luck and let us know about any progress!
Psssst. When I say I lived off of it, I mean it kept me sane while I obsessed over feeding The Cute. I ain't eatin no purees.
ReplyDelete;p
I wish I could offer you advice, but my son was the complete opposite. He always wanted to eat what mommy and daddy was eating. He was addicted to Ravioli the first time his grandpa gave him a bite. I think a lot of babies are picky eaters. You can only keep trying. Babies taste buds change so she might lot like it now, but if you stay persistent, one day she will surprise you. Stopping by from SITS. Have a great Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting from SITS - I don't have a baby, but I couldn't ignore your plea for help. Looks like you've got lots of good advice already. One thing to consider is that loads of babies seem to grow up no matter what their parents do to them. In her own time...she'll eat when she's hungry :D
I was going to suggest making your own food as well. That way you can puree to the texture the baby enjoys.
ReplyDeleteIt's really quite easy so don't panic. I found mixing with sweet potato worked well. Chicken and turkey work really well, red meat is a little harder.
I would use a really good cut of steak or ground beef. Chickpeas were a hit and I didn't mash them, just cut them into pieces.
My friend gave me a great piece of advice. She said babies often look like they are choking but they are actually only gagging so don't panic and don't stop trying. And try lots of new things. My guy eats olives and mushrooms by the handful (yuck). The key is not to let your own hangups effect your child. Just because you like it, doesn't mean your baby will and vice versa.
Good luck. You can do it. And so can the baby.
LisaDay
Stopping by from SITS.
My blog is all about getting your kids to eat...come check us out, and good luck.
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day!
Lots of SITS love,
Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner
www.mawhats4dinner.com
No idea. My 13 month old guy eats everything we eat. As soon as he sees the fridge door open he comes running, waving his hands, doing the feed me please, I'm starving even though I just ate 10 minutes ago dance.
ReplyDeleteI say just keep offering them. That whole offer them 10 times thing they say with baby food. They may not like it the first time, but the 100th time you give it to them it's their new favorite food. Good luck!
maybe the reason why she wont take in solids is because she isnt ready yet. try not to rush it, 1-2 a week is a good start. if she rejects it, dont take it personally and try it again next time. you dont have to worry, because you're still breastfeeding anyway. she gets a lot more there.
ReplyDeletei read a couple of comments above and i agree. try making your own baby food. when my son was at that age, i gave him boiled sweet potato, mushed it and mixed it with breastmilk until it reaches a very smooth consistency. if you can find fresh fruits (ripe mango's a fave in my house), puree it in a blender. hope this helps.
stopping by from SITS :)
I'm thinking soup. Will she eat soup? My son refuses potatoes in all forms except when it's in Campbell's soup. Even though the food is solids maybe because it's so soft she won't gag on it when it goes down.
ReplyDeleteAlso you could try avocado although I guess that's the same texture as bananas but they have lots of nutrients.
I hope you get this figured out but she will likely eventually decide solids are a good thing, not, I know, that that's much comfort now.
Happy SITS Day!
Cheers :-)
- CoconutPalmDesigns
Happy SITS day! I completely understand your frustration. When my 3 year old was about the same age, she would not eat solids. I did however get her to eat soup! I made all kinds of soup for her and you can puree the chicken, turkey, tofu, etc. and put it in there along with any other yummy stuff she likes. She will come around to the solids soon enough. She won't like that babyfood forever! When she sees something she wants, she'll scream for it...like french fries. Yeah, I know, but she loves them now. Sweet potato fries too!
ReplyDeleteI second the first--commenter, that is :) Wow, super corny. Anyway, my advice (from my stores of mommy wisdom--what? you didn't get that at the hospital??) Chill. With a capital "c". If baby is healthy, happy, and active, she'll be A-OK!!! You can ask your pedi for some advice (thats your pediatrician, don't be askin' your toes) but chances are they'll say the same thing--take it all in stride. Oh--and the person who mentioned tofu and lentils--good call. I would add hummus to that list. My 16 month old is fairly picky--but she loooovvves garlic hummus!
ReplyDeleteOh, and HAPPY SITS DAY!!!