Friday, June 19, 2009

In which I am seeking advice on feeding

You all know I'm a raving mad lactivist. Evidently my son is as well.

My son hates food.

I'm a little in shock about the whole thing. He's nearly 9 months old and is positively refusing EVERYTHING but breast milk.

I dutifully tried to feed him at 6 months. He refused.
I tried two weeks later. He pitched a royal fit.
I tried five different kind of baby cereal. He refused them all.
I tried sweet potatoes. He sealed his lips and shook his head.
I tried carrots. He spat them in my face.
I tried banana. PHHHHHHPT! Back in my face.
I then tried all of those things in different forms again - roasted, pureed, steamed, organic, non-organic, baked and smashed. Hated it, hated it, hated it all.
I took breaks for weeks then tried again. I skipped feedings to ensure he'd be good and hungry. And he still spits it out or refuses to open his mouth.

So now here he is.



He's fat and happy. He's healthy as a horse and his little belly hangs over his diaper most adorably. He has hit every milestone early. He's got 8 teeth. He sits up. He picks things up with his fingers. He pulls up on the furniture, for pity's sake. He's ready to eat.

But. He. Hates. Food.

He only wants breast milk - and lots of it.


When did your kids start eating food? And what else can I try? And is this normal?





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Written by at 2:47 PM
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13 comments:

  1. Have you tried dry crunchy things like cheerios, small bits of graham cracker, teething biscuits? We saw quite a few kids like this when I was doing pediatric speech therapy. You've already tried everything I would have recommended. I hate to tell you, but the longer he avoids food, the worse it usually gets. I would suggest making an appointment w/ an occupational therapist or speech pathologist who specializes in pediatric feeding issues for an evaluation.

    A couple of other things:
    1) Try fingerpainting with food like yogurt, pudding, or anything pureed. Odds are at his age he will put his hands in his mouth at some point and may like it...and do it again...and then be willing to accept it from a spoon
    2) How is he with things (other than a breast) being put in his mouth by another person? Does he let you brush his teeth? Is he drinking from a sippy cup or straw? If not, he may have some oral defensiveness.
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  2. I think Austin started cereal/pablum around 6 months and we added things in one at a time and I don't remember it being an issue. Ethan I was lazy and we started later, he had no issues at first, but when he was a younger boy had had some things he had an oral defensiveness to (since Pam has given me the proper label I will use it!). I remember hims not liking rice for a long time, and not liking things the consitancy of pudding for a long time ... he's gradually out grown most of his. The one thing he still doesn't like to do is to bite into something like a sandwich where the textures and consistancies change. Something about that bothers him.

    My only idea is if he likes to imitate Anne, try using her as your model, feed her what you want him to eat infront of him.

    It is curious that he's not interested, most kids seem to want to have everything that everyone else is having!!
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  3. given k was a preemie, BUT i didn't even attempt solids until after her 9 month check up. and then, she refused anything that resemled baby food (mashed, steamed, in a jar, cereal, etc). so i fed her real stuff... beans (still loves them), tortilla bits (esp flavored ones), grilled chicken pieces with bbq sauce... even pb&j. not sure this is good advice, but that's us!
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  4. Just wanted to say, I have no clue, but he is SO adorable!! As you were.
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  5. Mashed avacodos, they are nice and fatty, like breast milk.
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  6. you got some good advice on here already. i would do the cheerio thing (even honey nut cheerios...A&B love them the most). also the yogurt or applesauce. something sweet but healthy. or like bethany said-go straight to the real stuff. ben was slower at picking up on it than abby was. it took until about 7-8 months for us to get him into the food. but now there's no looking back. just get him good and hungry and put it in front of him nonchalantly and walk away...that worked with ben. he wasn't a big fan of the expectant, intense looks. :) hope something works for you.
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  7. Just to say check the honey because as far as I know it is not recommended to give to babies under 12 months.

    I do hope you can crack this. I am sorry I have no advice whatsoever as my girls just loved (and still do!) food.
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  8. i did ask about honey nut cheerios. my pediatrician said they were perfectly fine for my kiddos...not the same thing as giving them real honey.
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  9. Liam delayed solids too Sarah...don't stress too much about it. Just keep taking breaks and trying again. When you do try some different things like puffed wheat or plain cherrios...or whatever is on your plate...He will eat eventually!
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  10. Hey Doll! Feeding is more patience than anything else. Aleiah was like that. Start with cereal and mix it with a lot of breast milk, so it's really running and he will taste more milk than cereal. When he gets that down, I started adding applesauce, or any puree that would compliment. When she was about Joseph's age, I tried everyday because I wanted her to learn that food was something she needed to eat, and eventually I got through. It will happen. Just keep trying. Start with the bland foods that you can add lots of milk to. Alot of it, is probably he is used to the sweet close feeding time, and he doesn't like the sitting up, far from you feeling, when having to eat. Your family is GORGEOUS and I miss you!
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  11. JB was the SAME WAY. He did not eat until he was just over 9 months old. I offered him some tapioca pudding and he loved it. I think because it was sweet like breast milk. After that he gradually warmed up to more food.

    hang in there. He'll eat.
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  12. I just want to add that so what if he's not eating solids. If you are okay with it, and he's doing fine, who cares?

    If you are wanting to give yourself a break by getting him to eat more solids, I say go with the sweet stuff first. Then introduce more solids. I think for JB he just wanted to do it himself and not be fed. And about that time he was able to shove it in his mouth!
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  13. Thanks everyone for your comments. I checked with our doctor and asked around some more. Also did some more research. I feel pretty okay with just letting it go right now and trying again later. No one is worried that it's indicative of any major troubles. Just pretty normal actually from what I'm told. Thanks for your wisdom. I'll try all of this again shortly!
    ReplyDelete

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