Aric, soon to be 11 months old, still hates textures. We are having quite the time getting him to eat anything other than pureed baby food, Cheerios and graham crackers. At this rate he won't be able to enjoy any birthday cake in June.
He had two days of success with small banana chunks and now refuses them. We've given him various fruits and veggies that he will barely touch. He clamps his mouth shut if we try to put anything in his mouth. Last night Ryan managed to sneak pancakes into Aric's mouth. Aric promptly gagged and threw up.
I'm at my wits end and unsure of how to proceed next. It would be wonderful if we could get him self-feeding and eating some of what we make for ourselves. I'm afraid that as easy-going as Aric has been, he's going to be just as stubborn learning how to eat "grown-up" food.
I'm definitely open to any suggestions and tricks you might have!
4 comments:
As you know, Kaden doesn't eat by mouth...but that doesn't mean we haven't tried. He went through a period that he did eat "grown up" food. After one of his surgeries however, that all stopped and I think it is more of a medical reason for him not wanting anything by mouth. However, I have heard of several parents just offering the foods that they make for the day. That may sound really harsh, but if a kid is hungry enough they will eat. Aric is still young, so I don't know if this would be a good way to go, but who knows. I think that kids work on their own terms and that when they are ready to do something they will do it. Hang in there, it will get better soon.
What I have done is to simply offer a balanced diet and to trust that healthy children do not starve themselves to death. And I did this from the time they first had anything other than breastmilk. Mason has been pickier than Tucker was, but he caught on very quickly that if he didn't at least take one bite of every food offered, he wouldn't be getting more of his favorite food. Protien was harder for him, but we just kept repeating "If you want more applesauce, you must take one bite of chicken." And if he only ate one bite at any given meal, I just tried not to worry about it. As long as all the snacks and meals offered a protein, a fruit or vegetable and a whole grain, I knew that he would be OK in the end. The trick, I think is to not offer substitutions. If he is hungry, he'll eat. If he only eats one bite (or none!) of that meal, he will survive just fine. And he might be even more motivated next time. Food is such a tricky area, because, we seldom eat SIMPLY for nutrition. When you factor in all the emotional elements surrounding food, it really can get overwhelming. I hope this helps you feel less anxious about the entire situation.
Was there syrup on the pancakes?
I completely agree with Kimberly - no 11-month old is going to starve himself. Both our boys have gone through phases where they ate everything in sight and then ate next to nothing for weeks at a time. Aric will eat when he's hungry. I strongly recommend re-introducing foods again and again. Research will also show this is a successful technique. Also, modeling for him (which you are already doing). Try one or two pieces on his high chair/table so it isn't overwhelming. One thing I was taught at KSU while working in the toddler room is to never make food an issue. I feel this is the most important thing to keep in mind. If a child not eating becomes the main focus at mealtimes, and the child senses this, it will turn into power struggles. You don't want that. Again...this goes along with what Kimberly mentioned. Try not to offer substitutions. If you start that, you could end up with a five-year-old (and even older!) still demanding something other than what you prepared.
When Jacob went through his no-eating phase around 13-months, I put vanilla Carnation in a bottle with his milk. Gave me peace of mind to know he was at least getting some nutrients to start his day. :)
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