14-month-old not interested in solids...

[mel_mama]

DS, 14 months, is so not interested in solids. Back when he was about 6 months old, we introduced some solids and he was curious, although not a ravenous eater by any means. We tried both BLW with steamed veggies, crackers, meats, etc. (whatever we were eating, basically) and jarred baby food (which he seemed to prefer). Then, around 10-11 months, he totally lost interest. Now, at 14 months, he is still totally uninterested in eating. We sort of have a hands-off approach, as we don't want to pressure him into eating, and offer little bits at dinner, teething biscuits, etc. He'll usually nibble a little bite or two, and that's it.

I am still breastfeeding and continue to until age 2 (at least). Anyone BTDT with a 14-mo-old not interested in food? When did your LO get interested? I have a lot of friends who still BF their toddlers and their toddler eats a ton! So I don't think it's related to the fact I am BF'ing... Any feedback/advice is appreciated!

[fireweed]

My dd only started to consistently eat solids at about 20 months. She is still into breastmilk in a big way though, at 22 months, and i'd say she is 75% breastfed still. The only people who seemed to worry were her grandmothers and her mainstream pediatrician. From my reseach, i concluded that the only nutritional deficiancy possible was iron. We got her iron tested at 12 months and it was at the low range of normal. I gave her a bit of floradix for a month which brought her levels up.

oh- she has been at the 50 percentile for weight and height since she was born, so a breastmilk diet obviously didn't affect her growth negatively.

[peaceful_mama]

My DS is 14 months, breastfeeding, and is one of those who usually eats "a ton."

One thing I have noticed, and I don't have a TON of observation behind this, but...

I didn't really follow any of the advice about spacing out foods or restricting what I feed, other than dairy, (milk and cheese) because lactose intolerance is an issue in our house. He has had quite literally EVERYTHING we eat that he could chew from day one of starting solids. The only thing I do special for him is leave any hot chili peppers or sauce out of his food. Other than that, he eats everything combined and seasoned the way we do. (and we eat a LOT of 'ethnic' stuff with a variety of different herbs and spices)

I've seen quite a few babies fed more 'cautiously' than mine, and from what I've seen, it seems like the more cautious people are about serving plain foods and limiting the menu, the less interested the baby is.
I know my own baby seems to get tired of some foods sometimes. And then he'll like it a lot after he hasn't seen it for a few days. I do too, lol.

So...I'm guessing at 14 months, you pretty much know if you're dealing with allergies or not. And unless you've got some other issue going on, your babe *should* be able to eat the same foods you do--cut appropriately of course. (this is the former daycare provider coming out now, I worked mostly with babies and toddlers, there was no "baby food" in the 1-year-old room)

I'd ditch the pureed stuff and start giving tiny samples of what you are eating. Watch what baby eats, give more of what baby likes. Don't be afraid to give stuff with lots of seasoning, different herbs, strong flavors. All my kids like their eggs scrambled with cumin, my 5 year old adds his own hot sauce, they all adore my fried rice with plenty of chinese 5 spice blend, you get the idea. Other than putting the food in front of the baby, stay out of the eating. It WILL come.

Edited to add--my daughter, now 3, did not eat 3 meals a day with us until my pregnancy with DS2 tanked my supply at about 16 months. If that had not happened, I don't know when she would have started eating lunch--her normal eating was breakfast, play and lots of nurse and a nap, then she'd nibble on some samples while I cooked dinner maybe and eat dinner. She was fine.

[Amber Lion]

My DD has only *just* started to get into solids at 15 months and she still consumes very little of them, but at least she's actually interested now. I used to just offer her some of my food whenever I was eating, but lately have been offering snacks throughout the day and it turns out she eats a lot more during "snack" times than at our meal times. She just wasn't hungry when we were eating. She also will eat more if she I offer bites while she's playing; sitting in the highchair usually results in her throwing food on the floor and fussing to get down.

I don't think you have to worry about their intake if you are offering and they don't want it and they're bfing often. I really do think they know when they need to increase their calories with solids and they'll eventually start taking the food you offer.

[Pepper44]

My DD ate some solids, but mostly just nibbled. She didn't start really eating meals until 18 months. We did baby led weaning and she was allowed to eat just about whatever we were having...she just wasn't interested for a long time!