Solids/feeding suggestions - 11 mo?

[kkd]

I know there are probably lots of things I could try feeding my 11 mo DD, I just keep drawing blanks though! I've looked at websites and recipe books, and am not finding good ideas for her. We are both on a dairy free diet - and she still has a fairly sensitive gag reflex. She's getting better - up until recently everything had to be pureed or as soon as she'd try to swallow she'd gag and throw up! She is only about 15 1/2 pounds, so I'd like to try to find more things for her to eat! She BFs about every 3 hours during the day, wakes up twice at night to BF. Right now, she's eating oatmeal with banana in the morning (this is a recent improvement, even oatmeal used to make her gag!), usually some type of jarred puree in the afternoon, often mixed with rice cereal (squash, sweet potato, spinach - Earth's Best baby food)...banana/avocado/coconut oil mixture late afternoon. I think I could try giving her some potato - tried quinoa and she didn't like the texture, but it's been awhile so I think I might try that again. What else could I try that wouldn't be a gag/choking hazard for her? I just tried feeding her split-pea mush that I made this week and she didn't like it - she very politely tries 2-3 bites of new things and then decides not to open her mouth again. Oh- I also have fed her black beans that I put through the food mill- mixed with breastmilk- she ate those OK. I've also tried giving her pieces of banana (for her to feed herself) since it's a flavor which is familiar to her, but she gags once she gets it in her mouth. Have also tried egg yolk various ways and she didn't like that....though I haven't tried scrambled yet...Ideas?

[wildnewmamma]

we have had similar experiences with feeding, so I have just chosen not to worry too much about it, but we don't have a problem with weight since our dd is nearly double at the same age...but I know she is at the high end. Has your dr. said you should be concerned? Maybe she's just not ready, I know each babe takes things at a different rate...and if you already have sensitivites her system could just not be ready??? In terms of other things to try, it seems like you have covered most of the things we have, maybe try applesauce or carrots, seem to be a favorite in our house. Our dd didn't like pea's either!

[blessedwithboys]

if shes gagging, shes not ready. if oyu have to spoon feed purees, shes not ready. shes ready when she can pick up a chunk and put it in her mouth and gum/chew it and swallow without gagging. maybe try a lump of avocado every 7-10 days or so to check, but really...shes not ready. at this age, you dont want to try to use solids to put weight on. let her nurse on demand and she will weigh exactly what she is supposed to weigh. if all else is normal, but you think shes even slightly underweight, she probably isnt. dont go by the Ross charts. at this age, adding solids to try to put on weight just takes away bm calories which is the exact thing a baby this age needs.

[MaryMarg]

We had to keep DS on purees until just past 12 months as he would refuse anything with lumps or solids! I knew he should be taking the solids, but he WOULD NOT!! So we just kept on with purees, although I often tried to beef them up a bit with pureed lentils (they freeze great in cubes, add one cube to baby food etc.), tahini (if this doesn't cause allergy concern), mashed avocado, etc. Consider gradually thickening the currently accepted purees with thickeners such as wheat germ, finely crushed O's cereal (crushed to dust), potato flakes (yuck, I know), etc. Great resources for food ideas can be found in Ruth Yaron's Super Baby Food book and the website www.wholesomebabyfood.com offers many ideas for foods (although we don't personally eat all their recs). Might help give you ideas!!

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

if shes gagging, shes not ready. if oyu have to spoon feed purees, shes not ready. shes ready when she can pick up a chunk and put it in her mouth and gum/chew it and swallow without gagging. maybe try a lump of avocado every 7-10 days or so to check, but really...shes not ready. at this age, you dont want to try to use solids to put weight on. let her nurse on demand and she will weigh exactly what she is supposed to weigh. if all else is normal, but you think shes even slightly underweight, she probably isnt. dont go by the Ross charts. at this age, adding solids to try to put on weight just takes away bm calories which is the exact thing a baby this age needs.

Once your child is actually ready to eat you won't have to worry about what to feed her. I feed my LO anything that I'm eating (so long as she can chew it with her 6 teeth) and it's never an issue. She self feeds, chews and eats pretty much anything. It sounds to me like your baby just isn't ready yet.

[lkmiscnet]

Wow! I just logged in to create a new post, but your posting is what I was going to write about!

I have a DS who just turned one, but because he was a month premature, his corrected age is 11 mo.

We started him on purees 4 months ago and he hasn't progressed to anything much thicker. Anything thicker and he also gags/vomits. It wasn't until 3 weeks ago that he finally put one of those easily dissolved organic puffs in his mouth and he has been feeding those to himself ever since. Sometimes a dozen at one meal. So, there is hope. Not much nutrition, but at least it has significant texture to it and it's a starting point. He also perfected his pincer grasp with them.

I have been making his baby food and supplementing with some store bought organic purees for things I could not get as smooth on my own.

He has finally started accepting quinoa, which I cooked, pureed and froze. I'm not sure the texture is any smoother than it would have been had I not pureed it, so I'm going to try making a fresh batch sometime this month and seeing how he takes it. For now, I thaw a cube of quinoa and a cube of a fruit such as apple or pear and feed him that. He will sometimes start to gag and I find that if I distract him, he won't vomit and will swallow as usual when he's not focused on what's in his mouth. Sometimes I put too much on the spoon...

He just had a wellness check this week and his weight was 17 pounds. Like your LO, he is BF about the same number of times a day and typically wakes up every 2-4 hours at night. It has mostly been 2.5 hours stretches, but just a couple of weeks ago, he started going 4 hour stretches, though last night he was back to every 2 hours. We'll see what tonight holds.

His ped was not too concerned about his weight, but felt that he should be eating more solids. He is only in the 3rd percentile for height. She did feel that I should take him to a feeding clinic at my local hospital for some therapy just to get ideas on how to get him to eat better. I am going to wait though as I just think he is going at his own pace, due to past experience with his developmental milestones and lagging behind on those too. It's not like the therapists can make him be hungry or make him eat.

His issue is that he just doesn't seem hungry 3 times a day. I suppose his ped wants to make sure he doesn't have issues with textures too.

He typically turns his head away and purses his lips in the morning, presumably full on BM. I try again at lunch and sometimes can get maybe 1-1.5 oz of food in him if I'm lucky. His big meal is typically dinner, and he is the most receptive then and will eat about 2 oz. I presume because BM supply diminishes as the day progresses and is the lowest in the early evening, making him more hungry. That or he sees his dad and I eating and is more willing to eat with us.

I made the mistake at the beginning of solids of "forcing" him to eat, by trying to get food in his mouth even when he was crying, thinking that I had to get solids in him. I only did that for a few days before I learned that was not the thing to do. Now, he cries when I put him in his high chair or when he gets his bib on, so I think I created a negative association. Oddly enough though, he doesn't seem to do that at dinner time. I think he just knows what he needs and when he's hungry and perhaps that is why he is crying because he just doesn't want to eat and he knows that I'm going to attempt to feed him. Lately though, even if he is crying, I've found that if I can just get the first bite in his mouth, he'll actually be receptive once he realizes he likes whatever it is and he'll go ahead and eat. So, I'm a bit perplexed on whether I should continue doing that or whether I'm doing more harm than good.

I've tried giving him minced bits of apple, banana, grated carrot, and even let him crumble his birthday carrot cake with his hands in the hopes he might eat some. He actually put a couple of crumbs in his mouth, but that was it. He hasn't taken to any of those things. But, I'll keep trying. I'm teaching him to drink from a cup now with filtered water too.

So, I'm going to wait another month and re-evaluate whether I should take him in. He will cry and they won't be able to do anything with him anyway (he has bad stranger anxiety) so they won't be able to observe anything. His ped suggested videotaping him eating and zooming in close so they can see his chewing, swallowing, etc.

What I have pureed on my own is: sweet potato (his favorite), acorn and butternut squash, apple, pear, green beans (turned out like relish and was too much texture for him early on, but now he eats it), sweet peas, lentils, and black turtle beans. I have also given him some fresh avocado. I still get the gag reflex from some of the thicker things, like the lentils and beans, but he still eats it with smaller spoonfuls. Oh, and I have given him some bites of my morning oatmeal with wild blueberries in it. That is a thicker texture and a big step for him as well.

I hope I was somewhat helpful. At least we can commiserate. My DH tells me to stop worrying so much and that our DS will progress at his own pace. Still, it's hard to not compare with other babies...

I would love to track your progress and continue to compare notes.

[Rico'sAlice]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

if shes gagging, shes not ready. if oyu have to spoon feed purees, shes not ready. shes ready when she can pick up a chunk and put it in her mouth and gum/chew it and swallow without gagging. maybe try a lump of avocado every 7-10 days or so to check, but really...shes not ready. at this age, you dont want to try to use solids to put weight on. let her nurse on demand and she will weigh exactly what she is supposed to weigh. if all else is normal, but you think shes even slightly underweight, she probably isnt. dont go by the Ross charts. at this age, adding solids to try to put on weight just takes away bm calories which is the exact thing a baby this age needs.

I agree 100% especially about breast milk being the focus nutritionally/gaining weight. Solids are only for playing/tasting/adventure at this point.

I recommend http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/blw/engels.html for information on Baby led weaning.
You baby is the best judge of when to start solids and which kinds to have! [excepting a few allergy concerns and small hard round stuff.]