Alternately titled, When You Have the Only Baby Who Hates Puffs and Other Adventures in Vomiting.
This past Monday, William had his nine month pediatric well visit. We had all the routine questions from the pediatrician, and Will is meeting or exceeding the motor developmental milestones for his age. But Mr. M and I really wanted to discuss something that seems to be Will’s Everest: solid foods. The kid will chow the heck down on graham crackers, but vomits at the taste of nearly every other solid food. Macaroni? Cleaned that up off my jeans this weekend. Peas? The first thing he ever regurgitated, at six months old. He eats purees like a champ, but won’t even consider putting a puff or Cheerio in his mouth. What kid hates puffs?!
We explained all of this to the doctor, and he said that because he’ll eat something like graham crackers, it’s likely not physiological – Will CAN eat solid foods, but he is struggling with something about soft solids. This is completely true. He absolutely loathes the feeling of soft foods in his hand – he shows his distaste on his face and won’t even bring them to his mouth. He couldn’t eat a banana, as he was too wrapped up in the fruit’s leavings on his fingers!
Our pediatrician recommended a few things to help him process the very different textures of foods. One is that he told us to leave bits of edible-sized foods around the ground that he can find as he plays and explores. The kid loves to eat leaves and sticks so hopefully by finding real food as he crawls around will encourage him to eat more things. We also began placing some ‘undesirable’ (to Will!) textured foods in front of him for him to play with the past few days. He isn’t loving it, but so far he’s eaten some sugar-free Jell-O and hardboiled egg after squishing the oblivion out of them in his high chair.
This was at the end of the sensory food playtime. He was done, but it had gone well up to this point!
The other is to create some sensory boxes for Will to grow used to the varied textures of the world around him. I have spent the past few days gathering ideas, and I’d love more! Here is what I plan to create for our texture-hating baby:
The ‘hard and rough’ box
- dry noodles
- plastic balls
- board books
- kitchen utensils
The ‘soft and squishy’ box
- fabric scraps
- stuffed animals
- squishy balls
- fabric books
- plastic bags under-filled with yogurt/pudding
- socks
The ‘bumpy and scratchy’ box
- textured balls
- sandpaper
- large rocks
- sponges
- rice cereal
The ‘smooth and silky’ box
- cooked noodles
- pudding
- cornmeal
If these don’t help Will get more comfortable eating soft solids (that is, eating them without vomiting!), we’ll explore working with a speech therapist after Will’s twelve month appointment.
Any other suggestions for helping our little guy get more comfortable with textures, or ideas for our sensory boxes?
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
Good luck to you!
We had issues with Xander not being willing to eat finger foods except things like crackers, just like your son. For us, it just took time. Right around 14/15 months, he started trying out other items, probably because the other kids in his daycare were eating them, and we’ve never looked back since! Now he has no issues eating, or at least trying, new foods.
guest
I Love this post! I breastfeed my son for 2 years and for the first year he didn’t eat any solids. I was freakin’ out, “why, won’t my son eat solids?” “Is something wrong with him?” My pediatrician told me, “no, worries, he’s getting everything he needs from you.” He wouldn’t even drink cow’s milk and still doesn’t, well only with cereal. Right now we give him kefir and yogurt on a daily basis to supply him with calcium. I wouldn’t fret, soon your son will start exploring foods he likes and maybe the foods he likes are the foods you are eating. My son loves yogurt I like to think it’s because of me I always eat yogurt, daily.
blogger / pomegranate / 3044 posts
Not sure if it would help, but have you considered a chewy tube? Not to be crass but it’s basically a Kong for kids… We use it to encourage D to chew.
But really I would guess he’ll come around on his own!
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
Honestly, just keep trying, kids adjust at very different paces. I was going to have Ruby evaluated for sensory issues because she was exactly the same way – refused texture of any kind well after she turned 1. But we kept giving her different things and exposing her to different textures and mixing things up with what she would eat, and by 15-16 months, she was just fine and it kept/keeps getting better (she’s almost 2 now). She wouldn’t touch fruit until well after 18 months and now she inhales any fruit we put in front of her. She still stuffs a lot of food in her mouth, which does make me wonder about sensory issues still, but I also think it could be age. 9 months is still really young, so give him time. I would say even 12 months is still fairly young. If he’s still having issues by 14-15, then I’d have him checked out.
cherry / 127 posts
We’ve had similar issues and until 15 months he would only eat purees and carbs (muffins, graham crackers, puffs, pancakes, bagels) so it wasn’t physiological. However once he got his molars in he’s been far more adventurous. He now eats chicken and pork and you can give him a whole banana, a cob of corn or an apple and he will go to town chewing and eating. I got worried for a while but our pediatrician said not to worry because no 5 year old will only eat purees. It will come in time.
guest
My LO had a real problem with soft solids too! She would eat Cheerios, and some other breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes, toast, french toast – plain, no butter, no syrup, no fruit puree. She didn’t vomit, but she would literally just touch things and then start gagging, and she gagged and actually choked on dry foods and soft solids.
I felt like soft solids like banana and avocado kind of “got away” from her in her mouth, if that makes sense. Like they started to slip down her throat before she was ready, and it was easier for her to physically manage dry foods.
Anyway, the good news is we just kept offering, and she gradually got much better. I would say around 10-11 months is when she started to manage bananas, and after 1 year she made big leaps in eating table foods. I don’t think she ate pasta till she was past 18 months!
guest
Oh, and I’ll add that I think a few things that really helped save my sanity back then.
1. We ate at pretty regularly scheduled meal times. We sat down to eat with her as much as possible.
2. We only let her eat in 1-2 designated spots, like a high chair. You don’t want distraction to be the name of the game, and you don’t want a vomiter or choker to be on the loose!
3. We offered 2-3 foods at each meal. If we were introducing new foods, we also offered something else that was familiar and that she would pretty reliably eat. Then we let her pick and choose. If she refused to try the new food, she could fill up on the familiar food.
4. Let them eat what they eat. When they are done, they are done.
blogger / pear / 1563 posts
It sounds like you have a really great pediatrician! A lot of them just disregard stuff like this, but I think it’s awesome he is encouraging you to encourage his senses!
Great ideas! I wouldn’t be surprised if Sweet P isn’t like this, and I’ll be coming back to this post if she is!
cherry / 108 posts
My daughter lived off cows milk and yogurt ONLY from about month 12-14. She ate every purée put in front of her but just didn’t take to finger foods for a looooong time. It just takes time. She is still a picky eater. She eats most at daycare. She’s 21 months now and I feel is just now really trying more stuff at home. So hang in there mama! I’ve cried over her eating several times but she’s ok and so will your little cutie
P.S. My daughter wouldn’t eat banana either! She still doesn’t most days!
pomelo / 5628 posts
I would try to tackle it by starting with ehat he likes, graham crackers and slowly trying new similar foods, mum mums, toast with or without lots of butter, maybe crunching on some apple (not much gets eaten at that age. Our ot even had us work with large carrots that he just gnawed on. Then if he eats purées, puree everything else…if you can. Will he do yogurt?
Dylan still will not eat avocado or mashed potatoes!
blogger / apricot / 310 posts
@Adira: This is good to know! I feel like Will is the only kid at daycare eating jarred baby food and avoiding solids, so I hope that soon all the babies eating real food will also show him how it’s done. Thanks for this comment!
@Sara: great point! I gave him yogurt this week because of your comment and he loved it – thank you!
@Mrs. Tiger: I haven’t heard of that! Do you have one you particularly like?
@Mrs. Carrot: Awesome insight, thank you. I think I feel like so many of our baby friends are eating meat and puffs and things by now and I hate it, but I’m comparing. Good to know that some kids just take longer!
@sailgrl18: Haha, so true! I keep saying to myself “He’ll be the only kid in college drinking breastmilk!” as a half joke, but you’re so right. He’ll likely figure it out on his own.
@Cinco: such an interesting thought- the ‘slippery’ aspect of so many of the soft table foods! That could actually totally be it. Will actually ate some dry pancake this morning, and I was worried – but he did really well!
@Mrs. Pinata: He is honestly so great. Very non-alarmist, but offers practical advice, and takes any and all questions seriously. He’s the best! I hope Sweet P doesn’t have any issues, though!
@Chicfro: And they say banana is the perfect introductory food! Ha! Good to read this. Thank you.
@Mrs Green Grass: Great thoughts. I felt like we just stop purees cold turkey to encourage the solid foods, but maybe not – thank you!