Baby starts fighting purées
April 2, 2015 7:00 AM Subscribe
Our 10-month old has eaten purees happily since about month four. She's now transitioning to solid foods (steamed carrots, puffs, rusks), but has not yet mastered it well enough that she's getting significant nutrition from it. But she's now spurning the purees--both old favorites and new additions, homemade and store bought. No worries she'll starve, but we'd love her to eat her purees happily again. Any tips?
She seems to do better with sweet stuff than her veg at this point--loves bananas and blueberries in smoothies--but she's managed to spit out her fruit purees too on occasion. She will take a bite, spit it out and gag for a while--but again, she's eaten these for a long time with almost comical relish (makes all sorts of yum yum noises).
Our approach so far has been to blaze ahead--she can decide whether she's going to eat, but we're not going to give her a diet only consisting of bananas, regardless of her preferences. (She is not a monkey, if I didn't make that clear.) We also will dip puffs and rusks in the purees. But it's ftustrating, as I'm sure all parents will agree, and it stretches out the solids meals exponentially given all the cajoling involved.
She has had her two bottom teeth for a while and the top two are piercing the gums now. Other teeth may be emerging soon too, based on how much she's gnawing her pacifiers and teethers.
Any tips from veterans of the high chair wars?
She seems to do better with sweet stuff than her veg at this point--loves bananas and blueberries in smoothies--but she's managed to spit out her fruit purees too on occasion. She will take a bite, spit it out and gag for a while--but again, she's eaten these for a long time with almost comical relish (makes all sorts of yum yum noises).
Our approach so far has been to blaze ahead--she can decide whether she's going to eat, but we're not going to give her a diet only consisting of bananas, regardless of her preferences. (She is not a monkey, if I didn't make that clear.) We also will dip puffs and rusks in the purees. But it's ftustrating, as I'm sure all parents will agree, and it stretches out the solids meals exponentially given all the cajoling involved.
She has had her two bottom teeth for a while and the top two are piercing the gums now. Other teeth may be emerging soon too, based on how much she's gnawing her pacifiers and teethers.
Any tips from veterans of the high chair wars?
Formula or breastmilk are still going to be the main nutrition for kids up to a year of age (with some breastfeeding sites recommending only 20% be from solids at 1 year, increasing to 80% at 2 years). I went the Baby-Led Weaning route and just figured he'd eat what he'd eat and to not fight about it, knowing he was still getting plenty of nutrition elsewhere.
Kids also start going through growth spurts (and the opposite - growth stagnation? Unspurts? Antispurts?) where they'll eat like they have a hollow leg one day and then subsist off of air and half a cracker for a week. You might be hitting one of those, too.
I think as long as you are making available a good healthy variety of foods, she'll get what she needs when she needs it.
posted by jillithd at 7:06 AM on April 2, 2015 [11 favorites]
Kids also start going through growth spurts (and the opposite - growth stagnation? Unspurts? Antispurts?) where they'll eat like they have a hollow leg one day and then subsist off of air and half a cracker for a week. You might be hitting one of those, too.
I think as long as you are making available a good healthy variety of foods, she'll get what she needs when she needs it.
posted by jillithd at 7:06 AM on April 2, 2015 [11 favorites]
We've been through this exact thing, although at a further delay than you. The key thing is to offer them food and, if they don't eat it, don't offer different food instead. They'll get nutritional balance from breast milk/formula, and hunger will encourage them to eat other foods. I would also start introducing very soft solid food as well although I think you are already doing that. Unfortunately meals do start taking a long time at this point, I don't think there's a solution to that other than being more patient than they are.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 7:12 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by Cannon Fodder at 7:12 AM on April 2, 2015
We juuuuuust went through this, and though babyozzy has had a full set (?) of front teeth for seemingly forever, her dexterity is just catching up to her desire for finger foods. Months ten and eleven were a little rough because all she wanted were finger foods, but had a lot of trouble eating them.
We fed her a lot of full-fat (sweetened) yogurt mixed with baby oatmeal to stave off hunger during these months, when she would eat it. She also really liked the Sprout pouches (particularly one that I think was black beans and pumpkin). We also gave in plenty of times and just handed her chunks of bread or graham crackers or whatever she could handle. Babies are still getting most of their nutrition from milk at this age, like everybody has said.
She eats lustily now. Seriously, if she could murder you for tortellini with pesto, she would.
This too shall pass.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:16 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
We fed her a lot of full-fat (sweetened) yogurt mixed with baby oatmeal to stave off hunger during these months, when she would eat it. She also really liked the Sprout pouches (particularly one that I think was black beans and pumpkin). We also gave in plenty of times and just handed her chunks of bread or graham crackers or whatever she could handle. Babies are still getting most of their nutrition from milk at this age, like everybody has said.
She eats lustily now. Seriously, if she could murder you for tortellini with pesto, she would.
This too shall pass.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:16 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm an outsider (aunt, not a mother) but I observed that my nephew enjoyed purees in a pouch long after he refused them in a bowl. If there are age appropriate pouches, perhaps that could be an option?
posted by ocherdraco at 7:23 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ocherdraco at 7:23 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
What you're describing is developmentally normal. Let her throw the puree and get on with learning to master finger foods!
posted by DarlingBri at 7:37 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 7:37 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Yeah, my kid happily ate traditional baby food until the day we gave him a piece of our food, and then staunchy refused all mush, seriously annoyed that we had been holding out on him.
Food's still fun at this point. She might drink a little more to make up for the lack of purees but will be healthy and strong without much solids.
For finger food ideas, look into baby-led weaning. Mostly, though, we just blobbed a tablespoon of our dinner on the plate/table in front of him, and would put down more if whatever remained was too difficult to pick up. We'd give him Cheerios or puffs or a steamed vegetable if that wasn't appropriate for some reason. Sometimes I'd hold a bowl and give him a spoon to try, which was a million times more effective than holding the spoon myself. We kept cajoling to basically zero; if he didn't like what was on offer, there'd always be the very dull alternative of cheerios. (At four, this is still the case; he chooses a pbj on Curry Night but eats widely and well under most other circumstances, so we don't seem to have messed up his natural inclinations much.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:39 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Food's still fun at this point. She might drink a little more to make up for the lack of purees but will be healthy and strong without much solids.
For finger food ideas, look into baby-led weaning. Mostly, though, we just blobbed a tablespoon of our dinner on the plate/table in front of him, and would put down more if whatever remained was too difficult to pick up. We'd give him Cheerios or puffs or a steamed vegetable if that wasn't appropriate for some reason. Sometimes I'd hold a bowl and give him a spoon to try, which was a million times more effective than holding the spoon myself. We kept cajoling to basically zero; if he didn't like what was on offer, there'd always be the very dull alternative of cheerios. (At four, this is still the case; he chooses a pbj on Curry Night but eats widely and well under most other circumstances, so we don't seem to have messed up his natural inclinations much.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:39 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
There's just no point. At 10mo she doesn't need purees -- or the silly puffs -- she can get a small portion of what everyone else is eating and go sink or swim with getting it in.
It is not too early to give her her own spoon. Try thick oatmeal, tiny pasta shapes with a super-cheesy sauce, refried beans -- stuff that really gloms onto the spoon.
posted by kmennie at 7:41 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
It is not too early to give her her own spoon. Try thick oatmeal, tiny pasta shapes with a super-cheesy sauce, refried beans -- stuff that really gloms onto the spoon.
posted by kmennie at 7:41 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
My daughter will be one in a couple weeks and she thinks purees are super boring and not worth her time. Bring on the finger food, dad!
posted by lydhre at 7:42 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by lydhre at 7:42 AM on April 2, 2015
We would cut a well-toasted piece of toast into long "fingers" and spread the purees on the toast like jam. Even the vegetable ones. They don't know the difference. My boys could gum a piece of toast into submission as long as it was fairly thin, and that way they could feed themselves the puree. Often they would suck it off the toast, in fact, and leave well-gummed toast behind, which was also fine.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:59 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:59 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
This is about the age where we were able to give our little one a pouch and she could do a good job of feeding herself that, and then we'd add finger foods too.
posted by bizzyb at 8:01 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by bizzyb at 8:01 AM on April 2, 2015
Baby-led weaning also helps with the gag reflex! It is a bit frightening to watch at first, but they very quickly get the hang of texture and the mechanics of gumming and swallowing.
You can put purees on toast, and make them function as 'dips' for some kids.
Keep a few pouches on hand for emergency food in restaurants, parks, in transit, etc.
It's a bit of a messy disaster for awhile. But they quickly figure out how to maximize the ratio of food in mouth to food on the floor!
Ellyn Satter has awesome advice about feeding kids, how to handle meals, and what and how to feed the family!
posted by barnone at 8:44 AM on April 2, 2015
You can put purees on toast, and make them function as 'dips' for some kids.
Keep a few pouches on hand for emergency food in restaurants, parks, in transit, etc.
It's a bit of a messy disaster for awhile. But they quickly figure out how to maximize the ratio of food in mouth to food on the floor!
Ellyn Satter has awesome advice about feeding kids, how to handle meals, and what and how to feed the family!
posted by barnone at 8:44 AM on April 2, 2015
ha! I just finished feeding my ten month old her lunch. She doesn't care for the texture of purees much either but here is what I am doing lately: I make what I call "baby cakes". These include finely chopped (blender or processor) greens and other veggies like carrots, broccoli, etc. Then I put that in a bowl with a beaten egg, some unsweetened applesauce, some grain (barley this week), a lil flour (any kind), some spices, teeny bit of salt but not much just a pinch, a bit of baking soda, an oil (could be butter, coconut oil, olive oil..) and put it in the oven. It makes a little cake that I cut up and freeze most of, then pull out a slice for lunch time and microwave for minute. Cool thoroughly and tear into little bits she can eat herself. In between her bites, I give her extra bites of avocado, meat, fruit puree, cheese, pasta whatever else I have on hand. Eating is collaborative process now! She will take a little baby food fruit puree on a spoon if she is mostly feeding herself the other stuff. I also just feed her whatever I am eating for breakfast and dinner, and then she breastfeeds as well. Edit: I also add beans mashed up for protein to the baby cakes
posted by catrae at 8:58 AM on April 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by catrae at 8:58 AM on April 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
We also experienced our baby rejecting pouches once she had a taste of more textured food. This was around 7 or 8 months of age, and at that point she still had no teeth. Her dad was a bit worried that without teeth she wouldn't be able to handle finger foods, but we started slowly, cutting everything into very thin slices or pieces. Big hits with her were thin slices/ tiny pieces of fruits, salmon, veggie sausage, french toast, crackers, fish, baked oatmeal bars, squash ... She spilled more on the floor attempting to grasp them than made it into her tummy at first, but improved dramatically on a weekly basis. She still nurses but eats like a champ now at 12 months. We just usually feed her whatever we make for dinner, in strips she can grab from her tray. We have such a stock left of pouches that I keep trying to tempt her into them, and the only time I've had any success at all is if her mouth is full/ dry and she needs to moisten it I can get a few squirts of a fruit purée into her by letting her suck from the pouch, but after just a few sucks she rejects it again completely.
posted by Rapunzel1111 at 9:05 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by Rapunzel1111 at 9:05 AM on April 2, 2015
She sounds like she' s ready for real people food.
If she's a "royal taster," cut up some of your food into appropriate sized bits, push them to one side of your plate, and let her eat with her fingers.
If she's independent, just give her a small plate with all the same food you are eating cut up in appropriate sizes.
My kids stopped eating purees except for apple sauce and yogurt between 10 and 12 months. By 12 months, they were 100% regular food.
posted by zizzle at 9:19 AM on April 2, 2015
If she's a "royal taster," cut up some of your food into appropriate sized bits, push them to one side of your plate, and let her eat with her fingers.
If she's independent, just give her a small plate with all the same food you are eating cut up in appropriate sizes.
My kids stopped eating purees except for apple sauce and yogurt between 10 and 12 months. By 12 months, they were 100% regular food.
posted by zizzle at 9:19 AM on April 2, 2015
Just made it through the same exact transition here. Even with better dexterity, my 10-month-old doesn't eat enough in finger foods to count as real nutrition. So I give her puffs or other finger foods and then she'll let me feed her purees or yogurt or whatnot while she is distracted with the puff-to-mouth process. You'd be surprised how much you can get in them in between puffs :)
posted by missjenny at 9:41 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by missjenny at 9:41 AM on April 2, 2015
Our first decided that he wouldn't let us feed him right around 11-12 months. He started in with finger foods, small fruit, cheerios, etc. We finally figured out that he wasn't averse to the food itself, just that he didn't want US to feed him, he wanted to do it himself. Our solution was pouches. It was a bit pricey, but that was pretty much all he ate until he was about 16-18 months old. He had several favorites. We did the Happy Baby, which were often on sale at Target, and he loved the meat pouches and several of the fruit/veggie blends.
He pretty much stopped eating them as he mastered the spoon and could eat foods on his own, but he still has applesauce toddler pouches every now and again.
As several people have also mentioned, food is just for practice for now, so let them do whatever they want and don't stress. Even now, with our son at 2.5 years old, I have to remind myself on a daily basis that he won't starve and he IS healthy and happy. If the Doc had any concerns, I'm sure we would know by now. So if he decides that 3 frozen waffles is dinner tonight, 3 waffles it is. Maybe tomorrow night it will be an entire plate of meat sauce spaghetti or grilled chicken.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 10:09 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
He pretty much stopped eating them as he mastered the spoon and could eat foods on his own, but he still has applesauce toddler pouches every now and again.
As several people have also mentioned, food is just for practice for now, so let them do whatever they want and don't stress. Even now, with our son at 2.5 years old, I have to remind myself on a daily basis that he won't starve and he IS healthy and happy. If the Doc had any concerns, I'm sure we would know by now. So if he decides that 3 frozen waffles is dinner tonight, 3 waffles it is. Maybe tomorrow night it will be an entire plate of meat sauce spaghetti or grilled chicken.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 10:09 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
My daughter is just about to turn one.
We pretty much gave up on the purees too but mainly out of laziness of making them (anyone wanna buy a Baby Bullet, barely used?) and having to spoon feed her (she just grabs the spoons and throws them). She will do those pouches though (mainly those are just for on the go situations).
Mini Medeine has a tooth. That has not stopped her from eating all the finger foods: cut up mango, pear, kiwi, orange slices, toast sticks, mac and cheese, bites of baked chicken breast, lasagna, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, peas, etc.
posted by medeine at 1:00 PM on April 2, 2015
We pretty much gave up on the purees too but mainly out of laziness of making them (anyone wanna buy a Baby Bullet, barely used?) and having to spoon feed her (she just grabs the spoons and throws them). She will do those pouches though (mainly those are just for on the go situations).
Mini Medeine has a tooth. That has not stopped her from eating all the finger foods: cut up mango, pear, kiwi, orange slices, toast sticks, mac and cheese, bites of baked chicken breast, lasagna, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, peas, etc.
posted by medeine at 1:00 PM on April 2, 2015
Our go to for the kids when they were this age was Rice, Black Beans and Guacamole mixed up together, and then you just let them have at it.
At this age both of our kids got extremely interested in gnawing at stuff, but when we had to get them to eat (even to this day) we do rice, beans and guac.
posted by iamabot at 3:24 PM on April 2, 2015
At this age both of our kids got extremely interested in gnawing at stuff, but when we had to get them to eat (even to this day) we do rice, beans and guac.
posted by iamabot at 3:24 PM on April 2, 2015
My daughter is almost 2 and still likes purees along with all the other types of food. I don't find this weird because I am 34 and I love purees--broccoli cheese soup, butternut squash soup with coconut and curry, cream of cauliflower and potato soup. Yum!
Do you taste the purees you are feeding her? If they don't taste very good to you that might be the problem. Try moving to ones that are more like adult foods instead of just water + vegetables. At the very least make sure they have some fat, which is good for nutrient absorption anyway.
I also avoid puffs, crackers, and dry cereal because in my experience kids can get hooked on these types of crunchy processed foods and then not want much else for a while. For a convenient carb I usually just go with bread.
posted by insoluble uncertainty at 12:21 PM on April 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Do you taste the purees you are feeding her? If they don't taste very good to you that might be the problem. Try moving to ones that are more like adult foods instead of just water + vegetables. At the very least make sure they have some fat, which is good for nutrient absorption anyway.
I also avoid puffs, crackers, and dry cereal because in my experience kids can get hooked on these types of crunchy processed foods and then not want much else for a while. For a convenient carb I usually just go with bread.
posted by insoluble uncertainty at 12:21 PM on April 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Both my daughters went through this - with no. 2 to the extent the doctor was worried. I (mostly) ignored it and they both went from picky eaters to gourmandises at about 3yo. They are both fully grown with no eating disorders and very healthy tastes today - they eat their veggies! (One is 6 feet despite both of us parents been much smaller!)
When they were young, I always made sure there were several options on the table, including a puree, and that they tasted a tiny (teaspoon) of everything before making choices. Both of them like broccoli best of all vegs!
We don't eat much salt, but when they were small, there was a lot of butter in their puree - it's healthy for kids under 3, and it's tasty. It's also easier to wean them off than salt. A puree of potato, broccoli and butter was a sure winner at all times, and easy to prepare.
Other eats were:
Fish, peas, potatoes and butter puree
Apple puree with milk
Avocado and yogurt puree (sometimes on bread)
Green olive paste on Swedish knäckebrot (yes, that was strange)
Meatballs and fishcakes made with "invisible" blended vegetables
posted by mumimor at 10:31 AM on April 5, 2015
When they were young, I always made sure there were several options on the table, including a puree, and that they tasted a tiny (teaspoon) of everything before making choices. Both of them like broccoli best of all vegs!
We don't eat much salt, but when they were small, there was a lot of butter in their puree - it's healthy for kids under 3, and it's tasty. It's also easier to wean them off than salt. A puree of potato, broccoli and butter was a sure winner at all times, and easy to prepare.
Other eats were:
Fish, peas, potatoes and butter puree
Apple puree with milk
Avocado and yogurt puree (sometimes on bread)
Green olive paste on Swedish knäckebrot (yes, that was strange)
Meatballs and fishcakes made with "invisible" blended vegetables
posted by mumimor at 10:31 AM on April 5, 2015
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posted by myselfasme at 7:06 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]