My 11 Month Old Won't Eat Solids....

If I had to take a guess I would say she is bored. My son is almost 10 months and he does not eat the baby food in jars anymore. He stopped eating that stuff at about 7 months because he got so bored with it. He now eats sandwich meat, fruit, veggies, and basically anything I can break up small enough for him to gum. And he has no teeth. I would think your little one is ready for something more tasty. I also do toast or waffles for breakfast and just cut them up in small pieces.

I just wanted to assure you that it sounds to me like she has a very good gag reflex. I know the sound of it is scary, but if she's coughing and gagging, she's not choking. It's the silence that's scary. I totally understand.

Have you tried the Gerber puffs? They dissolve very quickly and are much softer than the wheels. Cheerios are also good practice foods because they have the hole in the middle and they also dissolve quickly. I'm sure at her age you are eager to have her try more of a variety of foods. Gerber also makes very tiny pieces of dried fruit that seem to dissolve quickly as well.

Also, I agree with the other responder. I never went to Stage 3 foods with either of my children. Those little chunks are hidden in there, so if she's have trouble, I would think it would be better for her to see and assess what's going in her mouth.

Have you tried giving her some soft foods and letting her feed herself? Such as mashed potatoes?

If your ped thinks she is behind the developmental curve enough to warrant an assessment by an occupational therapist, that might be the best route. They can assess how she uses her mouth and tongue and help her build strentgh and coordination. I would not feed her teether biscuits if she is gagging on them as teether biscuits take a long time to dissolve. Instead, start out each meal with some soft banana pieces or diced very soft cooked carrots or the little Gerber puffs (not the wagon wheels). Put the ieces n her tray (a couple at a time) and let her mush them as she tries to pick them up. Then move into the pureed food. I would not worry about her stopping at a half jar, she is just telling you she is full, unless she is then acting hungry 10 minutes later.

It sounds like Gerber's marketing strategies are adding to your anxiety.... You said your daughter "loses interest" after eating half a jar of baby food, but please realize, she is FULL. Little ones stop eating when they are full. It doesn't matter what size jar the baby food manufacturer is using, and whether your daughter eats half the jar or a third of the jar. If your gut tells you she should be eating more, consider giving her more frequent, smaller meals.

And don't get sucked into the Stage 1-2-3 phenomenon. My son was late to get teeth; I don't think his first one came through until he was 10 months old. My mom was trying to feed him Stage 3 foods because of his age, and she was getting impatient with me because I was still feeding him pureed foods. My son was gagging on them and not really doing well with the chunky stuff. By and large, my husband and I were not feeding him commercial baby food, we were just pureeing canned fruits & veggies in the blender, so I was sort of oblivious to the "Stages" issue.

I would keep feeding her pureed stuff for now, and give chunkier foods a try in a month or two. I would also take a stab at making your own baby food. With a blender, you can experiment with textures between "pureed" and "chunky", and see how your daughter does. You don't have to do any fancy recipes; all we ever did was buy canned fruits and vegetables.

Good luck!