Hello! I am a mother of a beautiful 9 month old baby girl. She has been eating solid since she was 4 months old with no problems. She started teething about 1 1/2 months ago and her eating has gone downhill since. First, she no longers eats anywhere near the amount of food that she used to. Second, she will not eat anything besides baby food. I have tried to give her the Stage 3 foods that have some texture to them, but she gags and throws up as soon as they are in her mouth. She is very skeptical of everything and will put nothing in her mouth. I recently took her to her 9 mo. dr. appt. and they were very concerned that she wasn't eating finger foods and told me to keep practicing with her. I have been trying, but to no avail. It is so frustrating for the both of us. Any ideas what else I can do or any advice from someone who has been through the same thing?
Thank you so much to everyone who took time to tell about their personal experiences. This has really calmed my nerves and now I understand that this is not something to stress about. I am just going to keep feeding her as I have been and try to introduce new textures to her slowly. I really appreciate the comment from Sara about putting the bites of food on each side of her mouth so she learns to move it around. I will definitely try all these great techniques and will keep everyone updated on our progress!
Have you tried biter biscuits? My 8 mo old loves them! He likes to help feed himself and seems to be more interested in food if he gets to participate.
My daughter was the same way. She choked on anything that had any sort of chunk to it. We took her to Children's Mercy in Kansas City to get tests done on why she couldn't swallow any chunks. After that appointment, we went to a speech therapist in Wichita and she taught me how to feed her so that she would get used to chunks. The first bite had to go against her right cheek. The second bite went against her left cheek. We had to keep switching for every bite until she got used to moving her tongue around to move the food. When you put a bite right in the middle of the mouth, they automatically try and swallow it because they don't know it needs to be moved around until it dissolves or she can chew it. They also said NOT to feed a baby rice. That was a big thing for me because I kept thinking, why is my baby choking on one grain of rice?? The therapist said that the rice can turn sideways and then it gets caught in the sinuses in the back of the throat. After a while of switching sides, my daughter could eat anything. Now it's like nothing was ever wrong. So you could wait until she gets older, and then switch it back and forth until your baby gets used to it. Good Luck!!
I totally agree with Amy. You still have a good 3 months at least before you have to worry about her needing to eat solid foods. Right now it is just practice. I do agree that you should just move on to finger foods. The stage 3 foods are not good at all and neither of my kiddos would touch them. My son is 19 months now and he still has reservations about eating slimy food like canned fruits. I think they just have to get used to the texture and eventually she will. Let her do it on her own time though. In my experiences when you try to force something it just makes them regress more.
I guess every pediatrician has their own opinion, because my 9 month old daughter doesn't like the stage 3 foods either and her doc said it's okay, give her time. She said to start trying real food and finger now and was not concerned that we hadn't yet. I think your daughter just needs time...she'll do things at her own pace, no need to rush it! Mine will put everything in her mouth EXCEPT food...it's the craziest thing! Anyway, I don't think you need to worry...it'll happen in it own time.
Everyone is right, this is not something to worry too much about. My daughter was also the same. Our D.O. said that some of the hormones involved in teething interfere with the digestive and enzymatic process which ends up making a lot of foods taste putrid right away to her - including the ones she used to enjoy eating. If you're concerned about her getting her necessary vitamins and such I recommend using Shaklee's Vita-Lea Infant Mix. It's gentle and easily absorbed into milk, juice or even water (although my daughter refused water most of the time during this stage as well). I also used Super Green Formula from Garden of Life (available in most health food stores) mixed in with her apple juice. This is also very gentle and very good for them and in some cases can stimulate an appetite.
Don't get emotional about this especially when you are trying to feed her.
My youngest was this way. Did you tell the doctors about her gagging? My boy was diagnosed with a heightened gag reflex and although there wasn't much they would do about it, he did eventually grow out of it.
Just remember that not every baby will eat everything. She won't walk at the same time as others, or talk at the same time as others either. She's unique and this is just one thing that makes her so unique
At nine months, she has her entire lifetime to eat. My thinking is that when a child refuses solids he/she is not ready for them. Forcing them to eat causes difficult mealtimes and kids who eat b/c someone else wants them to and not b/c they're hungry.
Teething makes eating solid food painful. Until one year formula or breastmilk is a child's main nutrition. You may want to skip stage three and go to finger foods. I would let her lead. She will not go hungry. I'm sure she'll tell you when she wants food. :)
Hi A.,
How is your daughter doing on her growth? Is she growing steadily or is she underweight? Did her pediatrician express any health concerns such as anemia associated with low iron intake? If your daughter is otherwise fine, I would not worry about the finger foods. My daughter lost a little weight when she was about 9 months old because she was becoming more mobile and less interested in food. Try offering her cheerios. This was my daughter's favorite food when we were beginning her on finger foods. If she gags on her food, it may be too early. Be cautious and always watch her when she is eating. I'm sure a little time will cure your worries.
