Hello!
My son just recently turned 11 months and is having some gag problems with the chunkier foods. He will bite/chew CHeerios and toast, but when it comes to say diced foods like blueberries or mushed carrots, he simply does not like the way it feels or doesn't realize he can mash these like he does the toast and Cheerios. I try each day and he always gags. I have tried just putting it in the tray, but he will play with it and throw it over the side. Do I keep trying or is there another solution?
I never used stage three foods. When my kids were old enough for stage three I just gave them what we were eating. I just cut it into smaller pieces. My oldest is 8 and when he was a baby he would gag on stage three. I asked the doctor about it and he told me not to waste my money on stage three. He said to just go right to table food. I never had a problem with switching them from stage 2 to table food. Hope this helps.
Neither of my kids really liked stage 3 foods, but they would eat table foods that we cut up and they could feed themselves. Try giving things like pasta, cheese, chicken, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs (at 12m), cut up veggies and fruits, meatloaf, meatballs. He may not like stage 3, but if he likes finger foods, he can eat table foods that are cut up. Most of these foods are softer, so he doesn't need a lot of teeth to chew them. Continue to feed him some stage 2 foods and baby cereal with these to make sure that he's eating enough.
Good luck.
HI D.,
try diced ripe avocado, it is a creamy, smooth sensation for them. Also, "Amy's" makes canned brown rice and lentils (in the organic food section) - this product is nutritional and very soft to a baby's inexperienced palate. What about teaching him to "dip" foods like his cheerios into yogurt, or other mashed products like white beans? My son also enjoyed diced fresh mozzarella cheese - it is very soft and milky. Scrambled eggs with (real) butter? Pastina with pureed fresh veggies? Think outside the box -your baby may discover a flavor he loves that we might not imagine he would! Good luck with the creativity!
Hi D.,
Our son didn't eat "real" food until he was well past his first birthday. Your son may simply not be ready yet. Also, at about 15 months we took our son to a pediatric allergist, found that he indeed had allergies, and got him started on a nasal spray and Zyrtek. Within a week (I kid you not) he was eating solid foods. To this day I remain convinced that he was having trouble breathing before, and so chewing was difficult and uncomfortable.
Give him longer with the mush; if you suspect any kind of breathing issues, consider an allergist. And good luck!
T.
My son was the same way - but he wouldn't even eat stage 3 foods. Then one day at 16 months he wanted some of a baked potato I was eating so I gave it to him. He never looked back - now he eats everything we do! Some kids just aren't ready & my son wasn't.
I would recommend trying pasta with butter, with tomato sauce and/or macaroni and cheese. You could also try grilled cheese and yogurt. These are some of my kids favorite foods! Good luck!
No reason to rush him. Put them away and try again in a few weeks.
I have never seen any substantial evidence that babies need to be completely on solids by the time they're 12 months anyway. My first child didn't even start solids until 8 months, and that was only a bite of apple sauce here and there.
Don't worry ... he'll get there in his own time. :-)
You should just wait and put them away for a while. He's obviously not ready. My daughter was the same way. My sons could have swallowed bricks by that time, but not my daughter. LOL. They are all different. He'll move on when he's ready.
I agree with the other responses that you should just skip/avoid the "stage 3" foods. They are a very difficulty texture (thin liquid mixed with chunks of food) for kids to learn to manipulate. And just go with regular table foods- start with soft solids- eggs, soft cheeses (mozzerella is good), soft fruits/veggies, etc. and then you can gradually move on from there. good luck! p.s. if he continues to gag on these foods and doesn't seem aware of the foods or able to manipulate them in his mouth, let your pediatrician know as he may need a speech therapy eval
If he's gagging, then I wouldn't push it. Maybe he's not ready yet? All kids are different!
Also, check out "Baby Mum Mums" and the Gerber puffs. They both melt in the mouth, so are great for helping little ones to learn to chew solids.
Don't stress though. Talk to your doctor if you're worried, and follow your baby's cues. Some babies hate stage 3 foods (like mine!), and others eat them until they are 18 months old. At least he's getting his veggies, unlike mine! :)
