Refusing Baby Food

He is old enough for table food. At least that's what my pediatrician said about my child at 7 months. Just give him soft foods like applesauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, etc. You could even grind up meat in a food processor so he can try that. It will taste better to him, but will be soft enough for you to feel safe giving it to him.

My twins went to table food about this age. I just mashed up what ever we were eating and fed to them. With meat I gave them chicken. I did not give them steak or pork it was too tough. Gerber also has the graduate that are ravioli with out the sauce mine liked those a bunch.

With veggies corn may be a little tough but if you cook, other veggie soft they can pick up with their hands and chew. (peas, carrots, greenbeans)

Hope this helps.
B.

Both of mine did that. I just smash up table food (within reason of course). Spaghetti is good, bananas can be broken into tiny chunks and put on his tray, cottage cheese is a good one to feed him, etc. I have alot of foods I have found that work, so if you want a more comprehensive list, shoot me a message : ).

Hi K.,

Please let me start by saying that I in no way consider myself to be an expert on your child or anyone else's other than my own.

What I would like to tell you is that I am the mother of 3 sons.
My oldest started refusing baby food pretty early on.
MY solution was taking real food (unseasoned or seasoned ever so slightly)like chicken, beef, (you get the idea)and using the food processor to not totally puree but to bring the food close to it. For my son, this did the trick. I also gave him frozen cooked/almost pureed vegetables. And for extra's that are also either of a nutritious value or somewhat nutricious, I fed him yogurt,cheerio's and pudding. (Real pudding made with milk, not the kind that sits on the store shelf) Because for my son, the problem seemed to be two fold. 1- His tastebuds started to mature (imho)and the babyfood is VERY bland. and 2-His appetite had increased. If you have ever tasted your son's food....you wouldn't want it either! lol Plus if he is still nursing, I believe Nature is supplying him (through you) everything he needs so I do not think you need to worry about him lacking much in the way of nutrition.
If you can, please let me know if I helped in any way.
Good Luck to you!

B.

P.S. While I realize that almost pureeing the same food we eat sounds just like what is in the baby food jars...trust me on this, somehow it truly is not.

My son, who is now 17 months old, went through something similar at about 9 months old. At 10 months, we were really using more soft "adult food", but stuck with his favorite baby foods to balance the nutrition. (sweet potatoes was a staple baby food from that point on!). Don't give up on the cupboard full of baby food - hang on to it! Until about 15 months, I would just occasionally give my son some baby food - I'd do that instead of yogurt sometimes(check out YoBaby Yogurt once the Ped. says yogurt's ok for him) just to change things up a bit and managed to get through the remainder of the baby food without a problem. Of course, as I mentioned, most of the baby food left was only his true favorites! I nursed my son until 12 months, and just had fun with introducing him to the "big people food" when he started showing interest at about 9 months, as your son is doing. As he gets older, just get creative! Sometimes you have to put the most nutritious things on the plate first when he's hungriest and then add the other stuff afterwards. We also fed him baby food in between the time he was shoveling peas or other soft foods into his mouth. Hope this helps!

Be happy to be done with baby food!! My two never did well with the three foods. At nine months, eating got eaiser and harder at the same time (learning textures can be hard)! It is a wonderful day when they feed themselves!! Cut up Graduate foods, get recipes with pasta etc.. that you can make ahead. Raisin toast for breakfast, pastas, fruit, graduate foods. The list goes on and on!! Cut things super small until you feel more comfortable!! Donate the baby food and think of this as a wonderful mildstone.

S. P.

My son is also 8.5 months old. He just started doing the same thing. I started using the Gerber Graduates. My son loves the Pasta Pick-ups. I cut them in thirds and let him mush them up in his mouth. I know they say for toddlers, but I guess he feels that he is ready for them. My husband bought him the little TV-like dinners also made by Gerber Graduates, and he loved them as well. I also give him whatever we are eating with just less "stuff" in it.

I also give my son Poly-Vi-Sol by Infamil about every other day just to make sure he is getting all the vitamins he needs. I discussed this with his doctor and she said that this was perfectly fine. But his food should be about 25% of his intake and his breastmilk/formula should be 75%. So he should be getting any vitamins he needs from that. Hope this helps.

My son did the same thing. I started giving him the gerber graduates. (The veggies and fruits) They are easily mushed my baby's gums and they aren't as hard as the fruit you buy in the cups and stuff. Also try the pediasure if you aren't sure he is getting enough nutrition. All 3 of my kids drank more milk then they ever ate and two of them would only drink chocolete so I started buying Ovaltene. All the different Doctors we have seen (Due to being in the military) have said as long as they are getting the vitamins in those 2 things they are doing great!! The fact that your child is still breastfeeding well is a sure sign he is getting the nutrition he needs.

Don't worry too much about nutrition. Since he is still nursing he will get the nutrition from you. Just like most of what you get in baby food jars is fruits and veggies, that is what you would want to concentrate on. I would cook up the baby carrots real soft (softer than I prefer) and when cooled would give them to my boys, they can basically mush them between their gums if they are soft enough. They liked to hold them and gnaw on them, but you can also easily chop them up once they are cooked. (You can also buy these in the graduates jars--but they are much more expensive). A favorite was always canned green beans. They would eat them cold right out of the can and loved them. I would also get canned pears and peaches (in juice or very light sauce) and cut those up and give those to them. I also warmed up frozen peas (again softer than I prefer) and when cooled gave those to them. If the food is soft enough, I don't think there is really too much worry about choking. However, to be safe don't give him too many at any one time (kids love to stuff it all in their mouth, they haven't learned to chew it all first) and second don't ever leave them unattended while they are eating (just being in the same room but with your back turned is not the same thing, you actually have to be checking on them or watching them.:) ) Good luck, they can be funny about eating sometimes, but don't fret, as my pediatrician told me, if you always present them with healthy choices, they will eventually get all the nutrition they need. My 3 boys have definitely had their phases where all they would eat were green beans and nothing else or fruit and nothing else, but if I kept track I could see that over the course of a week or two they did seem to get pretty balanced nutrition. GOOD LUCK! Remember, you are still breast feeding, so any food he eats now is just a bonus.

Hi Kimberley,
Once my son got a taste of "big people food", he wouldn't eat another bite of baby food, unless it was fruit/dessert type stage 3 baby food (and even then it was only a couple of things). I think he was about 8 mos old when this happened. I had to make his baby food. An example of something I would make would be chicken pie- I would boil chicken with potatoes, carrots, peas, etc in a pot until it was very soft. Then I would grind it all up in a food processor and freeze individual servings. He absolutely loved it, and I didn't have to worry about him choking. He also loved cooked sweet potatoes and carrots, yellow squash and zucchini, chicken and rice, etc. (all ground up of course). Google out some baby recipes online for some ideas. It is time consuming to cook and prepare foods this way, but it's worth it!

I have a strong willed still nursing 16 month old. I was really into making all her food in the food processor, so she never got much baby food. When we went on a trip last summer I bought baby food from the store and she REFUSED to eat it. It was crazy. I think maybe stuff from the store doesn't taste as yummy. The good thing is that now she eats everything we eat (even spicy food). It's a little time consuming, but you can freeze it in ice cube trays for later portions. If you can't get him to eat the baby food maybe you could donate it to a food pantry?

hi K.

a well nursing baby at 8 months is a well fed baby. does he appear happy, content, and healthy? your milk is a complete nutrition source. as far as baby food goes, i only used it when we were having something our baby couldnt have...which wasnt very often. i bought a small baby food grinder, and, if they wanted food to supplement their breastfeeding, gave them what was prepared by our family. this way, children develop a taste for that..rather than the processed food. developing a taste for processed food now...will lead to spaghettio and kid cuisine future! these processed food companies know what they are doing..and they start early.

The good news is that you can take the unopened baby food back to the store for a refund. They are very good about that. I know pediatricians these days are wary about children eating table foods early due to allergies, but we fed our children whatever they would eat (except junk food). We had a son who was late in getting his teeth and gummed everything including raviolis. Our youngest daughter got all her teeth very early but insisted on pureed foods until she was almost 2. She refused to eat any meats and was very healthy. The other children varied in between these two. We just offered a wide variety of foods and didn't worry about the nutrition and they all did just fine. Like adults, children will vary in their likes and dislikes from day to day. Don't you find yourself on an orange juice binge for a few days, then its on to broccoli or fuji apples or something else? It's natural to be unsure of yourself, especially with your first child, but try to relax and enjoy him. Really, he will do fine. Nancy K

I had a similar experience with my first daughter when she was just over a year old...she was also teething and would only eat crackers or anything crunchy and drink milk and juice. She eventually became constipated from this and all the while I was trying to give her every kind of food that was healthy for her, but she wouldn't have it. I talked to her Doctor and they said she shouldn't have very much juice and should have more water. I'm sure, being breastfed, that your son is getting plenty of water and nutrients. Now, with my second daughter, the Doctor isn't worried at all about her having any baby food as long as she drinks enough formula or breastmilk. That is complete nutrition! I know it seems like a big deal now, but maybe he'll start to like it a little later, try again in a few weeks or so. Or you could purchase a baby food grinder to grind up the food that you eat, so that it will have some texture, but not too much for him with only 4 teeth. I hope this helps!
From: C. D.

I know many mothers that feed their baby "adult" food at 8 months. If you get the 'graduates" and put them in a food processor, he may like it. My 14 month old just had lasagne for the first time yesterday! We grind up "adult" food and she loves it. As far as your cupboard full of baby food, donate it to your pediatrician or a food panty. You could probably keep it, he may eat some later, esspecially the fruits. Good luck!

K.,

This may improve your eating habits too! When my daughter was the same age as your son, she went through the same thing. She saw what we were eating and wanted it instead of her food. I made sure I was eating healthy food and mashed some up for her. Carrots, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, fruit. I was full of vitamins! You are basically making baby food, but he just thinks he is eating what you are. Save the baby food for number two... ha, ha.

My son did the same thing-- we moved into a house when he was 9 months old (previously we had been living with inlaws while building) and I started cooking regular meals and he just flat out refused to eat the baby food-- like overnight! So, I started feeding him table food-- like yogurt with cheerios (cut in half), scrambled eggs diced small, etc.... I still fed him baby food until it was all gone-- I put the cheerios on top or let him put them on top, etc...

Good luck-- table food is cheaper and you can purree everything until he gets more teeth.

Mel

Typical first child- go getter. He wants it his way.
Return the food if it is sealed- or- donate to the food kitchen.
I never gave baby food to my second. I made chicken in a blender- did not have cuisinart then. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mashed veggies or soft ones- squash. Canned pease- no salt. Regular pudding- natural- go to whole food. Good luck and God Bless.

Unfortunately, from my experience, once your little one decides s/he likes "real" food, there's little hope in going back. This also means you'll soon lose the convenience of feeding him yourself since he'll likely insist on doing it himself, whether capable or not.

So, where to go from here? Try cheeses, tender pasta, cooked veggies (green beans were a favorite starter for our boys), rice, soft/cooked fruits. Once he has some practice, consider tiny pieces of tender meat. Expect mealtime to get messier and more time-consuming.

Chances are, your little guy is more ready than you are to move on. At 8 1/2 months, he's probably ready to "mash" his way through a meal, and giving him "solid" finger foods will allow him to further develop his fine motor skills. The graduates type foods are convenient, but I find they're less than economical and not worth it for more than a few weeks, maybe a month. Those graduates "meat sticks" are disgusting to us adults, but from my experience as a parent & babysitter, the little ones like them a lot...

As for the left over baby food, don't give it away just yet. You may be able to "sneak" it into your son's diet yet. Take for instance that butternut squash (or carrots): add it to mac & cheese, and he'll gobble it up! (I still use this trick with my 3-year-old!) He may not be ready for meatloaf yet, but when he is, add a jar of green beans or peas to the meat. (Actually, Gerber had a recipe on the back of one of their cereal boxes that did just that, added cereal & some veggies to mini meatloaves.) You might want to check with your pediatrician before giving your son eggs, but if you get the greenlight on that, you can add babyfood (say, peas) to that as well. (What did YOU think was in Dr. Seuss' green eggs?!)

Canned fruits & veggies are convenient, but you'll get less sugar and more vitamins & flavor if you microwave fresh ones til they're soft. That's not something you'll want to do right before a meal, but it's good to do the night before, then just warm them a couple seconds to take the chill off. But consider peeling & cooking apple dices, peaches, carrots, beans (not just green!), asparagus, sweet potatoes, squash...

Don't get stuck on the puffs, but keep in mind his old favorites of the baby foods, and keep those flavors in his diet, just as "new" foods... If he's anything like our boys, you'll be amazed and amused by how well and how much he'll eat when you let him. ;)

Enjoy!

J.

Fortunatly, most grocery stores will take back the baby food. (Harris Teeter did for me) You can also trade it for "Graduates" which is table food but much smaller and softer.
My son was the same way; once he got table food, he wanted nothing to do with baby food. I gave him cooked veggies like carrots, peas, sweet pot's. I bought the frozen bags because you can cook any amount and they don't have alot of salt and stuff added. Also, my son loves baked chicken and you can cut it very small. I tried to continue with baby food about once daily simply because I felt better "knowing" he was getting certain nutrition. Don't worry about his nutrition, my doctor assured me that as long as they are growing they get what they need.
Good luck, it's a fun transition!

Hi K.,

I have a 14 mo old and whenever he would start to get another tooth he would refuse babyfood too (he liked puffs alot too). Maybe your son is about to get another tooth? Also I think around 8 months is when they really start to figure out how to use their hands and so my son would want to feed himself and couldn't so he got frustrated. My doc said until they're about 1 year they get all their nutrients from formula or breastmilk and babyfood is really just for learning. Isn't it amazing the suggestions on raising your child you get from people even just standing in the line at the grocery store?! The best advice I ever got was tell everyone "wow, what a great idea, maybe I'll try that" and then follow your instincts and docs orders:) Worked like a charm.

J. D

I'd go ahead & try starting some of the gerber grads. if he's not wanting to eat the pureed stuff anymore it's probably because he's ready for more texture. You can always cut the gerber grads ravioli & stuff into smaller bites. That's what I did when my son went through this stage. I trusted that gerber included a lot of the nutrients he still needed & Tristin still got the formula in addition to it. as goes the baby food... Walmart WILL take it back LOL I've returned it before no problems. GOOD LUCK!! sounds like you're little guy is growing up!

When my son began refusing baby food I learned it was because he no longer wanted to be fed by us, he wanted to feed himself. This is probably why yours is eating the puffs ok, because he can feed it to himself. So, when this happened to us we had to switch over to foods that he could feed himself. This meant allowing him to start using a spoon and giving him finger foods. Good luck!