Should I Be Concerned About My Son's Solid Food Intake

I wouldn't worry to much, sounds like you have talked to your pedi about this issue. I would say though that your son should NOT be eating PBJ sandwiches right now. I would try softer foods, yogurts, eggs, my son loves avocados and they are nice and creamy. We also had a lot of success with black beans (small and mushy). The Gerber puffs also dissolve a little faster and easier than cheerios, maybe try those? Don't worry, in time, he'll be eating a lot more stuff, he's just got to get used to it at his own pace. Good luck!

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Hi R.,
My son was (is) the same way. At one, he wasn't eating anything as hard as Cherrios yet and now at 16 months, he still struggles with anything that's too lumpy (pasta even). He's still mostly eating baby-food, in fact (which I don't stress about since he's eating way healthier than he would if he were sharing what I eat). At our 12-month appointment, my pediatrician said the same thing your's did... he's just not ready. Don't push it. And I would suggest telling your daycare provider that his doctor isn't worried, so you aren't and she shouldn't be either. BTW - my boy's got all but one top canine and his two-year molars in and he still gags easily so it's not all about teeth either.

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Hi Rihanna,

I think if your pediatrician isn't concerned about your son's eating habits, then you shouldn't be. Why should your daycare provider care if your son eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or not?? Is that a convenience issue for him/her?? (If so, that's his/her problem, not your son's. Is she/he too lazy to offer other foods at mealtimes?)

My son didn't eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches until he was 3. He just wasn't interested in a sandwich of any kind until then. (Besides--isn't peanut butter a food you introduce at 12 months of age at the earliest?? I don't remember, but I seem to think so).

:-) D.

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I don't think you should be concerned. My daughter was not much "solids" at 1yr. She was still eating quite a bit of baby food. Just keep offering it to him and eventually he will want it. When my daughter was about 14 mo when she decided she wanted nothing to do with baby food and made the transition herself. I'm a firm believer in "your child will do it when he's ready".
Remember, your daycare provider works for you, not the other way around. Don't let them strong arm you into make any decisions regarding your child. You sound like a wonderful, caring mother. Trust your instincts. Also, your pediatrician is the one who's taken years of classes and training to give you educated advice. Stick to their insight...
Hope this helps.

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I'm sorry, but your daycare provider is totally off-base...your son is not ready to be eating Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches!! This may be something that you need to discuss with her and be firm about. Her opinions should not effect your thoughts on how you choose to feed/parent your child...suggestions are welcome.

Your little one is right on track with the jar food, and if he is eating it and happy then GREAT! This is the age I introduced cheerios as finger foods and began expanding his variety of foods to 'try' but, not to rely on for nutrition...like pasta, diced veggeis/fruit and small pieces of chicken/fish.

Expecting him to eat an ACTUAL bowl of cereal is kind of asking a lot from a one year old. My son at that age was eating rice cereal with a half jar of fruit of some kind. If he is still experiencing his 'gag reflex' then he is just not ready for the increase in texture or size of the foods he is being fed.

If you are really concerned you may want to talk to his Pediatrician and have him checked out.

This link has been very helpful for me to guide my feeding of my son...
http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...

Go with your gut! Our Mommy Instincts are the best guides when it comes to our kids.

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Get a day care provider who knows more about kids! That is ridiculous. They all develop and different rates. It probably makes things harder on her and it sounds like she is annoyed if she keeps mentioning it. Go with your gut and your pediatrician. Sorry, but if she persists I would seek a different daycare.

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Peanut butter, peanuts, and nuts should NOT be given to a child until they are a certain age.

Recent studies vary on this... it used to be waiting until a child was 2 years old, then 1 year old... then now some studies say its okay given earlier. (you can look it up online).

The point is... this should be up to YOU, the Mom, on deciding what your son is given to eat, and when. NOT the Daycare provider. I certainly hope, your Daycare provider is not trying to 'already' give your son peanut butter sandwiches!
You should speak to them about this....

As far as his sensitive gag reflex... if your Pediatrician is not concerned....then fine. And if he has no other developmental issues, then fine. TELL your Daycare provider, your Pediatrician says he is fine.

I for one, agree, that each child is different in how they acclimate to solids. Certainly, he does NOT have to be eating peanut butter sandwiches now. It is up to you, what he eats and when. Not the daycare provider.
Or, you can try giving him 'stage 3' solids. See how he handles that. But don't force.

All the best,
Susan

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Oh R. - I am so with you sister!
What most of these moms is saying is right on target - your son simply isn't ready and your daycare provider needs to be told that. Make sure you back up your conversation with statements from your pediatrician. Sometimes the day care providers believe they know it all. My son has similar issues coupled with low birth weight and a heart condition. He is 17.5 months and about 21.5 pounds. He was 4 pounds 15 ounces at birth.
Stay away from Stage 3 foods. The combination of textures will be confusing to your son.
I started my son out with cheerios and soft solids - bananas, pasta etc. He's a big fan of maaroni and cheese now. As long as his weight is ok, just keep trying. I am actually seeing a gastroenterologist for my son (tomorrow). I can always pass along his contact information for you.
Good luck!
K.

R.
Don't let someone else push you into something. All kids are different, the important thing is you continue to "offer" foods with lots of textures. Your child may need to experiment with swallowing more than others. But be sure you don't just stop offering or he'll never learn. Keep the sizes small and definately stick around if the food doesn't just dissolve.

As far as peanut butter goes... some kids are eating it now 1, but most recommendations are to wait until at least 2years (some say 3) because of potential allergies, as a mom of a peanut allergy kid, just thought I'd mention that.

Good Luck -
it is hard to see our children "gag" but soemtimes it is just the learning curve - stick with it. My husband can't stand it (he's so afraid they'll choak for real) and has to leave the room when my kids are experimenting with a new food, texture or size or even when they are learning a new utensil("don't you think he'll poke his eye out?"). But it has to be done.

First off, sorry you have to work while someone else takes care of your child. She may want to have all the kids the same, but yours is not. Tell her she has to deal with him the way he is, you pay her. There is nothing wrong with your baby.

Mom's now their kids best. But you should start offering him more solids, make a big deal about how good something is, put things on his tray, so that he can chose what he want's to try, sometimes watching or playing with food will make them want to try it more. always have finger foods like cheerios around when he is playing so that he can snack on them while he plays.
Good Luck! The easy gag kids are tricky but you'll figure him out. That's why God gave him to you. J.

there could be something more going on. at this age they should be eating a variety of solid foods. his dr is probably right tat h isnt ready for the next stage. maybe try soft foods he can pick up like eggs cheese and yogurt. take your time and dont let his daycare provider make you feel bad for following your sons cues. i would just offer a lot of choices for him. good luck

Be patient, no rush.

Oh my goodness, he's doing great. My son still has no interest in things like sandwiches. I'm sure he's doing great. Every child has a different experience with food, textures and flavors. Be patient. I have always offered my son tons of healthy choices and let him decide what he likes. You could try steaming veggies and cutting them into bite size pieces for him to eat.-www.weelicious.com

I have a three year old who still gags on the majority of her food! She has seen the doctor and he said it is fine, just cut her food into smaller bites. Don't worry about what your daycare person says, just give him what he is ready for! He will get better with time and he will understand what he can and cannot eat! Good Luck!

I completely agree with everything Jami W. said below. I was going to say something so similar that I almost didn't respond as it is a "repeat". However I did respond because I wanted to reiterate NO PEANUT/NUT products until after 3 years old!! Your daycare provider just wants to make everything easier on herself to feed all the kids the same foods it sounds like to me. DO NOT let her give your son peanut butter at this age!! Now - as for the gag reflex. Yes, it takes some kids much longer than others. I would try rice puffs instead of cheerios. Not the sweetened ones, just a big bag that says - Rice Puffs - in the cereal aisle. Nothing added to them. Also, like Jami said, the "mushy" solids might work best - soft carrots, pears, avocado is a good one (although hard to pick up)banana, etc. rather than the cheerio that is kind of dry. Hope that helps! Good luck!

You know, your daycare provider has really aggravated me with what she said to you! Your son's dietary choices are up to YOU, not her!! So WHAT if he's not eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - all kids get to this stuff when they are ready. As for peanut butter - talk to your pediatrician. We are avoiding it until our little guy is closer to two - there are plenty of other more nutricous choices out there.

You're aware your son has a sensitive gag reflex and its ok to work within that. Keep offering him different foods, cut into small pieces, or cooked so its super soft, let him watch you eat different foods, and he'll get there. It might take offering him new stuff 5, 10, 15 times or more but keep at it. Don't worry - you're doing everything right!! Good luck!

Every child is different. Please don't let the preschool teachers tell you what your child should be doing. I would have NEVER given my 1 year old a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I STILL haven't given her peanut butter and she is 21 month old. They gaging thing will eventually stop. Just try to purree different foods and make them chunkier as the weeks go by. He'll adjust.Just alway offer something that is a little chunkier. Just be consistant. It's not a big deal. Good luck!

I don't think you should be worried. It just takes time. Try to change the textures slowly, like maybe make some homemade squash or sweet potatoe and mash it up to where it is soft but a little lumpy. Steam some veggies, cut up some really soft pear. Start changing the textures. Make little bread balls. It takes time. My daughter is turning one tomorrow, and sometimes she won't like something one day, and love it the next!

Peanut Butter?Is she crazy?? Some kids are just pickier eaters. As long as you keep trying to introduce him to foods you are doing ok. Maybe try playing with the texture of the foods he does eat. Fill out the baby food a little with chunkier pieces. For example if he likes sweet potato try adding ground turkey. If am sure it is frustrating but hang in there!

I would not be concerned at all. With my babies, we gradually progressed to chunkier baby foods, and I occasionally offered finger foods (similar to Cheerios). It took them a while to figure out how to eat those foods that require chewing, and they each progressed at a different pace. My first was NOT ready to eat sandwiches by the time he was a year old, but his little brother grabbed big brother's sandwich and starting eating it when he was only 9 months old! (he wanted to do everything that big brother was doing). Hopefully your daycare provider can backoff a little and not stress you out. He will get there - all in good time. You have nothing to worry about.

Dear R.:

Both of my children were still breastfed at that age and were NOT interested in any food. My mother-in-law tried smooth baby foods to get them to practice but they wouldn't even have that! We didn't think it was a very big deal, though, it's just the way the children were.

In your case, I'd be very careful. If the child gags a lot, then I would really take it easy on the solids. There is no hurry to push that child any faster than he wants to go.

Sure, it would be EASIER for the day care person if she could just slap sandwiches around on all the high chairs instead of hand feeding or holding bottles for the babies, but that is not YOUR problem. The day care person must be sensitive and patient with your son. That's what she's paid for.

I would ask the day care person to ONLY serve what he can handle.

Your son sounds adorable. How exciting about your new baby, too!

Best wishes,

M.

No worries . My son was the same way . In fact it's the texture not so much the chewing they take issue with . Imagine if you spent a year drinking and now someone plops something to chew on a plate ..ick .

I used the following to intro food to my son and it seemed to help .

Toast with formula , Sounds Yummy doesn't it ? Seriously the wet toast with the familiar taste gets them used to thicker textures.

Pears ..way over cooked . They are sweet and dont require much chewing.

Carrots ...way way over cooked ( see pears)

Broccoli ( this is a weird texture and it helps them really learn to chew and my son LOVES the taste , maybe yours will too.

My best tip , don't mix textures. My son will still spit out chunks in the food he eats and then pick them up and eat them seperately ( he's almost 20 months) .

As for the cheerios , try gerber puffs. They are far easier to chew and tastier than cheerios . He will probably do better with those for now.

AND about the Day care provider. No peanut butter till 3 ( according to the American acad. of Pediatricians) Is she trying to give these kids Peanut Allergies? I Refused to serve my niece ( who I used to watch) any peanut or nut product for fear that she'd go into shock while I was watching her . My husband knows the rules as does everyone else regarding my kids and nuts, shell fish and certain fruits which my husband is allergic to.

Hope she's adept with an epi pen

If your day care provider wants to put your son on peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches, I would change daycare. No child under 5 should be given anything containing peanuts. The chances of developing a food allergy to peanuts goes up the earlier this food is introduced into the diet. Children develop at different rates. Why is everyone so upset if children fall off the normal curve a bit? If he is getting enough food, his height and weight fall on the normal growth curve, then I wouldn't worry. But I do worry about your day car provider's lack of knowledge about proper foods for infants and toddlers.

Sounds to me like your day care provider needs to be reminded that all children are different and develop on their own schedule, not necessarily by some schedule laid out in a book or whatever. My son is 9 months and no where even close to eating PBJ sandwiches - he just mastered the finger puffs while my friend's daughter hand finger puffs down at six months and eating PBJ type stuff at nine months. Every child is different and yours (and mine) will get there when they are ready. Does your daycare want an easier job so they are pushing you on this? Less work for them, so give mom a hard time? Hope not cause that wouldn't speak well for the daycare! Bottom line, you know your child best AND you already had the doctors advice, so let daycare know to lay off it and let your son develop naturally instead of pushing him into something he isn't ready for yet. Good luck!

I don't think you should be concerned at all!!!He's just getting used to the new foods, peanut butter and jelly for a 1 year old sounds a little too much!!!!!Every baby is different and you should talk to the day care provider and tell her that you are aware of the "issue" and that you are just respecting your son's timeline and readiness for different foods.
Good luck!

I would listen to your peds and your son. He will slowly get used to the texture of food. As long as he is eating a variety of baby food, he'll be just fine. After a year, he can be switched to regular milk. Also, I would like to add, that if you or your husband has allergies/asthma, you may want to delay giving peanut butter/nuts to your son until he is three years old to decrease risk of peanut/tree nut allergies.

Sounds to me like your daycare provider is the only one off track here! In case you haven't had enough responses tell you already, the later the better on starting babies on peanuts. HIGH ALLERGY RISK FOOD! And to make you feel badly that your child has his own pace to follow... That sucks!!! Go to http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/forbiddenbabyfood.htm and check out the list of allergy risk foods. It's good to know. Maybe your daycare provider could use a printed copy. ;)
Anyway, your son sounds fine and normal to me and I'm on my second boy. Both of mine made me feel like I must be a total failure when I tried to feed them babyfood. They both would only eat adult foods made safe for them. Nothing without texture. Drove me nuts at first, but then you realize, my baby's a little person and has his own likes and dislikes.
The first baby is so nerve wracking, you want to do everything right and then you realize later how you spun circles around yourself with your first child (if you have more).

I would call Cynthia Epps. She is an expert in justthis kind of thig. Her number is ###-###-####.

I'm no expert, but my daughter is 14 months old. I would listen to your Doctor. As far as your son eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by now....they don't recommend p-nut butter til he's 12 months (at a minimum) and so how could he possibly already be an expert at eating sandwiches? That would be really great for the daycare provider but not best for your son. I'm conservative, because I was so worried about my daughter choking. We still cut things into pea size pieces and are always with her and watching when she eats (she isn't feeding herself - but trying and overambitious on how many cheerios she can get into her mouth). If she gags on things I make it smaller or smash it up - if she gags a second time after that - we're done and move on.

She eats everything - avocado, chicken, cottage cheese, apple, banana, pear, blueberry, sugar free plain whole yogurt, fish, whole grain crackers (which she tries to wolf in their entirety so we encourage bites) all veggies. pretty much anything we eat but chopped up or smashed. Just keep trying and it sounds like your son is doing just great!

I don't think you should be concerned at all. That business about how he should be eating PB&J sandwiches by now is ridiculous! It just depends on the child, some are eating whatever the family eats by the time they're one, but many are not. My own son had to ease into the solid foods but he eats just fine now (at 17 mos). I have a baby cookbook, and through 16 months, I'd make him the recipes for the "10-12" month olds.
I'd just start with things that he likes and that are very soft, like pieces of fruit (bananas, peaches, baked apples). You can make vegggie pancakes (I can email you a recipe if you want) and give him small pieces -- things like that. He just has to get used to chewing, if you think about it it's a new process, he's used to just swallowing food as soon as it's in his mouth. Best of luck and don't worry at all, your son is right on track!

--R.

Hi R. - I dont think you are doing anything wrong. I have twin boys that just turned 13 months and they still arent eating everythign I eat. They LOVE their bottle...and will only drink milk out of it (not in a sippy grr) and they LOVE their baby food. Ive been trying to take them off the spoon fed baby food, but my one boy wants to be babied and wont eat until he full unless I spoon feed him. I think each child is different. I wouldnt rush anything...they will let you know when they are ready in their own way. If you have peanut allergiesin your family you might want to wait with the pb&j. your day care provider needs to keep theri mouth shut...youre doing great!