I was wondering what to do with my 12 mo. old son who feels the need to spit EVERYTHING out? He has been a great eater since we started cereal at 4 mos and all of a sudder he hates solid food. He isn't acting like his teeth are bothering, to me it seems more like a behavior thing. I still give him a bottle (which he loves)3 times a day morning, 3pm and before bed. I was thinking of ditching the 3pm bottle thinking he would be more hungry for solid food? Any suggestions?
My son went through that phase & we took away anything he would spit -- sometimes he would lose his whole dinner unless he promised to eat it. (that sounds harsh, but we would always give him a little snack so it's not like he was starving). He stopped pretty quickly -- it's no fun to have your food & drinks taken from you!
I would suggest taking him to the doctor. He could be having trouble swallowing and the liquid in the bottle makes it easier. My daughter ate like a bird until she was 4 when we had her tonsils removed because they were so large. I'm not saying this is the case but it is possible that he has trouble swallowing anything other than liquid.
Also, don't fill the bottle. Let him figure out that he needs to eat more to be full....you could start taking that bottle away from him at 1 year old. Save your sanity and do yourself a favor. It'll be easier now than when he's older. Let one bottle disappear at a time and use the sippy.
Baby still needs milk but should be getting it from a sippy cup by 12 months. Is he self feeding? Kids do have lots of likes and dislikes so varying the food is a good idea. I would try lots of fruit eg. raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, kiwi, melon, banana - cut up for those that need that and then pasta pieces and lots of veggie pieces and see what he will eat. Part of putting it in the mouth and then taking it out is just exploration. I try all kinds of fish with my little one and she will eat some but it clearly isn't her favorite. She loves chicken pieces - the dino ones from costco. I would give baby solids and then the bottle. he still needs 12-14 oz a day. Good luck.
Hi K.,
I am a speech language pathologist and also a consultant with Mary Kay. So hopefully on a professional level I can be of assistance. Sometimes when transitioning children to a new texture it can be a little aversive. You might try taking some of the solid foods and grinding or chopping it really small and mixing it in very small amounts in with the pureed foods (without texture). You can gradually increase the texture as tolerated by your little guy. I'm sure there is probably more that I would need to tell you or more that I would need to know in order to really help you, but hopefully this will give you a bit of a start. Please feel free to drop me a line with any specific questions as my answer was rather general. I wish you the best!
