14 Month Old Eating and Drinking Advice

My daughter used to be the same way about food at that age. I just kept offering her food till she was ready - and she was at about 17 months. Try to not make meal time into a battle.

I would really not stress about the sippy cups. I went through several brands of the sippy cup and she finally took the Take and Toss. Even those she did not initially take but seemed interested. I just kept offering it to her and finally she decided she was ready.

First off I think you should talk to your kid's doctor and see if there is anything you can do to help him a little more. But I don't think you should push him... not saying give up, but don't make him eat stuff that bothers him. Sometimes it helps to eat when you are feeding them, they see you eating it so they want to try it too. Kinda a monkey see monkey do thing.

My little ones love mashed potatoes, it seemed to be one of the first table foods they like to eat. But at 14 months, he is still really young & just might not be ready for the chunky foods. Other foods we gave our little ones was spagetti (cut in little pcs), mac & cheese, Lipton's rice & sauce, cereals, Gerber's Puffs, gramcracker sticks, baby cookies, and animal crackers.

I don't think I would cut back on the bottles too much until he starts eating a few more things. But most kids do switch from formula to milk around 12 mo. Some are able to switch with no problems, where others you need to mix milk and formula for awhile (start with 6 oz formula to 2 oz milk, then 4 oz formula & 4 oz milk, then 2 oz formula & 6 oz milk, then all milk - give about a week on each step).

One thing to remember is that all kids develope a bit different. So, don't always base your concerns on what others are doing.

Keep trying & good luck!

Hi, A.. I would talk to your ped. about his eating habits. He may have a sensory issue and may or may not progress to table foods as easily as other toddlers his age usually do. My 3 yr. would not eat anything other than yogurt and pureed baby food until he was over 2 years old! He, too, would gag and act like I gave him something disgusting whenever I would try to give him ANYTHING other than smooth textured food. Turns out he has a sensory issue and required the help of a speech therapist to get him on table food (he has a speech delay, also). She succeeded by getting him to eat other foods, but his diet is still very limited and he still has trouble accepting some fruits and vegetables. It has been quite a journey, to say the least!

Thanks to mamasource, I found out about early intervention programs and it has really changed our life.

Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions! FYI, my son would have NEVER touched toast, cake or crackers at your son's age. Maybe it is not a sensory issue, but it wouldn't hurt to find out.

Good luck to you!

My son is almost 20 mo. and has similar problems. Not as bad anymore, it is improving. He was seeing a physical therapist for another reason and she said to try doing things with him to help him move his tongue around (like a sucker) and play games where he practices moving his tongue up, down, side to side etc. Also to thicken his food gradually so he gets used to the thicker stuff.

I gave my son avacado in strips and he loved eating those.

Toast with Jelly toasted a little extra.

He does fine with crackers of any kind.

Cheese sticks, chicken nuggets were better than pieces of chicken cut up.

yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding (let him do with a spoon to practice more tongue movement)

spaghetti noodles with just a tiny sauce seem to work for him, just cut them small.

Hope that helps! My son doesn't really like to drink milk much either, so the dr told me to make sure I give him juice with calcium. She said that would be fine then.

Good luck!

My ped said that at this age Kaitlin would be all about texture and NOT about flavor - and she was. If there is something that he does eat, recognize the texture and look for like items. As far as the sippy cup goes, Kaitlin wouldn't take one and still doesn't (2.5 yrs). Your dentist will thank you later :) She will drink from straw cups and regular cups and takes a bottle when she's sleepy if she wants. Good luck to you! I think some of the ladies here offered good advice and some were panicky. You said he didn't have many teeth, so that will definitely play into what he wants to attempt and what he does not.

A., I really think that by now he should be eating pretty much anything that the rest of the family (obviously not the things that are to tough to eat like a steak until he has more teeth). All kids go through the experience of tasting food or milk and not liking it. In part is a texture thing and the other part is the comfort of the old. Bottles will promote tooth decay. He should've been slowly weaned of them by 12 months, same as formula. By now he should drink from a sippy cup and drink milk. Formula provides a part in his diet that will never be replaced by the solid foods unless you take it out. Maybe he throws up because he is not really hungry after all those bottles. Also allowing him to each by himself and drinking from a sippy cup provide very important milestones for coordination, speech and independence. Feeding him with a bottle and pureed food will keep him from passing to a toddler stage and staying in the baby stage. I don't think you're doing anything bad though! No kid comes with a manual and it's hard to figure out the right stage for everything. Just take away the pureed food and formula, stick to more solids and even if he doesn't eat very much at first, he will eventually start to overcome the fear of the new :) Try doing it gradually, maybe mark in a calendar, 3 bottles a day for a week, 2 the next and so on.

I would certainly transition him from the bottle to the sippy cup even if you don't change the amount of formula.

I'd recommend, though, asking your pediatrician as they're really the experts on what a child this age should be getting nutritionally if they aren't able to eat normally. I don't know if whole milk would provide the same level of nutrients as formula despite his slight diet of more solid foods.

Our son has a sensitive gag reflex, too, but not to the extent it sounds like you have with your son. His is usually triggered when he tries to eat too big of bites.

Have you tried things like string cheese that he can gnaw on like crackers? Have you also tried cutting things like apples/pears into thin slices (~1/4 inch) and letting him gnaw on them?

It sounds like you're offering him really good, healthy foods. I would, though, recommend speaking with the pediatrician to see if there is a medical issue that's making it happen. Usually you can call without having to make an appointment and get some advice.

good luck!

Have you told your doctor about this? SOunds like he needs a early childhood eval from either speech therapist or occupational therapist. In Indiana we have First Steps. I don't know where you live. Cost for this is either free or reduced, based on income. It sounds like he either has an oral aversion, and or sensory problems.
Good luck.
R.

Talk to your pediatrician! Right away! This sounds like something is really wrong to me, but it could be fine, so find out! If you've already spoken to the ped. and aren't satisfied, I would try making an appointment with another one. Don't let this go.

I would suggest taking him to a Speech Therapist for a feeding evaluation ASAP. My 3 year son was/is the same way. He gags when he even looks at solid foods that he is supposed to eat. He still eats pureed baby food. Many have suggested to just let him "starve" and that he will eventually eat something, but this does not work. He is about to start feeding therapy to get him used to different textures. Also, if you don't have intervention early his oral development may be hindered, which can affect speech development. Your pediatrician should refer you to a speech therapist for evaluation.

My little brother had this brother when he was baby, and on a positive note he did grow out of it gradually and is now fine. That was a long time ago, so I dont remember exactly what my mom did, but I would do whatever you feel necessary to get him nutrition. Also, talk with your Dr. there are therapist that work with kids with this kind of problem. He may benefit from some kind of therapy. But honestly I don't think its that unusual that he's not huge into finger foods, or a sippy cup yet. Every kid develops at their own pace. Just keep working with him, and try not to get too concerned about what he "should" be doing. I know they recommend babies be 100% off the bottle by 15 months, and I can tell you that was NOT the case with my baby. He's off now at 18 months, but it took longer then what was "recommended" Do what's best for your little one, and look to you ped. for help!

My daughter had similar issues and we found out she had Sensory Deprivation Dysfunction. You may want to have him checked..with her if foods had a certain texture it was a no go..

Sorry I don't have much to offer by way of advice other than I'd talk with the doctor about this. My very first thought was a sensory disorder. I saw this when my brother began to develop his autistic tendancies (he was later diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrom). I'm not implying that your son is autistic by any means, only that I've had experience with sensory disorders and this was my first thought when I read your post.

A.,

Check with your pediatrician, but it may be time to consult a speech therapist about his feeding issues, they can assess him and may be able to help him with therapy to learn to tolerate more texture. The muscles they develop by moving food from the front of their mouths to the back are important for clear speech as well, so getting a speech consultation is a good idea.

M.