Introducing Foods with Larger Pieces

N.
You are doing a awesome Job! If it is stressful~STOP! Take a break/time-out. Come back to it when it will not be as stressful or you will know better how to master the stress.
Ok, your doctor should be working with you as a team to accomplish the task of meeting the "milestones". ASK how they would suggest you accomplish the task! It sounds as if your Dr. is just telling you that your child should be in the "norm" without really analyzing your Childs specific needs. If this is true~Find another doctor that will "work" with you, they are out there and you and your child deserve better!
My second son did not get his teeth until he was 18mnth. (He was 35lbs) What you are doing is PERFECT! Continue to let your daughter "get to know her food" everytime you eat! Introduce her to a little of what you are eating. Kidco makes a great food processor for a reasonable price. Invest in one of those and just toss some of your dinner in it and mash it to her licking. I was able to use it with my daughter too and Loved it. The gagging... Every one of my children have done that with the introduction of new foods and textures. It is her way of showing you she is not sure about something new. Just let her work it out in her own time. Stage 3 food... NONE of my children have liked them and I found it easier and cheaper to just mash up our food and let our children "eat dinner with us". Keep up the good work and it will get better. Just know, if it ever becomes Stressful, take a BREAK. You deserve a break and you owe it to yourself and your family! Life is too stressful on its own to have added amounts. I will send you an email with the link to the processor. I am not sure if I am allowed to "post it" on here. Keep up the good work!
Jenn
Mama to Bryce~9, Austin~6 Taylor~16mnth
Step Mama to Nich~15 Christian~14

N., i'd be in your same spot. i have to tell you my kids started getting their teeth in at 7-8 months. but i did wait until they got a teeth or two to try give them different consistency foods. i was and still am afraid of chocking. just because your child doesn't start eating the foods he is supposed to eat at a specific age i would not worry about it a bit. how is the weight and height?
also, stage 3 foods. even with plenty of teeth, my kids gagged on stage 3 foods. what i did is use 2nd stage foods with added cereal in them. that way i got thicker food in them without the choking fear.
so, what i am trying to say is, it is up to you to offer different foods and be there when she decides to eat or not. but as a mom of two very picky eaters, my advice to you is lay off the battle. i did not, i tried getting my girls to eat things they didn't want to it and now at 34 months of age i still deal with picky eaters. what i taught then is to fight the food whether they liked it or not.; needless to say i have laid off the fight months ago, and i am waiting patiently for them to understand they can eat when they want to without mommy 'encouraging' them to eat.
also for your reference, i did not offer any kid of solid foods to my kids until they were 6 and a half months. started with stage 1. i picked up stage 2 foods closer to the end of 8 months. and used stage 2 foods (with added cereal) until close to 12 months. i did try offer them stage 3 foods but like in said they'd gag. my girls weight is great. not chubby and not skinny so i wouldn't worry about eating at all.
good luck
vlora

Hi N., first I would say get a new pedi...that needs to be the one person who is able to help you respond to your childs needs without some judgment, and unless he/she is phenomenal in other regards that would be a red flag enough for me to look for a new one. But, relax a bit. It's so funny how we feel so rushed to feed kids...have you ever met a child who didn't know how to eat. No, they learn, and at their own pace, take the cues from her. I personally think cheerios is a toddler food, too much a risk for choking, but the puffs are good. Make meal time less stressful by giving yourself a little more time and freedom, let her play (finger, put in her mouth) the food and you can show her by doing it too. My twins are 11 months and we have just now started giving them stage 3, but I also give waaaay more stage 2. They still don't have any teeth, which means they cant really chew!! I stressed out so much about my little guy not eating much and only wanting to nurse, and my pedi gave me a hard time about it. Well, I ignored him and continued nursing and let him eat what he wanted. When he hit about 10 and a half months he was suddenly really into food. They love avocado's, watermelon, mashed and skinned grapes and soy cheese. These foods are soft enough to chew, they can pick them up with their hands but they also have some texture (fyi-mine still hate mashed potatoes). But good luck, she will figure it out in time. :)

I laughed when I saw the part about her making terrible faces when she put food in her mouth. My daughter did this anytime we tried new food, because new "real people food" does not taste like breast milk. And my guesses are, if your daughter is used to the milk or cereal, the new foods are just as foreign to her. I'll send you the YouTube video link of my infant daughter trying solids if you let me know that you are interested and have a free moment for a laugh. I agree with all the other ladies postings to your question. Doctors have gotten where they are by following a rigid schematic of study, and expect babies to fall in line with the same predictable rigid nature. Every baby is different. The best thing you can do as a mommy is let your infant be your guide. Offer her things, as you are doing now with the cheerios, and let her become familiar with them. All the parenting magazines I have read throughout pregnancy and babyhood have said on average it takes 10 times to introduce a new food before baby will accept it and tolerate it. Also, eat in front of her off her tray and let her see YOU trying the same things. I did this with my daughter and also made all kinds of interesting funny noises, sing-song style, saying MMMMM mmmmmm MMMMMMMMMMMM....ooooo mmmmmmm! You know, make it fun. Then after you down your 1000th cheerio for the week, don't forget to turn and take a long sip of your morning coffee. Above all, enjoy your daughter and her fierce individuality. She's only this litte for a while. As my mom says, "Nothing lasts forever". And when you've really just had it, and you are at your wit's end, write me back for that link to YouTube to see my daughter for a great laugh! Cheers! S.