Baby not liking lumpy food-any tips?

Bitsy_Beans

My daughter is 9 months old and since I've been offering her more lumpy food she's refusing to eat it (and also gagging and being sick).
Any tips for getting her to accept it or shall I leave it for now. Didn't have this issue with my son so not sure whether to push the issue or leaver her be for a while longer.

sooz

if she's gagging & being sick, I'd give up on the lumps for now. Go back to smooth food, & find some flavours that she really likes. Then gradually reintroduce the lumpyness, perhaps mixing some smooth puree with some of a thicker texture (like mixing wall paper paste )

lynnexxxo

Have you tried giving her finger food she can eat herself, like breadsticks, bits of toast of banana? Maybe if she gives them a bit of a chew she'll realise that lumpy stuff is ok!

skintchick

lynnexxxo wrote: »

Have you tried giving her finger food she can eat herself, like breadsticks, bits of toast of banana? Maybe if she gives them a bit of a chew she'll realise that lumpy stuff is ok!

This is called baby-led weaning and works on the principle that babiesknow what to do with food so give them carrot batons, etc., and let them get on with it, and play with it.

google it and see because it avoids all the pureeing and is supposed to be very easy.

staffie1

can't blame her - I hate lumpy food too _pale_

Bitsy_Beans

She'll eat the Heinz Biscotti herself and she's having an Organix carrot crispy-thingy (bit like a large Wotsit) but when I offer her lumps in her cooked dinners etc she's gagging and clamping lips tight.
Offered her some cooked carrot sticks and she turned her nose up at them. I have heard of baby led weaning but not really tried it.

RoxieW

My 2nd child hated mushedfood - i did baby led weaning with him and got frowned upon. Now of course it's popular and every one is talking about/trying it lol.

Bitsy_Beans

RoxieW wrote: »

My 2nd child hated mushedfood - i did baby led weaning with him and got frowned upon. Now of course it's popular and every one is talking about/trying it lol.

Of course - it's all the rage these days Just smile smugly and realise how ahead of the game you were!!!

taliwillow

Hello,
I had the same problem with my daughter. She would seem to choke on almost anything and then be violently sick. She even did it on milk sometimes. The doctor said she just has an oversensitive gag reflex. I got myself in a right state about it and ended up seeing a psychologist because I started to become too scared to feed her as I was frightened she would choke so went back to baby jars for 4 months and mashed potato.
You would get the regular comments like 'oh my child was eating sandwiches when he was 8 months' and my mum kept telling me that I was delaying her and I should be giving her things but I just kept telling her that she hadn't seen how sick she gets so to mind her own (my mum doesn't live locally so hadn't seen any of it). All of this made me believe that I would end up sending my daughter to school with mushy food as I just couldn't imagine her ever being able to eat it. She is now 16 months old and eats most things. I still have to be a little careful but generally she is ok. She seems to be a little more in control of the gagging thing now and only brings back up what was stuck in her throat rather than everything she had eaten over the last few hours but occasionally that still happens.
I feel really strongly that we did the right thing by not pushing her and giving in to all the pressure. We just tried a 7 month jar every so often to see if she was ready. (The reason I stuck to jars when trying this was because I didn't have the confidence in myself to make the right texture so everything I made myself kept getting blended until there wasn't a lump in sight!!). Once she was ok with the 7 month jars there was no stopping her and she very quickly progressed up to the next ones. I'm sure you little one will get there in her own time. Just be patient and supportive.
Hope that helps.
Taliwillow

hellies

My dd2 was EXACTLY the same from 6 months until her 1st birthday. I really sympathise with you- i had visions of her going off to school with a bottle of milk in her lunch box :rotfl:It really stressed me out as dd1 had been completely different, she took to eating really well, she was on finger foods at 5 months and I assumed dd2 would be the same!

I gave up on the lumps completely because she was gagging and being sick, i even resorted to sieving porridge because even the tiniest lumps made her sick but she loved the flavour :rolleyes:

Then, on her 1st birthday it was like somebody switched a switch and she picked up a lump of garlic bread and ate it! and that was the end of the gagging and refusing to eat. She is now a very healthy eater, no problems with lumps or different textures at all.

If it helps, one of her nursery nurses suggested to me that her gag reflex may not have been fully developed as early as most babies. She was a very 'sicky' baby, it wasn't reflux but just a sicky baby? was your dd like this?

Taliwillow, i just finished writing my post and realised its really similar to yours! wasn't copying, I promise, lol

BOBS

Sometimes Jelly works ...... it starts lumpy and sweet but quickly melts in baby's mouth ....might get her used to feeling of lumps. Maybe she just doesnt like what you are giving her - I have 3 children, the eldest and youngest ate almost anything but my middle was really fussy from the start and she was treated no different; so it is maybe just trial and error to see what her little taste buds like.

Edit to say - it does stress you out big time but she will get there even if it takes a bit of time / patience.