And THIS priceless picture, is what happens the other 9 out of 10 times we try to feed him....
Why?????????Our mighty Max is simply not a fan of eating pureed mush on a spoon. It could be pears, it could be carrots. It could be oatmeal, it could be apples. It could be mixed together, or plain, cold or warm, before a bottle or after, in the morning or in the afternoon. Before a nap or after a nap. We've tried removing all the distractions. Tried feeding him in my lap. Tried letting him hold the spoon, or another spoon. He could care less. On a VERY good day, he will eat 1/2 of a small jar of food mixed with 1 tbsp of oatmeal or rice cereal. If I sing. And do a little dance. But most days, he just takes a few bites and then shuts his mouth or starts to cry.
Here's what I've learned from our pediatrician, and from Doctor Internet:
1. He won't let himself starve to death.
2. He should be working up to eating 2-3 meals of solids each day. A "serving size" is the size of his fist.
3. Formula is still the main source of nutrition for the first year.
4. Teething can affect eating habits
5. VERY ACTIVE BABIES (ummmm.....Max) OFTEN GET FRUSTRATED BY HAVING SOMEONE FEED THEM, AND WANT TO FEED THEMSELVES. TRY GIVING THEM SMALL PIECES OF VERY MUSHY FOOD THAT THEY CAN FEED THEMSELVES.
Ok......like WHAT????? I am terrified of putting a small semi-solid piece of ANYTHING in this child's mouth!
Ideas, anyone?
And remember....he is 7 1/2 months old, and has NO TEETH!
1 comment:
We had the same problem with Caleb. And unfortunately, we still battle him eating. I hated hearing "he'll eat if he gets hungry enough." Mmm, really? Not so sure about that! But have you seen those little mesh like bags with a handle? They sell them at Target, by the pacifiers I believe. You put food in them (we typically did fruit like pears, canteloupe, etc.) and they "chew" through the cloth bag and supposedly they can't get any big chunks. We loved them! I have heard that many kids want to skip the puree stage. What about bananas, cut very tiny? Pear? Cheerios? Squash? It is very scary to let them eat "table food" but he will do just fine! I can't remember what age Caleb was when we started doing more table food, but I would imagine Max would be fine. You may be surprised, he may like that for a bit and you can still sneak in some puree food. I remember doing what we called, a three ring circus, to get Caleb to eat. Mike would dance and trick him into opening his mouth (he would lock his lips!) and I would be like, great for now, but when I am by myself I can't do a three ring circus on my own! Sorry this is a challenge! And I wish I could tell you that once you get this figured out you are smooth sailing. But it is always something. Like potty training, and pooping on other people's carpets! I still feel horrible for that. Well, hang in there and don't give up!! Kerry
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