14 mth old with food issues was 2 mths early chokes doesn't like to eat much solid food and wont feed himself?

Question

Ok, here is the deal, my son is almost 14 mths., however he was 2 months premature, therefore the corrected age would be 12 mths. I am struggling and feeling I am doing something wrong. My son is barely eating any solid foods. Mainly, he is still on a bottle and really doesn't have any inclination to pick up any food and put it in his mouth and I have tried almost every type of food pureed, stage 2 and 3 is about all he is eating right now, with the occasional mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. from the table. He has reflux and has been known to choke up a bit on foods, then throwing up and scaring the begeezers out of me of course, to the point now of kind of scaring me off from trying too much more? I know in due time he will take off with solids, but in the meantime, any advice would be appreciated along with words for me about my issues with trying to relax, not worry about my friends with babies who are feeding themselves many table foods etc. and stress less about it!

Answer 1

My little boy is 17 months (13 corrected) and is the same.
He only eats stage 1 food and is very particular about the consistency. So we have had to resort to one particular brand of baby food. He does not feed himself and until recently every mouthful was a battle.

His paediatrician said this is very common in prem babies and he has known many babies to be like this until they are 2 then just one day they start to eat normally.

As long as your little boy is growing at a good rate then there is no need to worry too much. If he is underweight then ask for a referal to a dietician.

My son is on a special milk that has loads of calories. We were also advised to give him food high in fat and calories so that even if he only manages to eat a little bit he will still be putting on weight.

Keep trying him with new stuff every now and again so that he doesn't get too stuck in his ways. Some babies need to try something at least 20 times before they take to it.

I found that my son likes to do what others are doing. He never eats with his fingers but recently after a play class he saw all the other little ones eating a biscuit and reached for one too - and he ate the whole thing!

Some of the suggestions his dietcian gave were to involve him in food preparation, even if this meant just sitting him in his high chair so he could see me.
Put his food in a bowl so he can see it and give him a spoon, even if he does not use the spoon he'll think it fun as you have one too!
Feed yourself from the bowl as well as your son, see if you can make a game of it, maybe he will copy you and want to feed you.

The more fun you make meal times the better it is for both of you, if you are getting stressed he will pick up on it so if you feel like that then take a break. Sometimes getting someone else to do the feeding once in a while can make all the difference too.

Answer 2

I was born two months premature. There could be a few developmental issues, both physically and mentally. Don't worry about it. He will catch up with time. My parents thought I was mentally retarded, but now I'm a member of Mensa. It takes a little time for a premature baby to catch up and you may notice a few minor issues, like the inablility to spell until his late teens. As far as the solid food issue, don't worry about that either. Some pediatricians think we push solid foods on babies too early in America. The last thing you should do is pay attention to the parents around you. They might be making comments to you about how your child should be eating steak by now...ignore them. Most of them didn't have a premature child and most parents are insecure and thus push their own insecurities onto their children's development. Wait until Little League, it gets worse. Just relax and love your son. He will develop at his own pace, just like we all should.

Answer 3

How many bottles are you feeding him? Have you tried to ween him off the bottle by putting his milk in a sippy cup?
Just keep trying, soon he will get it. Make sure you are feeding him small chunks of food that are cooked VERY soft and keep trying different things.
Have you tried giving him a spoon while you are feeding him? While you are working around the house stick him in his highchair and put finger foods on his tray. Take him around the house with you, talk to him and let him play with the food, inevitably some will reach his mouth.
If you are truly concerned you should talk to your doctor at his next checkup or make an appointment simply to talk about he problems you are having. Make sure you document everything he is eating.

Answer 4

have you tried the gerber graduates? or the gerber puffs? i sugest bringing this issue up at your sons next dr visit. and with you nerviousness don'r worry about that wait til he's 2 and falls off the couch or off his bed trying to climb out. but do keep an eye on him with his choking.