My 15-month old only eats pureed foods. How can I get him to eat lumpier food and learn to self-feed?

Question

He chokes on lumps in stage 3 foods & sometimes throws up all his lunch if he accidently swallows a small piece. I have tried cheerios, broken cookies & tiny cubes of soft cheese. He justs chews & spits out the cheerios & the cookies on his own table. But he is very curious and wants to try out whatever there is on the another kids' tables at his daycare or on the floor. :-(

Answer 1

First, have him checked out by a doctor to be sure there's no medical or physical reason he can't handle more age-appropriate food.

If it's just a preference, you may need to just cut him off the pureed stuff. He's more than old enough to be self-feeding, at least most of the time.

It's not really all that common, but some babies just don't have the motivation to do certain things on their own. Provided there's no physical reason why they CAN'T, they should not be continuously given the option to lay back and let Mommy do all the work.

Try offering him soft foods that can be easily mashed in his mouth to begin with. Macaroni and cheese, lumpy mashed potatoes, very well cooked vegetables like carrots, peas or green beans.

Almost no child will refuse to eat what is in front of him indefinately if that is all they get. Stand your ground, give him real food for him to eat, and don't give in and give him the pureed stuff because you're worried he won't eat anything and will suffer for it. He may skip a meal or two, but he'll pick up on the fact that he'd best chew and swallow the food he's being given, because he's not getting pureed stuff anymore.

Question: Where does the bulk of his calories and nutrition come from? Jars of baby food has hardly any calories, and is meant more to be a learning device than it is to be the bulk of nutrients or calories. If he's so far only eating jarred baby food, make sure he's getting the good stuff in some other form, be it formula or breastmilk, pediasure, vitamin supplements, etc.


EDIT: Ignore Christy's suggestion to ignore people who say you should take him to the doctor first. It's most likely just a preference, and him being allowed to be picky, but I do know of a child who hated solid foods as a baby/toddler because there was something wrong with the muscles that he had to use to swallow. He couldn't get it down right. Considering his age, and depending on what you've done so far to try to get him to eat solids, I think you should make sure it's something he's even physically capable of doing, because if he can't, no other methods will help, and he will be deprived of nutrients and stuff, through no fault of his own.

Answer 2

Foods For A 14 Month Old

Answer 3

Even though it is going to make a mess...you have to try try again. Don't offer him pureed foods if that is all he is wanting. My daughter had a hard time trying to pick things up to eat them and she had BAD choking spells too, so I understand. What I did was stopped where I was and made some mashed potatoes that were a little lumpy. She about had a FIT over those things. Then we tried mac-n-cheese, kinda mashed up some, but still chunky, and she LOVED it. Start with things like this and see how he does. Thank goodness my daughter never pitched a fit for pureed foods and she still gets #2 fruits and veggies at breakfast and lunch. Also try making him some green beans and just put them on the tray and let him figure it out. If you want, get him a "my size" fork for the green beans and put it in his hand and poke one (cut into a small piece of course) and help him put it in his mouth. If that doesn't make him proud, I don't know what will!! Good luck!

*Edit. Don't listen to all of these DOCTOR happy people. He there isn't anything wrong with this kid...he's just pitching a fit because this is something new and he wants to be lazy and not chew up his food. I did this with my daughter. Don't take him to the dr...you just have to stand your ground. He'll start eating them, and if he gets choked, don't freak out. Just try and help him get thru it. If he's choking on something that is soft then you're not in heap of trouble. It's hard things you need to worry about, like crackers and things.

Answer 4

I can relate. I forget how old my first son was but he was over a year before I stopped giving him baby food from a jar. He wouldn't even eat the chunky baby food and if I offered him table food, he would just gag continuously. All you can do is keep trying, I just kept giving him bits of table food every time I ate, and eventually he started to eat more and more. At least she is eating toast and stuff. How does she eat the banana? I would have thought she would have ate carrots or other soft cooked veggies in the same way. It's frustrating, but I wouldn't be too worried, my second son is looking like he's going to be the same, all my sisters kids were the same, and apparently we were the same as well.

Answer 5

My son HATED the stage 3 foods. Something about the texture just wasn't right at all, it was smooth and lumpy..and he would always choke.

My suggestion, take away the baby food all together and start feeding him what you eat for meals. Eventually he will get the hang of it. He won't let himself starve. Cut everything in small pieces, and try to give him stuff that you know that he will like. My son at 15 months loved to dip things. Chicken nuggets in ketchup are always a toddler favorite.

Answer 6

He may not like the texture of the lumpy foods. You may just have to be a little more consistent with the lumpy foods or start mixing the pureed food with lumpy foods or couple the pureed foods with small pieces of fruit or something that he likes. Don't start at stage 3 you may need to ween him into foods with more texture.

Answer 7

Just be patient and keep on offering him lumpier and self-feed foods; try to stop giving him baby foods gradually. It really takes time for him to learn how to chew. He'll learn it at his own pace. My son was about that age when he started eating them; he's 19-months now.

Answer 8

15 months old, get rid of the baby food , give him utensils and let him eat whatever you eat, he will learn , you are being a bit over protective, he can not chew it up because he has no practice at it, i have 5 kids all went to a normal diet at 12 months, it takes time but they all do well , if they are at the table with your family and see you all using your folks and spoons they will to, my 1 year old daughter does , same with my 2 year old

Answer 9

Take him to the doctor, since this should have been taken care of long ago! He should have been on "lumpy food" a long time ago and if he was doing this then, then the doctor should have been made aware! He may have something physically wrong with him, and if he doesn't then you are just going to have to give him the lumpy food or he doesn't eat anything! If he is hungry he will eat!

Answer 10

How many times have you tried? Experience is the key....Keep trying with cheerios, cut up hot dogs in tiny pieces, goldfisk crackers, etc.... He will get better. Good luck!