Are any of your 15 month olds still on stage 3 baby food.?

Question

My daughter does eat table foods a little bit. She can eat cheese puffs, chicken noodle soup, mashed up macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, little pieces of cracker...little pieces of butter bread or bread with peanut butter and jelly..... But the thing is, that we have to give her pretty small bites or she ends up gagging on it. Our meals can take up to an hour to finish. By the time we get done with one meal, it is practically time to start with the next meal. She also does not like the texture of meats. She just makes awful faces and gags. Even with small bites. I give her table food for one meal, and then 2 Stage 3 jars for dinner, because I don't know how much nutrition she can get from the limited amount of table foods that she can handle, plus it just takes so long to feed her that I find it easier to just give her baby food for one of her daily meals. Has anybody else encountered a problem like this?

I have tried giving her the Gerber graduates pasta pick-up things and she just gagged big time. i don't know what to do.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends delaying Peanut Butter until a child is 3 years old, ONLY if the child is at high risk for food allergies. My daughter is not, so I give her peanut butter.

Answer 1

You may want to see a speech or ocupational therapist about this. My son (who was born severely premature) had severe problems when it came time to start solid foods. He would gag and vomit on cereals and purees. He had a super sensitive gag reflex and a food adversion. He was litteraly 2 years old when he really began eating enough solids to support his diet. If she does have a food adversion you need to figgure out what textures bother her and persist on them. Our son is now a month away from his third birthday and is just now beginning to eat different foods beyond stage 3 baby food like the gerber graduate snacks, fruit puffs, little crunchies, spaghetti o's, crackers, cheerios. He has not yet began eating meat so we buy the stage two meats to add to his meals to make sure he gets enough meat in his diet. Talk to you pediatrician about it and see what he/she thinks about the posabillity of a gag reflex problem, food adverion problem or other swallowing problem. If needed they can set you up to see a therapists that would support your needs.

Answer 2

My son is 18 months and the only table food he eats is fruit, crackers and cheese. If I try to feed him anything else all he does is scream and refuse to eat anything. I even have trouble giving him the stage 3 foods, he will be fine until he feels the chunks in his mouth and then he will gag and refuse to eat anymore. He eats mostly stage two foods and some of the stage three fruits (which don't have chunks). I am a little concerned about it too and am going to ask the doctor at his check up on Monday, but I figure that as long as he is eating nutritious foods and growing well (ie not losing weight) that it's not too much of an issue. I really don't think that forcing them to eat something when it causes so much stress is the right way to go because then you end up with a child who has traumas about eating and will probably struggle with food issues for the rest of their life. I feel your pain, good luck!

Answer 3

Does she have a lot of teeth? I think that really helps. My son has a ton of teeth for 14 months(16) and he still has a pretty big gag reflex. He struggles with eating, but he gets it eventually. Maybe mention it to the Ped and see if she seems concerned, maybe she would have some suggestions for you...

Also disregard what the first person said about Peanut Butter, because once they hit 12 months, they CAN have it, along with honey and all the other no no's they shouldn't have before 1 year, I specifically asked this question at my son's 12 month appointment and it's fine...

Answer 4

If she is gagging on everything then you need to talk to the pediatrician. She should NOT have peanut butter until she is at least 2 yrs old. they are even saying 3 yrs old now, so 15 months is way too young!!

Answer 5

You should tell your pediatrician about this behavior. It isn't the norm. MOst toddlers eat alot of table food and are not satisfied with the bland baby food. But there could be a reason for this. So definately talk to the doctor and maybe he can refer you to a nutritionist for extra tips and info on what to do to get her to eat like a big girl.

Answer 6

My 15 month old eats anything that isn't tied down...and he tries to get that too. He's got 14 teeth, and he knows how to use them.

He started spitting out baby food around 9 mos, and has never looked back.

My 15 month old niece hates meat too...my sister tries to sneak it in by giving her beef tortellini, etc...seems to work...but a piece of chicken...no way, she won't have it.

Answer 7

my daughter is 17 months old and eats mostly regular food but still eats baby food at daycare sometimes and at home she loves stage 3 fruit (applesauce, etc).
I know it takes your daughter a long time to eat but she has to learn so do what you can to encourage her to eat table foods. Some days I feel like my daughter eats all day long but she getting much better....

Answer 8

Not at all, does she have most of her teeth? Maybe try blending table foods, then slowly leave it more and more textured.

My son has most of his teeth and at 14 months he loves veggies. I boil peas, carrots, any small veggie with small pieces of chicken or even mix with rice. Things they can pick up.

Answer 9

You're not supposed to give 15 month olds peanut butter.

Answer 10

My 9 month old nephew eats table foods.