Teaching my baby to eat?

Question

I have an 9 month old and she has been eating rice cereal and baby food since 4 months. The last month she has been doing a lot of gagging and choking with the same food she never had a problem with before but all of a sudden chokes with it so I backed off a little bit. I am kinda worried that since she is already 9 months and hasn't started trying to feed herself and has been eating the same things since 4 months old I am keeping her back but I am not sure on what to do since she keeps choking and gagging on everything. What should she be eating at this age and what should and can I be doing to teach her to eat finger foods and such? Also, she wont drink water or dulited juice, just her formula, what can I do about that?

Answer 1

I would recommend just giving her finger foods and let her explore them. When my kids were 9m old they didn't want babyfood anymore. They were ready for the big stuff. I'm sure she would like honey nut cheerios!

Foods to try,
slices of bannana's quartered, carrots steamed till completely soft then sliced up very small, peices of baked sweet potato (you could even mash it and add a tiny bit of butter and brown sugar), quarters of strawberries, small peices of pineapple,

anything soft enough for gums to mash is what she needs and really, let her play with it and I bet she will put it in her mouth.

The fact that she won't drink juice or water is concerning and if she flat out doesn't eat finger foods when you put them in front of her on the highchair tray, then you really need to talk to the dr. I had a friend who had a child who had trouble with solid foods from day one and they found out she had a food aversion. The little girl is eating better now but she had to have lots of help and also had speech therapy because she wasn't talking like she was supposed to yet either.

Answer 2

i have a 13 month old that does/did the same thing. He would gag and throw up. Here is what you do,.... with the food that you are giving your baby is fine... you might have the texture too thick, try to make it a little softer, mushier... that is why your baby might be gagging and throwing up. My son still eats rice cereal, but what I do for him, he won't eat it mixed up with formula in a bowl, so what I do, is add it to his bottle. Everyone will tell you that is bad for them, that it will make them gain weight,.... that is absolutely bull crap. Your 9 month old won't feed himself. You have to feed your baby. Your baby won't start trying to feed himself until they are close to maybe 2 years old. You should not give your baby any regular cow's milk until your baby is a year old. As with water and the juice, she's not used to it. Just think about it, think if someone gave you a yucky thing and you didn't know what it was?? You have to get used to it!!! Just keep trying to give her the juice and water,..... don't loose patients. My daughter and son did the same thing. And with the formula.... your daughter is fine..... she is too young to stop her formula completely. You can introduce her to cows milk when she is one.. My son still drinks formula some times, but he is older... remember that.

Answer 3

First she doesn't need anything but formula, so don't force other fluids; except in maybe extremely hot weather. Even then its only sips of water. Secondly, she may be gagging because her taste buds have matured and she realizes that stuff is nasty. The only way for her to expand her repertoire of foods is to just give it too her and let her try. Start with small chunks of potatoes and carrots boiled softly. Ritz, vanilla wafers, banana, very soft cooked noodles are also good. Your kid may surprise you. Mine surely does. She eats all the above and then some usually smacking her lips at my plate, she just turned 10 months. Its just every time I try something new I sit right there with her to be sure she is handling it well. Even still I'm never more than a step or two away and she's always within view and hearing while she eats table foods.

Answer 4

She needs to be trying finger foods. By 12 months she should be eating whatever you're eating! Seems to me she's probably completely bored with what she's getting and needs variety. Damn, I'd be choking and gagging too if all I ever got was rice cereal and baby food.

Answer 5

Its perfectly ok for your baby not to be feeding herself now. Every child moves at their own pace, but dont back off. Make sure that your baby has plently of opportunities to grab snacks for herself. I usually keep the wheels in the diaper bag and my daughter chows down on them (even though she doesnt have teeth!!) Its key to be persistant though. She will get it eventually! As for the juice/water issue.... its not such a big deal. Its another thing you will have to keep up with. Even though she wont take it now keep trying! I think babies just get comfortable with what they are used to just like we do. Good luck!

Answer 6

She doesn't like the juice at all? Have you tried giving her the Gerber little crunchies? They are basically puffed cheetos for babies. Any finger foods like that? What about the puffed stars? I think this is one that you need to talk to your pediatrician about. Seems awfully strange at 9 months for her to be choking and gagging so much and also they need food by that age. Can't survive on formula alone. Try the finger foods first and see how that goes. Then if that doesn't work talk to your doctor.


***In response to the answer below since she is choking and gagging. Be careful with the wheels. My daughter stuck a whole one in her mouth once and she was lucky I caught it when I did. They don't dissolve as well as the stars or the crunchies and they are just the right size for a baby to get a whole one in their mouth and choke on. ***

Answer 7

Its ok I have a little brother just wait till she is about 12 months then start with baby food in really really small bites then move onto just a little harder bites slowly she will be able to have larger portons just keep to milk and try to put mashed bannas in her milk if she nor allergic that way she will start getting used to new taste!

Answer 8

Most babies have a spitting reflex up until a certain age. I would try talking to your Doctor about how you can encourage her to eat, because there may be medical issues too...you never know. It doesn't hurt to check, at least.