LO not eating any lumps or dry food

grover · Apr 5th, 2012, 04:12 AM

Hi,

I wondered if any of you guys have experienced the same problem. My son is 21 months and for the past month or so, he will not eat any lumps. Even uif i give him lumps in his food, he will try to swallow them whole and make no effort to chew - he has teeth!!! He was better at eating lumps but now seems to have regresed. He also only eats runny foods, so wont eat any dry foods like toast, sandwiches etc. He used to eat bananas by himself quite happily, but now won't.

I am a bit worried that i will still be mushing up his food when he's 18

Please tell me this is just a pahse and he will work out how to chew food in his own time..... i mean... the boy has teeth.... use them

fluffpuffin · Apr 5th, 2012, 04:20 AM

does he feed himself or is he spoonfed?

**OmarsMum** · Apr 5th, 2012, 04:24 AM

Does he gag when he eats lumps or he just refuses to eat them? My cousin's daughter was the same, her paed advised her to offer her finger food & lumpy food only & to ditch the puree & mashes.

Did you check his throat & tonsils? If his tonsils are enlarged or inflamed he might find difficulties in swallowing, this is why he prefers softer, less textured food.

I'd take him for a checkup, if there is nothing that's preventing him from swallowing lumpy food, I'd ditch the puree & mashed food & offer him normal food until he gets used to chewing & swallowing.

Good luck hun

grover · Apr 5th, 2012, 05:00 AM

He is generally spoon fed - he sometims feeds himself (generally yogurts and weetabix). I do put lumps in his food - like pasta, i dont mush it up, but he tends to swallow that whole and doesnt even try to chew. He wont eat any dry foods - like a piece of bread etc.... I am bit worried that if i just leave him to feed himself, he wont eat anything. Also, his grandmothers look after him during the week and they will just give him mushed food so that he eats.

He takes a couple of bites from a biscuit and will eat that - but he has to get really familiar with it, he will hold it for ages and lick it and then maybe take a bite. He wont even eat chocolate or anything.... most kids would eat that no problem

sweetcheeks78 · Apr 5th, 2012, 05:05 AM

Is he teething? I certainly found when LO was going through a teething phase he wouldn't eat anything lumpy. He lived on porridge and yoghurt!

grover · Apr 5th, 2012, 05:11 AM

Not sure if he is teething - maybe.

He has always been a fussy eater but in the past few months i had gradually got him used to eating lumpier food - like veggie burger and beans (lightly mashed) or risotto. I have been slowly introducing more lumps in his food. But now he throws a tantrum at meal time and all he wants to eat is yogurt. He just goes to the fride and takes it out.

he has never eaten chips or bread (unless its been dunked in soup or something).

Should i wait it out and hope he starts to eat dry, lumpy food or do i just stop mashing food for him and force him to eat normal food??? God this is hard!!!

**OmarsMum** · Apr 5th, 2012, 05:13 AM

Omar doesnt eat chocolate or even biscuits & cakes, he doesnt like their texture or taste. I do spoon feed him most of his meals as he will not eat if I dont & he's generally a picky eater, but other than baby cereals for breakfast, he eats lumpy food with no problems since we started weaning at 7 months. He had a sensitive gagging reflex when he was a baby & he was suffering from reflux, but we didnt offer him puree when we started weaning.

As for finger food, Omar doesnt like the feeling of food on his hands, but if I hold it for him he eats it with no problems. He didnt like toast at your LO's age, but he was fine with pita bread sandwiches.

Try to stick to the food he likes without mashing, he will get used to the texture. Omar is so funny with textures & when he gets ill or when he's teething he refuses any sorts of lumpy food or cooked meals & he lives on yoghurts & baby cereals.

**OmarsMum** · Apr 5th, 2012, 05:19 AM

You can balance it hun, like for example, offer him 1 meal of dry & lumpy food during the day & stick to it. Dont offer him an alternative if he doesnt eat. Dont worry if he looses interest after few bites or spoons, he will not starve himself.

The other 2 meals offer him what he likes to balance it.

when we started with dry food we started with soft pieces of chicken & fish. I found that he likes his meat separated from his cooked rice or pasta. I still offer him bite size pieces of meat to feed himself.

grover · Apr 5th, 2012, 05:24 AM

The balancing sounds like a good idea. I am going to try that over easter, as i will be looking after him then. I would so love if DS ate normal food like bread, pizza etc etc.... i always have to take food for him wherever we go, as i know i cant just buy something for him to eat!

I might start giving him boiled veggies and see if he eats those or lasagne. just in small pieces.

fluffpuffin · Apr 5th, 2012, 06:01 AM

I would maybe try and just leave foods for him to help himself to.what about soft strips of fruit and veg? some kids lose interest in food if they're being spoonfed but start eating better once they can feed themselves.

Apr 5th, 2012, 04:12 AM	#1
grover Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 128	LO not eating any lumps or dry food Hi, I wondered if any of you guys have experienced the same problem. My son is 21 months and for the past month or so, he will not eat any lumps. Even uif i give him lumps in his food, he will try to swallow them whole and make no effort to chew - he has teeth!!! He was better at eating lumps but now seems to have regresed. He also only eats runny foods, so wont eat any dry foods like toast, sandwiches etc. He used to eat bananas by himself quite happily, but now won't. I am a bit worried that i will still be mushing up his food when he's 18 Please tell me this is just a pahse and he will work out how to chew food in his own time..... i mean... the boy has teeth.... use them

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Apr 5th, 2012, 04:20 AM	#2
fluffpuffin Mum (Mom) BnB Elite Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: a German in the UK Posts: 12,728	does he feed himself or is he spoonfed?

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Apr 5th, 2012, 04:24 AM	#3
OmarsMum Mum (Mom) BabyandBump Team Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: UAE Posts: 16,986	Does he gag when he eats lumps or he just refuses to eat them? My cousin's daughter was the same, her paed advised her to offer her finger food & lumpy food only & to ditch the puree & mashes. Did you check his throat & tonsils? If his tonsils are enlarged or inflamed he might find difficulties in swallowing, this is why he prefers softer, less textured food. I'd take him for a checkup, if there is nothing that's preventing him from swallowing lumpy food, I'd ditch the puree & mashed food & offer him normal food until he gets used to chewing & swallowing. Good luck hun

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Apr 5th, 2012, 05:00 AM	#4
grover Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 128	He is generally spoon fed - he sometims feeds himself (generally yogurts and weetabix). I do put lumps in his food - like pasta, i dont mush it up, but he tends to swallow that whole and doesnt even try to chew. He wont eat any dry foods - like a piece of bread etc.... I am bit worried that if i just leave him to feed himself, he wont eat anything. Also, his grandmothers look after him during the week and they will just give him mushed food so that he eats. He takes a couple of bites from a biscuit and will eat that - but he has to get really familiar with it, he will hold it for ages and lick it and then maybe take a bite. He wont even eat chocolate or anything.... most kids would eat that no problem

Status: Offline

Apr 5th, 2012, 05:05 AM	#5
sweetcheeks78 Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Shropshire Posts: 1,328	Is he teething? I certainly found when LO was going through a teething phase he wouldn't eat anything lumpy. He lived on porridge and yoghurt!

Status: Online

Apr 5th, 2012, 05:11 AM	#6
grover Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 128	Not sure if he is teething - maybe. He has always been a fussy eater but in the past few months i had gradually got him used to eating lumpier food - like veggie burger and beans (lightly mashed) or risotto. I have been slowly introducing more lumps in his food. But now he throws a tantrum at meal time and all he wants to eat is yogurt. He just goes to the fride and takes it out. he has never eaten chips or bread (unless its been dunked in soup or something). Should i wait it out and hope he starts to eat dry, lumpy food or do i just stop mashing food for him and force him to eat normal food??? God this is hard!!!

Status: Offline

Apr 5th, 2012, 05:13 AM	#7
OmarsMum Mum (Mom) BabyandBump Team Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: UAE Posts: 16,986	Omar doesnt eat chocolate or even biscuits & cakes, he doesnt like their texture or taste. I do spoon feed him most of his meals as he will not eat if I dont & he's generally a picky eater, but other than baby cereals for breakfast, he eats lumpy food with no problems since we started weaning at 7 months. He had a sensitive gagging reflex when he was a baby & he was suffering from reflux, but we didnt offer him puree when we started weaning. As for finger food, Omar doesnt like the feeling of food on his hands, but if I hold it for him he eats it with no problems. He didnt like toast at your LO's age, but he was fine with pita bread sandwiches. Try to stick to the food he likes without mashing, he will get used to the texture. Omar is so funny with textures & when he gets ill or when he's teething he refuses any sorts of lumpy food or cooked meals & he lives on yoghurts & baby cereals.

Status: Offline

Apr 5th, 2012, 05:19 AM	#8
OmarsMum Mum (Mom) BabyandBump Team Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: UAE Posts: 16,986	You can balance it hun, like for example, offer him 1 meal of dry & lumpy food during the day & stick to it. Dont offer him an alternative if he doesnt eat. Dont worry if he looses interest after few bites or spoons, he will not starve himself. The other 2 meals offer him what he likes to balance it. when we started with dry food we started with soft pieces of chicken & fish. I found that he likes his meat separated from his cooked rice or pasta. I still offer him bite size pieces of meat to feed himself.

Status: Offline

Apr 5th, 2012, 05:24 AM	#9
grover Trying to conceive (TTC) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 128	The balancing sounds like a good idea. I am going to try that over easter, as i will be looking after him then. I would so love if DS ate normal food like bread, pizza etc etc.... i always have to take food for him wherever we go, as i know i cant just buy something for him to eat! I might start giving him boiled veggies and see if he eats those or lasagne. just in small pieces.

Status: Offline

Apr 5th, 2012, 06:01 AM	#10
fluffpuffin Mum (Mom) BnB Elite Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: a German in the UK Posts: 12,728	I would maybe try and just leave foods for him to help himself to.what about soft strips of fruit and veg? some kids lose interest in food if they're being spoonfed but start eating better once they can feed themselves.

Status: Offline

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