As an occupational therapist that specializes in feeding, I often get asked how to transition a baby or toddler from baby food to table foods. These questions usually come from parents who are struggling through the process with a baby (under 12 months old) or from parents that now have toddlers who won’t eat table foods or solids.
This post will be your complete guide to transitioning to solids and table foods, no matter which situation you find yourself in.
Lastly, to be clear, when I say “table food” I mean any food that is not a food specifically pureed for babies. Baby led weaning (BLW) often skips the step of baby food so this guide is for parents that have followed the traditional route of giving baby food first.
Of course, if your child is struggling with BLW these strategies can still be helpful!
In this post you’ll learn:
Why Eating Table Foods is Challenging
When Do Babies Start Eating Table Food?
Step #1: Making Sure Baby is Ready for Table Foods
Step #3: Introducing Table Foods to Your Baby
Step #4: Transitioning Baby to Table Foods
Step #5: Getting Your Baby or Toddler to Only Eat Table Food
Why Transitioning from Baby Food to Table Food Can Be Challenging for Parents and Baby…
As a mom, each time I had to transition my boys onto table foods, I was frustrated and overwhelmed even though I’m a feeding therapist that had helped many families through it before. It’s different when you’re the mom living it day in and day out.
Experiencing that as a mom showed me how challenging it can be. The little baby food routine you had starts to shift, as they are also beginning to wean from breast or bottle and learn to drink from some type of cup (ideally a straw cup).
As parents, we worry, “Are they eating enough?”
With jarred food, you can know exactly how much they’ve eaten, but it gets a little blurry when half of the diced up food you give them is on the floor.
It’s tempting to stop serving table foods and to focus on baby food because you know how much they’re eating – but there’s a problem with that as you’ll learn shortly.
This process does require some patience because your baby is learning a new skill, something I had to remind myself of quite often.
My best advice as a mom and OT is to take heart and know it’s all part of the process. Remember that until 1 year of age, their milk source (breast milk or formula) is their main source of nutrition.
This is why people say, “food before one is just for fun.”
We want to teach our babies how to eat table and finger foods so they have the skill, but not get stuck on how much they are actually eating.
Keep in mind that some babies and toddlers won’t eat finger or table foods for various underlying causes such as:
- sensory processing
- oral motor delays
- some underlying medical diagnosis like reflux, food allergies, etc.
To explore the signs of these underlying causes head to Why Won’t My Baby Eat?
This is an exciting time, and it’s absolutely adorable when your chubby little baby is gnawing on a breadstick or getting puffs stuck on their face!
Now that you’re in the right frame of mind, let’s dive into the details of when and how to introduce table foods to your baby!
When Do Babies Start Eating Table Food?
Generally speaking, a good time to start introducing table foods for most babies is around 8-9 months. However, it may be later for your child, especially if they were a preemie. You will know they aren’t quite ready if they refuse, gag, or cough a lot when you try.
That’s okay, don’t be discouraged, this just means you will need to take it slower and consistently offer safe foods they won’t choke on.
If you’re nervous about how to handle gagging or your baby is gagging a lot on foods, check out Everything You Need to Know About Baby Gagging.
For other babies, they may start eating table foods even earlier, sometimes at 7 months. As a feeding therapist, I can’t recommend starting table foods for baby too much earlier, but of course, it is your choice if you feel they are ready. It is likely that they will be mostly swallowing (not chewing) most of the food though.
One critical word of caution is to NOT wait too long to start transitioning to table foods. Babies will instinctively chew from 7-8 months to around 11 months old, which means the transition will come easier.
Waiting past 10 months, unless your child has developmental delays, a diagnosis, swallowing difficulties, or was born prematurely, can make transitioning to table foods even harder when they’re a toddler. See the chart above as a quick reference.
Step #1: Make Sure Baby is Ready for Table Foods
Some signs your baby is ready for this transition are:
- Looking at or grabbing your food
- Making a chewing motion with their mouth when they watch you eat
- Picking up small objects
- Are 8-9 months old. See 9 Month Old Baby Food + Table Food Ideas.
- Brings hands to mouth
- Can sit safely with or without support
Remember, you want to start this by 10 months even if you aren’t seeing some of these signs, as long as they don’t have any of the reasons listed in the previous section to delay the start of table foods.
A week or two before you begin to introduce solids, start to thicken their baby food. Thicker foods require more movement of the tongue and muscles in the mouth, which helps lay a good foundation for moving a solid piece of food around in their mouth.
If you’re making your own baby food (get the DIY here), then add less water or liquid when pureeing. Use stage 2 baby food if you’re buying premade baby food.
Beware that some stage 3 type foods are great because they are thicker, but many of the jarred varieties have whole pieces of food mixed in with the puree, don’t go there – yet. That is putting the cart before the horse.
For now, it’s crucial to stick with smooth purees, gradually increasing their thickness, as your baby tolerates it. NO CHUNKS.
The mixed in chunks can cause gagging and a negative experience. It’s actually harder for babies to eat than table foods. Babies that eat chunks in their baby food well are just swallowing it all without chewing.
I’d also recommend increasing the thickness of store bought baby food by adding cereal (this is one of my favorites) or freshly pureed foods into jarred baby foods.
Step #2: Demonstrating
Once you start thickening their baby food, it would also be great to start eating at the same time you feed your baby, if you aren’t already. Your baby will watch what you do and learn a lot from it.
When you see that you have their attention, begin to dramatically chew for them, even with your mouth open. Show them how you put a small piece of food into your mouth using your hand.
It may take finding the right moment to get their attention, but this will help pique their interest in table foods, as well as teach them what they should do when you hold that piece of food up to them for the first time.
The Best First Table Food for Babies
Before we move on, you need to know what table food to offer your baby. A great place to start, and the best choice for a lot of babies’ first table food is a meltable puff.
I’ve used Gerber puffs many times, but there are so many brands, just test whatever type of puff you buy by letting it sit in your mouth and seeing how quickly it dissolves.
The dissolving factor is important because if your baby doesn’t chew the puff, it will dissolve in their saliva.
Puffs are perfect because they are hard and crunchy initially, which helps babies realize there is something in their mouth. That crunchy texture also helps them find it and maneuver it around in their mouth.
It may seem to make sense to start with a soft table food like eggs or banana. Not bad logic, but because those foods are so soft, babies have a hard time feeling exactly where it is in their mouth.
For some babies, this means they will refuse table foods and for others, it means they aren’t chewing and just swallowing.
The wonderful thing about puffs is that they dissolve in saliva in just a few seconds. So, if your baby doesn’t chew while they are learning to eat and they swallow, they aren’t going to choke on it. That is peace of mind.
Puffs are also great because they can be broken into really small pieces for those first attempts, if needed. And, babies can pick them up easily! Read more in when can babies eat cheerios and puffs? (Cheerios are much later, they don’t dissolve)
Step #3: Introducing Table Foods to Your Baby
The very first time you give your baby an actual table food, you’ll want to try and pick a time with little distractions so that you can give them your full attention.
Make sure they are seated in their high chair because this keeps them in a safe position and will help prevent choking. Read about how to make sure your baby is seated safely for eating.
Place the table food on their tray and allow them to touch and explore it for a few minutes. Some babies will pick it up and put it right into their mouth, depending on their age. While that is certainly ideal, your baby may need some more help.
If they aren’t putting the table food into their mouth, demonstrate picking it up and putting it into your mouth. Then, pick up a piece and put it into their mouth, right where their molars will be. Or, if they’re holding the food, gently guide their hand towards their mouth for them as you smile reassuringly.
If they munch up and down and swallow, you can offer more bites.
However, on the first attempt, some babies cough or gag. Other babies will spit it out. Be encouraging, peaceful (they will sense your stress, fake it if you have to), and know when to call it quits. Often, it may take a few meals over a few days before babies get the hang of it.
If your baby turns their head or pushes your arm away when you try to put the food in their mouth, then respect that and don’t force it. They may need some more exploration with the food first.
Step #4: Transitioning Baby to Table Foods
Continue to offer puffs for a few days to a week at every meal alongside their pureed food, until you can see them munching up and down with their jaw most of the time.
Ideally, they should be feeding themselves the puffs, too, but don’t let that be a deal breaker on moving forward. You can help them put the puffs in their mouth as long as they’re willingly opening their mouth.
Puffs have next to no calories. They are great to use when they are just starting on table foods, but as you pull away from baby food they don’t offer enough to fill their little bellies.
Find baby feeding schedules for 8, 9, and 10 month olds here and 11-14 months here.
Once your baby is enjoying puffs, you’ll want to try small pieces of other foods that dissolve really quickly. Some examples are: Town House Crackers (not Ritz, this texture actually requires more chewing), Graham Crackers, Teething Wafers, Baby Cheese Puffs, rice husks, and other stage 1 table foods you find in the baby aisle at the grocery store.
Trader Joe’s Social crackers are another option if you live by one.
Encourage your baby to feed themselves these finger foods, but certainly give help as needed. If they are eating these types of food well, it is time to move onto some softer foods that require a little more chewing, which we will address here in a minute.
If you aren’t sure if finger food is safe, do a taste test yourself. How quickly does it dissolve compared to a puff? How much do you need to chew it?
How do you know your child is eating foods well and ready to move on? When they are chewing it with little to no coughing, choking, or gagging, and swallowing easily (not hard gulps), consistently, for a week or two.
At this point you can also try pairing crackers and other crunchy foods with spreads like jelly, hummus, and cream cheese to maximize exposure to table foods and different textures.
Spread right on the cracker or show them how to dip it into a glob on their tray. Then, start giving them these foods first, before the baby food, at a meal and allow them to eat as much as they want or will.
Step #5: Getting Your Baby or Toddler to Only Eat Table Food
As your child eats a variety of crunchy but melt-able foods well, then you can start with soft foods like bananas, avocado, noodles, scrambled eggs, boiled potatoes, muffins, deli meat, cheese, breads, and overly cooked veggies in a cube shape.
You can also try these cubed “jellies” or little frittatas, that are perfect for this stage too. It may take a few days or weeks before you’re ready to move onto these soft foods.
I have been mostly focusing on actual cubed food that babies can easily feed themselves, but as they eat those softer foods and the spreads well, you can start to slowly experiment with mixed textures like soups and casseroles.
Again, you will want to keep this slow, maybe starting off with macaroni and cheese, and then moving to spaghetti and meatballs and then chicken noodle soup. The latter has a lot more changes in consistency in one bite of food.
You can give baby a couple of pieces on the tray of these types of food, but will probably be mostly feeding by spoon.
When your baby is eating several cracker like foods and several soft foods, you can pull back from giving as much baby food and perhaps skip the baby food at some meals.
As they eat more and more of the table foods, you’ll serve less and less baby food, skipping it more and more until you no longer need it.
If you feel they haven’t eaten enough of the actual table food then give them some of the baby food. Keep in mind that babies need to eat actually very little and a tablespoon or two of finger foods may be plenty for them.
If you’re nervous about how much your baby should be eating, check out toddler portion sizes, the info is great for babies too!
And if it feels like you’re lacking inspiration for what to serve, see my Mega List of Table Foods.
Important Tips for Transitioning Baby to Table Foods Easily
- Once you begin introducing table foods, offer one table food at each meal. Then, slowly increase the variety of foods they are eating as they are managing more foods.
- Continue to steadily increase the thickness of baby foods as you progress with table foods. If you aren’t making your own baby foods, try pureeing what you are eating for dinner or mix this into the jarred baby food. This will help get your child used to more textures and tastes. I love using a magic bullet for this!
- Carefully monitor all new foods. Some coughing and an occasional gag is normal. If you are seeing this frequently, the texture you are giving them may be too difficult for them. Wait a week or so before introducing it again and then proceed slowly. Discuss persistent gagging and choking with your doctor.
The Big Picture: Introducing Table Foods to Baby Cheat Sheet
Let’s sum up everything we’ve talked about in transitioning your baby from purees to finger foods and solid foods with a list that you can use as a quick guide.
- Give baby puffs as their very first table food.
- Give other food that have a crunch but melt easily, like cheese curls and graham crackers.
- Give crunchy/meltable foods layered with another texture like spread, dip, etc.
- Give soft foods that you’ve cut into a small cube.
- Give soft foods with irregular shapes like scrambled eggs, noodles, and ground meat crumbles.
- Give crunchy foods that don’t melt as quickly like cheerios, toast (add toppings like hummus, avocado, etc.)
- Give mixed foods like casseroles and soups (start off with foods that don’t have a lot of chunks in theme and monitor closely)
Important Tips for Transitioning Baby to Table Foods Easily
- Once you begin introducing table foods, offer one table food at each meal. Then, slowly increase the variety of foods they are eating as they are managing more foods.
- Continue to steadily increase the thickness of baby foods as you progress with table foods. If you aren’t making your own baby foods, try pureeing what you are eating for dinner or mix this into the jarred baby food. This will help get your child used to more textures and tastes. I love using a magic bullet for this!
- Hot dogs, grapes, marshmallows, large dollops of nut-butters, nuts, lettuce, popcorn, hard candy are all potential choking hazards. Hot dogs, grapes, and marshmallows can be cut into small pieces. Spread nut-butters thinly on foods. Food larger than a pea could get lodged in the airway.
- Carefully monitor all new foods. Some coughing and an occasional gag is normal. If you are seeing this frequently, the texture you are giving them may be too difficult for them. Wait a week or so before introducing it again and then proceed slowly. Discuss persistent gagging and choking with your doctor.
- Remember to ONLY move onto the next step once your baby is safely and consistently eating the previous step for a few days to a week or so, depending on your comfort level and the time it takes your baby to learn, which varies widely.
Help, My Baby or Toddler Won’t Eat Table Food!
Some children have a hard time moving onto table foods. Often these babies were pros at baby food, but turn their noses up and refuse many or all table foods.
It’s not uncommon for parents to even experience situations where their 10, 11-month, and even 1-year-olds and toddlers won’t eat solids.
As we discussed in the first section of this article, in this case, it’s critical to consider that there’s an underlying difficulty affecting your child’s ability and willingness to eat.
To figure out what you can do to start helping your baby, I highly recommend our free table food workshop. You’ll learn how to make some powerful but easy changes to what and how you feed them.
If you continue to struggle with moving forward with this process, consider feeding therapy. If you are in the states you may qualify for free help from Early Intervention.
Free Printable: Learn How to Eat Table Foods Cheat Sheet!!
Want to have all these steps in your hands so you can reference them in a heartbeat? We’ve got you covered you’ll find all the steps for transitioning your baby or toddler to table foods in this handy free printable:
Click here to get the free Learn How to Eat Table Foods Cheat Sheet
More on Transitioning Baby to Table Foods from Your Kid’s Table
The Ultimate List of Baby/Toddler Meal Ideas
The Best High Calorie Foods for Babies
Getting Picky Eaters to Eat New Foods
A Weekly Meal Plan of Table Foods For Your Baby or Toddler: So You Can Save Your Sanity
Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
Hello! We just started giving my 9 month old table food as he was doing well with the thickened stage 2 purees and the Puffs and cheese curls. Now it seems he cant keep the food in his mouth. He did well with pancakes but struggles with things like noodles almost as if he’s not chewing them or doesn’t know to chew them since he’s not familiar with that specific texture? My LO is a preemie and is starting to show less and less interest in the bottle so I’m getting very nervous about his food intake since he’s not taking to table foods well. Help?
If he’s a preemie, with adjust age, he just might not be ready to chew yet. Developmentally, he’s right on track and doing the things he should. I’d keep trying more meltable crunchies and make sure you keep your doctor in the loop as well. Noodles are a really hard texture to manage actually. Think about doing the tooth brushing strategy I talk about in the post that can have a big impact:)
Hi Alisha, my bo is almost 3yrs and I still have a lot of problem with food. He had no problem as a baby eating finger food and trying different textures, but now he only eats some rice and spaghetti when he feels like, he won’t touch any vegetable in any form ( raw, different tyes of cooking it), he will never say no to toast or bread sticks, or any pastry ( filled with meat) , on the other hand he will not touch any meat by itself, he is not interested in fruits ( except bananas and grapes). We’ve tried putting a little food on his plate, tried letting him pick, even telling him he has to eat it or he won’t get anything else and he will get hungry, moody, cry a lot and still refuse to even try having a spoon. His twin sister and younger sister have no problem eating all kinds of food and trying new ones as well… Any suggestions?
It sounds like he’s got a good bit of picky eating stuff going on. This can get pretty complex, but there are some steps that I use to help kids like your son, first. I teach them in this free workshop, I think it will be really helpful for you!
First, I love this blog and I’m sooo grateful to have found this! I’m from the Burgh originally and love that you’re a Burgher. We are working with an OT for feeding for our 3 year old, and I have a 7 month old and trying to avoid some of the mistakes I made the first time around with baby food and transitions. You mentioned not going from stage 2 to stage 3 food “cart before the horse” so I plan to thicken her food with cereal this week and next. If you’re not planning to make your own food, though, when do I then introduce stage 3? Is it once they’ve successfully mastered puffs and seem ready? Or once I’ve thickened the puree with cereal for a few weeks and then try stage 3 alongside puffs? I’m a FT working mom and have to pack my baby’s food to send out, and don’t honestly have time to make baby food at this moment, but I want to send her with things that can help her make the transition without asking my childcare provider to provide chunky, real soft foods to “try” without me being there.
Hey Lauren! Yes, the Burgh is awesome and super cold right now, hope you’re somewhere warmer!!
You can move to thickening food around 8 months and do it slowly, they don’t necessarily need to be eating puffs yet. You can start now though if you want to experiment a bit. It’s totally fine to use store bought food, for real! Start trying it at home first and make sure she’s managing it really well.
At this age, I love using the whole raw carrots and celery too, did you see that in the post? That’s where I’d start now:) You’re doing great, love how proactive you’re being!
I think might have missed a section but I was wondering how small the toast and fruits supposed to be. I’m super nervous about giving my twins toast and crackers idk why but I am.
It’s is scary! There are two posts and you’ll find the links above, definitely look through the whole thing because there’s a progression of textures. Usually about the size of your pinky nail is good.
Hi Alisha,
I have a question about my 9-month old. I’ve been giving him puffs and Cheerios in addition to husband purées. He chews them very well but he refuses to feed himself. He’ll pick up and play with the food, but will not put them in his mouth. I’ve tried modeling and gently guiding his hand, but he just drops the food. Then he’ll get frustrated and cry if I don’t feed them to him myself. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Not at all! I love that your trying, he’s at an age where he’s figuring this out. Check out this post on self feeding and let me know if you have more questions, it has detailed steps in it!
My baby (7 months) has fpies and cannot have grains (wheat, oat, rice). Is there an alternative we can try over puffs, etc? They all seem to have a least rice cereal as an ingredient.
If you can do corn, focus on cheese curls!
My 8 month old has started eating some table food and for a bit she would eat anything I put in front of her but now she is avoiding them and pinching her mouth closed. The only thing I can get her excited about eating is puffs and Graham crackers, and the occasional piece of fruit or veggie but that’s not often. Is this just a matter of consistency and patience or is there something more I should do?
It could just be a phase, try not to push too much and if it were me, for the next few days, I’d act like I didn’t care at all what she ate. Just put it down and eat along side her. If the problem gets worse or doesn’t improve, definitely talk to your doctor.
Hi, I just came across this post as i’m having trouble with helping my 10 month old transition to finger food. He doesn’t seem to be interested in the food i put in front of him and if he does pay attention to the food i put in front of him, he will grab it and smash it against the table. I’ve tried putting small pieces of solid food into his mouth which he will eat for the first 3 or 4 times anymore then he will spit it out and start crying. I just don’t know what to do, it gets very worrying and frustrating not to mention the fact that he favours his dad more also adds on to my stress levels :(. I hope he starts eating solids soon instead of puree.
Thanks for the post
Hi Lily, I actually just sent you an email about this as well.
Hi Alisha,
Im having the same problem with my 11 month old. She takes to purees better than finger foods. I do continue to offer her both but I notice she will just play with her food if placed in front of her. I feel like such a failure and don’t know what else to do.
Hi Alisha- I am also having a very similar issue to Lily. My son is 10mths old (going on 11mths on the 7th). We are struggling with the solids. I admit we may have started a little late in introducing the solids. We tried fruits first (pieces of ripe bananas, blueberries, grapes) and he rejected them all. Tried sweet potatoes and some squashes and nothing. Carrots were finally a hit. So I just did those for a few days and slowly mixed peas and squash and some rice. He was accepting it and then all of a sudden just wants nothing to do with them for the past week. He may accept a bit but takes 3 or 4 and then spits it all out and starts crying. He won’t self feed, just smashes the veggies and tosses them on the floor. He eats puffs, crunchies, and teething crackers really well (loves them!!), and those he does self feeds. I put him in his high chair and the minute he sees his bowl/spoon or me approaching him with food he starts getting frustrated (turning his head, rubbing his eyes/face, sticking fingers in his mouth). I’ve even tried waiting until he is really hungry and I still get the same results. The only way I can finally get him to accept food is by managing a spoon of baby puree in his mouth so that he gets the taste and knows I’m not trying to give him something he won’t like. I’m at a loss! Any suggestions?
You’ve done some really great things Adriana! I know it’s so hard!
It’s so good that he’s eating those crunchy meltable foods, I’d look back in these two posts for more of these foods and offer as many different types as possible. There’s also some suggestions on the next best foods. That’s the direction I would head in!
I’d definitely talk to your doc and think about scheduling a feeding eval. You can find out more in this post on feeding therapy. We also have a free handout with the steps you can sign up above in the post.
Hi 🙂 I was wondering if the Happy baby Happy puffs would work in replacing the Gerber puffs? Thanks.
Yes, They are the same meltable texture! I do think these can be a bit bigger, so if they have trouble at first you can break them in half and go from there!
Best,
Desiree
Hi! My daughter is 8 months old. We started to introduce purée at 6 months. I actually tried to switch to BLW and I don’t think she was ready as she frequently gagged. But she has always showed interest in foods. I just felt too anxious and I didn’t want her meals to be filled with anxiety. I quickly moved to more textured foods. I also have encouraged her to self feed with preloaded spoons or exploring food with her hands. She demonstrates great chewing skills for puffs and mum mum crackers but I am noticing with other solid foods, she has an audible gulp and I wonder if she is even chewing what is in her mouth. I have demonstrated exaggerated chewing for her and sometimes she will mimic it with foods and other times not. I just get nervous because of this audible gulp during the swallow. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Besides the crunchy foods that melt, I’d focus on soft foods that can be cut into a square like watermelon or zucchini bread. I’d also keep the pieces somewhat small, so that she doesn’t have to chew as much.
Hi, my son is almost 14 months old and is a very picky eater. Everything is pretty much a challenge except for gerber cereals and porridges. He cries most times when feeding him and I just feel like I’m failing him. He was born a preemie so that could be a reason why I have this difficulty but he’s also teething and his molars aren’t in as yet but he’s been suffering from a swollen gum for months now and gets very irritable. He hasn’t developed his pincher grasp but is able to pick up big items. I’m just wondering if there’s an underlying issue that’s causing all this or am I just not doing well by him.
Oh my gosh, this is not your fault! It’s more likely that something else is going on that he needs some help with. Did you see the free workshop, it ends today, but you can grab a seat here.
Hi,
My question is the following. When to introduce the crunchy meltable food like a teething biscuit? At the beginning of the meal?For instance my 14 month old son usually has cereals with fruits for breakfast. His lunch is usually vegetables or vegetables with meat. His dinner is polenta or semolina with fruits. So when should I give him the crunchy table food?
Hi Sanya, actually a teething biscuit is harder to chew, focus on small foods like puffs or cheese curls. I’d give them at the beginning of the meal and maybe have some throughout, so he’s able to eat as he wants to.
Hey! I have twins boys born at 32 weeks.
They turned one years old 2 weeks ago. One loves table food, baby food, whatever. The only one doesn’t eat it. Well, he eats the puffs, gerber cheetos, a couple of cheerios and yogurt. I tried all a variety types of fruits, meats, mashed potatoes, breads, vegetable and he put it in his mouth then spit it off. I’m going to try the thicker baby food without the chucks. You are right most thicker baby food comes with the chunks of meat and he doesn’t like that. What else can I do? Any suggests, please
I actually have a free workshop that is going to be available next week that focus on feeding babies table foods. Have you signed up to receive the free Learn to Eat Table Foods Printable? It gives you a free 5 page guide right in your inbox. Also, it will put you on the list to get the updates about the new workshop. If you haven’t already, you can sign up for the free printable <https://6dtpgdyf.pages.infusionsoft.net>.
Hello, Alisha!
Please, please help me. I’m at my wits’ end.
Our 14-month-old has been on a hydrolyzed milk protein formula since about 2 months of age, since he had terrible reflux/sensitivity to regular formula and breastmilk.
He has had eight teeth since 8 months of age, and is currently teething on all of his incisors and molars.(He basically knocked teething out in two huge sprints.)
Between the beginning of trying foods (around… 8 months), he maybe had… half of a container of baby food between now and then. He was never interested. He wouldn’t take more than one spoon at a time, maybe once every couple of days, and we had to toss so much of it. And that’s all the yummy fruit/yogurt/veggie blends – on the three occasions I tried with a meat puree, he gagged and vomited IMMEDIATELY.
However, he did like the Baby Mum Mums, but not little puffs or yogurt drops or anything else… except pretzel sticks. (I know, I know, but… even at 8 months he knew to let them melt in his mouth for a bit and then swallow.)
We tried offering other foods, excited about finally having him eat with us. He rejected all of the healthy foods I offered him, and one day my partner told me he got him to eat. I was so excited, but then he told me it was french fries. I was just happy to know he was eating… SOMETHING, so I thought a few fries beside other foods would encourage him. Nope.
He won’t eat anything except cubed/roasted potatoes, french fries, potato chips (my partner…) or pretzel sticks. He loves to self-feed, but he just plays with soft foods, perhaps not understanding that even soft things can be edible? Maybe he thinks only crunchy food in stick-form is food?
I’ve tried to make healthy foods in stick form, but he’s not fooled. He is very exploratory with his mouth, so it’s not that. I tricked him into eating a piece of gouda the size of my pinky nail because it came in snack-stick form, and I split it in half with him.
Is it possible that he’s addicted to salty potato/crunchy snacks? How on earth am I supposed to get him to eat other foods? I ate everything while he was in utero – spicy stuff, raw fish (don’t shame me), legumes, beans, veggies, meats, grains, dairy… I mean, he seriously only eats about half a cup of solids a day, and that’s in the form of chips, pretzel sticks, or hashbrowns that my partner gives him for breakfast.
He even vomited a small bottle of whole milk when I attempted it instead of the formula to offer him more fats + calcium… a sort of halfway point between table foods and formula. 🙁
Oh you’re not alone, although I’m sure it feels that way! I see so many babies/toddlers that have a hard time transitioning. Did you see the free printables with this post, definitely make sure you grab those. I think what’s important is to get to the root of the problem, which can be a bit tricky. It’s like sensory or oral motor skills, you can find posts on both of those here and here.
Also, I’d definitely follow up with your doctor for a feeding eval. One thing I really want you to hear is that this isn’t your fault. You’re doing a great job!!
I have a 23 month old so son who is still not on table foods and will only eat good something like Graham cracker. He has been going to an OT since he was 17 months old but we have see very little progres. I try to offer him new food (only piece of banana or something less smushy or dry for the past 2 months), before feedings burn nothing. I do some sensory bins and other activities but he doesn’t really participate. I even try to thicken up the purée and an little mushiness to the food but he spits it out. I’m at a loss on how to progress. I’m trying to look into other feeding programs but have no clue how to move forward. I watched the picky eaters workshop/webinar I don’t thinks it his schedule that’s then issue and and I can’t do half preferred food. We have also tried sitting down as a family and eating to show him but he just has no interest. He also has to have a toy or something to distract him himself. I know I’ve spilled my life around story here but you can see we’ve tried a lot but im I have been asking anyone for anything else i may be missing. I really appreciate your response.
I am on the same boat here! My son is 17 months… no teeth though and he can eat purees (swallowing!) and he will eat boiled beans and orka but table food.. 0 interest and cries. I too have thickened the purees to encourage him to move to the next step… but it has resulting in mini vomiting episodes. Help!
Us too. 17 months adjusted and only eating very soft small piece table foods…. and a bunch of purées. I still give formula because I know my twins need it. I feel lost
Hello. I have a 13 month old son who prefers to eat pureed foods. He does fine being fed by spoon with pureed food. I will try and put solids on spoon and he will eat mashed potatoes or cut up veggies on some days. ANd other days he cries and refuses. Some days he will eat puffs on his own other days he will not. He mostly smashes foods between his hands or it ends up throwing it on the floor. I really want him to self feed and to enjoy eating rather than it being torture for him. Any advice?
I know it sounds strange, but I’d try brushing his teeth several times a day, this will help desensitize the mouth and build his coordination for eating. Brush his tongue too with a firm pressure! Keep offering those crunchy meltable table foods and others that are similar like I shared here. Also, did you see the free printable cheat sheet, I think it will be really helpful.
Please I need help. My son is 24 months and doesn’t eat anything serious except breast milk.
My wife is blaming me for convincing her to practice exclusive breastfeeding. She believed its the adverse effects of exclusive breastfeeding.
I’m trying my best and my son won’t respond. He’s keep on losing weight everyday. He will vomit everything when you force him. I need help.
I’m so sorry, I know how hard this is. It definitely isn’t your fault, if it had been a bottle he’d likely be stuck on that! He likely has an underlying difficulty making it hard for him to eat. It could be sensory (read more here) or oral motor skills (read more here). We have a picky eating challenge that starts next week, I think it would be great for you guys. You can sign up here.