12 month old never got into eating solids

[fussy]

My ds is not eating solids - I don't mean that he has gone off them but he has never really had any. I bf exclusively for 6 months then started to introduce solids but he never seemed to like them and I found it easier to just keep bf now I am getting worried that he is a year old and still getting all his food from me. I do still try and give him solids but he keeps refusing. He chokes on anything solid as he can't chew, he doesn't seem to be able to move food to the back of his mouth with his tounge and so just spits out food. I end up just giving him a bf. I am bfing on demand so have no idea how many feeds he has a day but he seems to feed constantly day and night.
Has anyone else encounterd this and has anyone any advice as to how I can make ds interested in food. Getting a bit desperate.

[Tissy]

Fussy, I think you deserve a medal!

My dd refused solids for a long time, and still, at nearly 12 months won't eat anything lumpy. Mind you, she only has 1 tooth, and so can't chew very effectively.

Have you tried going back to the "4 month" desserts? My dd loved Hipp Peaches and Honey and Dutch Apple Pudding- they are both really smooth and very sweet, she would eat them when she would eat nothing else! You could then move from desserts to savoury, and from there to more lumpy food over a few weeks.

Another thing that occurs to me is that he may not be hungry, if he's getting all that milk day and night, maybe its time to cut down on the breast feeds a bit. My dh misunderstood some instructions the other day, and dd got 6oz more EBM than she usually gets while I was as work, and flatly refused to eat her dinner. Not surprisingly she was starving next morning.

Got to go now, may post a bit more later, but I'm sure other people will have some ideas.

[Jaybee]

Haven't really got any experience as my two were both weaned fairly early and fairly easily, I introduced solids as soon as I could and quickly got them onto lumpy and solid foods but this does not help you does it!! It sounds to me as if he has to learn from scratch how to eat because he has only learnt to breast feed - he obviously knows that you will give in and give him the breast feed that he wants so he doesn't need to try although I would say that he needs more than just breast milk now which is why you are having to feed him morning, noon and night - do you have anyone else who you trust to try and feed him for you, maybe a grandma or good friend - starting with something that is very runny and gradually progressing - he links you with a breast feed so until he gets used to the alternative it is probably better someone else trying.

[tigermoth]

fussy, I agree, you definitely deserve a medal.

My youngest ds took a while to learn to chew and was still very milk dependent as a 1 year old. The first food that took his interest (don't faint!) were pompadour ice cream wafers - they are shaped like fans. They dissolved on his tongue so didn't need chewing and he seemed to like the crunchy, dissolving sensation. And the noise they made when he took a bite. Cause and effect.

Not an ideal foodstuff nutritionally, but the novelty element helped him realise, I think, that there were other good things out there apart from milk. And we went on from there.

HTH

[aloha]

I tend to agree, I know you are giving lots of milk because he's not eating, but he probably won't eat until you give less because he won't be hungry (vicious circle). I'd try him with something spoonfuls of custard or something else similarly sweet and milky (like breast milk) to ease the transition. You will have to make sure he's a bit hungry first, so don't give him a feed for 3hours or so beforehand (eg breakfast time after not feeding for several hours in the night - you might have to do this when feeling brave!). Yoghhurt and honey might also be good. YOu may need to persist a bit until he gets the idea that food comes on a spoon as well as via you! Keep at least one period during the day when you don't feed for a few hours and then offer some milky sweet smooth food on a spoon, just to get him started. I assume you are giving vitamin & iron drops as he will probably need them by now. If this doesn't work, I'd go and see my gp to rule out any physical cause for his not eating. I can well understand why you are desperate!