Getting increasingly worried about 10 month old and solids

[pag2020]

So my DS has always been fussy with feeding ever since he was a newborn. He was terrible with his milk (FF) until he got to about 6ish months and suddenly started to inhale 7oz bottles which was great. However we have been weaning since then and safe to say it's a struggle.

So he will eat his breakfast just fine, but the only thing he will eat is baby porridge with a bit of fruit puree mixed in. I have tried toast, weetabix, scrambled eggs etc etc and he will refuse to eat anything else. Same goes for lunch and dinner, they're even worse. He will not allow me to fed him anything savory off a spoon, only his morning porridge or yoghurt. I give him finger food and he will take 1 maybe 2 bites then he plays with it or throws it on the floor. I eat with him to try and encourage but that doesn't make a difference. I have also just given him the bowl and spoon to try and he will again just play with the spoon etc.

The HV came round the other day to discuss and she was very little help. Best she could say was "oh, he needs to eat more solids". Well... yes... I'm trying my best! I keep hearing the phrase "food is just for fun before 1" but the HV gave me a different vibe and seemed concerned.

Basically, has anyone else been through something similar where their LO was slow to start solids and would only eat yoghurt etc? Just wondering if I'm offering him the wrong stuff or will it just click one day? 🤔

Yes, my dd was just like this! I worried endlessly about what she was eating but I don't think I really needed to. She still isn't a big eater at 17 - she just isn't that interested in food - but she isn't at all fussy now and eats enough to stay healthy. Try to relax about it, OP, and don't ever make food into a battle. Your little one will gradually start broadening the scope of what he will eat, I'm sure!

What kind of things are you offering? Meat/chicken/fish/pasta/fruit/veg/cheese in big pieces he can gum/suck?

It’s really about getting them used to different tastes and textures, you’re not expecting him to eat full meals at this stage.

Best thing is to make low salt food for you and just put some in his tray for him at the same tune

When he starts crawling he'll use more energy and require more food... mine didn't eat that much at 10 months either. Keep on with a different variety of finger foods and let him explore. Honestly don't worry too much, as when teething their gums are sore and things that are too acidic like tomatoes are too irritating. So they don't like them.. try him with some frozen yogurt with fruit purée in, or rice cooked with peas and sweetcorn with some yogurt and mint on the side

@Anothernamechangeplease yes the constant worrying is driving me mad! But thank you for the reassurance. I make sure not to pressure him into eating if he doesn't want it. If after say, 20 mins (I mean maybe that's too long, I don't know?) he seems disinterested and is still playing about then I just end meal time and don't make a big deal of it but in my head I feel very deflated.

@Matchingcollarandcuffs I offer a variety of things. Cucumber/carrot sticks, eggs muffins with cheese, various purees, homecooked meals blended or mushed up, mini sandwiches, apple slices etc etc, the list is endless! No I'm aware he won't eat a proper meal as their stomachs are still tiny at this point but honestly he barely eats a bite of anything apart from baby porridge (which I'm not a fan of as it's processed and sweet) and yoghurt.

@ponkydonkey He's not very mobile, shows no interest in crawling but he does sit very well and has started to pull up on things so hopefully as he gets more and more active he may start to show more of an interest - hopefully!

My DD was like this. She just wasn’t interested at all, and absolutely would not let me feed her either. Her big brother in comparison, was feeding himself full meals by 9 months - I started blw with both of them at 6ish months. Something clicked at around 12 months, and very quickly she was eating 3 meals a day - I just had to wait for her to be ready. You can’t force feed them, it would be cruel apart from anything else! Just keep offering and he’ll get there.

Also something that helped was some messy play with things that were safe for her to eat, as that seemed to help her get used to different textures etc. eg you can make ‘paint’ with yoghurt and a bit of food colouring, coloured spaghetti or rice, there’s a slime recipe that used chia seeds and so on. Quite good that it’s summer as you can plonk them outside and the mess is easier to contain!

I made sure to introduce a multi vitamin as I was breastfeeding and wanted to make sure she got enough vit D and Iron etc. Shes now 4 and perfectly healthy and eats really well. I remember how stressful it was, and I’m now going through similar with DS2 who is 9 months and really not that interested either (although better than his sister!) As others have said, don’t make it a battle and try to stay relaxed at meal times. Good luck!

The big little feelings Instagram has a highlight for food which is good- some of it is aimed at older kids but worth a look.

Can you consistently give him something you know he will eat alongside something new / different each time?

Hi OP, what about softer food, more puréed ones? In case it's the texture he doesn't like?

My DS didn't eat things like toast or scrambled eggs, basically anything dry for a good while after his 1st birthday, I offered but he just didn't like them and it took a while for him to get used to them.

I did worry at the beginning but just accepted his preference and let him eat what he liked (whilst also offering & introducing different textured food). It suddenly all clicked when he got most of his teeth through at 18m (ish) and he's been absolutely fine ever since!

When he was your DS's age, he loved porridge, yoghurt, really soft carrots & broccoli, mash, mashed up (quite wet) lasagna and bolognese that I minced up really finely. But there were days he'd only eat yoghurt and porridge and I personally think it's absolutely fine as long as they are still drinking their milk & getting multi vitamins in.

Just a thought but hope it helps :)

Re porridge, I just saw that you don't like baby porridge. DS had Ready brek / smooth porridge oats made with his regular formula milk and it went down like a treat. I could also sneak in some puréed blueberries or puréed bananas.

Mine was slow to start. We reduced his milk and he seemed to get the hang of it - we also never loom over him and just let him do it.

On the breakfast front, I wouldn't worry about him only having baby porridge. For well over a year mine would only eat Heinz baby porridge, he's allergic to wheat so had the gluten free banana one, but would just not eat anything else! He's now a perfectly happy healthy 21 month old who will now have baby porridge or fruit for breakfast!

@pag2020 how did this turn out? Did your little one eventually eat? We are really struggling little one showing very little interest at all. It’s awful and we are worried sick. He’s due to start nursery in May and it does make me nervous as hell what will happen there we are still on full milk feeds x