Am I expecting too much or are we behind...?

[LindsayS79]

Hi all
DD is just about 14 months. Being a refluxer has delayed certain elements of weaning. Anyway, I'm getting myself worried about her lack of interest in eating a 'full meal' of proper finger food. I've tried things like pizza made with muffins or pitta etc etc but she eats a couple of bits and that's it.
She will only take a few bites of a sandwich, toast etc. however she'll eat a bigger quantity of rice cakes, breadsticks and my homemade sausage rolls (she loves pastry). However she still won't eat that much of it. Am I expecting too much to want her to eat a small sandwich/muffin/bagel etc? Or should I be getting worried? When did your LO stop eating chopped/mashed up meals? Feel as though I'm giving her pasta all the time!!

Lindsay. I don't think you are expecting too much but one thing strikes me is the reflux and the lack of interest in solid meals, this could be tongue tie. I'm not saying it is but it sounds like its certainly worth ruling out

How much milk is she having each day and which brand? Sometimes this can affect weaning too.

My daughter was (is) like that. Not much interest in food, nibbles a few bits. She wouldn't really eat anything solid until 15 months. Odd bits, but only wanted milk. Shes 2.2 now and still doesn't eat what I would class to be a proper meal. It's just a succession of picky bits really. She'll eat quite a lot of stuff if it's blended or mashed - not something I do that often, but I resort to it if she's having a particularly fussy day.

People say "they'll eat if they're hungry". Utter bollocks in my experience! She'll choose to go hungry.

Thanks both. She does have mild tongue tie. A speech therapist came out when she was about 8 months and said it wouldn't cause any issues. I'm now thinking that it is causing issues. She takes about 8oz milk max a day. She's on neocate but she was just tested last week and her milk allergy is gone!
I just wonder what makes her not chew well. She takes FOREVER to chew if I chop up chicken etc into her meals. The fact she's had a bad tummy bug and two colds in three weeks has NOT helped matters. She's gagging like she's six months old again

BTW, she only has 4 teeth. Could this be an issue? Saying that, if she's eating breadsticks surely she can manage a sandwich in that case.. So confused!

Really, really don't think its the teeth. My dd ate a sandwich she had snaffled at 23 weeks. DS who has tt was just like your dd. I would seriously consider getting it divided as it can cause speech problems too.

My friends dd was stealing and eating slices of pizza at 10 months old with no teeth so I dont think it would be that, its amazing what thwy can do with just gums.

Id look into the tongue tie as jilted has said

My DD didn't eat sandwiches till at least 18 months,despite having a piece of toast every morning, maybe it's easier to chew on crunchy things.

Thanks all. Completely exasperated with the HVs and speech therapists. They constantly deny it is causing issues. Did you end up going private jilted?

We've never had it divided but I really, really wouldn't recommended it. We went through hell bfing. Weaning didn't go much better and he still has speech therapy years later.

This article on Milk Matters gives some information on tt and how to get it diagnosed and divided and I think there is a facebook group, tongue tie babies.

Thanks jilted. I'll give that a good read tonight. Just out if interest, what would a normal 14 month old be having for dinners etc? I'm still making up foods for her such as shepherds pie (with chunks) and macaroni (with mini shells). She takes forever to chew so that's what makes me think there's something up

At 14 months both of ours just ate family meals. Tonight we've had mild chilli and rice, tomorrow we are have blueberry pancakes for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch then a roast dinner. I think its normal to expect a 14 month old to attempt eat all of that. A child with tt might be different though.