10 month old stuck on purées!

[Captain1822]

Hi all, just looking for some advice to help with weaning my 10 month old DS off purées and on to other textures/ finger foods as we are having little success.

We began weaning at 6 months and he immediately took to purées and even began feeding himself quite well.
After a month or so we tried him on thicker textures, lumpy foods etc and we are still in the same position 3 months on with him gagging/ refusing to eat. I offer a variety of finger foods aswell for him to pick at and even just to play with for sensory development but he outright refuses to actually chew and swallow them if they do end up in his mouth! We persevere with the gagging, knowing he’s not choking, but after a few gags he will refuse the food all together, not even touching it. After that he becomes increasingly distressed at the food in front of him, even if it’s not directly offered (I.e leaving it on the tray in front of him without actually trying to get him to play with it/ eat it).
I try not to show my frustration as I know he will sense it so I try to stay calm and collected whilst he’s feeding.

I also use a mesh feeder with him which is successful most the time as he’s happy to chew and suck at fruit and veggies in there but that’s as far as it goes.
He’ll happily much on those melty sticks which essentially dissolve in his mouth and he’s taken well to yoghurts, fromage frais etc, same with smooth mashed potato and any veggies that are pureed. He loves the Ella’s kitchen smoothies for a snack.
Also loves his morning porridge which is lumpy in texture but somehow this is fine? Have tried to mix things into his porridge but it’s met with refusal unless the addition is puréed, i.e bananas.

We offer water with all his meals and sips in between, have tried different timings with food, cutting back on milk, offering little and often etc but nothing seems to work in moving him forward with different textures?

He has 8 teeth so it’s not that he doesn’t have the teeth to chew with! I have an appointment with our HV in two weeks for his 10-12 month review but was hoping for any tips to try in the meantime?

I should add that he also HATES having his hands wiped and touched, so maybe there’s an element of underlying sensory issues?

Thanks in advance if you made it this far!

My DS was exactly the same, his turned out to be undiagnosed Tongue tie.

I'm happy to report that at 12 months he started eating and now he's older eats almost anything.

Thank you! I hadn’t even considered this but it could be a possibility. So glad your DS’ eating improved, it gives me hope!

It could be an oral tie of some sort. A pediatric dentist would be best suited to diagnose as they're specialised in identifying them far better.

You could also join Weaning the BLW Way on Facebook. They might be able to help offer some good advice.

I know it can be really worrying ❤️

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I’ll definitely check out the group you suggested.

We’ve recently had some success with Weetabix and avocado on toast so I’m feeling a little more hopeful!

We’ve recently had some success with Weetabix and avocado on toast so I’m feeling a little more hopeful!

Oh that's brilliant Captain! Does he like cheese? You could maybe try a bit of cheese on toast? Something sweet might encourage him too like blueberry pancakes or a mini muffin would encourage him?

as a couple of people have already said, I would get hun checked for tongue tie. My little one has one and can only handle super smooth purée

Hey, just wondering how you got on OP? My 10 month old is the same but has tongue tie which was recently cut and we’re still having lots of issues and sensory issues. Wondering if there’s something more to it than the tongue tie.

Hi @Chloesophia93
I’d actually forgotten about this phase, it seems so long ago! Not long after I posted, we found some success with guacamole on toast and certain other foods which seemed to open the door to him eating more, a complete fluke but after lots (and lots) of trial and error we found other things he was willing to try and found patterns in what he would and wouldn’t eat, and tried to work around them.
No tongue tie was found but definite sensory issues (awaiting ASD diagnosis two years down the line) which of course I don’t mean to imply for your little one, it’s just our personal experience. Our HV was rubbish and basically just told me to stick at it but perhaps yours might be more helpful?
He has regressed a little in terms of textures he’s willing to eat now but he’s far from pouches and now happily eats solids (except for pasta and potatoes which are firm no’s from him!) It really didn’t seem to ‘click’ for him until around his first birthday, which then he took better to trying new textures like fish etc.
Sorry it’s not very helpful for you but I really hope your little one finds an interest in food soon and that there’s no underlying issues x