ARGH! Fussy 10 month old - only wants toast, pasta and fruit. Normal?

[gerbo]

Help! My 10 month old dd starting weaning at 6 months and wasn't that bothered. After a month or so she started eating mashed veg and fruit pretty well (we started with veg to try and avoid a sweet tooth - hah!).

Now she will only eat mashed fruit/stuff out of jars. She won't touch savoury stuff at all, except for plain pasta, rice cakes and toast. Her little mouth stays shut, she shakes her head and ends up eating (like just now) a couple of rice cakes, a few spoons of fruit and pasta. Not exactly balanced.

I'm cooking everything fresh and using a mix of finger foods and mash, but it's getting frustrating.

Suggestions anyone? Should I be eating with her? Should I give up on the rejected spoon and just go for finger foods now? (Pretty much all end up on the floor except red pepper randomly.)

Two friends suggested witholding all sweet stuff and toast till the savoury mash was eaten for a few days till the penny dropped that one had to be eaten before the other but I didn't want to give sweet stuff as a 'reward'. And I'm worried she'll just reject savoury and have an empty tummy - But would this tactic help?

I know it's a minor worry but chucking all this good food away each meal is driving me crazy.

Any suggestions welcome.

the easiest thing to try is giving up the spoon - worth a bash, non?

I guess so Mrs Badger, but what if she eats nothing and chucks it all on the floor as she tends to at tea time, when it's pretty much only finger foods offered? The only things she eats and enjoys are toast, red pepper (?!) and rice cake.

Do you just put the baby to bed with milk and not worry that they haven't had solids?

BUT thanks for the suggestion - I could try a couple pf days of only baby led eating!

most of her calories are still coming from milk - fear not. i also second mrs b's suggestion

up her milk intake to compensate for her eating less if that happens. gradually, she wil get used to feeding herself, then be eating more, and you can drop the milk again.

sounds exactly like me dd - she loves peppers too and also courgattes (?)

I've always been doing blw as any attempts of feeding her, apart from yogurt ended up in meltdown.

no advive but sympathies

my dd has done blw from 6 months. some days she eats like a horse, other days not so much. today a bit poorly so some (minimal!) toast banana and cucumber was all. they will take what they need, keep trying her on a variety of foods. there are lots of fingerfoods that you can give for breakfast and lunch as well, see Aitch's blog

Thanks awchewww - good to know it's not just me getting so frustrated each mealtime. Maybe BLW's the way forward for a bit.

Oooooooh had this with both DDs - with DD1 I struggled on trying to force purees down her and both of us ended up in tears (and she still has dodgy food traits). With DD2 I thought - what the heck?! Gave her what she wanted (dry cereals and other such boring fare) and at every meal tried a small amount of other stuff that she could dip toast or cheesy bread-sticks into (cream cheese turned out to be a winner) or pick at (lots of berries, scrambled egg, eggy bread, home-made jacket wedge chips with ketchup etc) and still let her have loads of milk for calories. She is now 22 months and verrrrrrry bonny (not fat mind you!!) with no odd foody hang-ups at the moment. Try to relax easier said than I know) and give her what she wants AND other stuff which she may well ignore for some time...

It may be that she is getting bored with the effort of feeding herself - it's a new skill, and sometimes they just think 'milk is so much easier and quicker than all this faff'... but it is a real pain. If she will still go for mashed sweet stuff you could try to smuggle in some sweet veg like butternut squash or avocado to get a few extra calories in her.

you're welcome gerbo

i know we should relax but it's easier said tnan done isn't it

absolutely - especially when everyone else's babies seem to be loving any old food and sitting there with their mouths open for more the whle time. will try and take a chill pill though!

Agree with trying to let her self feed, and yes, I'd eat with her, make it clear you're enjoying your food, and put your plate sufficiently close for a curious hand to sneak out and grab some of yours!