Advice needed re going cold turkey to get rid of the stage one type food - DD 11 months...

[DawnAS]

Hi there,

I've put a couple of threads in here over the months and now need some good advice over getting my DD off of stage one type food.

We have cut her bottles down to three. One in the morning, one mid-afternoon and one before bed and food-wise, she will have breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks and dinner.

All her snacks are finger-foods but her main meals are still either stage one type foods or the only slightly lumpy stage 2 like Ella's pouches or some of the Hipps ones.

She generally just spits out anything where the lumps are too big but I really want to move her onto our food.

Don't get me wrong, if we have a meal we will give put various bits on her plate and will put virtually everything in her mouth, but she doesn't really 'eat' any of it. It generally goes on the floor (which the dogs love). So I then give her a jar, fearing that she hasn't had enough to eat.

So... I'm thinking that I know what you will all say, just give her what we're having and she'll get used to it and that we should stop with the stage one food. But I'm really worried that she just won't bother as even with her jars, after a few mouthfuls she's not bothered. She's just not particularly bothered about food full-stop, she'd rather be playing!

Plus, she's only just got her first teeth, two this week. Would that make a difference to her food? Would now be a good time to just go cold turkey on stopping the jars?

Also, with something like mashed potato, should I spoon feed it to her or just give her a spoon and see how she gets on?

Can you tell I'm a first time Mum?

All advice gratefully received!

So... I'm thinking that I know what you will all say, just give her what we're having and she'll get used to it and that we should stop with the stage one food.

Got it in one! Babies' appetites really vary and for some a few mouthfuls is all they need. Your own food will be more nutritious and filling than plain pureed mush anyway. If she is still hungry after one meal, she will make up for it at the next!

Thank you for your reply, but she generally doesn't even have a mouthful of our food, just tends to put it in her mouth sucks on it for a bit and throws it onto the floor.

Can I risk just letting that happen until she realises that it is all she is getting? We have had issues with her weight so I'm concerned that she'll lose a lot of weight.

I do know that this is absolutely my issue and not hers and I make sure that she doesn't get any vibes from me, I just want to know that I am doing the best I can for her...

I think you just need to have confidence and stop the mush/baby food. Remember under one yr they are just meant to get lots of tastes and flavours most calories still come from milk.

My DD is 11 months and we just give her our food now. If we're having something not so suitable I'll make her a cheese omelette and a few vegetable sticks. Although a lot ends on the floor I'm sure some gets in!

Also I think if you give puree for too long they never learn to chew. Have confidence she'll be fine (babies never die of starvation they eat what they need!).

Hi there

Not sure if it will help but will tell you what I do with my DD who is very close in age to your DD if I remember rightly. Its tricky though - all babies are really different and some just arent that interested in food - my godson for example barely ate a thing and my friend went out of her mind (needless to say he is now a thriving four year old who is doing very well indeed at school, so she chilled out with her next boy who was v similar about eating).

My dd has two bottles a day - I offer 7 oz first thing in the morning and last thing at night. She usually drains the bedtime one but usually only gets through half of in the morning.

She is not so far off 12 months (2nd June) so I am not buying any more formula once we have finished this batch - plan to give her warm milk in a cup with her breakfast and then a bottle of warm milk last thing at night as it is a nice part of her routine.

For brekkie she has puffed wheat with a blob of yoghurt and a bit of fruit smoothe mixed in - I give her a spoon but she mostly just uses her hands cos she can pick up each little puffed wheat covered in yoghurt by herself (and it takes her at least 30 mins - yay! while I eat my own!) To ring the changes she has Ready Brek with hot milk and a bit of Innocent Smoothie mixed in. I spoonfeed her this and if I am feeling brave I let her have the spoon and leave her to do it herself (she usually manages to get a bit in her mouth by trial and error).

Lunch - usually bits of bread in fingers, cheese ditto, bits of ham, bits of fruit, etc. If we have soup I spoonfeed her some of ours. She sometimes has jacket potato and beans - I just cut it open, loosen it a bit, stick some beans on top and let her use her hands (while taking deep breaths re the mess). She has v diluted apple juice to drink.

Supper - she usually just has whatever we had last night eg pasta and bolognaise sauce, or stew. I just put bits on her tray or on her plate and she uses her hands. I let her have a go at it and from time to time I spoon/fork a bit in too. She has yoghurt with fruit smoothie stirred in for pud (I spoon that in).

I often notice DD eats much better if at least one person is eating with her. She eats best of all if we are all together and she is just left to get on with it while we all chat!

I wonder if your DD is getting a bit bored with jars? I think they can be very bland and boring to taste, compared with our food. Sounds like she is fine with finger foods for snacks.

I think they definitely want control as well by this age - my DD is very clear about when I may spoonfeed and when I may not! (Usually not, these days, sadly!)

I think you should make some lovely pasta spirals and bol sauce, buy a stick-down bowl, put it in front of your DD while you eat some off your plate, and see what happens (and try not to mind the mess, aarrghh!)

She won't starve ...

The other thing is that my DD doesn't really eat snacks between meals - I didn't realise you were supposed to give them snacks so never have! Poor DD - I do now give her a biscuit bar round about tea time as I notice it improves her mood so I think she was getting peckish.

But wonder if, with the lunchtime milk and the snacks, your DD is actually quite full when it comes to meal times?

You know what to do, really, you're just not quite sure of yourself. Well be sure - 'cos you've hit the nail on the head. Full marks!

She is eating as much as she wants, and following her appetite. Teething can indeed put babies off their food. She's also a perfectly clever little thing, and knows that Mummy won't let her go hungry. If she doesn't eat what Mummy offers her, then Mummy will give her something else.

Chiiiillllll.

Just go on doing what you are already doing. But don't bother about the jar. If she's eaten a bit of food, and is then not all that bothered about the jar, then, really and truly, she's eaten as much as she needs.

Babies are actually really good at regulating their intake. They eat as much as they need, they don't pig out like adults, nor starve themselves because of somebody else's opinions.

You're doing fine.

Thank you so much ladies.

Bumpsadaisie, yes, very similar in ages. My DD is one on the 8th June - doesn't time fly. I think you could be right about her not wanting the jars anymore. She starts grizzling when she sees the bowl coming towards her now, with me stirring some gloupy food in it, but the minute my dinner plate comes out, she looks all excited.

Yesterday I kept giving her fork-fulls of cheesy-mash off of my plate and even though she took it out of her mouth straight away with her fingers, she would then pick it up and eat it from wherever she had smeared it! Thank goodness for leather sofas!! So I will start giving her the odd bit of food and see how she goes.

PrettyCandles, thank you so much for your reassurance. I wish I had my DD's attitude, she's clearly not worried and I don't want her to be. She's started actually spitting the spooned stuff out now, whether she's hungry or not, so she must be REALLY fed up with it!

Thanks all for your brilliant advice!

xx

That definitely sounds like the "I want to do it myself" phase! My dd is very insistent on being in control (Grrr!)

However it does mean you can let them get on with it and have time to read the paper! DD spent 30 mins feeding herself yoghurt with a spoon today and I read the whole of the sunday mag, ha ha!

i agree with what others have said. let her do it herself, then you can chill out doing something else. eat with her, but don't put any pressure on. let her se you enjoying food, chewing, etc etc. the more pratice she gets doing it herself the more adept she will be. don't offer anything else. tell her that is all there is. she'll probably get the message quite quickly. my mum would say don't give snacks if she is not hungry at mealtimes but that might be a bit old school. particularly if she has had weight issues. you know what to do. trust your instincts .