Refusing Solid Foods

Question :

My 11-month-old son will NOT eat solid food. We've been trying since 6

months of age w/ a range of tastes, textures and techniques and if he

gets the littlest bit of food in his mouth he'll gag very dramatically

and a couple times has vomited. He jams his mouth closed, shakes his

heads, and eventually screams if we insist. He WILL happily mouth

toys, his hands, leaves at the playground, etc., so I know he CAN and

will put things in his mouth. He'll also grab at food that we're

eating, but only wants to touch it.

He's managed maybe 5 bites of food in 5 months. Once a tiny bit of

yogurt, a spoonful of rice cereal, and one cheerio.

He's being fed breastmilk exclusively at this point-- by breast and

bottle. He's growing nicely and is hitting all the developmental

milestones just fine, so on some level I'm not terribly worried about

this. Still, his pediatrician is NOT happy and wants us to see a

swallowing disorder specialist. (Earliest appt I could get is in July,

a couple weeks shy of my son's 1st b-day.) I'm fine w/ doing that,

but am wondering if any parents on the list have experience with this

kind of thing.

We've tried just about every food in about every form possible.

Purees, finger foods, homemade, commercially prepared, grown up table

food, etc. We've tried feeding him w/ other babies. We've made a game

out of eating. We've let him watch us eat. We've tried in his high

chair, on the floor, in our laps, etc. We've tried letting him play w/

an empty spoon and bowl. I've tried giving him a very soupy rice

cereal w/ breastmilk. No luck.

He did have great difficulty breastfeeding for the first 4.5 months of

his life-- was diagnosed w/ a tongue tie and had a frenotomy, but now

feeds beautifully. He babbles normally and makes a range of sounds, so

I don't think his tongue is the problem.

We did see an early intervention specialist about the nursing early

on, but it was determined that he wasn't eligible for care. We might

approach them again to see if they've be willing to reassess him.

My gut says that the answer is simply: He's not ready! He loves

nursing and since he doesn't read calendars, doesn't know he's

supposed to eat solids. He won't still be subsisting on breast milk in

college. (I hope!) If we give it time, he'll eventually start eating

solid foods...

Any thoughts, words of wisdom or encouragement? I'm curious to hear

how others resolved this, when the turning point happened, etc.

REPLIES:

Your son sounds just like my daughter at that age. She had sensory

issues mostly in her mouth making eating painful and oral motor issues

such that she could not move food around in her mouth and had to be

taught how to chew.

as you say, he may not be developmentally ready, or it could be

something he needs help with.

I highly reccomend you call 311 for another eval by early

intervention. Make sure they send a speech/feeding therapist not just

a speech therapist to evaluate him. Not all speech therapists know

about feeding issues, also specify you want him evaluated for sensory

issues.

***

We went through the exact same thing with my daughter. She gagged and

threw up everything we tried to give her to eat, and my gut told me

there was something wrong. (everyone told me she wasn't ready to eat)

I consulted doctors, a neurologist, pediatric nutritionist, etc., and

then went to an osteopath on the suggestion of my friend- took me a

month to get an appt, but we went when she was 11 months old.

The osteopath spent 1 1/2 hrs with her, and (I am simplifying here)

told me that the bones in her head did not return to their normal

position after birth, and that because of this eating made her

uncomfortable. He said she couldn't curl her tongue, and a few other

things as well. He made various adjustments on her, and immediately

afterward, she nursed differently. (and I had been to a lactation

consultant a few times to correct the latch!). She got home that

night and ate for the first time, and hasn't stopped eating since! No

more gagging, no more throwing up. Honestly, I couldn't believe it

worked. I went every few weeks to make sure the corrections stayed,

and then spaced out the appointments every 3-4 months until she was 3.

When my son was born, I made sure one of the first appointments was

to my osteopath! I continue to take both kids a few times a year for

maintenance. I can't recommend osteopathy high enough!

I copied these names a few years ago when people were asking about

osteopaths- I drove to Long Island to see Dr Smutney, since he was

recommended by a friend. The rest are recommended by Park Slope

Parents

Pediatric Osteopaths:

Shawn Tepper 917 545 9000

Zinaida Pelkey 212 662 6560

Reena (in Park Slope) 718 564 3888

Katrina Cakuls 30 E. 40th St 212 679 4335

Patricia Mader in Greenpoint 718 383 6033

Charles Smutney in Massapequa, Long Island- 1 hr drive from Park Slope

516 798 3400

***

He may have an oral aversion. My nephew did - there are great speech

therapists in the area that can help you with that. The thing is, if

it really is an aversion, it will take him a loooong time to get over

it. So, your doc is right, it's best to work on it now.

***

My daughter wouldn't eat solids until she was almost a year too. Same

thing - gagging and total rejection of pretty much everything. Except

toys or any other inappropriate object she could chew on.

One of the first things she ever ate with joy was a teething biscuit

and then more foods followed. Our ped was concerned but wanted to wait

till she was a year old. She also had trouble breastfeeding, she never

really latched well and was diagnosed with an uncoordinated suck. She

did fine on bottles but breastfeeding was always a problem.

Fast forward to 3.5 she is a pretty decent eater and doing very well.

I say go with your gut, he just might not be ready and I think giving

him some more time, as long as he's gaining weight well, is the right

thing to do. Kids are rushed into everything these days. Some kids are

grabbing food off of mom's plate at 5 months and others are happy with

their bottles and breasts. And I'm sure he'll be done in time for

college :)

****

below is what i sent to the mom of a 9 month old not eating solids who

posted last week.

we went through absolutely everything you did, including difficulty

breastfeeding (but we never managed the breastfeeding and i pumped for

4 months). our kid is fine. he's 23 months, eats solids like broccoli

and peas and pasta and cheese and dried fruit, but wouldn't touch any

of it until i forcibly weaned him from bottles during the day - see

below

---------- Forwarded message ----------

fwiw - our kid didn't really eat solids of any kind, including purees,

until 16mos. he occasionally ate rice cereal, but much more frequently

refused it. unlike your son he didn't gag or puke, he just wouldn't

take any of it at all. we tried everything - nothing worked. we kept

him on baby formula until he was 16 months because we didn't feel he

was getting sufficient nutrition otherwise. all the doctors we asked

(3 pediatricians and an ENT), plus the early intervention evaluators

(yes, we did that too), said he was absolutely fine. and they all gave

us the same advice - if you take away his bottle and give him no

choice, he'll eat solids. now, i never would have done that at 9

months old, since at that point solids are really a cultural

preference and there's no reason for them, but by 16mos i was ready to

and of course, before i was willing to do it, i got him fully

evaluated to make sure there was no physical problem. the weaning

sucked for a few days, it took him a month to really eat the solids in

any kind of reasonable quantity, and now at 22mos he's a great eater.

i guess you could call it a "sensory issue" but that strikes me as a

diagnosis that can be applied to anyone at any time and makes you

worry for no reason. yeah, my formerly colicky, orally-obsessed,

late-eating, non-boob-latching kid probably has some "sensory issues",

but he's 100% healthy, so whatever.

point being, your kid doesn't have to have something wrong with him to

not want to eat a wide variety of solids. some just don't take to it

right away. and it really is an american thing born of a time when

women needed to get back to work and it became culturally

inappropriate to breastfeed for years at a time and there weren't

great baby formulas out there. which is why your ped keeps telling you

it doesn't matter. but yes, we also were really worried it might be

something physical and did get him checked out at some point. some of

the tests are pretty invasive though, so you might want to wait until

he's older and you're ready to wean him and see if that works before

you go for any really bad tests just to rule something out.

***

I can understand your frustration, but I say, go with your gut. It

really sounds like he's just not ready. One of the first criteria for

being ready is that they lose the tongue-thrust reflex which it

doesn't sound like your little one has done yet. I have a 5 month old

and started reasearching when I can and should start him on solids and

I've found kellymom.com to have the most informative site about it. It

is actually encouraged to wait longer than 6 months to start solids.

Especially since you're breastfeeding (and even if you weren't

actually) your baby is getting all the nutrients he needs. I wouldn't

jump into a specialist just yet. Every baby is different and some take

longer than others to do things and there's nothing wrong with that.

They're human beings! Doctors can be alarmists and although it can be

a good thing, it could also be bad. You just have to trust your

instincts and do what you think is right. If your doctor is pressuring

you rather than reassuring you, maybe you should find another dr who

is more open to listening to parents (let me know when/if you find

one!) Check out these links (if you haven't found them on your own

already!)

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html#developmental

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/first-foods.html

http://www.llli.org//FAQ/solids.html

Just keep following your babies lead and keep trying every so often.

Don't force it too much b/c then he'll associate it with negative

feelings. Just give him room and time. He'll certainly get there.

Unless you're really concerned, I would wait on the specialist another

couple of months. But do go for your peace of mind if need be. As a

new mom, I know the hell it is to stress over all this stuff!! Good

luck and breath :)

***

I just wanted to share that my Ollie, who just turned 1, has had very

similar challenges. He still is extremely resistant to eating almost

everything. The only thing he really eats are teething biscuits and

the baby puffs that dissolve in his mouth. I've tried the full

spectrum of options as well.

He went through a very short phase (maybe 9 days) where he ate some

homemade purees but then he went on strike again. I had a very casual

attitude toward his lack of eating for the first six months but it is

def getting old and a bit worrisome now.

My pediatrician suggested we stop giving him milk via a bottle and

only give it to him in a cup and occasionally nurse. The idea is that

he will drink less via a sippy cup than a bottle and be less full and

slowly become more interested in food. If I could get him to

successfully drink from a sippy cup this would be plausible.

***

my son is 11 1/2 months old and until last week, he too wouldn't eat

solids. He shuddered and made a face as if we were giving him lemons

when we tried baby food (purees), and when we tried the little bites

of cereals that dissolve quickly, he would spit them out. BUt one week

ago (!) he was suddenly into it, he even ate fairly spicy hummus and

some guacamole. And he has been eating RICE RUSKS - I read about them

online and randomly found them at a health food store up in Rhode

Island near my mom's house. They too dissolve in the mouth. He isn't

eating as much as his peers, certainly, but he is starting to eat now.

His Dr. wasn't worried and said it is pretty common actually. And I

know from my own personal family Dr who isn't alive anymore, he would

be close to 100 years old (ok that's weird, but he was my old DR).

anyway, he said the old time Drs told their patients to breast feed

exclusively for 1 year, then start introducing foods

at age 1 - NOT 6 months - if you don't have teeth how can you be

expected to eat and changing the consistency of the food (as in to

cook and puree) doesn't change the fact that with teeth comes

digestive enzymes and it is totally bogus to feed a 5 mo old rice

cereal, for example, they just can't digest it. So, it depends whom

you ask. I am just tired from making so much milk to nurse all the

time. And I am hoping my son continues to progress in the eating

department now that he will be 1 so soon. So maybe - hang in there?!

When he is ready, he'll let you know. It is hard not to compare when

you see what other kids are doing, and I have an older child and think

back to when she was this age and all the things she ate ... but every

kid is different.

***

A little anecdote: I'm not saying this is nutritionally sound, but as

of course you know, early eating is about experiencing the texture,

etc. more than nutrition. That said, my friend who had similar

problem finally resorted to those Bahlsen wafer cookies with chocoate

cream filling. Bingo.

Maybe you should smear his chew toys with jam.

pt. 2 from same person:

The reason I called my response an anecdote, not advice, was that what

opened the floodgates for my friend's kid was chocolate -- real

chocolate layer on the cookie.

Oh, and have you tried putting sweet fruit chunks like pears in one of

those little net bags with with a handle on in designed for safely

letting little ones chew on? Can't remember what the item is called

but it's made by Sassy or Munchkin, I think.

As his refusal is so profound, I personally don't think it hurts to

keep the appointment with the specialist as a rule-out. See what the

group says. It could be a swallowing or sensory thing, or just his own

developmental time line.

***

we had the same problem. It turned out he was missing enamel on

his teeth and he also had "tongue-tie." He too had a tough time

nursing, but it was the only way he could be fed and we did it

exclusively, no bottle. He couldn't even do that. We resolved it by

surgery, dental work, and then therapy.

Here is my advice: do not wait and see if things get better. Of course

he loves nursing, but he is hardwired to do the eating thing. If he's

not doing it, it's probably because he can't. The longer you wait, the

longer it will take to fix the problem. If there's a mechanical

problem in his mouth or throat, you will have to fix it, but if you

let too much time pass, he will miss the milestones that enable normal

eating and may require more therapy to get over something that maybe

is not such a big deal. And you will be (even more) scared out of your

mind.

1. Gastroenterologists start at the back of the throat. I had my son

evaluated by one of these guys, and the guy didn't even look in his

mouth, just his throat, and so of course missed the problem.

2. Try to relax. My son's nutritionist explained to me that if I was

too frightened, i would communicate that to my son, and then i might

bug him too much about eating, and he could develop a "feeding

behavior" separate from the real problem.

3. The feeding specialists from early intervention were the pits. They

gave me a lot of baloney about sensory this and sensory that. That's

all they know about. Your son puts stuff in his mouth, so sensory

problem sounds off. If course I'm not a doctor! But most of the

feeding ladies know only about sensory, and if that's not what's

wrong, they don't have a clue.

I have two excellent people, and they both helped my son eat. One was

a feeding therapist, Evan Lipman Parnell, on the Upper East Side. The

other was a nutritionist, Richard Kahn (surprisingly through EI) who

helped me to understand how little my son actually needed to eat, and

what to feed him. If you want their numbers, let me know.

My son's first solid food was PEPPRIDGE FARM GOLDFISH, at 16 months.

Don't let everyone blame you - they always blame the mommy. You will

sort this out. Just don't let it go.

Call the swallowing specialist and scream bloody murder to get an

earlier appointment. Tell them he's losing weight.

***

does Django have teeth yet? Ivo didn't cut his first tooth until he

was 11 1/2 months,

made eating more interesting to him. he was also exclusively breast

fed up until we tried

solids at around 8 months, but he didn't really take anything until

around 10 months. at

that time we did have some success mixing rice cereal with banana and

breastmilk - also,

that was given to him by a sitter, not me. (we didn't stop nursing

completely until he was

3)

it was certainly nothing our pediatrician was concerned about.

Refusing Solid Foods

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