12 month old still on baby food

I just started with a new 12 month old boy and ugh.... he is still on baby food. He was in daycare since 9 months old and his previous daycare was not willing to help the family transition into solids. They told me that he really doesn't have any interest in solids and YEP they are right! It is going to be frustrating!!

I am heading to get some groceries tonight. Any suggestions on things that would be good to feed him. He ate a bit of a grilled cheese sandwich yesterday so I though AWESOME it will come but today he absolutely refused his noodles. He then wouldn't even eat the baby food for me. The baby food is very smooth and has no chunks. I was even debating picking up a few jars of baby food myself but the chunky kinds.

Any food suggestions. It is totally my luck I would get a child like this LOL. I guess I can't complain though he naps well and has barely cried so transitioning is going well. Can't have it all I guess lol

Soups, yogurt, pudding, scrambled and hard boiled eggs, soft fruits and veggies like peaches, pears, avocados, bananas, zucchini, pasta, mashed potatoes, boiled veggies . Some of this food can be left with little bits of chunks in them to help introduce more solids. Mash the veggies a bit so they are chunky for example.

What are the parents doing to help with this? If they want him off the baby food than they should just eliminate it completely IMO.

Oh I agree 5LM.

He is ok with yogurt and banana and seems to be doing ok with goldfish crackers right now.

I fed a bottle yesterday and today but the only reason I did that is because I didn't have milk. They did tell me they were working on weaning off formula/soother/bottle but not sure what that means. I didn't give soother today for nap and it was fine. Going to buy milk tonight and then no more bottles either. He screams and spits it out if it has chunks. Could be a hungry boy here in the next little while.

In the same boat here. 2nd day transitioning a 12 mos old and he has declared a hunger strike. No food, no water, no milk. Hopefully things turn around quickly for this little guy because he is also crying quite a bit. The parents also give this child purees.

I have always believed kids don't need purees like adults think they do. My girls were eating real food early and my 2nd child I never did purees at all aside from baby cereal in the beginning.

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Originally Posted by torontokids

In the same boat here. 2nd day transitioning a 12 mos old and he has declared a hunger strike. No food, no water, no milk. Hopefully things turn around quickly for this little guy because he is also crying quite a bit. The parents also give this child purees.

I have always believed kids don't need purees like adults think they do. My girls were eating real food early and my 2nd child I never did purees at all aside from baby cereal in the beginning.

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Agreed...it's called "baby led weaning" my 14month old was never spoon fed. At 6 months we gave her what we were eating...big strips of steak, pork, bread, bagels everything. She now eats anything and everything, and needs no help. She mastered corn on the cob by 10months old he favorite foods remain every and any type of meat...because she was started on the good stuff not the pureed meats (have you tasted them?).

I have another 14month old in my care that was fed the same way before joining me and this child also eats anything and everything with no fuss.

I find it tedious to be chopping food into tiny bits and dealing with gagging...at least I never had to spoon feed any of my group!!

I have this child right now. Only eats pureed food. And dcb is 13months old. I'm sorry but this is the stupidest thing ever. Won't eat nothing, but will drink lots of milk. Doesn't seem like parents are working on it either. I've been thickening it up with nestle cereal (rice) so dcb could be full.

Well I got some groceries last night. I bought some junior baby food to see if we can get some chunks into him. I bought cheese, ham, peas, cheerios, baby cookies, rice cakes etc. Hopefully I can get him to begin to eat something he can do himself. I also got milk so no more formula in bottles here either.

I would personally just feed them what your other kids are having and either mash with a fork, chop up small or leave in large pieces so they can use their hands. They don't need any "special" foods even if they are only used to pureed baby food. Just start as though you are weaning a 6 month old. No sense in spending money unnecessarily on baby food when they are old enough to be able to consume table food. Just offer a limited variety and go from there.

I agree that he needs to eat what we eat but at the same time there will be some items that the other kids eat that he wont be able to. I do this with my other small boy so they will both get the same things. I did buy 3 jars of chunky baby food (cost me $3) so it wasn't a big issue. It will just be more of an option AFTER the other food has been served and once it is gone that is it. I don't think it is fair to the poor kid to just go straight from puree to solids. I didn't do that with my own child I certainly wouldn't do it with him. He needs to gradually get solids. I know the parents are on board so that helps. They told me is previous daycare was not (one of the reasons they left). So far so good. Crackers and cheese for morning snack and he ate all of it by himself. He is drinking milk out of his sippy cup too. I won't give him a bottle anymore.

Solid foods can be suitable as long as they are the right consistency though building up gradually to big chunks. Chunky food out of a jar or chunky food that's homemade are the same food, okay not really lol, but the same stage in terms of consistency. If he can eat crackers and cheese then he can eat your other kids food just mashed up so he can gradually get used to lumpy and then chunky foods. Fingers crossed he keeps improving for you. The reduction in milk and off the bottle will probably make the world of difference too. With a greater appetite hopefully he will be keener to eat solids making life easier for you and happier for his tummy.

Well it has been a little over a week now! I have seen so much improvement! I had mom bring a few jars of chunky baby food plus the ones I bought myself. I have been cutting up everything I make for the other kids into small pieces and putting it in front of him. I stick some of it in his mouth. He usually freaks out and spits it out. After I let him sit for about 5 minutes with the food in front of him (usually him crying because he doesn't want it) then I take it away and mix it into his pureed baby food. I slowly switched to mixing it with the chunky baby food. He didn't like that at the start but soon realized that he was going to have to go hungry if he didn't eat. Today he had cucumber (cut up) for morning snack and ate a half of grilled cheese sandwich (cut into 8) for lunch. No crying, no baby food and no help from me at all today!! We have cut out his bottle and soother completely. Now if only mom would work with him at home - she just gives in so that she doesn't have to listen to him cry. Oh well, success here!! I am so happy!

That's great! Glad you're having progress.

My puree fed baby that "can't handle real food" according to parents is doing well too. I just gave him real food when he started last week and he is learning to eat it or be hungry. I also send parents lot's of pics when a kid starts and a lot of those pics have him eating a whole banana, regular food cut up etc. They got it!The parents have stopped the purees at home now and he is eating even more at DC.

Wow that's great news for the both of you. I had a mother pick up her 15mth old last week, yes the same neurotic parent lol, and her son was sat on the bottom step waiting with his shoes on finishing his raw carrot stick and when she came in she was gobsmacked and said to me "He can eat that??" Jee Whizz Lady. What the???? She says for breakfast she gives him those fruit and yogurt baby mixes on a spoon, they are in a squeezy package or something???...Oh my goodness. This next generation is so screwed. Thank heavens they have daycare providers like us to snap them out of this pronto lol

I have to admit....until just awhile ago, I didn't give kids under 18 months hard veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli etc. I boiled them all the time lol. I actually still don't really give them that stuff unless it's cut in slivers haha. I just don't feel like dealing with a choking incident...

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

I have to admit....until just awhile ago, I didn't give kids under 18 months hard veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli etc. I boiled them all the time lol. I actually still don't really give them that stuff unless it's cut in slivers haha. I just don't feel like dealing with a choking incident...

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They could as easily choke on a piece of meat....they learn to chew properly through exposure and trial and error.

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Originally Posted by bright sparks

They could as easily choke on a piece of meat....they learn to chew properly through exposure and trial and error.

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Yup, I know all that. Some centre habits are still with me though and hard to break. All daycare meat is cooked in a slow cooker though and incredibly soft. Kids can choke on anything really however.

Even if you cook roast beef, carrots and potatoes, or lasagna, or meatloaf, whatever, a 9 month old can eat it. Just cut it really, really small. I have never had a child on baby food since I had the 4 month old join us years ago, but by 9 months they also need the nutrition. The only time I've had anybody choke was if they put too much in their mouth, so if you moniter that, you will be fine.