[mommamarci]

I am very nervous about solid food introduction. Cameron has major sensory issues. he cannot handle anything solid. When we tried to introduce Gerber puffs, he had major issues.

It is time to introduce solids to Spencer and I am scared to death. We gave him puffs the other night. Dh and I hovered inches away from him waiting to yank him out of his chair when he started choking. He never did... We were jumping around clapping because he did not choke! He let it sit on his tongue with a funny look on his face, then kind of mashed it with his tongue and swallowed it.

So, what is next? Should I stick with puffs for a while? Should I try soft steamed fruits and veggies? What did you do when introducing foods?

Thanks!

[mom2fabtwins]

I have twins, 9 months, one of them is sensitive to textures. I try anything that they can get to their mouths that prety much disolves or mases easily: toast, graham crackers, steamed carrots, sweet potatoes. With Thanksgiving around the corner, most of the feast is fair game. Have fun!!!

[Wisdom]

The first solid our DS had was Earth's stage one peas. He was about 5 1/2 months or older. He still doesn't like puffs or anything with a hard texture. He frowns and spits it out.

[sbaglio]

Has he been on purees? We started harder foods like puffs after a few months on purees. We started with fruits and sweet vegetables (butternut squash, sweet potato etc). I don't think puffs alone will be enough in terms of all the nutrients he'll need. I'd get him used to stage 2 foods before going with steamed veggies and the like (although we do give DD finger foods like steamed carrots, red/yellow sweet peppers etc).

[mommamarci]

Sorry, I was not more precise. He has been on pureed baby foods since he was 6 months, so more than 2 months now. The puffs are just the first thing we have tried that is not a completely smooth texture.

[Fran27]

I'm a bit in the same boat. We've done puffs and cheerios so far, the problem we have is that they can pick them up after trying for a while, but can't put them in their mouth yet (or rarely). And they're not too fond of us putting food in their mouth.

We tried our homemade purees again, which have more textures and lumps, and they still gag and hate it. So we're still on stage 2 purees for a while I guess...

[aclee]

Waving to you both from the land of NO tolerance to change over here.

I don't know what it was with Ty. When we changed formula, started puree's, started a new puree, stared cereal, started a new cereal, started ANYTHING new that was food related, it was a huge, monumental ordeal in our house. There was screaming and hitting, and crying and gagging, and more gagging, and laughing (when I would cry)...it was just always a big huge major ordeal. So I stopped. I just stopped feeding him.

Just kidding. I kept at. In our house that was all we could do. Everyday we started over. I would give him breakfast of something he liked and was familiar with so he could get a good meal in his belly, and then at lucnh we would work on something new. A new food, a new texture, protien vs a veggie. Something new. It's exhausting...

I don't know if it's like this with all kids, but with Ty, with each 'new' thing, he would turn a corner...where suddenly he was ok, and that wasn't 'new' anymore. First it was a new formula, then it was anything besides formula, then it was what it was besides formula, then it was textures, then it was feeding himself. Slowly each of those steps because not new to him. Today we went out to lunch. I got chicken with corn and fries and DH got a patty melt with fries. Tyler ate (all by himself) pieces of burger, peices of chicken, diced tomato, corn (and some corn off my fork) peices of french fry, melted cheese, and finished it all off by deciding he wanted to be an active part in our ice cream dessert.

Somewhere along the way, he turned the corner. For dinner he ate raw red peper pieces (*I* was gagging....hate peppers), squash peices (which was the#1 vomit factor a month ago) and fish. He loves FISH...so weird. I got a headache and laid down for an hour, and woke up to Tyler helping Daddy make kale soup. Complete with them both having their own tasting spoons for the process on the spoon rest.

Stick with it. It's overwhelming because it plays RIGHT into our whole motherly feed our babies emotion. It's so difficult to know you trying to do the right thing for them, and at the same time, it upsets them, and may even make them throw up.

Ty has been a see-saw with food. From day to day I could vary between saying, Ty's a GREAT eater, to Ty will starve to death.

Make sure they get plenty of formula and really accept that is where they are getting their nutrition from anyway! They will come around eventually

Edit to add...okay, I read Fran's post and somehow thought she was the OP. Sorry.

Marci...I would say move to chunkier foods, and thicken the purees if you haven't been. Cherrios, and steamed/boiled/roasted veggies are great too. Tofu is a great intro to protien if you haven't yet. Try a variety of things! Ty loved puffs, and still does. They are a great stand by when you are out and about too. I would do puffs for a few days (they really help them get down the tray to mouth move) and then maybe try cherrios broken in 1/2...

[OakShannon]

I am totally spoiled. D really is a good eater. It usually only takes a few introductions for him to decide that he likes a new food.

We started with an organic version of Cheerios when he was 7 months old. When he got good at picking them up and putting them in his mouth, I started giving him small chunks of sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, soft fruit, whole wheat pasta that was boiled to the point that it would fall apart in his mouth and small pieces of tofu. (I agree with Aclee - this is a great baby food. It's healthy, has a mild flavor, and is really easy to eat. D loves it.)

Without Cameron's sensory issues, this beginning stage probably won't last very long. D is 10 months old and he'll eat almost anything we eat.

[Fran27]

Yeah I'd try more if they could put it in their mouth themselves. Having to do it myself kinda defeats the purpose, lol. Cheerios are probably not the easiest to grab though, but it's cheaper to waste when they drop them.

[aclee]

Originally Posted by Fran27

Yeah I'd try more if they could put it in their mouth themselves. Having to do it myself kinda defeats the purpose, lol. Cheerios are probably not the easiest to grab though, but it's cheaper to waste when they drop them.

When Ty was first learning I would hold them in my hand. Something about picking them up off of a slipper plastic tray would fustrate him and he would get all distracted because there were so many. I didn't have to do it long though. He seemed to think it was easier to grab them one at a time from my hand.

[Fran27]

Yeah I might try that... They still gag on so much stuff, it's frustrating, lol. I'll try puffs again at lunch.

[GoddessDanu]

I recommend you getting a book called Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron. It's an excellent how-to on not only making your own baby foods but also a month by month schedule on when to introduce what foods to your baby. It's excellent and I think you can get it used from Amazon for about $6.