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Darling (10 mo) is doing well with sleeping and has been exploring our home and seems to enjoy meeting our extended family and friends at church. We had Sweets' 5th birthday party and Darling enjoyed the party atmosphere though she did (amazingly) take a nap in the middle of the festivities!
One thing she still hasn't adjusted to is being fed puree' with a spoon. Her foster mom had said that she was used to eating cereal mixed with fruit in the morning and cereal mixed with veggies and meat at lunch. I tried to keep her feeding the same but when I have fed her any pureed food she would take a bite, then arch her back and scream. So, I thought maybe she didn't trust me enough to try new tasting foods yet so I mixed some cereal with formula and it was the same reaction. She'll feed herself solid foods (bites from our plates of soft meat, veggie or fruit and cheerios or baby puff snacks) but screams when I try feeding her. she will also happily eat the puree directly out of one of those pouches. I wonder if it is something that is triggering memories of her previous home, like remembering when her foster mom would feed her? I wondered if any of you have experience with feeding issues after placement? The really weird thing is she will eat the food - she just arches back and screams with every bite!
Should I back off on trying to feed her puree since it seems to cause her distress or keep trying till she gets used to it? Thanks for any insight!
Last update on August 30, 5:31 pm by Amanda Brown.
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It may be some sort of transition behavior, but then again it may not. I worked in the infant room of a daycare through college and some babies would go on "strike" against baby food. Out of nowhere it would seem. They just wanted finger foods and only finger foods. It was an independence thing more so than a food thing. My 11 month old niece just did this a few weeks ago over the course of no more than a week. Now they feed her "real people food" and everyone is happy.
I think we, as foster parents dealing with kids with unique circumstances, always look for a complex reason, but sometimes behaviors are typical for the child's age.
I'm thinking that at 10 months, if she eats finger foods and drinks her formula, I would skip the puree. Banana pieces, soft boiled carrots cut in little pieces, soft cooked peas that she can pick up and eat are more fun and probably better for her anyway. My kids didn't really eat baby food from a jar (Except earth's best string beans - I don't know why) so after they were off baby cereal, it was pretty much soft finger foods for them and I would feed them whatever I was eating off my plate suitably chopped up.
My older one went on a food strike at 9 months where she would not eat anything except avocados and chicken soup. We supplemented with extra formula until she grew out of it. I agree with PP that sometimes it's just normal baby stuff. Try to adjust and not worry.
Personally, I think that most baby food is a waste of money, especially after a child is close to a year old. Most kids, once they taste "real" food, never want prepared baby food again. Also, if you have to travel with baby, it's ridiculously difficult to carry a bunch of glass jars around. I adopted my daughter in China when she was 18 months old, and I must tell you that it's easy to find good food choices for a toddler, even on the buffet of a Chinese hotel. And my suitcase was far too heavy, even without baby food jars.
Most children, the age of Darling, can enjoy a lot of the same foods that the rest of the family is eating. For breakfast, choose yogurt, slivers of banana, slivers of scrambled or hard boiled egg, pieces of muffin, etc. Even completely toothless kids can eat some of these foods. For lunch, many children like vegetable soup (homemade or canned), slivers of tuna (or tuna salad), cottage cheese, shredded or sliced cheese, canned fruit or soft fresh fruits like melon (cut up small), cooked and mashed veggies like carrots or peas, and so on. Dinner can include more soup, a little soft meatloaf, chopped up, slivers of chicken or fish, rice, mashed potato, pasta, mashed or slivered cooked veggies, and so on. Snacks can include crackers, shredded cheese, shredded carrots, canned fruit, cookies, etc.
One key to success is trying only one or two new foods at a time. Keep the child on those foods for a couple of days, before adding another couple of items. That way, if your child breaks out in an allergic rash, you'll know what food is likely to be causing the problem. You'll also have less likelihood of a major poop explosion.
Another key to success is knowing typical portion sizes for toddlers. You can find information in any good baby book, like "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child -- Birth to Age Five." You may be surprised at how small the portions are -- a tablespoon or two, in most cases. Don't think that your baby is not eating enough if he/she eats a spoonful of this and a few bites of that, and then is all done. At ten months, your child is getting a lot of nutrition from formula, and possibly rice cereal, in most cases, so he doesn't need all that much solid food. Once your child is walking well and has transitioned to milk, he/she will probably have more of an appetite.
Still another success factor is keeping food items simple. Many children don't like to eat things that are mixtures -- for example, tuna salad made with mayonnaise, noodles with sauce, casseroles, etc. There's nothing wrong with giving plain slivered tuna, noodles with a little bit of butter, or plain cooked hamburger. Now, some toddlers like to "dip" foods, and there are some budding gourmets who will eat pretty fancy combinations, but generally, keep it simple.
If you are cooking meals, prepare a portion without a lot of salt, sugar, or fat for your child. Kids develop a "taste" for salted, sugary, and fatty foods all too easily, and you don't want to encourage that development, which can lead to obesity and other problems. You may actually decide to start reducing the amount of salt, sugar, and fat in the meals you prepare for the rest of the family -- and you'll all be healthier if you do. And generally speaking, don't serve spicy foods to your baby, although some children will tolerate them in a few months. Where possible, serve homemade foods, where you can control what goes into them; however, don't beat yourself up if you occasionally serve frozen chicken nuggets or canned soup.
One type of prepared baby food that I WOULD keep on hand is a jar of pureed prunes. If your child gets constipated on his/her new diet, first try to increase his/her consumption of water, and his/her intake of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. But if all else fails, pureed prunes will generally get the pipes unclogged. If your child will take them directly from a spoon, great. Otherwise, mix a spoonful with his/her formula and serve in the bottle or cup, or add to rice cereal.
Of course, children are more likely to get diarrhea when they first start trying table food. Sometimes, constant poop explosions mean that a child's tummy isn't ready for so many new flavors and textures, and the solution is to reduce the amount and variety of table food consumed. Sometimes, allergies are to blame, which you will be able to tell if problems hit soon after a new food is tried, or take the form of rashes or hives. The main goal with diarrhea is to prevent dehydration, so keep the child drinking water or Pedialyte oral rehydration drink (nasty stuff, in my humble opinion), or even a sports drink. Cut back on food intake, and limit solids to very bland foods such as steamed rice or rice cereal. A lot of watery stools per day usually means infection, not new foods, so call your pediatrician. And go to the ER if your child becomes dehydrated, as that is a medical emergency.
Sharon
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We have been feeding her cut up finger foods and food from our meals. Turns out she loves teriyaki rice! Feeding time is a much better that way. She does like to drink puree from the pouch but other than that it's formula and finger foods. Thanks for all your input.