I don’t know how to provide food plans/ideas

[Guest]

Hi everyone, I’m a first time mom to a one year old preemie (15 months actual, 13 months adjusted) and we’ve had it rough with feeding since purées.

We are still on formula (as well as whole milk) because she barely eats 1/4 of a entire day’s worth of food to discontinue it.

We’ve tried a feeding evaluation but she didn’t qualify because she’s capable of chewing and swallowing well…she just won’t eat. I’ve tried small pieces, a few at a time.

She takes a bite then swipes everything to the floor and screams to get out of her highchair (she’s hated restraints since the NICU, it’s a sensory issue). At 7 months adjusted I started purées with combination pouches so she didn’t get individual foods maybe that’s where I failed. I didn’t know what I know now. Moving to solids I was too nervous to try BLW because she was cow’s milk intolerant since 2 months old and had severe reflux until 7 months old.

We have a nutritionist who is extremely helpful with ideas but not much is working.

I just don’t know where to start.

Maybe I don’t have a good schedule for her, too much milk maybe? I don’t know how to provide food plans/ideas. I’m rambling but just hoping someone out there can help. It’s just me as I don’t have family where we live so I’ve been doing all of this the past year on my own (with hubby but no village).

[Laurie]

Have you tried letting her eat off the floor? My daughter has pretty severe food anxiety from allergies and intolerances which caused her to puke almost constantly until we got them figured out at 8 months, but she’s still extremely hesitant about food. Meals used to be so stressful and she’s scream and throw her entire plate on the floor if there was anything within reach she didn’t want … even if it was her water cup I could only give her 1-2 bite sized pieces at a time or she’d get overwhelmed and the whole plate got frisbeed across the kitchen (the child had an arm!). OR she’d decide she needed to feed it to the dog so she’d chuck her food about 20 feet to the living room where I kept the dog during meals

I finally go so frustrated I said “ok fine! If you’re going to throw all your food on the floor you can just eat it from there!” And the little stinker ate everything.. So I just let her eat off the floor for about a month. Then we moved to a “no thank-you” plate where she could transfer her food from one plate to the other. That kept it on the table and after transferring it a few times she would often decide it was safe and eat it (or it got given to the dog). Something that really helped my stress levels is at 15 months we finally found a certain brand of chicken sausage (Costco!) that she LOVED and she ate them at almost every meal. That was the first food she ate that she would actually get full from. They microwave up in 60 seconds and I’d just give them to her after every meal if she didn’t eat what we gave her for the meal (eating together is a big thing for food anxiety so she can watch you eat and maybe if mommy eats it then it’s safe). I’d also give it to her before bed to make sure she didn’t go to bed hungry since she self-weaned from bottles and refused to drink any type of milk from a cup.

One ingredient at a time and 1-2 bites at a time really helped her anxiety and my stress levels because I stopped even trying to feed her full meals. Also, my daughter started eating standing on a chair at the kitchen table at 15 months and her dietician said it’s normal for kids with food anxiety to prefer to stand while eating. She was so tiny I just fed her in a bumbo seat on the table until she was about 14 months then we tried the high chair and it worked for a few weeks before she decided it wasn’t for her and she started standing. We kept the high chair because she liked to feed her stuffies and have them try food first so they would sit in the high chair while she stood on a chair and they shared the tray.. Then at 25 months she decided she wanted the high chair again and now at 2.5 it’s about 50/50 if she sits in the high chair (sideways, will NOT put her legs down) or on a chair at the table

[Laura]

One idea: have you tried feeding her in a learning tower instead of a chair? My 20-month-old has become resistant to sitting lately, and we’ve had more luck with feeding him while he stands in his learning tower.

[Jessica]

Are you in the usa? You can self refer to early intervention and they should be able to provide OT to help with the sensory and feeding struggles.

[Lorene]

I know for me and my kids at that age I learnt from my oldest that at some point around that age they start being somewhat independent or trying to figure it out themselves so being restraint wasn’t going to cut it so I would place their food on a blanket where I would be and let them go and come as they pleased or put their plate on the table if I was in the living room area with their chair so they start out in the chair but is able to move around. I think it’s more of that sense that they can come and go as they please. As far as the milk I wouldn’t say that they get full off of it because they find room for food trust me especially when they get older I’m living it right now! Just give it time your in for a ride between now and until around 5 or 6. Take it one day at a time and just follow their lead or it will be stressful.

[Ella]

Ditch the high chair. Feed picnic style on your lap, or a toddler chair, or even on your hip

[Jennah]

First of all you didn’t fail. We did BLW and single purées and my babe was the same - just never really took it from the beginning! Not all babies take to it easily and it shocked me because my nephews were obsessed with food right away.

We have some success eating at the coffee table instead of the high chair when she fights that.

Drinking too much milk can definitely hinder the appetite. We started watering some bottles down through the day and we *think* it’s working.