At 10mths my son will only eat fish in a cheese or white sauce, despite being weaned onto a wide range of vegetables, fruits, chicken, red meat and fish
My son is now 10 months old and has always been a very happy boy. We have followed the routines laid out by Gina since birth and this has resulted in him sleeping through the night from about 4 months and he has continued to sleep well, not waking until 7. 30 am. The slight concern I now have is that he only seems to want to eat one thing! I have always prepared his meals myself, introducing a wide variety of vegetables and fruit and then chicken, red meat and fish. In the last couple of weeks he only seems to be interested in meals made from fish and vegetables in a white or cheese sauce and has totally lost interest in any other meals I prepare! He wakes at 7.30 having slept all night and has a good breakfast of one Weetabix or Ready Brek with mashed banana and apricot followed by toast fingers and sometimes with a drink of water. He no longer wants any milk to drink in the morning so about 5ozs goes on his cereal. He then has a short nap at 0915 until 1000 and then lunch normally starts at about 1130. He normally has a bit of a rage when I first try and feed him but then eats well as long as it’s fish! He will then be given some rice pudding or fruit fool or yoghurt and some fruit pieces to eat, followed by his longer nap, which is usually about one and a half hours. My son no longer wants any milk at 2.30pm so he may have breadstick or some fruit in the afternoon if he seems to want a snack. Tea is at 5pm which again starts with rage and then he eats well, he has about 6 cubes of fish followed by a milk pudding and then some fruit and cheese pieces. His last bottle at 6.15pm has reduced now; he is only having about 4ozs at this time. He then settles well and sleeps all night, never waking. I continually try and offer my son other meals at mealtimes but it is very clear that he is not interested so there seems little point sitting there for ages when it is apparent that he is not going to eat it. He used to enjoy all the meals I prepared for him, is the fact that he is now becoming more resistant something to worry about and how can I re-introduce him to different foods again?
My son takes 2ozs of water at breakfast, 2-4ozs with his lunch and 2-4ozs at tea.
He naps at 9.15-10am, 12.30-2.00pm and is settled by 7pm.
By this age babies are becoming aware of the different tastes and textures of food. Their dexterity in using their fingers to pick things up is more refined and they are beginning to be a little more independent, wanting to do things for themselves.
Encourage your son to begin enjoying a wide range of food again by introducing plenty of finger food and also begin to offer his food as a “meal” on a plate, so he is aware of the different ingredients.
Whilst you are preparing his food, give him a few pieces of finger food on his high chair tray. A good way to get his interest is to cook a tablespoon of frozen mixed vegetables. These usually have carrots, peas, baby corn and maybe swede or other vegetables. The colours and different textures will appeal to him and he should begin to pick them up to feed himself. It may take him a while to do this but by always offering him some finger food at every meal, before he has eaten his main course, he is more likely to try. Only offer a few pieces at a time as babies are apt to swipe larger amounts onto the floor.
When offering him his main meals use a bowl which has divisions to separate out the different items. Use small amounts of a variety of foods, rather than one or two items. For example, place his fish in one section with or without a sauce, some mashed potatoes in another and, in the third section, place a selection of vegetables such as a broccoli floret, some diced carrot and maybe a baby corn.
Place the bowl in front of your son and give him a spoon. Self feeding takes time to master and can be messy but he will only learn if given the opportunity to try. Also, if given the chance to feed himself he may well be more willing to try out something other than fish. Whilst he is busy trying to feed himself you should be able to spoon feed him as well, as his attention will be focused on what he is trying to pick up.
It is easy to make the same well loved dishes for a baby as there is always the worry that if he does not eat well at the meal he will be hungry later. But this approach can lead to fussiness. Offer him things other than fish and let him have a go at feeding himself, even if he resorts to his fingers. Keep trying with foods he seems to reject, especially as he previously ate a varied diet. If you feel that he has not eaten much don’t be tempted to try and fill him up by offering him things he will accept. If he seems hungry in an hour or so offer him a small snack such as a piece of fruit but only if this does not seem to diminish his appetite for the next meal.
Look at page 30 of Contented Baby to Confident Child which deals with fussy feeders.
To encourage your son to have a good bedtime feed you may need to cut back a little on his food intake at teatime. Try cutting out the milk pudding and see if he is content with his main course, fruit and maybe cheese. As he is eating a lot of cheese and white sauce his daily milk needs of 20ozs minimum are probably being met but a bedtime feed of around 6ozs should be encouraged.