Toddler Spitting out Food -- How Worries Should I be? (FTM)

[Anonymous]

Hey DCUM,

I'm a FTM, so try to be kind. My DD will be a year old in a few weeks and I'm worried that she isn't really eating very much. She probably gets 90-95% of her daily nutrition from formula still. While she will actually eat a couple of things (graham crackers, Gerber "puffs", and cheerios), it seems like most things she'll chew and spit out. She doesn't seem to have an issue with trying things and seems to like the flavor, but so far, not much is actually making it's way into her stomach. She'll spit out pasta, fruits, cooked veggies... really anything that isn't one of the three items listed above. She will drink out of a sippy cup so we'll be transitioning from formula to actual milk soon. We tried jarred purees for a while but stopped when she started actively feeding herself the items mentioned above. She has an appointment to see her pediatrician for her 1 year check-up soon so of course I will check in with them about this. Just wondering in the interim... anyone have experience with this? How "normal" is this at her age? Any good tips/tricks for getting her to eat more solid foods? Any particular foods that I should try? Really any advice would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Will she still eat and swallow the purées? Are there particular textures that she seems more likely to swallow? I’m wondering if it’s an issue with some textures — so I’d go back to the purées until you talk with the pediatrician. Wonder if she would like Bamba peanut butter puffs?

[Anonymous]

It is mostly normal- some kids take a few months extra. I would be worried if you don't see gradual progress. I have 3 kids with varied feeding issues and as long as she eats something, you don't need to worry.

You want to see continued improvement though. Are you modeling meals and snacks? Have her sit with you.

[Anonymous]

Mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes, french toast in small pieces, scrambled egg, oatmeal pancake in small pieces, regular oatmeal, bits of smashed avocado ...

Just keep trying and introducing various textures and flavors. Can try different variations like slicing a cooked penne noodle so it looks more like a cheerio.

[Anonymous]

Is she spitting or thrusting the food out (like her tongue works backwards). DD was a thruster and diagnosed but then she just stopped before we started eating therapy and started swallowing.

We did keep her on formula because of it and maybe that was the wrong thing to do. She was eating normally by 14 months.