What Age Should You...

[mia]

Chances are this list doesn't contain the foods the child actually eats at home. These may be the foods they have offered and maybe the child took a taste, but I imagine the child reacts the same to them as he does the food at your house. And the parents respond by worrying about him being hungry and then out come the cheetos, chips, and snack foods he prefers. That age is not too young for them to understand and realize that if they hod out, they will get something "better". My little 18 month old is being fed oreos and cheetos and snickers at home (FB is good for a sneak peek into their home life), so there are times when he refuses to eat, but it is not because he can't. It is because he doesn't want what is offered...he wants junk. And those are the days he doesn't eat much here

I know that they really like their timbits... mom seen's to give that to both children a lot in the morning on the way to my place...

[mommyneedsadayoff]

Potentially, but this little one is so young I would keep feeding issues on the radar. (Based on the OP's description of what is going on)

I would not go a whole day allowing him to attempt it on his own if he is clearly not getting it. If your gut instinct is telling you motivation is a big issue here, you might try:

* take that list from dcm and include one of those items at each meal (the rest of the meal should be whatever you are feeding the rest of the kids)
* offer the first bite and then encourage him with words to eat on his own
* monitor for gagging. Any gagging and you should stop, tape it, and address it with mom. That's a huge red flag.
* if no gagging, offer the next meal. If he doesn't eat, that would also be concerning.

An OT gave a presentation to my class in grad school and said very young children (with genuine feeding issues) will starve themselves. If a 16 month old skipped multiple meals, rather than try solids, that would warrant a talk with the pediatrician.

I definitely agree that if you feel there is a medical issue that could be causing it, a trip to the doc is in order, BUT, if mom is saying he eats on his own at home, then she is either flat out lying and he does not or she is lying about or leaving out he foods he actually eats on his own. (It seems to be pretty common for parents to use junk foods or sweet foods to entice their child to eat if they are not picking it up on their own.) She said they don't do baby food at home, so he is either eating the foods they give him or letting him starve, in which case I would be highly concerned. If he is actually not eating at all, I would expect weight loss and a lot of irritability from an empty stomach. If that is not present, then I would really question if what she says is happening at home is actually happening. Just to add that I have found it very common for parents to keep the bottle a lot longer, whether they put milk or formula in it, so it is also possible that he is filling up on liquids at home or being offered the bottle when he refuses solids.

[mia]

Potentially, but this little one is so young I would keep feeding issues on the radar. (Based on the OP's description of what is going on)

I would not go a whole day allowing him to attempt it on his own if he is clearly not getting it. If your gut instinct is telling you motivation is a big issue here, you might try:

* take that list from dcm and include one of those items at each meal (the rest of the meal should be whatever you are feeding the rest of the kids)
* offer the first bite and then encourage him with words to eat on his own
* monitor for gagging. Any gagging and you should stop, tape it, and address it with mom. That's a huge red flag.
* if no gagging, offer the next meal. If he doesn't eat, that would also be concerning.

An OT gave a presentation to my class in grad school and said very young children (with genuine feeding issues) will starve themselves. If a 16 month old skipped multiple meals, rather than try solids, that would warrant a talk with the pediatrician.

Yes this child will gag on almost everything.... even the jar foods and always has.... (seemed like child only wanted to swallow the foods instead of trying to chew the foods)... has gotten better at the chewing part, but will only chew if wants to (helded the meat / carrots in mouth today for almost 5 mins without chewing it.... will only drink warm milk from bottle sometimes sippy cup, mom says child only drinks from strawed cups at home and only gets bottle for bed...

[mia]

I definitely agree that if you feel there is a medical issue that could be causing it, a trip to the doc is in order, BUT, if mom is saying he eats on his own at home, then she is either flat out lying and he does not or she is lying about or leaving out he foods he actually eats on his own. (It seems to be pretty common for parents to use junk foods or sweet foods to entice their child to eat if they are not picking it up on their own.) She said they don't do baby food at home, so he is either eating the foods they give him or letting him starve, in which case I would be highly concerned. If he is actually not eating at all, I would expect weight loss and a lot of irritability from an empty stomach. If that is not present, then I would really question if what she says is happening at home is actually happening. Just to add that I have found it very common for parents to keep the bottle a lot longer, whether they put milk or formula in it, so it is also possible that he is filling up on liquids at home or being offered the bottle when he refuses solids.

True... we have snack here around 9:00 am then lunch around 11:30 am afternoon snack around 3:30 pm, only gets liquids with meals and only at tables, (unless really thirsty then is allowed more but still only allowed at table)...

[spedmommy4]

Yes this child will gag on almost everything.... even the jar foods and always has.... (seemed like child only wanted to swallow the foods instead of trying to chew the foods)... has gotten better at the chewing part, but will only chew if wants to (helded the meat / carrots in mouth today for almost 5 mins without chewing it.... will only drink warm milk from bottle sometimes sippy cup, mom says child only drinks from strawed cups at home and only gets bottle for bed...

With gagging, the medical professionals usually need to be involved. The occupational therapists at my school district wouldn't work with a child who was gagging until the pediatrician had ruled out swallowing problems.

[Ariana]

With gagging, the medical professionals usually need to be involved. The occupational therapists at my school district wouldn't work with a child who was gagging until the pediatrician had ruled out swallowing problems.

If the child is gagging on baby food and is starving themselves for days then yes I would also recommend a medical professional evaluate the child.

I have a child who was still overstuffing their mouth at 18 months, sometimes not swallowing and drooling excessively while eating. This child is now being evaluated for ASD. In this case the child is Hyposensitive to stimuli.