Moms of older preemies table food help

~Baby1~

DS eating is stressing me out big time!  I know I shouldn't get frustrated but I get so worried about him gaining weight and getting bigger.  About two month ago we started trying new table foods with his stage 3 foods.  Most he would only eat if we dipped whatever it was into his stage 3 foods and he would eat it.  Then the past couple weeks he started eating everything by it self.  I made chicken, quesadilla?s, chicken nuggets, pasta, fruits, veggies he ate it all.  This week I am trying the same things and he refuses to eat any of it but maybe a bite or two.  I know he can eat these things and he will because he was doing it the past couple of weeks.  I don't know if I should go back to trying just stage 3 foods or mixing them again or just what to do.  Anyone else go through this with your preemie?  Any tips or suggestions?  TIA

KellyMichelle

It took my DS a while to get used to table food.  I wouldn't push it.  I would offer the table food or mix it, but if he refuses it I would just feed the stage 3.  You don't want it to become a power struggle.

RRHsMom

We always offer Ryan what we are eating (unless it is really spicy or something) and for the most part he eats it.  There have been times that he has been eating something really well though and then all of a sudden he refuses it.  He just did this with grilled cheese and scrambled eggs which used to be 2 of his favorites.  I would just keep trying and follow up with a stage 3 if he does not eat it well.  We usually give him applesauce if he hasn't done well with the meal we serve.  

mhop

Campbell has gone through phases where she'll eat everything in sight and then she won't eat anything.  I would continue to offer the table food and then if he doesn't eat, I'd offer the stage 3.

FutureMrsDenman

Is it possible he is teething right now?  DD goes through phases where she won't eat things she used to eat because of teething pain. 

She has alos gone on some texture strikes that have lasted a while.  I just try to offer a variety of textures so that she can decide what "feels" good in her mouth when she goes through periods like this.  Right now she is refusing anything "mushy" and wants things with more crunch or density to them.  There have been periods where she has refused any kind of bread/grain product, and other periods where she can't seem to get enough of it.  She also had her carrot phase ... ALL she would eat was carrots for weeks it semed. 

Try not to worry and keep offering a variety so he can make choices and hopefully you'll find something that will work to get him through this stretch.

Good luck!

Afton3

I wouldn't worry too much about your preemie regressing for a week or two in regards to his eating habits.  Or about him eating great and then being extra picky a day or a week later.

My preemie is almost 3 and she still has some issues with eating, though she's improved a ton over the past 6 months.  There were a lot of foods she couldn't eat, or she would choke on, long after other children her age were eating them.  Sometimes even now she'll eat something well the first time we give it to her and then the next time we try it she refuses.

I actually just wrote a post about this on my preemie blog.  Follow this link My Preemie's Eating Difficulties and you can read all about it!  I talk about anything and everything on my blog so you can browse to see if I address any other questions you have as well.

Good luck to you with your boys eating!

Runtifish

What are stage 1/2/3 foods?  I've never heard of this before.