She is 6.5kg and 8 months old.

She is heading down to the bottom of the healthy weight scale.

Do you think this is an issue?

Shes happy and bright-eyed.

Emily eats everything but she plays with it and chews it for ages first. Some things she chews for longer. The only reasons i can think of are that she enjoys the textures and that its helping calm her gums as her teeth come in.

Luckily, I have an appointment with his Pediatrician on Tuesday and I will bring this up with her and see what she has to say. I’m really curious as to why all of a sudden he’s doing this!

PS: He was diagnosed with a submucosal cleft palate at his 9 month check. He had an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who told us it would cause no problems with feeding or speech, but now I’m wondering if that is the problem?!

If you find out anything please post it! Thanks!

When my kids were around a year, I noticed they would chew and spit new foods. Like “I’ve only seen this ten times before so I don’t know if I can trust it yet” new. After they got used to it, they would swallow, but the chew/spit thing seemed kind of par for the course with approximating actually eating a new item. Also, one of my kids choked on a skin and was pretty adept at steering clear of skins after that until she got molars.

I don’t know if you should have it checked out. My kids don’t seem to have any further eating issues, but my red flag didn’t go off when I saw them doing the things they did. I say, trust your instincts. If it is worrisome after reading through your comments, have it checked out.

Hope this helps.

I don’t really know what to say on this one. My two are quite fussy eaters but don’t really have problems with chewing or swallowing. I think I would err on the side of caution and get him weighed, although having said that he certainly looks healthy. I wouldn’t worry too much about growth charts though – they’re based on bottle fed babies so would be irrelevant for Isaac. ALso, from other comments it sounds like it would be a good idea to talk to a Dr who knows about EDS.

I know you asked for any opinions so am going to give mine and hope its ok. This may sound odd but if this were me I think I would try and ignore it for a few months more. Babies pick up on stuff, even body language. I am not saying he is doing this but if you are at all anxious or are watching him to see if he is going to swallow, he will pick up on it. For a while I would try leaving food on his high chair and ‘busy’ myself washing up or similar and for one meal a day, lunch for example leave him to it. I wouldn’t say anything at all if he doesn’t eat. I know its hard to get one’s head around as worrying about nutrition and sustenance is a mother’s job. From recent photo’s he looks healthy so unless he appears to lose weight rapidly try not to worry. It may be also that his gums are hurting because there are teeth in there waiting to come out and chewing is associated at the minute with pain. I am just throwing stuff into the pot here Veronica. If he can eat fruit as you describe and swallow without choking or throwing up I think that probably means his swallow muscles ‘do’ work. I know this sounds really sexist but my boy child was a whole lot fussier about food and eating than his sister. He would projectile vomit everything and I mean everything, was the skinniest fussiest eater on the planet. I really understand how worrisome it can be. But Isaac is so young and he is getting sustenance so my honest opinion at the minute is don’t worry too much – easier said than done I know. My guess is that even if you did get an earlier appointment they would probably err on the side of caution and have a ‘wait and see’ attitude because he is thriving.

In a way ‘knowing’ about the EDS is a good thing but on the other hand I think it can create anxiety. Its hard for me to put into words for some reason why I think knowing can be just as hard as not. I suppose its because in a scenario such as this one wonders whether its an EDS ‘thing’ when if one was in blissful ignorance the tendancy would be to think – God you are a fuddy duddy little boy around food!

I would perhaps take the opportunity to not be the only one to feed him taking up every offer of someone else doing it. Or alternatively, because he is one I would just leave him to it to experience the whole food thing, letting him expirement at his own pace and not taking much notice, trying when practible to eat together as a family. So if he chooses to ‘taste and not swallow’ its no big deal. I do understand how hard it can be to let go and let them get on with it because of the worry of weight and nutrition. Because you have done so well to breast feed him for such a long time you have known that he is getting sufficient nutrition so now that he is becoming more independent and not relying wholly on you on this front its doubly hard.

Its really hard writing suggestions etc. but have done so because you said you didn’t mind on this occassion. I have written all this on the understanding that you know I am only giving my ‘thoughts’ not telling you what to do at all. I do know that children develop at different paces and even now despite the fact he is a teenager my youngest boy still has an aversion to certain food ‘touching’ each other on the plate.

I would keep your eye on it but if this were me (simply because I have been where you are now) and looking back I spent an awful lot of time worrying about nutrition and an extremely fussy eater that I think because I was stressed about it I was hypervigilant. I am not saying you are I would just hate to think that you even went near the stress levels I did over food and lack of solids with my youngest. I think Isaac is doing pretty well eating what he is at the minute. My boy basically drank and ate nothing until he was two.

Well thats me done. Am aware its a bitty comment full of well meant advice that as you read you probably think ‘oh give me a break why don’t you’. So I’ll be off and leave saying good luck with this and I so know where you are coming from. But agree with river in her last words entirely.