Eating...or the lack there of....

Ryan used to eat anything and everything with great excitement and motivation. There wasn't a baby food I offered him that he didn't willing scarf down. But, alas, no more.

My adorable 10 month old son is apparently on a hunger strike. He nurses just fine. But when it comes to sitting down and eating, he will do just about everything except eat. He will mush the food between his fingers (I offer him LOTS of finger food choices at every meal) he will drop it on the floor, he will put it on his head occasionally, he will offer it to me or his Daddy, but he will NOT eat, except when he is distracted and we can sneak food into his mouth.

I know my son is not going to starve to death. I know he will eventually eat (I don't know many grown men who still only drink breast milk!) but in the meantime it is very STRESSFUL! I want him to be a good eater. I don't want him to be a picky eater, so I refuse to offer him sweet and/or more appealing items. He gets lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats, and whole grains. I don't expect him to even know that things like french fries, chicken fingers, or hot dogs exist until he is MUCH older. I do NOT WANT A PICKY EATER!! I have nightmares (not really) about battles over food on a daily basis as our little baby grows older. Please tell me he will out-grow this, sooner rather than later. Please tell me he will learn to eat healthy food without daily battles.

And in the meantime, if you have any suggestions about how to work through this, please let me know!

SOLIDS!!

Soon after Ryan's 4 month check-up, with the full support of our Pediatrician, Ryan started on solid (if that is what you call the mush he's eating!). He took right to it, and he's LOVING it! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Very first food: Rice Cereal...YUM!

Peas! He wasn't so sure at first...but he came around!

Carrots: He LOVED them. He also tried to do it all by himself, which made a mess...but a cute mess! (And why won't blogger let me center this picture???)

Such a big boy with his sippy cup!

He also had avocado. But I forgot to take pictures of that.

What everyone says is true. He really is growing up so fast!