Gone off vegies!

[masterchefMamma]

Hi,
My 8.5 month old daugheter who in the last few weeks has gone off her vegetables?
She used to be an excellent eater, I started her off on solids when she was approx 5 months old.
We started off on fruits and progressed to vegetables. Up until about 5 weeks ago she would have mashed up vegetables for lunch and dinner, we also introduced some meats and again she had no worries with these as well.
5 weeks ago she got her first tooth, in total she has 4 now and a 5th on is on the way. Since she started to teeth she has gone off vegies altogether. I have been told that this happens to babies when they teethe, but how long does this last? I am starting to get concerned.
From the age of 6.5 months to now she has put on just over a kilogram, she weighs 8.1kg.
She takes her bottle without too much issues, she needs to have a break 1/2 way thru it before she finishes it.
The minute I sit her in her chair and she sees me get the bowl of vegies and spoon she starts to rub her face pretending that she is tired, which I know she isnt because she has just gotten up after a 2 or 3 hour sleep. Its like she knows what's coming and makes an excuse.
The strange thing is that she has no problems eating her mashed up fruits and porridge. Because she has stopped eating her vegies for dinner I have at times given her a bowl of porridge for dinner and she has no problems with this at all, but try to swap that for vegies and she locks her lips and refuses to eat it.
Most bubs I know who are in her age group are eating a variety of food and textures and it seems that we are going backwards?
I know that all babies are different but am hoping that you can suggest something.
She is putting on weight...slowly so I assume thats still ok?
She dosent look sick and still wakes up for one night feed as well.
Help?

[the pero clinic]

Dear Mammabella,

It’s not unusual at all for bubs to go through stages of liking and disliking certain foods. Sometimes this can be related to issues such as being unwell or teething, or for no real reason at all. While it can be confusing and frustrating for parents, it is important to recognize that it is very likely a passing phase and to treat it as such.

The most important thing to focus on at the moment is to keep her happy and interested in meal times and eating and to avoid the start of meal time battles. To do this, you could continue to offer vegetables, calmly taking them away again if refused, and just wait for the day when she decides she likes them again. Or, as many parents prefer to do, gradually reintroduce them into the diet by mixing them into other foods in very small amounts – and gradually increase the vegetables in the mix.

At 8 ½ months, also make sure that you continue to increase the textures and lumpiness of the foods you are offering, so that you can move onto soft finger foods – your bub may suddenly regain interest in vegetables if they come in the form of finger food!

Finally, you mention that she is still waking for a night feed – indicating that she may not be eating enough during the day. Ensure she is having at least 100mL formula / kg of weight every day, as well as 3 small solid meals, and consider making some changes to her feed times during the day to encourage her to sleep through the night.

the pero clinic