A sweet-toothed baby resists any attempt to get him to take in something savoury .Nutrition expert Emer Delaney is on the case.

Raisingkids member's problem
My eight-month-old baby will eat sweet food but will not tolerate anything savoury at all. He will eat a spoonful then when he has swallowed it, he vomits the entire contents of his tummy. This also occurs with any finger foods, toast, steamed veg and fruit or anything slightly lumpy. He is fine with tinned porridge, rice pudding, fruit purees and yogurt but if I add one spoonful of anything savoury he vomits. He can only manage 4oz of milk at one feed. My health visitor says to try to get him to eat food off my plate but he has no problem trying the food, it's keeping it down that's the problem. I am concerned that he is not getting a varied diet - he is suffering with constipation. What do you suggest?

Nutrition Expert Emer's Advice
It is not unusual for kids to refuse certain types of foods during weaning. Has your son had any bad experience with savoury foods in the past? If so, then this is a usual reaction to tasting similar foods. Do you think your son find mealtimes very stressful and is vomiting as a result of this?

The feeding environment is something you could look at. It should be a positive one with child-friendly chairs and eating utensils. Family meals are a good idea, so if you don't already do it, try and eat with each other. This way the meal is more interesting and there is less focus on specific foods. It may also help your son to copy what the others are doing. Avoid cleaning anything during the meal as this may cause him to become more averse to food and avoid exploring the food.

His constipation could be a result of not drinking enough or not having enough fibre in his diet. Make small changes, one or two at a time and make sure - particularly for children under five - that fibre doesn't replace other essential nutrients. You might find that increasing the amount of fibre in your child's diet hard to do initially. Offering fruits such as bananas, ripe pears, plums and prunes might be an easier option as these are sweet tasting. Eating regularly will also help and do encourage your child to drink more as his fibre intake increases.

It is important to keep a note of how your son is growing. If his vomiting continues or if he starts to fall away from the percentiles on the growth chart, I would consult your GP for further advice. It may be that your son could benefit from an assessment from a dietitian for specific nutrition advice.