7.5 Month Old Not into Solids, at all....should I Be Worried?

DO NOT do the finger foods, especially since she has gagged on some baby food. How did she do with the rice cereal? Try to add some apple sauce or sweet potatoes to the cereal, or oatmeal (baby kink). If she has not been interested or able to eat stage 1, then I would definately go this way. It helps to ease them into foods.

Do you give her a lot of 'tummy time'? She will get there!!

T.

Yep, keep at it. But just offer her a little a day and if she doesn't like it, don't force her. I remember reading on the Gerber Cereal box that it can take up to 15 attempts for a kid to eat a new food and I thought, "that's silly. That just means the kid doesn't like it." But actually this is true. Example: my son has never liked lentils. Until tonight, when he ate a whole cup of them.

I have 7 children, all breastfed. My kids were never very interested in solid food until about a year old. They might eat a little here and there, but not much. As long as she is healthy and you are eating healthy, I wouldn't worry about it.

Hello C.,
I have exactly the same issue with my almost 7month old. I don't know what to do so if you get any good advice please forward them over to me. Our babies sound so much alike. Mine prefers to stand on the exersaucer rather than being on her tummy.

Thanks!
T.

It is time to start giving her semi solids. First try mixing your breast milk with soy or formula. I think you have a child that has a taste for food. Have you tried baby food? Yuk, maybe the bananas,and the plums.Try warming it some , if you dont already. Let her try some of your soft food, you could mash whatever, sounds like when you eat its more relaxed and social.
She probably loves that. Oh my God she already wants to be a big girl!
What ever you do, some days it will work and others it wont. It is not a race, just enjoy and know she has her own time line.
Yes you can freeze baby food. Although I feel it can change its taste.

Hi C.,
Don't worry. You're doing fine. Breast milk is the best and has everything your baby needs right now. She will eat the rest when she is ready. My five year old had exclusively breast milk for the entire first year. He is strong, healthy and very tall now.
As far as freezing baby food - I know freezing homemade is fine, so I imagine freezing the kind from the store should be ok too. Take out what you need and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. Then put the frozen cubes in a freezer bag and you have portion sizes ready to go when you need them.
Good Luck.
-C.

It took my daughter nearly a month before she took to eating solids. We fed her only cereal the first month. She looked at us like we were crazy when we tried to feed here.

What worked for us was consitancy. We fed her 3 times a day at the same time. We always put her in her high chair at the table. She finally took on to it. We thought she never would like solids too.

I exclusively breast fed mine too. She's 9 months old now. I'm still nursing. She eats her solids real good. There is an occasion where she will not open her mouth at all. We don't fight it & let it go until the next feeding.

good luck

Hi there, I have 4 boys ages 16 months to almost 8 yrs and only ONE of them ate much solid food before about 10 or 11 months. They were also breastfed and completely happy. Eventually they became interested when they could put the food in their mouths themselves --just did not want the spoon put in their mouth at all. They are all very healthy and great eaters now. I would start of offer little pieces of anything you can think of --pears and bananas are great. You'd be surprised how much they can handle on their own at a fairly early time. Try othere things like small pieces of toast or pancakes or cereal she can pick up and mush around in her fingers and put in her mouth if she wants to. I would strongly recommend watching her closely just to be sure she doesn't choke but I think she'll get the hang of it pretty soon. If she doesn't, don't worry about it. When she's ready, she'll eat. Meanwhile, breastfeeding her is the best thing you can do for both of you. Don't let the food be a struggle --you're doing all the right things.

Hi C.,

I wouldn't bee too worried out about it. My doctor insisted that babies don't really need anything other than breast milk for the first year. I didn't do it that way, but it doesn't sound like your doctor is really worried about it either other than to try to help you. (Sounds like a good doctor--mine was really resistant to me feeding my child "early" because of allergies.)

However, since I had to go back to work pretty early after my girl was born, I wasn't just breast-feeding for a year so I steamed and boiled fruits and veggies. My daughter never really liked any of the store-boughts either (have you ever tasted them?) and they were so thin I just thought they were messy. You don't have to be great in the kitchen, either, since the lil ones shouldn't have salt or seasonings. Most vegetables are very easily steamed or boiled, and I got a food processor for about $10 at like Longs Drugs or something conveniently un-kitchen like that. I have a big kitchen aid, but I found the little inexpensive one is easier for quick use. I found www.wholesomebaby.com, which has charts and directions for doing it. The little food processor allows you to just puree what you're eating, too.

My husband just said to tell you also about these little ice cube type trays--we did regular ice trays at first--that you can freeze stuff in. The one made specifically for baby food was cool because it had lids, a little plate container (also with a lid) to hold the cubes, and a little spoon in a case, which locked in place on the lid. Even he agrees that this made things so much easier for a while.

Good luck!
Maggie

I don't think you should really worry as yet, but I would let her try finger foods of what every it is that your eating , as you said she seems interested in that so much... as far as freezing the baby food left over, I would say no, as once opened it isn't sterile anymore... you can always mash up your own, frozen veggies that you make for your husband and yourself in a blender and try a little of those at a time... that isn't expensive or a big waste .. Just hang in there, as if she is really hungry, she will eat... just relax and enjoy.. I have three daughters that I raised , and mainly its common sense... and a lot of love... KjB

First off, no, don't worry. Your baby is getting the best stuff from you and that's wonderful you can still breast feed. I had to supplement with formula at 5 months. When you offer the baby cereal do you mix it with your own breast milk? That will taste better than just water. Also mix in some baby food with the cereal. Try veggies first. Try organic baby foods because it really does taste better. Try oatmeal cereal, my kids never liked the rice one. Try going to a health food store and check out the HUGE variety they have in baby foods. There's lots of combinations. Just offer a half a jar of whatever and refrig the rest. Try prunes (sparingly ) to avoid constipation. My kids loved them and I mixed a bit of prunes in with the cereal and it sweetened it a bit too. I'm assuming no teeth yet so dont worry. Both my girls starting crawling at 8 and 9 months and walking at 12 and 13 months. Since I've had two children I've relaxed much more. I worried so much more with the first, but try not to. Just keep offering tiny portions to avoid waste. I would try to stay away from overly processed foods. When the baby has some teeth offer her some mashed potatoes and cooked carrots. Frozen peas and corn are really easy to have on hand and later offer soy beans for protein since most kids dont like meat much. Also cottage cheese and yogurt. HOpe that helps a little. I would just enjoy the breast feeding, but keep offering some foods. At 2 yrs you might want to try some vitamin type supplement, check with the doctor.

I've always heard that babies can be just fine with breastmilk only up to one year. Many pediatricians don't even recommend trying any solids before 6 months, so your 7.5 month old is not really that much beyond that. You can try regular oatmeal or cream of wheat & this way you can control portions with less waste rather than jarred foods. Some babies prefer the homecooked taste of hot cereals better than baby cereals (at least one of my daughters did). Bananas and avocados can also be easily hand mushed. These are all nutritious high vitamin options for baby. Just try something at least every week or so, if she rejects it that is ok. I've also heard that it helps to retry things she has rejected since it will often take up to 7 trys before baby will decide she likes something/develops a taste for it. Sometime between now & 13 months she will probably want more than breastmilk (in her own time).

OK- I've seen you got a zillion responses, so I might not add anything new here, but this was me and my son a few months ago. He was exclusively breast fed til 6 months, and for months he was not interested in solids, and it worried me. We just kept offering things - same things, different things, and not acting like what he was doing was stressing us out, and kept the attitude that he was learning this. Since she's breasted, she's fine nutrient-wise. He turned a corner and now eats fine -- and I'm sure your little girl will to!

Hi, my name is J. L. A. from Pacifica, Ca. with a wonderful beautiful 11 month old baby girl. I was worried when I started my daughter on solids. But the best advice that I can give you is you can mashed you food like mashed potatoes and try giving a small bite at a time. Have you tried heating up the veggies? My daughter really didn't like her veggies unless they were heated up. Also, try to feed veggies to her at least once a day.
If your daughter is not crawling, don't worry! My daughter is 11 month old and she does not crawl! She rolls and push herself backwards on her back. Keep at her with the solids. It may take a while. It did for me! My daughter loves her veggies!

J. L. A. from Pacifica, Ca.

My 6.5 month old started out the same way, and still is not a big eater, he loves to grab at our food , but when I feed him he is not always interested. He finally started eating more when i tried pureed pears, so I would suggest trying more foods like fruits and I think it is okay to freeze what you have just opened, I make my food and just puree a pear or some peas and freeze them in a silicone ice cube tray so that I just pop out one serving- it works well. You could try that with jarred baby food. Just keep trying different foods until you find one she likes, now I can mix some sweet potatoes with pears and he likes them. Also fresh pureed food may be tastier and more appealing to her- it seems hard at first but bake or steam a few fruits and veggies and puree on a Sunday and freeze- I have food for a few weeks after a few pieces of fruit and 1/2 cup peas. Remember too that our littles ones' stomachs are really small and a few bites might be all she can hold in her tummy especially after nursing
Good Luck

I know you mentioned you didn't have a lot of time to prepare foods, but you might want to get the book called Super Baby Food. It sounds like your approach is right, but maybe your little girl might end up being interested in really mushy bananas mixed with a bit of breast milk. I have a 6mo. old that we just started on solids and she tends to like her foods on Day 1, but on subsequent days she's sooooo not interested. I would also ask the pediatrician if there's any reason to worry -- perhaps she'll suggest some supplements.

No Worries!! My son did the same. He is 18 months now and I'm still Breastfeeding him, cause he loves it so much. He still prefers breastmilk over eating and sometimes even playing.

Its such a wonderful bond enjoy it before its over. She will let you know if she needs something more.

Another thing listen to your baby... All they have to live off of in the first year of life is their instinct.

If she seems interested in something your eating at dinner time try giving her a little rice from your plate and see what she does. Its not going to hurt her. If her instinct tells her no she wont eat it and vice versa.

One more thing I dont know if you've tasted the store bought baby food, but I did and If I was a baby I wouldn't eat it either..its nasty!! After I tried the food to see why my son wasn't eating I knew why. After that I only gave him fresh fruits, rice, chicken and veggies. Its the only way 2 go. It taste soooo much better.

Take care

my little guy wasn't really into solids until he was about 9 months. I introduced one thing to him each day and found that he liked to experiment with carrot sticks and things that he could hold and put in his own mouth.
Now at 10.5 months he will let me spoon feed him just about anything. I always put a pile of brown rice or quinoa on his tray for him to feed himself while I am feeding him 3x day.
He is also breastfed so I never worried about it since I know that he has always gotten what he needs nutritionally. Don't stress it, your little one will eat when she is ready. She is really lucky to have all that yummy breast milk and with that she is totally covered.

Our second son (also breastfed and now just 8 months) couldn't stand rice cereal. And we didn't know what to do either. We didn't start tying solids until he was 6 months and didn't know if we should keep trying cereal or move onto to something else. We found out we needed to move onto something else. Try something yummy instead - pears or sweet potatoes....something easy to make and totally yummy (according to most babies I know). A finger food we LOVE is the "Healthy Times Vanilla Biscuits for Teethers – Premium Organic Teething Biscuits" - you can get them down at the Marketplace, Berkeley Bowl, or order them online. We've bought them for both our children. Yes, they make a mess - but we give our baby one while we're eating dinner and he sits in his high chair next to us eating one of these and he's happy as a clam. But it's definately bath time afterward! It does make a nice routine for the baby to start getting into - family dinner, bath time, some relaxing time, and then bedtime. Now I put a wee bit of rice cereal into his foods for just a bit of texture. Like this morning I put some cereal into his pears and last night I put some into his carrots. Don't be worried - and don't get frustrated - just have fun with each meal. And keep trying things.

My daughter was about the same at 8 mos (she is now 2.5 y.o.), also exclusively breast fed at that time. She never did take to baby food from jars, and I ended up transitioning her directly to "real food" (soft things, obviously, like avocado, baked sweet potato chunks, etc. It seems like she was looking for more texture than the purees offered. She did fine once I figured that out.

Hello -
Wouldnt worry tooo much. My daughter did not like solid food until over 7 months old. Did not have an interest. She is now 8 years old and is a great eater. Have you tried buying a food grinder. If she seems interested in what you are eating, grind a little up when she shows interest and try it. I never used jar food, smashed, grinded and pureed everything we ate. Making your own food is pretty easy and does not take a great chef to do. For example buy a sweet potatoe or 2 steam, puree and pour into ice cube trays. Freeze and then bag into individual servings. then thaw when ready to use. Very easy and very inexpensive. This can be done with any vegetable, Fruits boil in a little water puree and do the same in the ice cube trays. Bananas just smash and spoon. As long as she is gaining weight and growing normal I wouldn't worry. Sometimes we are in too much of a rush to get our little ones through the stages.

Do not worry. I am a stay at home Mom with 6 kids. My fourth child would not eat any baby food. We tried everything and she would not eat any of it. She went straight to adult food and had no problem with it. We just cut everything in very small pieces. Out of all of my children she is our best eater. There is nothing she does not like or will not try.

Take a deep breath...you are doing great! If you are exclusively breastfeeding that is all your daughter needs. My dd didn't start eating food until she was over 12 months and then not that much. You don't have to be fantastic in the kitchen to make baby food...she may like fresh instead of jarred baby food. Mash a banana and add a little rice cereal for example. The book SuperBaby food was where I learned a lot about how to start your baby eating healthy. My dd is now 6 very smart and always at least 90% for height. She is rarely sick and has no allergies...which I cannot say about myself...but my M. started feeding me early and gave me formula at 8 months.
So once again you are doing a great job.

My daughter was really interested in trying people food at 6 months, then after one try, decided it wasn't really that much fun, and pretty much lost interest until 8-9 months. It was when she could feed herself that she really got into it. Cereal was a huge hit with her then.

She wasn't ever picky about what she ate, just how she ate it. She's a great eater now (at almost 10 years old!), and has always been very healthy.

Please try not too worry about it too much. From what I understand solids are just for practice for the first year. She should be getting the bilk of her nutrition from breast milk. That has way more nutrients than any of the first foods she will be trying. My son is just now getting into solids at 9 months. It was very frustrating for me and I wish I had not stressed about it so much. He also refused a lot more when he was teething. I think he mouth just hurt too mush to try something new. I would not start on the finger foods yet. Does she have any teeth?

Hi C., First of all dont't be worried. She can breastfeed only until she's at least a year old. I wouldn't push her at this stage as she may just become frustrated. And, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving her finger foods until she learns how to chew and swallow. Have you tried the hard teething biscuits. The baby has to do a lot of chewing and only a little swallowing. The problem is, you must watch them very closely. You don't want her to choke and when the biscuit starts to get small you must take it away from her so she doesn't swallow it.
Basically, you can't force a baby to do anything. Just be patient and give her more time, Now, try to relax and let her grow up at her pace. No two babies are alike. And, dont let anyone compare your baby to another baby. Just let her be herself. Be happy that shes breastfeeding so well and growing. Good luck with your endeavors. C. f

No, give it some more time. Is she gaining weight? Is she filling a diaper with both one and two? it is generally not recommended to start them at 4 months, unless they are starving for it! At 7 1/2 months, she will likely not want more than the rice cereal and a little fruit, esp. if she is being cautious. If you are breastfeeding, she is getting all she needs still at this time.
try fresh fruit. that is easy. the finger foods are a major choking hazard for her at this time.
It will be fine. She sounds fine if she's rolling over and standing! once she starts crawling her appetite ought to pick up!!!!!

I'd keep trying. Someplace I read that it may take exposing a baby 21 times to a particular food before he likes it. Also, I HIGHLY recommend making your own baby food. It's easier than you may think and the flavor of the food is so much better. I started my son on homemade baby food at 6 months then took some store bought on a plane trip several months later and my son absolutely refused to eat it. He would only eat fresh mashed banana until I was able to make his other homemade foods again. Also, the variety of foods you can expose your child to is limitless, which may be very helpful if you have a fussy eater. The bottled stuff is very limited in options. I use recipes and info from a website called www.wholesomebabyfood.com that you may want to check out. Best of luck!

Dear C.,

From my experience I believe your baby may be full on breast milk so there is no desire for the bottle or solids. Does she feed often? Crawling is a very important part of her brain developement I suggest you strongly encourage it before she starts walking. It is not recommended to freeze jarred baby food. It is very simple to make your own baby food with simple foods. Banana's, sweet patatoes, carrots; all you have to do is mush it up with a fork. Purchase a puree machine (small). You'll be able to give her the foods that you are eating that way, just beware the foods that her little belly is not ready for. Have you ever visited www.onestepahead.com they have fabulous tools to help you. You can freeze the food you make in an ice cube tray (covered). Onestepahead.com has one that has a lid. (very cool). They also have a mesh teething and learning how to eat tool that will enable your baby to eat solids without choking and she will learn how to chew. (melons work great in it) but be preparred for the mess. :-). I hope this helps. Take care. I just read some of the other responses, definetly mix your breast milk when pureeing the foods!!! It's a sure win! --Wishing you and your family the best.

C. (Mother of 2 girls; 9 and 5)

My son (who is now 3) is still not really into food. When he was your daughter's age he did take the stage 1 food but he refused all stage 2 jar food at nine months. I am not much of a cook either but I had to make him food from scratch. I put chicken, potatos, carrots, broccoli (or spinach), tomatoes all in a pot everyday and simmer for a couple hours then blend all the ingredients into a mesh. He ate that till he was able to take real food. Hope this helps
B.

Hi,

This is tough, but I had a daughter that was similar. Perhaps you can try some very soft table foods. I ended up doing this with my daughter because she never would eat the baby food. I did bananas and avocado in tiny little pieces and let her pick them up with her fingers. She loved it. I also did small pieces of cooked barley and some kidney beans cut in 1/4. It was a pain cutting everything so small, but at least I could get her to eat things. Might be worth a try. I also did the stars, but the other foods that were soft were a little easier for her. Good Luck.

I did not feed my boys solid foods until they were nine months old. As long as she is eating frequently, she is getting all she needs from your breast milk. Another option is to feed her during meal times. She may be more likely to eat if you and your husband are eating too. Also, she may not like baby food. I refused to eat baby food and my mother had to grind up whatever she made for dinner in a food processor to feed it to me.

Bottom line is that, at this age, she isn't eating for nutrition, but for the experience. Just like learning to breastfeed, it takes some time.

Oh, and don't freeze the store bought stuff. Be careful about keeping it in the fridge. If her saliva comes in contact with the food, it will spoil quickly.

Hi C.,

I have a few questions for you...Have you tried giving her the same food repeatedly? I'm wondering if she is introduced to the foods more than once, maybe she'd realize the taste wasn't so bad.

I'm also wondering if she has texture issues? If she doesn't like the food because of the texture, not the taste. I wish I could suggest a method to find that out, but unfortunately I have no idea.

My last question is...what foods do you eat before you breast feed her? Is your breast milk sweet, salty, sour? Maybe she is so accustomed to the flavor of the breast milk that if you can find food similar to what you eat it may help. I know, kind of odd but it was just a thought.

As far as her crawling...my daughter, who is now 8 years old, only crawled for about 2 weeks before she started walking. She knew how to crawl, but chose not to. Instead she'd roll around on the floor or stand up holding on to things. She was about 9 months old when this was happening.

I don't know if any of my suggestions will help you, but I was just trying to put a different spin on things and maybe something will click for you!

Good Luck!!!

J.

I would say to put her food on your plate, my kids are more apt to eat if it comes from mom's plate. If she sees you eating, maybe she will be more curious to try what is on your plate. "It must be good if mom eats it right?" Goodluck.

I am a work from home/and office, mother of a 4 yr. old boy, and 2 yr. old girl.

Don't worry and don't rush...is your baby breastfeeding or formula?
My 8mt son is breastfed. my dr. told me 6month is the EARLIEST to start solids. I started offering applesauce and bananas at 6 month, he took the first couple bites the first time and then nothing after that. Wanted the spoon, but turned his head if I put it near his mouth. So I've waited. I've offered him banana or applesauce whenever we eat it, but he hasn't been interested. Then I bought Gerber's sweetpotato to see if he would like that, he ate a little, but yes, I felt like I was wasting the rest. Last night we were eating and he was looking really interested. I had some yams that I had cooked up, so I mashed a little and added some breastmilk to thin it out (he would always gag on banana). He took quite a bit an even pulled my hand to his mouth for more. But then he was done! So starting solids at 6 months is just for the experience really, if bf, then they don't really need it. My dr told me he had a 18 month old who finally started eating solids. Just be patient and I wouldn't waste too much on store food. yams, bananas, applesauce you can give her when you are eating it. I also tried an apple and let him suck on that, he liked it, just make sure she can't bite a piece off and choke (the mesh holders are good for that)
Anyways, sorry this is long. Good luck!!!
M.

Hi C.!
For her age, it sounds like she's eating just fine right now, but it's NOT too early to introduce new foods, as a "snack". She'll get most everything she needs like nutrients from the baby food. I would introduce table food as snacks.
I used a netted "food rattle" is what I called it. It was AWESOME for that transitioning.
Do you have that "netted" food thing? It's bascially a handle that has a rounded net attached. You can cut up food and put it into the net for safe eating for littles one's like yours. You can use that to start with something you KNOW she likes, like apples, pears, and veggies,. then you can try more items like spaghetti, mac n cheez, etc...I would buy 3 of them, though, that way you won't be washing it every 10 minutes :0)
You can get them at Target, Babies R us, I think Walmart, too.

Good Luck!
N.

The only concern that I would have would be that she won't get used to any texture and that could be hard later on in her years. They have to gradually work foods through their throats to get it used to the whole idea of non liquid. What you could try is popcycles (home made with juice) or store bought. A sno cone maker would be cool too...shaved ice on a spoon might get her more interested. They say to try the same food a handful of times before you rule it out. This could just be a stage and she may grow out of it. I am a daycare provider-been for almost 4 years-and one of the children here started out on food late and he had a horrible gag reflex to the textures. He grew out of it though! Good luck!

My pediatrician said that Cheerios were fine if my baby could pick them up and put them in her mouth because they dissolve quickly- same with the puffs (by Gerber and others), but I'd steer clear of other solid foods for now. Freezing store bought should be OK, but you can also get a food mill (for about 13 buicks) that you can use to grind a little bit of your food, then you don't have to open any jars of anything... You might also try feeding her solids at a time when she'd normally want to nurse before you nurse her- then she won't be full. As others have said, though, she's getting what she needs from breast milk, so don't panic! Good luck.

It can take up to 10 tries of a single food before they accept it. I would try one food at a time and keep offering it at lunch and dinner for a week rather than 3 to 4 days, then add another flavor. So, the second week, at lunch and dinner give them the first food (maybe squash) plus a new food (sweet potato). This way a new flavor is offered for at least 10 days, with a new one thrown in for variety. Sometimes if it was a food my kids didn't like, I'd mix it with cereal. You will waste a lot of food. It's just part of the game. If you are worried about waste, maybe make your own and freeze it in ice cube trays. The portions will be smaller. Your baby might like the flavor better, too! The bananas in jars don't taste nearly as good as fresh bananas. One of my kids barely ate the baby food and skipped right to finger foods. This may be the case for you as well. Hope this helps!

Hi,
My daughter didn't start eating solids until she was 11 months old. We were very worried and in the end she just wasn't ready. She didn't get interested in food until her first tooth broke, which was very late at eleven months. She was still in the normal range, though on the late side. The pediatrician suggested that we get her used to the "culture" of eating. So we put her in a highchair and pulled her up to our table and gave her food to play with while mommy and daddy sat down to eat every morning and evening. So we all ate, she played with her food, and eventually I think she figured out that it was mealtime. Anyway, she is thirteen months old now and fine, though a bit of a gourmet baby :~) She likes fine adult cuisine, ha!

R.

I would not worry too much if she is not liking the jar foods. Have you ever tasted that stuff. It taste terrible as had to eat it for awhile when I had stomach problems. Have you tried putting the foods that you are eating into a blender for her instead of jar foods. and I do not think that you can freeze the jar food but can freeze the foods that you do yourself. I did not give my kids the jar foods except for the jar fruits, I just used the blender and gave them what we were eating at each meal. do try finger foods to see how she does. Don't worry about what different books, charts and so forth say about development as children develope at their own pace. If she wants to stand then let her, just let her do her own thing. Everything will happen in time. I think that she may have been started on solid food too soon, as my daughter did not start her son on solid food until he was 6 months old and he does just fine now. stick with the cereals and jar fruit and then re-introduce the other foods little by little mixed with cereal or the fruit. maybe she wants to feed herself so encourage the finger foods, and do try giving her what you eat or even try putting the jar food on your plate somewhere and let her think that you are eating the same food. do try introducing the formula mixed with the breast milk and each few days or after a week increase the amount of formula mixed with the breast milk until there is just straight formula in the bottle or sippy cup with a niple on it. they do have those if the child does not like the bottle as they will think they are drinking out of a regular cup. which most are convertable to regular sippy cups as you just change the lid. they usually come with a few different lids and do not cost that much to buy. I do hope that this information helps a little. I remember being a first time mom and how I worried about everything. my kids turned out just fine and healthy. by the way I am a retired nurse and I am a grandmother of 4 so I do have the experience with kids, like most mothers on here. no child comes with instructions when they are born. its a learn as you go kind of thing or ask lots of questions and that is what your mother is for LOL good luck with this

C.,
Do NOT worry! Your child will eventually be eating foods! My little boy was the exact same way. I started trying to feed him at four months and he refused solids until he turned a year. I actually didn't work as hard as you did, but I did try to feed him off and on, but he would also clamp his mouth shut and refuse. So I just took it easy and breast fed him exclusively for a year. That is totally fine. He got all the nutrients he needed until then. So, if she is not interested, just try once or twice a month and don't sweat it. Your breast milk is nutrition enough for her at this stage. Now my boy is 3 and eats SO WELL. He loves all kinds of foods. He began eating after 1 and has a healthy appetite since. I weaned him 3 months shy of his second birthday. He is super healthy and hardly ever gets sick. His immune system is amazingly strong. Even going to preschool and being exposed to other kids' germs and illnesses, he rarely brings anything home. I attribute that to his long breast-feeding term. So, just relax and enjoy the bonding time while breast-feeding your darling daughter. I am sure she will eventually show interest in eating. Oh, my son never did end up eating any of those pureed baby foods. He went straight to regular food. He also never took a bottle. So I basically raised a baby and skipped the stage 1 food experience as well as the bottle experience! Don't worry so much about your daughter not eating. She will be soon enough. Good luck!

Maybe she doesn't like the food (can't say that I blame her). I do have a friend whose little one didn't really start on solids until 10 months (she'd shown a lot of food sensitivities while breastfeeding) and she eats everything and eats fine.

Even though you say you're not great in the kitchen, I'd suggest trying homemade baby food. There are a lot of great websites with instructions and recipes, as well as the books by Annabel Karmel that are really good. It's super easy; you basically steam fruits and veggies, mash or puree them (in a food processor or blender) and then freeze it in ice cube trays. Each little cube is about 1 oz; it's easy to just pull out what you need so there's a lot less waste. You can also start with things you don't have to do anything to--banana and avocado are both great first foods to do just fresh. I'd take the baby spoon and scrape it along the banana so it was "pureed" texture.

btw--my older son didn't crawl until 14 months (when there was a tunnel at a playground he wanted to use), but he was walking at 10 months, so don't worry about the lack of crawling. He always preferred to be upright.

My daughter had interest in food, but wouldn't take more than a bite. It turned out she had some reflux issues. After we started her on medecine, she started to eat.

Good luck

I'm sure you already have, but are you mixing cereal, for example, with expressed breastmilk?

Hi C.,

I have three kids and my youngest is 9 months,my last two kids are my best eaters. Have you tried putting the food on your plate and feeding her from your plate,my 9month old really loves what I am eating. I will feed him what I eat as long as it is mashed up and doesnt have any added spices and he loves it! The important thing is to keep trying dont give up! If you can just make a little bit of food and as long as you dont feed your baby from the container you can freeze it. I use ice cube trays and once they freeze I put the cubes in a freezer ziplock bag and thaw them out one at a time. I would keep with the basics fruits and veg and once she starts eating them then try something different.
I hope this helps,

S. T

Hi,
Don’t worry; your little girl sounds very healthy.
There is no need for your infant to eat now solid food, she's still very young and happy to be breastfed. She'll eat solid food, when she's really ready, when her desire to "eat" becomes stronger than the comfort of being breastfed, when she expresses the desire to try a new pattern by begging. Each kid is different. It is actually better to delay a bit the solid food than to introduce it too early. The mouth and tongue of a young infant are basically meant for breastfeeding, and interfering in the development of the mouth and tongue by introducing new patterns too early can have an impact on his/her speech later.

I have no advice to give about the store bought food because I have little experience with this kind of food. Personally I’ve tried to offer as much fresh (and organic) food as possible to my little one, but I’m sure if you use a clean spoon into the jar that you put afterwards inthe refrigerator, you can use the rest later without endangering anybody.

Regarding the fact that she isn’t crawling on her knees, that’s more a question of evolution than milestones.
The milestones are important and should happen in a specific order and time frame, but there is also a lot of flexibility in how babies develop them selves. Rolling is excellent; it allows the child to experience gravity in many different positions and that helps build a good muscle tone and a strong, flexible body. You say she’s standing a lot. How is she coming to the standing position?
The best for her is to come to each new level by herself, so that she can integrate each new experience fully. It’s like a pyramid; it’s better to begin the next level when the previous level is complete.
First a baby lies down, then rolls, experiences all kind of motions on his/her belly, that at some point bring him/her into spatial movement. First the baby pushes himself/ herself backwards (which is quite frustrating for them), then forwards. Later the infant starts crawling on the belly and pushes him/herself to a sitting position, from which she/he can easily moves out. Then the baby will crawl on the knees for a while until he/she lifts herself/ himself up and start her/his first steps. That whole process takes roughly one year, and it can be a lot of fun to witness a baby evolving into a toddler.

My name is S., I'm a mother of a wonderful 2 year old as well as a certified Infant Developmental Movement Educator.

I have an eight month old who started eating solids at around six and half months. He is my third baby. My advice to you would be to keep trying they will pick it up. I takes patiences. Remember you are introducing the food not feeding full meals. I recommend trying to feed the veggies or fruit you are eating. Puree in a blender or food processor and eat with baby at the same time you are eating. Some foods your baby may enjoy is a banana or avocado mashed in the peel at the highchair. If your baby has any teeth allow baby to gently take small bits of the banana. You of course need to watch carefully, your baby may gag, but this is very common, we just need to watch for choking. New tectures are hard to get use to. One more thing, my older children didn't start eating solids until eight months old due to sensitivities.
Stay strong momma, your doing great!!!

Hi C.,
Congratulations on breastfeeding for so long! I agree, don't worry about the food issue. (My daughter, now 18, NEVER finished one of the smallest jars of baby food).
An excellent book I read way back when:
"How to Get your Kid to Eat, but not too much" by Ellyn Satter, Registerd Dietician (available on Amazon).
I can't emphasize this book enough to all moms with feeding issues and children! It is excellent!
For now, keep breastfeeding, keep offering her new foods (yes it takes a minimum of trying something 10 times before they like it), and keep up the positive attitude. Sometimes, things they liked yesterday, they no longer like. Just keep rotating foods and reintroducing.

Here's my 20:20 hindsight. My daughters, now 18 & 16, eat everything they are served (I don't serve liver). I never became a "short-order cook" for each of their tastes. I would have gone crazy. I've taken care of children who "only eat this" and "never it that", and their diets are so lacking in nutrition because their parents don't want them to go hungry, and cave to their desires. Consequently, one only eats breads, another won't eat anything green, yadayadayada.

I wouldn't worry about trying solids -maybe your daughter just want more texture. Do you eat the food. Since she seems interested in the food you eat, maybe try really enjoying some baby food. Also, they say you have to introduce the same food to kids up to 10 times before they will eat it.

My little girl is just 4 months old and we've not started introducing solids yet so I don't have first-hand experience with this issue -- but my husband and I have done a lot of reading and talking about this issue. Even though her pediatrician has recommended starting solids at 6 months, we're planning to let her lead the way. We practice babywearing so she is with us at the table for just about every meal -- and while I wouldn't be surprised if she starts "mooching" sometime soon, at the same time I won't be particularly concerned if she doesn't mooch at 6 months. She'll let us know when she wants to try something other than mommy's milk.

That being said, I know there is quite a varied spectrum of when babies decide they want to eat solids -- a relative of mine has put rice cereal in her son's bottle since he was less than 1 month old to "help him sleep"....and at the opposite end, I have a friend in my La Leche League group whose daughter didn't show a real interest in starting solids until she was about 11.5 months old...

Good luck to you! Trust your baby, she will let you know what is best for her. :)

I remember stressing about this too but dont worry. It took my daughter a month of trying until she started to take solids. What I did was I picked a meal time, and one meal a day I would give her a little oatmeal. She would only take one bite or so and then I would try it again the next day and the next. After about a month she actually started taking the whole amount. I think the key is to be consistent even though its frusterating but she'll eventually start eating. I wouldnt give her the finger foods yet.

My third child didn't eat any solid food until she was 13 months old. We tried earlier and she wasn't interested and kept vomiting. She is 3 and 1/2 now and perfectly healthy. My second child didn't have solids until about 9 or 10 months. Both were exclusively breast fed. My advice would be to not worry about it if your daughter seems healthy to you. I think sometimes the Dr.'s push solid food too early. I have lots of friends who just gave breast milk for a year. Hope that helps!

Hi C.,
I have 2 kids, ages 8 ____@____.com keep trying offering the same foods, but don't worry. Its okay for her to live off of breast milk completly for the 1st year. She'll do it when she's ready. I found at Eliot's natural food market an excellent baby food grinder that I used for both my kids. I would just grind up table food for them that didn't have anything added to it like butter or salt- though not till they were 9-10 months old. Yes, you can freeze jared babyfood- try putting it into an icecube tray= 1 Tablespoon and pop out to defrost for another meal. Keep up the good work, sounds like you're doing your best.

B. L

I totally understand being a bit stressed out about this, but I think she'll eat solids when she's ready and you are doing the right thing by just having stuff available to try. Don't make it a stressful thing, just think about it as an explorative one for her. Let her watch you eat and let her cues guide you.

As for saving money, you can make your own purees of food and freeze them in ice cube trays to keep the portions small. Once they are solid enough to remove from ice trays, store them in marked freezer bags. They'll keep in the freezer for a few months.

My daughter is 1.5 years, and to be honest she skipped out on pureed foods entirely, hated "baby food" and enjoyed anything she could attempt to pick up on her own and knaw on at her leisure. Your baby may be feeling the same way. My daughter still nurses by the way on demand, but lovves food too.

Try not to worry about the many charts and age averages out there that define what kids should be doing and by when, I know it's easier said than done, as I also have twin boys, now 5 years old and I was really worried about every little thing they did, or didn't do! I'm more relaxed about it now I suppose.

As long as your daughter is healthy, happy, growing, she's probably doing what she needs to do. Remember that breast feed babies do gain weight on a different scale then a baby who is on formula, and many of the weight/growth charts don't reflect that.

You are doing a fine job momma, keep up the good work!
-Di

Your baby girl sounds just like my oldest daughter (now 5). She always marched to the beat of her own drummer and refused to do anything on the "normal" schedule. For instance, she HATED tummy time and refused to roll over because... that would put her on her tummy, and why would she want to do that? She never did crawl, just went straight to walking at a very young age. Some kids are just like that - but I will tell you that this child has been such a delight to be around as a mom! So you should feel happy that you've got a baby who has her opinions. It's just a little tough to know what her opinions are before she learns to talk!

That said, my daughter hated jar foods. Would spit them out with a look of supreme disgust on her little baby face. I finally figured out what she wanted when we had her in her high chair and my husband and I were eating takeout Indian food. She kept trying to get our attention and finally threw a spoon at me to get her point across. So I gave her some of the (very spicy) Indian food and she LOVED it! Contrary to what all the books tell you, there are babies out there who do not enjoy bland food. (To this day, my daughter is quite the gourmand.) They make little baby food blenders that are not so expensive, and you can put whatever you are eating in there. If you have extra, you can put it in ice cube trays and freeze it for later.

I'd stay away from finger foods for now, although they do make those little mesh teething things where you can put a carrot or other vegetable in there. She can chew on it but will not get any big pieces into her mouth. She may enjoy the flavor and texture of the "real" food that she sees you eating.

If all else fails, just keep offering her food, and one day she will like it. It can take 10+ times of offering a food before your baby will eat it sometimes. She is getting plenty of nutrition from breastmilk so you don't have to worry.

Good luck and have fun!

My breastfed baby girl was doing the same thing at the same age. She had an aversion to the spoon. She liked to feed herself so I rolled pieces of banana in the rice cereal so she would get the iron. You can do tofu, sweet potatoes anything that they can feed themselves. At the same time i just kept attempting the spoon. After a week or so she got it and she eats great now!! One tip is that it is helpful to have someone else introduce the spoon because they know mom has the good breastmilk and of course they would rather have that from you. My mom did that for me one weekend while i was at work and since then she has done great.

I wouldn't worry about it. My cousin's children both breast fed almost exclusively until they were over 1 year of age. Their weight gain was fine and now they are great eaters! My friend's daughter wouldn't eat any baby cereal or strained food until she was 10-11 months old. She then perfered the chunkier foods. It is better to make feeding fun and not stressful for either of you. As long as she is growing developmentally and in weight and height like she should be, then just don't worry about. She won't breast feed forever! (=

I don't think you really have anything to worry about. Especially being that she's not even crawling yet. Every child has their own way to develop and your daughter is taking her time. Just keep with what your doing and I believe that she'll get the picture sooner- rather than later. As for freezing the jars of baby food, I'm not sure about that- but homemade is not hard to freeze. Buying fresh foods/veggies and steaming/baking them, tossing them in a blender, and then straining them, will give you the same results as your store bought brands and you can seperate what you need in freezer bags/containers and take what you want. Just look up babyfood online and you'll find loads of super-easy helpfull tips and even recipies. Hope this helps!

try to NOT nurse her for at least an hour (3 - 4 hours would be better)before you offer solids. Make sure that the solids are liquidy. Then after she eats you can top her off with the Mama's milk.
If she is hungry, she should eat.

I wouldn't worry too much at this stage. Your breastmilk has far more nutrients, fat, and calories than any of the jarred baby foods do anyway. But it is a good idea to eventually get her interested, so she can practice for when she has a full set of teeth, and will need to eat on her own.

You don't have to be a kitchen whiz to make your own baby food. All you have to do is take a banana or avocado and smash it with a fork until it's very soft. Or peel & boil a sweet potato, then smash it or put it in the blender with some purified water. You can freeze what's leftover in ice cube trays and then mix it with a little breastmilk when you're ready to try again.

As long as your little one is still at the breast very regularly and gaining weight I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maybe she is just not ready yet. Babies are generally ready when they get thier first tooth. Mine started rice cereal just once a day at night (only about 2 tablespoons)at about 6 months, then went on to oatmeal and rice cereal, and then went to stage one food like mashed bananas mixed with rice cereal and breast milk next. Make sure that you are using breast milk to mix with the rice cereal. Try making it a little runnier and easier to swallow. Try buying fresh sweet potatoes (or whatever)and steaming them, and then mashing. Have you tried baby food in jars yourself? It's pretty gross. This way is fresher, with less additives and thickeners, and more economical. If she makes the squishy face it doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't like it. Try several times and if she still doesn't take that particular thing, wait a while and try again. The gag reflex is normal and is just her learning how to swallow solid food.I can't tell you how much one of those old fashioned griders is worth. I bought one for ten bucks and used it constantly. Then when you child is a little older and used to solids, you can seperate out a portion of whatever you are having and hold the spices, and grind away. Have fun with it once you find something she likes. Banana/blueberry or potato/broccoli. Avocado. Don't assume she likes the sweet stuff - it's not always the case. You can store extra grinderized food in your freezer for several weeks. I used to fill up ice cube trays for the perfect serving size (they also make them specifically for home made baby food with little lids). I remember laughing at the little freezer "meals". One cube chicken/broccoli/potato, and one cube streamed dried apricot/rice. Make sure to avoid salt, sugar, raw or undercooked eggs, unpasturized cheese, nuts, honey, shell fish, or really high fiber foods. Good luck to you!

Do you try to warm the food up a little? Sometimes they like that better. Or try to put some fruit baby food or fruit juice in her rice cereal for a little flavor. Or wagon wheels, I know is says they should be crawling on their knees before they could eat this, but as long as your baby can sit up unsupported.. she should be able to feed herself the wheels and sometimes it's fun for them to feed themselves. I won't worry, as long as she is still nursing good and continuing to thrive. You could always try again every month and eventually she'll want to eat.

Dear C.,
I may not have the facts correct, but by "solid" foods, do you mean the basically liquified stuff you get in baby food jars at the store? My daughter would not have anything to do with it. She would eat the jarred plums, the apricots, and strangely enough, the carrots. But she would touch NOTHING else. She cried every day when she could smell the meals cooking and I knew she was hungry. But when I tried to give her the baby food, she would not touch it and scream. To make a long story short, I figured out that jarred baby food was too bland for her. She experienced all these wonderful smells and then what I tried to give her fell WAY short of what she thought she was going to get. If I made mashed potatoes and gravy, I gave her some. If we had turkey, baked chicken or fish, I'd break it up and give her some. I gave her the green beans or yams or brussel sprouts or eggplant that we ate. I gave her cereal, but thick, and mixed with the tart fruit that she liked. By the time she was a year old, she had her own little plate and utensils. Of course, she often made a mess, but another good tip is to go to the dollar store and buy plastic table cloths. Put it on the floor under her high chair and let her have at it. You will get through this phase, just keep trying. The more things you introduce, the better. Be careful of strawberries, peanuts and shell fish as they are known to be allergens in some children, but let her try some "real" food. I have two children and the only thing they will not participate in, to this day, is drinking a glass of buttermilk. I like it, and that is the only thing they don't like.
Good luck!

It's been too long, and I don't remember having this problem, so I'm sure you'll get better advice. I wouldn't give star finger foods yet (not quite sure what that is, but it sounds solid), she might gag and choke, keep trying the mushy stuff first. As long as she's gaining weight I wouldn't worry though, just keep giving her liquids and trying the baby food. Unfortunately waste will happen.

Have the baby eat with you guys. My kids used to love it when I would boil beans in the crock pot over night and then soak corn toritllas in it. enough to where they were practically dissolved. I would also blend the corn tortillas ( microwave them first) with the boiled beans. Thick, but not chunky. They loved it.. even till this day they like it, just not blended. Chicken soup is also a favorite, but my kids loved the fruit jars and the sweet potato. They also have tropical fruit jars, like mango, passion fruit.. Try mixing some of the cereal with that. My kids liked the barely cereal more than the rice, and loved the oatmeal one. As for freezing it, I really would, freeze the sweet potato, it might turn black. Call the number on the jar of food and ask them about the safety guidlines regarding freezing the food, just to be on the safe side.. Take care and I hope your baby begings to eat solids. My daughter didn't really eat solid solids until after she turned one. Her teeth didn't come in until really late. On the other hand my other children ate earlier, on even began solids at 3 months.. oink. oink..

No worries at all, just keep trying. I would suggest trying some homemade fresh, preferably organic food. Just steamed or bake some vegies like sweet potato, squash, carrots, beets, peas, beans. Also, just a ripe banana or pear mashed up is easy too. My husband, as a baby, did not eat food till he was one year old (his mom tried a couple times) and was exclusively breast fed!

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was that age. I just decided to forgo baby food altogether and just fed her more grown up food - such as pieces of bananas, cheese, diced grapes, diced ham, and yogurt. She immediately loved it and there was no going back. It helped that she had teeth too, but I'm finding now with my son (9 months) who has only two teeth that he can eat all of those things with no problems. Babies are really good at mashing food with their gums, you would be surprised at what they can eat. I don't buy the rule of "they need to be crawling" that you see on the box, try it and if she gags or chokes then wait a few weeks and then try again. Good luck!

The greatest book is Super Baby Food. It has an answer for everything. It's only $20. It saved me when my son didn't eat anything. But breast milk is still best for her and lots of mothers nurse exclusively for the first year. Hope this helps.

Someone once told me - and I find this to be true: children will not starve themselves. I know someone who breastfed their child for almost 4 years old - though they did have solid foods introduced. What I really want to tell you is that all children are different and they develop at their own pace. So what if the books say she should be doing this or that at 7 mos. Her body will need more sustenance in the near future, but as long as her weight is still okay, her body must be getting all it needs from the breastmilk; your perfect food (: Once her hunger kicks in, she will satisfy that too. I'd say be patient, and just buy the smallest jars of food you can find. I'd try and freeze one and see how it thaws out. Just have an alternative on hand in case it doesnt work out. Good luck to you. hang in there and dont be pressured by the books and charts.

I can only speak from my experience. My daughter would not eat baby food in the jars, she would eat what was on our plates, mashed up. I think she thought she was missing out. I had bought baby food in jars and ended up selling it at a garage sale as she wouldn't eat it. I would try mashing up "big people food" and see what she thinks. My daughter is 16months old and a good eater now, eats most everything.

My daughter was not really into the store bought foods either. She was very interested in everything that my husband and I ate, the result is kinda silly but it completely worked and she is a great eater to this day (4 years). I was like the mother bird.....I would take a grape, peach, melon (some kind of semi soft fruit) and chew it in my own mouth and then let her eat a very small bite of the chewed up food. I never did it if I had a cold, but I'm sure germs are germs and mine were passed to her when I did this. She never got a cold, etc and really loved eating this way. I started with soft fruits and moved onto sweet potatoes and other soft foods. She LOVED it. Soon I was giving her pieces of fruit to suck on (while I held the fruit) to get the taste of it. They sell little mesh (baby section of stores) that you can put food in and the child can knaw on the meshing, get the food mashed up and get the juices and some food out without worrying about a choking hazard. I would try real food and not the store bought baby food. It is not worth freeezing, although you can if you put them into plastic containers or scoop the remaining portion into ice cubes trays and freeze them (once they are into ice cubes transfer those into plastic baggies). Anyway good luck, real food tastes the best, go for that.

My little girl (9 months now) was the same way with baby food. She never liked it, and I was really dissapointed too, I thought feeding her was going to be so much fun. Anyway, I whipped through all the baby foods to test for allergies and moved quickly to real food in little tiny pieces that she could pick up and feed herself. She loves it. Mind you, half of her food ends up in her lap, underneath her and on the floor, but I just rescue what I can and give her more as needed. She eats everything now, whatever we are eating for dinner. (with a couple of exceptions of course like shrimp and oranges) Sometimes I have to cook things a bit longer for her, but she loves eating now. It's amazing what babies can gum up without any teeth. This has been my experience, good luck....try checking out the book Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter. She is an expert in this area.