Baby Doesn't Eat

I would call Cynthia Epps. She is the premier Ped. Nutrician specialist. She is amazing!!! ###-###-#### or ###-###-####

Always remember a child like what you ate when you were pregnant,what did you enjoy eating? I started feeding my son, soft foods like bananas, carrots(steam them and smash them up, maybe some mashed potatoes and yams. I went through that phase as well but found out he liked what I cooked. I hope this helps!

Not to worry. I breastfed both my children until they were 2 and just went with the flow of when they wanted to eat anything else and I have 2 perfectly happy and healthy little boys.

We lived in Hawaii for a while and mashed up bananas and avocado (yes, together)is popular and was a big hit with my babies as their starter food and so healthy too. Later incorporated ripe mango in the mix. From there it was an easy transition to organic veggies, broccoli, peas, carrots, yams, beets, squash, etc. and various combos of said veggies, as long as they were steamed/boiled and then pureed in the food processor or blender. They weren't interested in these foods unless they were thoroughly pureed with a smooth texture. As time progressed of course they no longer needed or wanted everything to be mashed, blended or pureed.

Remember home made baby food is a lot healthier and tastier than what you get in baby food jars.

Best of luck.

Wow, J.......you got a lot of responses already! And here is mine; we have been through it, too :-) Our daughter was not interested in any! of the foods offered. I brought it up with her pediatrician (dr. Sears) who suggested I put her on my lap when we ate. Sure enough, after a few days, she started poking at my food and a week or so later she poked and put her finger in her mouth.
Slowly, but surely she started eating food of of my plate.

She is now 2, and it still tastes better if it has been on my plate ;-)

And of course, I made sure only to serve food she would not choke on. Maybe substitute the fries for mashed potatoes (to much fat and salt, unless they are homemade).

In short, just keep trying :-)

My baby is the same. I actually talked to a speech therapist (if you do want to go to a pro to help you that's where you start) She told me a couple of things that really helped.
Get him used to putting something smaller in his mouth. We used a toothbrush because you don't want to use a choking hazard. Some babies just don't like the feel of something in their mouths. This helps a baby get used to something strange in her mouth. Also are you giving her time to explore the food on her own. We put food on my son's tray and just leave it. He gets to check it out on his own. He will usually try something, he usually doesn't like it but we are getting somewhere. He only has about 6 solid foods he will eat and he won't eat those all the time. His weight is just fine and he's healthy. Take it slow. She just may not be ready.

Some babies are very sensitive to texture. Try smoothing out whatever you are offering by mixing it with the yogurt or baby food that she likes. Put in a little bit the first time, just a taste. If that goes over well, try adding just a bit more the next time. Then more and more until she gets used to the texture and taste of new foods. Just make sure that as you try her on each item, you don't try more than one new thing at a time (to check for allergies). Eventually she will grow out of this, it just takes some time. Good luck, I'm sure you'll do great.

I love you for asking this!!! I am going through the same exact thing with my 9-month old daughter and when I mention it to other moms, I usually get an eye roll in disbelief *lol
All the responses were SO helpful :) My daughter only east the same exact as your daughter...too funny! Anything solid, she gags and throws up! Thanks for making me feel normal!!!

weelicious.com

also, i would avoid giving your daughter any kind of fried potatos: chips, fries, hash browns, etc. there's a link to cervical cancer.

good luck

i think the best advice i can give u is to not put any pressure on eating...my son eats just about anything it seems..and that's b/c i make eating very casual..like i'll just make him a plate of food and myself and i will sit on the couch or at the table and just eat and let him run around..then he comes over and is always curious about what i'm eating..so it becomes his idea. Sometimes feeding them off your finger works..like with oatmeal..if my son won't eat it i will put some on my finger and then feed it to him...be creative..fly food in on a spoon like an airplane..soar it around and then say open up..be playful...make if fun.

I am the mom of four, and let me reassure you that this is not a big deal. It is a fact that babies who are not pushed when it comes to solids develop much more diverse and healthy diets later on. Allow her to develop at her own pace. All she really needs at this point is formula or breastmilk, and she also has yogurt and fruit babyfood in her diet. Her diet will expand greatly during her second year of life, and soon your concerns in this area will be just a funny, first-time-mommy memory. Just keep offering her the family foods but do not stress if she doesn't eat them.

hi J., Just keep working with her, when my daughter was very small she was also very picky, and it was frustrating trying to get her eat certain foods. Have you tried the toddler meals? or what you can do for now is take table food and grind it up so the texture is like her baby food, I had to do that with one of my daycare kids cause his teeth were coming in late, so i used my magic bullet, to create a texture he could eat. She won't let herself go hungry, and her eating habits will change, just try and be patient with her. J. L.

Good work! She will catch on. It is probably texture. It has to be done gradually. We started with mashed potato, mashed banana, and fruit that was really juicy like melon.
But, don't worry, because she is not even 1 yet, she gets most of her nutrition from her formula.

Don't worry. Our little grandson was just the same. I didn't get any answers from Mamasource and not one baby book mentioned this nonproblem. Within a few months the problem went away and he now. at 16 months, eats everything put in front of him and even likes to use a spoon and fork. He does tend to want to eat several times a day rather than one big meal with the family. He is very sweet and good natured about everything.
B. v.

It's all about being patient and letting them go at their own pace...my son went from hating everything veggie related to loving veggies of all kinds and now at 2 he will only eat corn, fresh steamed carrots and lima beans...everything else ends up on the floor!

Really, I would try the starter meals in 3rd stage foods to give her a chance to taste the different food combos. My son was into everything and so much ended up out of his mouth after just a taste. He loved Earth's Best and some of the Gerber stuff, but once he was into table foods it was mostly pasta shells or spagehti without the sauce, crackers of all kinds, baby sized turkey meatballs, cheerios, gerber puffs, gerber meals and he loved those teether cookies from gerber and trust me I was worried he wasn't getting ALL his nutrtients at every meal, but he kept gaining weight and being healthy!

It's always a hit or miss, so just let her keep trying stuff and doing what you're doing.

Try not to worry, J.. My son was the same way. He is now 21 months old and I'm telling you, he would NOT eat whole fruits or vegetables (I mean non-pureed, or non-freeze dried) until he was almost 18 months old! He was also very sensitive to textures. He was and still is big on breads, cereals, rice, etc. He is very picky about vegetables now and the only vegetable he'll eat now is corn, but he'll eat sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. He used to love all green vegetables if they were pureed. I can chop broccoli up very finely and put it in pasta sauce or add it to cottage cheese and he'll eat it, or grate carrots and put it in cottage cheese as well and he loves that. Just keep offering your daughter solid foods each day and eventually she'll start to eat them. I know it's so frustrating and so time-consuming to prepare foods just to have your baby refuse them! My son would not eat eggs for a long time and now he just LOVES them. I think one year old is old enough for the egg whites now. My son wouldn't eat the yoke either when he was smaller. Toast is usually a big winner for toddlers just beginning to eat solid foods. Does she like oatmeal? My son always loved oatmeal. Try pancakes or french toast as well, teething biscuits, crackers, etc. Maybe try the freeze dried fruits by All Brothers Natural called Apple Crisps, etc. You can buy them online at their website or at Costco. They come in pouches and I haven't met a baby who doesn't like them! Keep trying and hang in there.
:) M.

My son also didn't start on solids until about 11 months, although we'd started trying at 6 months. He was a premie and had been on a ventilator for several weeks. He was receiving OT services and his OT figured out that he had very little sensitivity in his mouth. He was never a kid that put things in his mouth and that's why. We had to spend time stimulating his mouth and rubbing the gums. Those little finger toothbrushes worked well along with interesting teething toys. Once we started doing that, he improved on eating solids.

Just keep trying - she will eventually eat. Don't let this stress you out - there are so many things to stress about, and as long as you keep trying she will eventually start eating. Some kids are just like that.

Just to keep it in perspective, my son who is 2 1/2 only eats hamburger, crackers and gingerbread cookies...and lots of milk...and he is completely healthy and at his ideal weight. My daughter, who is 10 months old, eats every single thing I give her...so it is just a different person, different tastes thing.

Seriously - please don't stress about it - this is much more normal than you'd think.

Just be patient. Have you been feeding her baby food purees? My son still loves purees and he's 20 months. When she's ready, I guarantee she'll eat up.- www.weelicious.com

From what you listed, she seems to like sweet things....ie: the yogurt, fruit baby food and, formula. And that is all she will eat.

If anything, you can give her a vitamin... But ask your Pediatrician. My son takes the Poly-vitamins w/iron, which is a liquid prescription vitamin and you put it in their milk etc.

At least she puts the food in her mouth...even if she spits it out...at least she is "trying." Some kids/babies will NOT even open their mouths much less put the food in their mouth.
So, at least your baby is putting it in her mouth and opening her mouth

But I"m wondering... does she KNOW how to "chew" her food? Maybe this is why she rejects other foods with texture??? I would check this out as a thought. Some kids, have mouth/muscle/coordination/swallowing concerns... and they don't yet "know" how to chew. Perhaps check with your Pediatrician.

I once baby sat a child that was like that. That is why I am asking.

Take care,
Susan

First do not worry!!!

Simply doesn't sound like she is ready for solids. She will be, I promise!!! When my son was ready he started grabbing food off my plate.

Also, the formula usually has so much sugar and salt in it that sometimes other foods offered don't taste like much to them.

Healthy foods you eat sounds like your best shot.

Thanks for caring and being loving parents,

Deb

My son is almost 15 months. He has always been a good eater. However, I do have to keep offering different foods. I found that feeding a child can be very hard, time consuming, and frusterating. My advice would be to not give up. Keep offering different foods and some of the same. Even if it takes 20 times of introducing that food, she may eventually take it. I can't tell you how many foods I had to do that with. For instance, I made a macaroni tuna salad and he spit it out many, many times. I tried cutting the noodles smaller and I just kept offering it through out the week. He finally ate it. If I put too much in his mouth he will almost always spit it out. Even if it is something he really likes. Also the one food I can set out on a table and he will eat all of is Cheerios. He also learned by watching his older cousin. I babysat my 2 year old nephew and within 20 minutes my son was copying him by eating on his own and drinking out of a sippy. As for scrambled eggs, I add a little bit of garlic salt and cheese and he loves it. I've had to get creative. Good luck! As everyone has said she will be fine. Just another phase babies go through. Just don't give up, keep offering:)

Hey J., Our son is 13 months now and he didn't really start eating that stuff til last month. He was good about eating the rice cereal if i mixed it with bananas but yeah nothing with texture. Than more teeth came in, including molars, last month and since then he'e been eating up a storm. As long as your giving her consistent formula/breastmilk she's getting the nutrients she needs. Check with your pediatrician as well! Good luck, keep us posted.

At less than a year old.. I wouldn't worry... it will happen .. as long as the baby is still on formula she will be fine.

Have you tried mixing her formula with the foods you offer her?

Is your baby underweight or otherwise unhealthy? If not, you probably should just go with her flow. My first baby was also very picky (and somewhat skinny) which worried me. My parent's advice to me was that kids know what they need and will get it when they need to. I also heard that from other docs, so as long as she is healthy she's probably getting all she needs right now. BUT I would keep encouraging her to try new things, even if she does spit it out, someday something will click and she'll get less picky, I think. Also, if she likes fruit, try getting her to try new textures using the flavors she already likes (more chunky fruit), just to get her used to the idea that not all foods have baby food textures. Getting her over that texture hurdle may help her to want to try other new foods.