Help - Winter Haven, FL

I had the same problem. Don't give too many bottles. That is usually the problem. Limit the bottles. Babies will never starve themselves. They will always eat when hungry. So when she's hungry enough, she will eat more. It's tempting to give her the bottle I know...but don't. Wait and she may fuss a bit, but eventually she'll be hungry enough and eat all the food.

Hi, my daughter is now 9 months and it took her until she was about 7 months before she could finish the jar of stage 1 babyfood. Now she has no prblem finishing the stage 3!! I wouldn't worry just yet...give it a little time, I bet in a couple of months she'll be eating like crazy!

Kids WILL eat when they are hungry. If you've just started introducing them, it may take some time. She will eventually be eating the kitchen sink before you know. Let her eat until she is done. Babies will eat when they are hungry. My daughter is 2 and she doesn't eat dinner at night. No worries. They will nat starve. Just keep trying. Maybe try feeding her 2 kinds of foods. Maybe she's getting tired of that same food. Maybe try 2 kinds of veggies instead of one.

I know it's really hard to know who to listen to these days, but I think you should get a second opinion. I think most doctors now would tell you not to start solids until six months, because the baby's digestive system just isn't ready. It can cause allergies, too.

And most nutritionists say not to force kids to eat ("clean your plate") because it can lead to eating disorders later or obesity. They need to learn to listen to their bodies and stop when they're full.

I know my kids both played with their food a lot at first--just enjoyed being "big" and how it felt and tasted. A quarter of a jar sounds about right.

I would check with another doctor or ask why your doctor said she needs to eat so much.

Not really, you have to see how much milk she is drinking, if only have been a month and she is only 5 mo. old she is fine. Is she gaining any weight?, is she happy and slepping good, you don't have to worry. All babies are deferent. I start my baby girl on baby food when she was 7 mo. old and she did good, just follow your heart and if she seems to be a happy baby just continue giving her the baby food and let her eat whar ever she wants, mybe you can try a deferent flavor or wait untill she is really hungry and give her the baby food first. Good luck to you and congratulations for you new baby!

Most babies I know begin eating around 6 months. I think most pedi's suggest six months unless the baby is actually showing that they want to eat. Does your baby push most of the food back out of her mouth? If so then I would say she is not ready yet. If she is swallowing it with out a problem then I wouldn't worry about how much she is eating. Some babies eat more than others. If I remember correctly breast fed babies if they wanted too could go a year with out solids. My daughter took until about 9 months to really start eating. Her brother was eating ribs at 6 months! :). Don't worry about it. She will eat when she is ready.

My mom told me that a kid eats what they need. If they are hungry they eat and it can go in waives. I believe that because my son would eat a little bit of food and then push it away. I found out much later he had allergies (obviously not your case). You may have tried this however, have a couple of different foods and let your daughter eat a little from each jar - she may eat more and find a favorite. ms

I was greatly suprised when I read your question. Of course, I was not present to hear the doctor's words, but, that seems wrong to me. My understanding is that breastmilk/formula is the main source of nutrition and hydration throughout the first year. The solids are to be started around 5 or 6 months (depending on the child) and slowly increased in amount. The digestive system of a baby is so delicate. Forcing too much food too early can have adverse effects.
Try talking to the doctor again for confirmation on his/her advice and share your thoughts/concerns with him/her. You could also do some reading on the subject.
Pay attention to your daughter's comfort level. At what points of the day does she seem hungry and contentfully full.

Good luck.

I wouldn't worry about it. my daughter did not eat the whole jar until about 7 months, just give her whatever she will eat and that's it.

If her weight and development are within range then don't fret! You might try either letting her eat more often or try other foods.
My GrandDaughter is a grazer. She is one of the pickiest eaters alive but once we gave in & let her guide the feeding times she dod fine.
When my Daughter was about 3 months I began giving her the first water off of the beans that I fixed. (after boiling well,before adding any seasoning & given as her water bottle) Both the Doctor and my Mother thought I was going to kill her but she is a super healthy adult now.
Long before there were experts who told us (our ancestors) how & when to start foods children did fine by the Mother following her instincts and letting the child lead the way. 'Course we use some common sense but I am a firm believer in the intelligence of the body and the instincts of Mothers.

S.

I wouldn't stress about it. I started my baby girl on solids at 6 months. I don't think I would have done it any earlier(her doctor did not recommend doing it before 6 months of age anyway) at about 9 months I stopped. She NEVER ate a full jar of baby food--she just did not like it. It started to be a battle and a waste of money. Once I realized she was not going to eat the baby food I started introducing table food. She loved the "adult food" and is a good eater now. She is a lightweight and still has days were she doesn't eat big, but as long as she is growing and hitting her developmental marks I am not concerned and either is her Dr. She is still very young. If she is nursing/drinking formula and growing Iwould not be concerned. Maybe wait a couple of weeks and try again. If she still is not interested, maybe offer up some soft table foods. Good luck.

I totally agree with Roseanne C.

You need to look into finding a new Pediatrician.

Hope everything works out for you soon!
Blessings,
K. J.

kids eat until they are full. Do not force her. if she does not eat it one sitting give her a snack like yogart or fruits. as long as she is a healthy weight don't be concerned

My baby's doctors told me that babies don't need food until 6-8 months old. I tried giving my son food at 4 months but he was not really interested until 6 months. I wouldn't worry about it.

Don't stress over it. Doctors don't know everything. My youngest wouldn't eat hardly anything. The doctors always said she was to small. One even wanted to give her shots to make her grow faster and eat more. Of course my Mom told me not to listen to the doctors that she had raised eight of us and not all kids eat the same. She said just to make sure that I started with veggies and not to introduce fruits until she would eat all her veggies. If you start with fruits they never will eat their veggies. My daughter is 20 years old now and eats very healthy. Lots of fruits and veggies. So my advice is if your child is healthy and active feed her what she will eat and don't worry about it. Like I said, doctors don't know everything. Maybe she is drinking to much milk before feeding. I always fed them the food before nursing. That way they ate a little more. Gerbers was the main brand I used, but then when I cooked dinner I had a blender that I put in carrots, peas, etc. and made my own baby food. They liked that better than the jars. Hope this helps you, but honestly I wouldn't worry about her not eating a full jar of food.

Hi B.! You might want to find a new Pediatrician! A baby's main source of nutrition for the first 12 months is either breast milk or formula. Jar foods and finger foods are just extra. It is not necessary that they eat any solids the first year. My little boy who is now 21 months did not eat a full jar until he was about 9-10 months. I tried at 4 months and he wanted nothing to do with solids. Then I tried again at 6 months, he tried a little. He is fine and has a very healthy weight! Good Luck!

Go with your mother's instinct. My little girl didn't show any interest in solids until she was 6 months old and she is a thriving 2.5 year old now. Being married to a medical student (doctor to be) and reading his medical books on child development, I can tell you that what is considered "normal" or "correct" can be a whole range of things and that information on what is considered normal and healthy changes every 2 or 3 years. Don't worry about it and just make sure that the food your child is eating is healthy and good for them.

Formula/Breastmilk is still the main food for babies at this point. She should only be eating food to get used to the idea of it. At 6 months food is a little more important, but still formula/breastmilk should be her main priority.
I think they are supposed to be around 24 ounces per day at her age and then at 1 year at 16 ounces. So if she is close to 24 ounces per day and a healthy weight...let her dictate how much she needs not the doctor.
Hope this helps
N.

In my opinion, a full jar is a lot at her age. When my daughter started out on food (around the same age), she only ate about a third of the jar at one time. I still gave her the normal amount of formula that she was drinking at that time. I would give her most of her bottle, then the food, and let her finish off the bottle after that. At this age, it's important that they still get the right amount of formula/breastmilk and you don't want to completely replace that with food quite yet.
My son is 3 months and I just started him on food and he only eats about a quarter of a jar a day. And he's a pig who wants to eat all day!LOL:)
If I were you, I wouldn't worry about her eating the whole jar at one time b/c I think that seems like a ton of food for her little belly. As long as she's eating 1/4-1/3 of the jar and still drinking I would be fine with that!

let her eat the way she wants. a baby will not starve themselves. my daughter was a finiky eater and she still is. my daughter's doctor told me the same thing. let her eat according to her appetite.

Unless your daughter is underweight, I wouldn't worry. My doctor always says start w/a tablespoon of food and slowly add more over time. Is she content w/what she gets? If she's breastfed she may not be too interested in food and that is NORMAL. I started my son at 4 mos on solids and had to back off and wait a few weeks more because he just wasn't interested. Now he eats twice a day about 2 tbsp. at a time. Their tummies are small so that's about what they can handle. I know it's hard with your first but try to trust your instincts too. I found with my firstborn son I would feel one way and when I heard contradictory advise from our ped. at the time I would needlessly stress over it. With my second baby *he's six mos* I am much more trusting of myself. You are doing great don't worry!
H.

Your baby should still be getting all of her nutrients from formula or breast milk at this point in her life. Solids are only being introduced to get her used to trying different foods and eating from a spoon. Once she is 9 months old her formula/breast milk intake should go down and she should start getting a little more of her daily nutrients from other foods. If she isn't interested at 5 months I wouldn't sweat it and your pedi shouldn't be either. My daughter is 8 months old and eats less than 1/4 of a jar of baby food. She just doesn't like pureed food. So my plan is to wait till she's 9 months old and introduce table food, we've tried some and she will eat anything we give her. If by 9 months you still can't get your child to eat solids your pedi should be able to give you different ideas to help that process along.

As I keep telling my husbands grandmother, children are smarter than adults. They eat when they are hungry, not because its expected or they are bored. Your daughter is most likely eating just the right amount for her body. That said, are you giving her a bottle prior to feeding her? How many bottles are you giving her a day? I always start my babies day with cereal and then a bottle about an hour later. I try not to give her anything within 2 hours of lunch or dinner.

Even though your doctor says she SHOULD eat a whole jar, your daughter knows when she is full. I would not push it. When the time comes, she will eat everything in sight. Take it a little at a time.

Does your doctor have the same stomach as your daughter? Does he tell you how much to eat? Let her eat as much or as little as she likes; only she knows when she's had enough.

G.

B.,
Your little one knows when she is hungry. Doctors don't know everything. Don't force your child to eat a whole jar. They don't even get their eating habits until they are about 5 years old. Listen to your childs needs and she will be fine. If a baby is not fat the doctor will tell that she is not healthy. This is what a doctor told my daughter with my 2 year old grand daughter. My grand daughter is fine and healthy. If your daughter seems to be normal with her energy and happy then she should be fine. Have a wonderful day and don't stress out over a doctors opinion. Children are very well taken care of by their creator up above. He has given them the same alarms we have to let them know when they have a need! Take care and enjoy your little one.
Very Sincerely,
L. Jacobs

No baby can go a year without eating solids, but at 5.5 months, you have nothing to worry about. It could take another couple of months for her to pick up speed. I find it strange that your ped would say that. Do not replace or reduce her breast/formula feedings to try to make her eat more! That is what she primarily needs now. Give her some time, you'll see you worried over nothing.

i was always told by,lets just say everyone and their docs.that they will never go hungry.they all eat different amounts.they will only eat till they are full and yours is not yet six months.give her time she will eat what she needs.start with cereals and then preceede to fruits and veggies.a little at a time.no hurry.she gets what she needs from the milk and never reduce her milk.the food is in addition to the milk,never a substatution....hope this helps.i have two boys.11 and 17.i did'nt kill them,so i hope i know a little about momming.lol.as long as your child doesn't apear to be losing waight,have the hungeries all the time,and is thriving like she should.then you are doing what needs to be done.hope this helps...T...

The advice you received from your Pediatrician is very typical of an old-school, old-fashioned doctor. THE AAP (AMERICA ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS DOESN'T RECOMMEND STARTING SOLIDS UNTIL A BABY IS 6 MONTHS). A long time ago Drs told moms to start feeding solids very early...now research shows that a baby's gut is not mature or developed enough to properly handle solids until later on.

Babies should be exclusively breastfed or have formula until 6 months and then solids should only be for introductory/learning purposes from about 6+ months until they show more signs of wanting more food. All babies develop differently but their gut can not absorb the nutrition or process the foods until they are ready. For some babies they are ready at 9 months, some at 18 months! They will show the outward signs of more interest as their gut matures. If you force the solids or withhold their breastmilk/formula you are doing them more harm than good.

Additionally - alot of babies, even at 6+ months don't like jarred baby food. You can puree your own and thin out with a little breastmilk/formula. Good start foods are avacado, banana and sweet potato. Go very slow, maybe a spoon a day and never push it...it is entirely for fun and learning and to get them used to eating something other than liquids! Enjoy this fun adventure! Here is a great link about feeding a baby new solids... http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solidfood4to6montholdbab...

Hi B.,

Check out www.wholemsomebabyfood.com I've made my son's food since he was about 6 months. It's sooooo much cheaper and not as hard as one would think.

I hope this helps,

S.

ps you can make food ahead of time and freeze it up to 2-3 months...so you never waste it if they don't like it at this time.

are you only doing vegetables? are you doing cereal at all?
I have not given my daughter a full jar of vegetables yet! my doctor has not said to give her that much yet. she said just to feed her when she is hungry. your child will let you know when they are hungry. they will stop eating when they are full. my daughter is now 8 months, 1st time mommy too...but at 4 months my doctor said to start her out with the cereals 1st, at a table spoon 1st and if she still acts hungry to give her more. so the schedule I have her on now is: breakfast she gets 2 tablespoons of cereal and the remainder of her bottle. for lunch I give her a table spoon of her vegetables and her bottle (6 oz). her mid day bottle is around 4pm another 6oz. then for dinner I give her 2 tablespoons of cereal and 1/2 a tablespoon of vegetables and the remainder of her bottle. right now she is content with this.
I hope this helps you. good luck!

Do not worry about it as, like others have said, she will know when she is full. She is still really young and milk or formula should be her maintstay. This is more of a chance to have her experiment with new flavors and textures.

You can try to make your own baby food, but with the cost of food rising, you may find (as I did) that it might be cheaper to buy versus making your own and some foods just don't puree that well. Squash and sweet potatoes are the easiest. However, sometimes after all of the time and cleanup, my son would not eat it. So it was very frustrating.

Go with your gut and let her decide when she has had enough. When she gets to be a year old and still not eating enough, you may want to take into account how much milk or juice she is consuming as that can spoil the appetite.

Are you giving her the food before her bottle? That's what I had to do w/ my daughter. If I gave it to her after the bottle she was already full and didn't want it. In general, I wouldn't worry about it too much. At this age their primary source of nutrition is breast milk/formula. The baby food is more to get them used to manipulating their tongue and eating off a spoon. Also, the whole jar seems like a lot to me. Especially if she's just starting. When you first start, a tbsp of cereal is about all they really eat. Good luck!

If she is gaining weight I would not worry. Most children to not really start eating baby food until 6-8 months. THey are only young once, be patient.

Have you tried making your own? All you need are some steamed veggies, a little water to make them liquid (depending on the veggie) and a blender or food processor. Steam the veggies until they are tender, let them cool a bit, put them in the processor, add a little water, if necessary and pulse until it is a paste. You can always thin it down with a little more water if you need to. This will have a different texture and flavor than the baby food and will probably taste better. I did this for my 16 year old when he was a baby. Oh, this is also less expensive and you can freeze the paste for a while.

Hope this helps!
Roz

Hi B.! I started my daughter on rice cereal mixed with breast milk at 5 months. At first it was once a day 1- 2tablespoons(which really becomes ~4 tbs with breastmilk mixed in.) Now(6months) she gets it in the morning and the evening. Rarely does she finish it all. I believe in starting slow. I don't want her to wean early. Soon I will start jar food, but I doubt we will eat a whole jar for a few weeks.