My Eight Month Old with Not Eat Food

I am not an expert by any means but I know that with my children that when they got picky on me I tended to let them get a little hungrier before they got anything to eat. What I mean by this is, if they are hungry enough, they will eat what you give them. Just a suggestion... Try having more time in between feedings then offer the food instead of the milk. When he refuses then take the food away and wait a little while then try again. Don't starve him but only give him a little milk if he won't accept the food after the 3rd try then offer food again and repeat process. Hope it works for you B.

Just asking, but have you tried a little rice cereal mixed with your breast milk? Making it real running. More milk than rice. That was the first thing I did with my little boy, he is 5 months. And now He eats almost everything I give him. He loves his veggies but not to keen on his fruits.

C.,
I had the same problem with my 7 month old baby! I kept trying and trying with no luck. Finally my husband tried and VOILA!!!! He ate! He wouldnt eat from me for a long time, all he wanted from me was Milk! So, I would have other people try feeding him and if that doesnt work I would talk to his Ped. Good Luck!!

I had problems with my little guy too. I found that if I kept trying and gave him time to get used to the idea of something else besides my breast in my mouth, he ended up getting used to the idea of food. To them its really weird to put some spoon with different tasting stuff in their mouths. As with everything with babies, they have to learn everything. We forget sometimes that not everything comes naturally. Good luck.

A great book with everything you will ever want to know about baby food and nutrition is "Super babyfood" I'd suggest to keep offering everyday. It may help to have dad offer the food while you are not around. Offer him the food between feedings and try giving him some food off of your finger instead of a spoon. I had to try 3 different spoons before we found one my son likes. Keep trying and he will get it. Don't worry too much, when the breast is not filling him up enough to his own liking he will move on to food. ~V.

I would suggest a web site to you Kellymom.com a great attachment parenting site with a question and answer section that adresses this problem in a variety of ways

Debbie

C., this is so normal, especially for breastfed babies. I think you might know that really breastmilk is all they need for the first year, they get all the nutrients from there(for the 1st year). I breastfed my boys for the whole year, and they were the same way, I just kept giving them the solids even if they hardly ate it, but at least I tried and they eventually will get used to eating it also. As for the juice, he does not need it, again just introduce it to him everyday if you want and he will like it later on. Don't worry I do beleive he is a very healthy baby, it is wonderful that you stuck with breastfeeding, it is the best food not everyone will provide. ;)Just dont stop breasfeeding till 1. I tell you, my boys never got a ear infection. Take care and the best to you and your family.

D. P.

Hi C.,

Your baby is getting a perfect diet right now! As long as he is gaining weight well, don't worry about the solid food thing. Breast milk alone is fine in the first year. His body knows what it needs. Sometimes, when babies refuse solids even at this "late" age, it is because of food allergies. So at this point it is best to respect his wishes--again, as long as he is gaining well. Also, he is perfectly capable of drinking from a cup if he wants to try other fluids that way.

I'm a lactation consultant in private practice in Seattle.

By the way, I just read Holly's response (the professional from WIC) What she said about needing a vitamin supplement is not accurate. Breastmilk is the PERFECT food and nothing else is needed in the first year. Also, there is no need to introduce cow's milk EVER if you don't want to.

ok well did you know that you have to try a food about 15 times for a baby to get the taste for it well thats what my kids doctor says because my 2 year old when he was smaller and i was trying him on foods he didnt like anything i asked him and thats what he said so i keep at it with buying the same 3 or 4 types of food and it worked but i also tried my last kid on jar fruits first they say to start on veggies first but he wasnt going 4 it so i tried baby fruits and he really liked it though he didnt like pears he like the mixed yogurts, even though he is only 8 months try the little sippy cups that also helps break him away from breastfeeding (if thats what you are trying to do) well see what happens

He does not need foods yet if he is breastfeeding. He gets everything he needs from you. Until around 1 he should be able to just breastfeed. In fact, the longer you hold off solids the less likely he is to develope diabetes or other issues like obesity.

If you are 100 % for feeding him foods, start with cereal and applesauce, or bananas. If thatdoes not work, he is telling you he has no interest in anything but you.

hey C. i know you got alot of responses, but... i don't remeber reading anything that said you could try using BREASTMILK to mix with the rice cereals. Also introduce veggies and meats first, because otherwise you create yourself a sugar sweet toohed baby, and only introduce one food at a time like sweetpotatos for five days in a row so you can see if he gets an allergic reaction. good luck!

C.,

My older boy was really slow to start solid foods too. He hated the purees. As he got older I found that he just didn't want to eat until he developed the ability to stuff food in his own mouth. I'd recommend putting him in his high chair with food in front of him and letting him pick at it and play with it but not stressing about it. His nutrition should come from breastmilk for the whole first year. Solid food at this point is just for practice and fun. All babies are different and just because a baby "should" be ready for solids at 6 months doesn't mean they "will" be ready at that point. I read somewhere that kids that are prone to food allergies are naturally inclined to take longer to warm up to solid foods and there is a biological component (some sort of natural instinct type of thing) because their body knows they aren't ready yet.

So if it were me, I'd give it a few more months and see how it goes and then consult my pediatrician if there is no improvement.

T.

Have you tried starting with the basics, rice cereal and breast milk? The doc. gave me the OK to start food with my daughter at 4 months. I too was breastfeeding, so I pumped some milk and instead of water i mixed breast milk with the cereal. then every 2-3 days I would introduce a new food starting with green food first, beans peas. I feel funny trying to help when I only have one child and you have six! I think since you do breast feed that if you just mix a little breast milk with each food it may help. and if the milk makes the food runny add some cereal to thicken it. another thing i would do with my daughter was make a batch of cereal and then add the food to that we didn't have a lot of money and it would make the food last longer, hope this helps. -C.

Hi C.,

My daughter was exclusively breatfed and wouldn't eat solids until she was almost a year old. She would drink some water from a sippy cup but nothing else. Babies do not require the mutrients from solids until they reach a year, except perhaps some iron. I gave my daughter an iron fortified vitamin as prescribed by her ped. I just kept offering foods, mostly finger foods that she could feed herself, as she absolutely refused a spoon and ANYTHING labeled baby food, cereal or snack. She mostly played with it but eventually, when she was ready, she ate! I wouldn't worry, I know several other bf babies that were the same way. Good luck!

My bf baby is 13 months old and is just now really showing an interest in food. If he's still nursing a lot, you shouldn't really worry. BF babies get most of their nutrition from nursing until they are a year+. The food is just mainly for 'practice'.

Well, I am no expert, but I have 6 children and all are healthy. :)

My suggestions are that you 1- NEVER give juice through a bottle. If you are going to give him juice, water it down half and half and put it in a sippy cup. 2- Start with Rice Cereal. Even though it is bland, that is what the babies need to start off with. The consistency is what they are learning to get past, not just the taste. Too much taste for a breastfeeding baby or a formula only fed baby is a shock to any system. That is why rice cereal is a good start. If you offer him too many options, he might just be scared to try again. I would just offer him the cereal (ONLY FROM A SPOON...NOT BOTTLE) at least 1-2 times a day. Make it runny and it can even just pour out of the spoon and into his mouth. As he gets used to the taste, you can make it more and more thick. After than, you can add a tiny bit of fruit to it or whatever you'd like.

Once he is ready for the consistency of real food, I suggest you go for the green veggies first. Meat...always last!

I hope this helps you a little bit. Good luck!

CREAM OF WHEAT. YOU CAN USE YOUR BREAST MILK WHEN MAKING THIS. ADD VERY LIL SUGAR FOR TASTE. OR I USED WITH MY GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST EGG YOLK COOKED OR OATMEAL BLENDED TILL SMOOTH. THAT CAN START YOU OFF. FOR LUNCH I MADE SOUP BLENDED. A LIL APPLE JUICE WITH WATER. THESE WORKED FOR ME.

C....I wouldn't worry about your little one. He is getting all the nutrition he needs with your breastmilk and eating at this time in his life is just an experiment to help him learn about the future. Continue to offer...try more finger foods. He may just go right to eating "people" food eventually, but I firmly believe that he will eat when he is ready, and nutritionally, he is getting all the nourishment he needs with your breastmilk. Is he interested when you are eating? Does he have at least four teeth? Is he sitting up on his own? Remember, baby food isn't all that tasty. Maybe a mashed sweet potato or a fresh peach cut into tiny pieces or mashed will tempt him more than baby food.
With your experience as a mom, I am sure you know that each baby has their own timetable. An active family like yours makes breastfeeding even more convenient! I think your little one knows that to have you to himself for a while, he will nurse and take advantage of being the baby while he can...and have you to himself for a few minutes several times a day. Good luck, and remember, he will do just fine with exclusive breastfeeding for the first year.

J. F
Certified Doula (DONA)
Portland Oregon