Need Help! 11 Month Old Won't Eat Solids

I think the formula is the culprit and I doubt she needs it with the breastfeeding and solids. It takes formula much longer to digest since it's not suited nearly as well to a baby's system as breastmilk. I'd go on the LaLeche League website and look at introducing solids. www.llli.org. Some kids don't get into it much this early. You're smart not to get into a power struggle with her over this. Slimming down may or may not be an issue, but you could pump and send some formula along with her to day care.

My daughter was just like this! It's nervewrecking, isn't it? But honestly, I would follow your daughter's lead on this. For the first year all she really needs is breastmilk/formula, and it's not like once she turns one she's going to become nutrient deficient overnight. Just keep doing what you're doing. Have you been to http://wholesomebabyfood.com/? It's a great website. I'm not sure if you do purees or if you're doing baby-led solids but either way that site could be a great help. It gives some great pointers.

I have had good luck with my daughter if I steam her fruits and veggies (especially apples and carrots). She eats them better that way. She's 13.5 months now and it's like she suddenly decided solids aren't straight from the devil. She actually eats them now! We had the best luck with offering what we were eating. If she ate, then great. If she didn't, no biggie. Just keep offering. :)

have you tried mixing in pureed fruits into the cereal? I found that my son would eat his cereal that way, but it also had to be warm for him to eat it. I would say also use either the formula or breastmilk (if still breastfeeding) to make the cereal. It may take several times before she takes to it...but stick to it, she'll eventually want it. That's what i had to do with my son

No worries! Just keep offering healthy finger food. My babies didn't have anything but breastmilk for a year. She is more active now too...starting to walk and burning more calories. She will get it eventually!

I would double check with her doctor for advice, but what I would recommend is that you don't give her another alternative; start her on something that isn't as solid as say meat; start out with giving her a small piece of banana and cut back on the amount of formula she's getting; I actually started giving my kids Whole milk when they were 11 months old because of the amount of money I saved over the formula. I would also start weaning her from the breast. As far as harder vegetables and foods go, I would try making them as soft as possible; when I make a roast, I add potatoes and carrots at the beginning and cook the roast all day (from like 10 or 11 am to 5 or 6 depending on when my husband gets home) the carrots are nice and sweet from the seasoning and nice and soft; it's the only way I will eat them unless they're raw. Good luck!

I would talk to the pediatrician and bring her in for her one year visit early if you're concerned.

Hi Shae,

First... don't worry about her slimming down. My daughter did as well and my pediatrician told me ALL babies do this around the 9-12 month mark (breastfed AND bottle fed). It's because they are more active and burn more calories in a day, but don't necessarily eat more.

As for the food... follow her lead. She will eat when she's hungry.

In addition, I would ditch the baby food. Soft cook veggies and give soft fruits. She'll be fine. My daughter only ever had baby oatmeal before bed when she was little. Other than that, no purees. Table food (soft cooked veggies like broccolli) at 6 months. I now have the BEST eater! I don't fix any separate meals for her, she eats what we eat and she likes it all.

Just give her time. The tastes and textures are new, her taste buds are developing. Keep trying. Be patient. Keep offering... every day! She WILL eat eventually. As another mom said, it's not like at a year old you have to ditch all the milk and have them only eat solids. It's a weaning process. Follow her lead, keep offering and you will get there.

Shae,

I have 5 boys and the oldest was like this. He is 13 now and taller than I am! What I would do is put some cereal and baby food (fruits usually, but sometimes would sneak some of the sweeter veggies in too) into a bottle mixed with formula, and later would make my own version of formula, which was whole milk with powdered milk added to boost the protien and a dropper of Poly-vi-sol vitamins in a quart canning jar in the fridge-then I would make his bottles out of that.

You are right not to make it a battle! Just keep offering the solid food, and if she plays with it then so be it, no big deal. Eventually she WILL start eating solid foods. I think it always bothered me because I felt like my baby was going to starve, but babies know when they are hungry and they will eat what they need, as long as it is offered to them.

I think he was about 2 before I really felt comfortable giving up his bottles, and I think some of that was me, I just wanted to make sure he was eating enough. He eats me out of house and home now though!!

Shae

Try giving her big-people food in big-people form. Hand her a whole (unpeeled) banana and see what she does. I know this goes against choking safety (I can hear mothers scoldoing me right now :), but we did that with my 3rd when she was 8/9 months old and she was absolutely giddy...felt so powerful...and we were watching her careflly the entire time. We then started offering her whole large strawberries and other 'big' portions of "soft" foods she could hold in her hand and take bites from. It has actually worked to her advantage because she has learned from very early on to just take tiney bites. Things like hot dogs and grapes we still continued to cut very small, but that little bit of power/control he felt with the banana, etc. was great motivation for her to eat. She only ate baby food for about 1 month and is a great eater. I think the earlier you give them a little control with the eating, the less of a power struggle you will have later with food...and it is most likely coming! Get ready ;)
Also, leave the finger foods in little bowls on chair seats/coffee tables all over the house and act like you don't care if she eats. She may just help herself. Take a couple yourself as you walk by for her to see. She will see it as a big-people thing to do...just don't make a big fuss or let her see you frustrated.
Lastly, don't get too hung up on 'perfectly" balanced meals/foods. Just stay away from High fructose corn syrup and trans fats, and stick with "real" ingredients...and then really any food is fine for her (cereal, snacks, pasta, fruit). As long as she gets some fat, her brain will develop perfectly!
If everything fails and she continues to lose weight, talk to your ped. But I am sure she will be great and is just practicing some of the little control she has. She is probably perfectly fine. Believe me, give her a cookie and I bet she will eat it :) It is not "ideal", but if push came to shove and you need to get her to eat something...give her something yummy!
Good luck

I went through this with my daughter also around 11 months. As soon as I took away daytime bottles she was happily eating at meal time and started using her sippy cup more as well. I continued with a morning and night bottle until about 12.5 months then went down to just a morning bottle which she decided on her own she didn't need by 13.5 months. Too much milk/formula leaves little appetite for other food. Also, you don't say how many teeth your daughter has, but mine wanted nothing to do with baby food by 10 months prefering to eat real food only.

I'll just share some of my experiences...

My first (I have 4 and one on the way), would not eat much, if anything, except mama's milk until he was 14 months old. He was introduced to solids at 6 months, but was just not interested for the most part. The first time we offered solid food, we offered him some avocado. He grimaced! I'd never seen or even imagined that a baby could make such a face! The next time we gave him a bite of banana, and he loved it and wanted more. (Yet our 2nd loved the avocado too.) We have never done the baby-food-in-jars stuff from the store, we just give tiny bits of what we eat (fresh vegetables, whole grain bread we ground and made ourselves, yummy legumes cooked and spiced up nice, and fresh fruits) once they really start eating with interest. He was fine, and I've learned it's not uncommon for some children just not to be as interested as early in solid food as other children.

Remember, too, that mother's milk is the main source of nutrition for children up to about a year, and their nutritional need for it gradually tapers off - though it still provides immunities and comfort for as long as they breastfeed. And, they do naturally slim down as they start moving around, so the same diapers that fit at 6 months might still be fitting perfectly at 18 months. However, there is still a big difference between a 6 month old and an 18 month old! :)

So, it sounds completely normal to me. Just enjoy this precious time with your baby while she still prefers mama's milk and perfect nutrition made just completely for her. It will not be long before she wants other things, and, when given the choice of the two, will go for the other. It will happen.

Enjoy your baby and have great day!

Hi--

I would recommend that you continue not to push it, and just let her come along on her own as you have been. If you pressure her to eat, you will create a food aversion, power struggle, and pickiness. When she sees everyone else eating, eventually she will want what everyone else has. Formula actually still provides everything she needs at this point, and I would keep giving her stage 2 baby foods until she is ready for more, even up to 18 months. If eating is still a problem at 2-2 1/2 years old, enrolling her in nursery school or daycare may help. As soon as she sees the other children eating, she will eat. Don't worry!!

H.

As long as she is nursing she is getting plenty of nutrition. One of your replies said to stop the formula.. I totally disagree. Babies can not switch to milk until they are eating a good amount of solid foods. Since she is not eating solids well.. she needs to stay on formula.

Babies do slim down after thy start moving around.

Actually baby food is very low calorie.. baby food is not likely to make your child gain weight.

Jsut keep trying.. offer small bits of soft food... canned peaches and pears... bananas cheerios.. maybe she will prefer self feeding.

some babies never eat bby foodjust move right on to table food.

My daughter had (and still has ) texture issues... she hated baby food... stage 2 ... then when she got used to that she hated the chunks in stage 3... it took a long time to get her eating bbyfood and then a long time to get her off baby food and on table food. But she is a pretty good eater today..

Talk to your dr at her 1 year check up.. there is therapy for kids with eating issues.. but if you are just patient she will probably get over it in time.