Our third is now 7 and 1/2 months old and he's absolutely refusing to eat cereal, veggies, fruit, etc. I started him around 5-1/2 or 6 months and he was doing reasonably well for a while. He seemed to like the green stuff more than the fruit, actually... but then he just turned off a couple of weeks ago. I try not to feed him when he's too hungry, because then he's not patient enough and he gets very angry with the process. But if he's not hungry enough, it turns into a spitting game and the food is everywhere. It was cute for a while. It's not so cute anymore. I try morning, noon and night. I try green beans, peas, bananas, pears, peaches - you name it.... and he's just not interested... anyone had this issue before? Any suggestions? I never had this with my older two!
He may not care for the jarred baby food... its pretty blah. Just mush him up a banana, or grind up whatever you are eating for lunch and dinner, or mash up some potatoes... real food for him. My boys never ate jarred baby food.
I agree with the previous post. I have only ever made my own babyfood or bought organic from Happy baby baby food. It is fresh frozen in 1oz. protions. Mostly I make my own. It is super easy, just steam, puree, freeze. The magic bullet does do the best job, you don't have to add as much water. My kids had severe allergies as babies so I really had to be careful, that is what prompted me to start making the food. It is much cheaper too.
I have a daycare and have noticed most of the babies also prefer the homemade to the jar stuff. I have had a lot of parents ask about it cuz some of them will stop eating the jar stuff after they have had the real stuff.
I have also had some who like more texture that what the jar stuff offers. I also don't do the rice unless a parent requests it and then I use the organic brown rice, it seems to sit better with the kids.
You must be frazzled silly with 3 little kids! My heart goes out to you. If it's any consolation, don't fret about the cereal. Baby cereal is over-processed, over-marketed, and not really nutritious since the nutrients on the box are unnaturally injected back in the food product.
I NEVER gave my son cereal. Not once. It's a shoddy, overprocessed food product. Gave him just real food (sweet potatoes, peas, cauliflower, hamburger, etc.) mixed up in my "Magic Bullet." Since I don't eat cereal, white bread, or crackers myself, maybe it was easier (it wasn't in my breast milk).
Before I conceived, I used to be a huge junk food consumer. However, I got sick of being sick. Don't mean to sound "holier than thou," but once you detox yourself of processed foods, I can honestly say they taste awful! So that's what your baby is telling you.
The last paragraph here I got off a "blog" (and now that I'm reading it, I'm VERY satisfied with my decision-- my son is now 4-1/2 years old and has NO BEHAVIOR ISSUES AND HAS NEVER BEEN SICK!):
Babies have no ptyalin, the enzyme necessary to break down starches, until around the age of eighteen months. They cannot metabolize starches before this age. This also includes bread, cereal, potatoes (not sweet potatoes or yams), cookies and chips. All of these foods "clog up" our babies. These foods make excess mucous in children which is why you see so many little ones running around with runny noses!!! Babies over 6 months of age should be eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and of course mother's milk.
nutritionally, solids arent necessary until after a year old, so hes fine.
if there is spitting, end the feeding. kids will not manipulate about hunger, they will eat when they are hungry, and they wont when they are not. playing with food is a great indication that he is NOT interested. never force anything. if hes not into it, hes not into it.
its ok!
www.askdrsears.com is a good resource.
good luck!
My first impression is that perhaps he is tired of baby food and wants to try your food. Maybe try feeding him some home-made soup or little bits of whatever you and your family are eating.
Could he be teething?
I'd move onto other foods.... My son for the most part ate what we ate--I'd just puree it in the blender or mash it with a potato masher. He might be bored with the baby food. It is pretty nasty!
Don't be afraid of spices and flavor. While he shouldn't be eating much salt or sugar, he may enjoy a little cinnamon mixed in with his fruit.
Lastly, at 7 1/2 months, it's not the worst thing in the world if the bulk of his calories are still coming from breastmilk and/or formula.
I would take a few weeks off from solids and try again. Just as babies don't all learn to crawl or walk at the same age, they don't all take to solids at the same age.
I strongly recommend that you read Ellyn Satter's book Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense. That changed my whole mindset about my role in feeding my kids and helped me feel less pressure about "getting my baby to eat." You can set yourself up for a lot of power struggles and even eating disorders if you put too much pressure on at mealtime.
My third also absolutely refused baby food. You are not saying if it is baby food or not, but I imagine it is. She has always been a very good eater of real food though, even before she had teeth. Anything soft or easily dissolvable. Maybe your little guy just has more discerning tastes than the bland baby food :)
He may be ready for thicker, lumpier textures. Are you spoon feeding or letting him feed himself? He might want to take control of feeding and is rebelling against you trying to do it for him. You might want to try letting him play with finger foods and see what happens.
I've also read that babies get all of their nutrition from formula/breast milk for the first year, so don't worry too much about getting him to eat. Just keep trying and eventually he'll get it.
I agree that "Feeding with Love and Good Sense" by ellyn Satter is great. I actually just consulted my copy this morning!
Good luck!
My daughter went through that phase while teething. She also figured out what we were eating and said the heck with baby food. Will he eat cheerios or anything you eat? I cut my daughter's cheerios in half at first.
My little guy is 8 mos. and snubbing baby foods, too. It's a phase. Try giving your little one something with a different texture, like a saltine or melba toast. I have some luck getting my little one to eat his veggies after giving him a cracker first. This way we're both happy! :) Good luck!
