Problems with Solid Food

It will pass... I know thats hard to hear right now, I was there 2-3 months ago! My now 8.5 month old was like that..
But we started her off on rice cereal at 4 months, per doctors orders... She did, eh, kinda ok at first.. pushed it out but was still getting some. My doc stressed the important of rice cereal at 4 months.. So, then we did a veggie at 5 months, fruit at 6 and veggies mixed with meat at 7.5 months.. Well around 6 months she started clamping her mouth shut... I told the doctor about it, she said just get in her what I can and keep trying...eventually by 7 months I'd say she was taking it pretty normal...now she's a pro :)

Hi J. - how's your little one doing with other foods - you didn't mention that. How about introducing some mashed banana mixed with the cereal, some apple sauce, cooked veggies, mashed avocado - he could be bored and perhaps would like different flavors and textures. Good luck - Alison

He's probably not ready...6 months is still too early IMO. He is telling you with his actions (refusing to open his mouth, more interested in the spoon and bowl) that he's really not interested in eating solids. Which is absolutely fine. All he needs for the first year is breastmilk anyway. Solid foods are just "practice and play"

What I have done with all three of my children is to eat my meals with them on my lap. When they have the ability to grab food off my plate and feed themselves then I know that they are truly ready for "real" food. They were all between 8months and 9months when they began self feeding.

Try an orange veggie they tend to be a little sweeter. I know that sweet potato and carrots are roots and you need to wait for a certain age before giving them IF YOU ARE MAKING YOUR OWN BABY FOOD. If you use jar food any of them are fine at any age.

You could even mix some orange veggie into his cereal.

i have a 6.5 month old as well (dec30 2008) try giving him orange foods first then go green and mixe the cereal with fruit and give him a spoon while he eats if all else fales then get a feeder bottle (dr dont like them but it is a way for him to get food) sassy makes the bottle i also have 2 boys 9 and 7 good luck my friend has a boy the same age aswell and is doing the same things good luck

This is what I did with my last, breastfed baby: I waited till she was 7 or so months old. She grabbed some food off my plate while she was in my lap, so I put her in her highchair and handed her 1/2 banana, which she fed herself and made a mess with but loved. I also gave her a little potato that week. She never had baby food and didn't much like to be spoon-fed, especially thick tasteless stuff like cereal. I never bought a jar of baby food or pureed anything for her. She did great. I'd be careful what you introduce. You can read about introducing complimentary foods on the LLL website, www.llli.org. I think a lot of babies and toddlers are picky about textures. Also, they like to feed themselves whenever possible. Sweet potato, avocado, applesauce are all good. I wouldn't even mess with anything he doesn't like. He's getting lots of nutrition from breastmilk. Mashed chicken can be introduced for iron, which he might need over the next couple of months, but no real rush. My daughter didn't give her premie twins solids till at least 9 months and they were fine, but everything was slower for them. Now, at 20, they both have to watch their weight! Good luck! You've done a wonderful thing by breastfeeding your sweet baby! If you went to a local LLL meeting, you'd get lots of ideas from other moms. You can find the nearest group on the LLL website.

Hi J.,

No worries. Baby's are just fine on formula or mama milk for the first year, or more. Solids before a year are really just practice. Really.

Yup, he's going to be way more interested in the spoon. He wants to learn to use it, what it feels like, what it tastes like... all of that.

One thing you might try is offering table food. Very soft cooked things like broccoli and parsnip, etc... If you google Baby Led Weaning, you'll get some more information. It introduces baby to the tastes and textures of real food vs. purees. I did this with my daughter and we have NO food issues. Seriously. Other moms of toddlers talk about how their kids won't eat anything except pasta. My daughter eats everything. Honestly.

Things like broccoli have a natural handle for baby's to hang onto, so it is easy to manipulate.

Just keep offering foods. He will be more interested again.

I completely agree with Faye...green beans are not the food you want to start with...but sweet potatoes are! My son would eat them by the gallon!

My son was the same way with the spoon...just make sure you have two, one for you and one for your baby.

Also, the best $10 I spent was on a chopper from Kohl's. It purees the food super small so when it comes to the new tastes of vegetables the texture isn't as harsh. My son was a gagger and was on the purees for a very long time. When starting a new taste, you could always try the Earth's Best baby food; when he's used to that, add a little bit of your own homemade pureed veggies to it an slowly transition to your own veggies. That worked with me on some of the fruits.

My son is a great eater now, and I really think its because I exposed him to so many new tastes/textures when he was young. (He's 19 months now and is off the charts for height!)

You are doing everything right; remember, its a learning process for both of you.

Good Luck!

Hi J.,

I encountered almost the same thing with my son that is currently 10 mos old. When I saw that he no longer was interested in the cereal, I just stopped offering it and anything else to him. I did this for about a month and when I started back up, he ate like a champ. I find that it's also easier for him to eat "real food" when he is wide awake and in a good mood!

Hope this helps,
Fellow mama, M. :)

J.; well his interest is mainly in the spoon, when you feed him, put him in a high chair, give him a spoon, he will play with that, then feed him while his hands are distracted, he is into holding things , its ok, if wont eat at all its ok to go strictly on a liquid diet again, most kids can survive with just moms milk for over a year, or more, so dont rush the feeding, if he wants to eat something give him a little and he may be willing to try feeding himself, he will make a mess and want the spoon give him some of the cereal for him to do himself then you slip in the food while he is ecploring in his high chair, its normal for him to want to have the spoon and play , he is not coordinated enough to do it yet, keep working on it, he is only 6 or 7 months try again later or when you think his interest peaks , introduce one item like at the same time every day be consistant, and he may be bored with eating just one thing maybe its time for a new item? either way have fun and enjoy D. s

It is ot unusual to have a baby gag on a new food. The green beans zre a totally new taste and texture, and his senses need to be trained to learn what to do with that. He still is young, so don't throw in the towel just yet. Try something like a mashed banana, or cooked applesauce. Give him his own spoon, in addition to the one you are using. To him, there are so many new things to do with food and he wants to try them all! Sometimes all of those other things are more important to him than eating. At this age, he doesn'th ave a pincer grasp yet, so solids type food isn't necessary, just puree whatever foods you want him to try, and try it about 6 different times before you conclude that he doesn't like it.

Hi J.,

I had the same issue with my son. I started him on rice cereal about 6 months. He showed all the signs of being ready. He seemed to LOVE it... at first. Then I realized that he was more infatuated with the spoon then the actual food. I decided to just go back to strickly breast milk and try again later. I tried again a little over a month later with mashed up regular food and he started eating it. He didn't eat much until about a year old, but he did eat on a regular basis when I started it back up. He will tell you when he is ready. :)

Hi J.,
My daughter is almost 12 months old and I have had a similiar experience with her. She has an interest for a week or so and then all she wants to do is breastfeed. She has a bad gag reflex as well and it is getting better. It seems like the more mobile she gets or when she learns something new she loses the interest in eating. I don't push it because she is still gaining weight. You need to pick your "battles" and in my opinion eating is not one of them if he is gaining weight.

J.:

I feel your pain. Believe me, it's a totally normal reaction for a lot of babies, although totally frustrating to moms. My son, who is now 15 months, is STILL hard to feed. I started trying cereal with him at about 5 1/2 months and, the same thing happened, he ate at first then, for a period of time, refused totally. I then moved to pureed veggies, which he also ate for a while, then, refused for a while. It took him until almost 9 months to eat 3 meals of food a day and, even then, it was only certain foods and not always a lot of food. His gag reflex was really bad for a LONG time. He would gag on puffs and most chewable finger foods for quite a while. He also has a very big "issue" with texture. He still will not eat anything with a mixture of foods in it. For example, he never ate the jarred dinners, like turkey and veggies...those made him gag and, then, he just seemed to not like more than one flavor in his mouth at a time. Now, at 15 months, he eats, whole banana, crackers, cookies, cereal bars, cheese slices. I still have to supplement him with jarred veggies and fruits mixed with cereal to thicken. I have yet to get him to eat an actual piece of a whole veggie or fruit and he has literally never eaten meat, although I keep trying. So, yep, I've been through it. Hopefully, your son will not be as defficult with foods. My ped has told me all along, just keep offering. And, I'm sure you know, before 1 year, they don't have to have food, it's more for practice, so, keep offering and, if he takes a couple days off of solids and just has his formula or breast milk, so be it. He'll come around. In the mean time, I know, it's frustrating.

He really doesn't NEED to be eating solid food right now. He can get all he needs in your breastmilk til he is a year old. Let himm play with the bowl and spoon, if some gets to his mouth great, if not, oh well, he'll get it. No rush, no worries!