Six Month Old Lost Interest in Solids

Many babies aren't ready for solids at 6 months. I would up the amount of nursings and keep trying with the solids every couple of weeks or so.

My daughter always gave me a hard time with baby food. Try adding fruit to the cereal. I added applesause or mashed bananas. Also if you show her your eating it she will try it. Also try Yo Baby yogurt.

Hi N.

Here's a few things to try - 1) Are you mixing her ceral with breastmilk? It will give it a more familiar taste 2) Try a different kind of cereal ex: oatmeal instead of rice... 3) Try sweet potatoes instead of cereal (My son hated apples I think they were too sweet!) 4) Make sure you don't look stressed when you try to feed her, no matter what act like you're having fun! 4) Stop trying for a week. Eat in front of her and act like its the greatest thing ever! Try again when she shows more interest. In the meantime, let her nurse, nurse, nurse so she doesn't think once she starts eating solids you're going to cut her off.... When you do try again, try to feed her after nursing so its more for fun than for sustenance... Good luck!!

Dear N.,

I know this is going to sound crazy but this happened to me with my son and I have also tried it at my daycare and it works. Sometimes when babies are hungry they look at nursing or bottle as instant gratification they do not realize that solids is eating so they cant be bothered and refuse. What I do is let them have a few ounces from the bottle or in your case nurse a bit and then when they are not starving give them some solids and most times they will take them. I don't know why but it works. I have had babies screaming when the caretakers are trying to give them their cereal and they have tried it and it works. After they have some solids you can have them finish the bottle or continue to nurse. Most babies love bananas they are just as easy to digest as apples maybe she will like the flavor better. Also are you making the cereal liquid enough if it is to thick she may not like the consistency yet. I would make it very liquidity almost watery and then as she gets used to it thicken it each time. Hope this helps happy holidays.

Keep nursing on demand, and maybe try a new approach to solids? When my son got fussy about eating around 5 months, I would put him in my sling. Then I would dip my finger in apple sauce, and then give him a finger of apple sauce. Worked like a charm! He also hated plain cereal, so I mixed various types of fruit in with rice or oatmeal. Then I would pretend to eat a spoonful (still in the sling), and then give him one.

I only had to do this every once in a while. I think that it's just another scary milestone, and sometimes babies need to feel a little coddled and snuggly when trying new things. After a couple of these tries, I bet your daughter will go back in the high chair for more food.

And remember, she doesn't need much solid food right now! It's just for practice. :)

Any other symptoms? Arching her back at all or acting uncomfortable, sleeping ok? Maybe her tummy's bothering her and that's why she doesn't want to eat. Nursing is comforting when something is wrong.
Just a thought...keep an eye out for other signs of discomfort.

If she took to it before, she will again, don't fret. In my book, dropping 5% seems pretty meaningless, and I would be skeptical of this conclusion. Babies slow down weight gain by then, and you have no idea how your daughter will even out. Plenty of babies drop from some higher percentage to a lower, and vice-versa, dependent upon what size they are really meant to be. At this age, solids are really more experiencial than nutritive. She will still get most of her nutrition from you until about 12 mths. Seriously, how much nutrition is in that cereal stuff? And usually, however much they do eat at the start is usually minimal, to the point that it is almost silly. Whatever you do, I would not panic or be anxious about it. You can offer it, and maybe try different times, but i wouldn't worry about it or push it too much. Are you always in the mood for cereal? Probably not :-) Also, she could be teething and prefer to soothe at the breast, or who knows.
That being said, some of the strategies that worked for me include mixing in a little more breastmilk, and when my son was being super finicky and would not eat from a spoon, I mashed a little banana or avocado and offered it with my finger, and he usually gobbled it up. They say you can introduce a new food few every 3-4 days, so have fun and mix it up!