Hi Everyone,
My baby is 9 months old and getting 4 teeth (two bottom/ two top) and he will not eat and baby food. He only wants to nurse and eat things like crackers & teething biscuits and have his sippy cup with water. Is this normal? Is this healthy? Is there anything that I do to help him eat?
Thank You
Yes, it's normal!! My son is teething, and anly wants cheerios and whatnot. he has even knocked a spoon out of my hand to put Cheerios in his mouth!! Sounds like he's doing just fine!! :)
Tiffany: It sounds to me like there are a few things you can do to help your son eat! I'm thinking, since he is teething, eating crackers and drinking from a sippy cup, it's time to stop breast feeding. Since he can drink from a sippy cup, then he will definitely take a bottle at this point. So, since he doesn't seem to like baby food, get some formula and some rice cereal. Cut a slightly larger hole in the nipple of the bottle and mix that boy up some cereal and formula and I promise you, he will drink it like crazy! I'm sure he has a "hungry sensation" and is just not ready for spoon feeding yet. You can also smash up bananas with the ceral and mix it to a texture that he can suck out of the nipple of the bottle. I would also continue to buy different kinds of baby food and keep on trying to get him to eat it--this way you will have a "jum start" when he is ready to eat from a spoon, on getting peas and carrots down him! I started my two (who are now almost grown) on the baby foods that I knew the wouldn't automatically like, such as peas, carrots, mixed vegies, etc....they thought it was good because it's the only "baby food flavors" they knew; so when I started giving them the good tasting stuff, it was easy!
Good luck and I wish the best for you during your transition from breast feeding to solids!
God Bless,
S.
As long as he's nursing or taking a bottle, he's getting the nutrients he needs. Sometimes the nerves get irritated enough to make simply touching the spoon hurt. At about 6 months I started giving dd ice cold juice when she acted like her teething was hurting...it rubbed the gums with cold and felt good to her.
Just remember you've got several of us saying it's normal, but if you really feel something else could be wrong, follow your mommy instinct...God gave it to you for a reason.
I had a problem at this age with my daughter... He will eat when he wants to font force him it will only stress him out and make him not eat even more.. It's just that it hurts and sucking helps them.. He won't starve font worry about that part if he gets hungry enough he will
And please do not decide that now is the time to wean. He's already stressed from the teething, so he doesn't need that added stress. Nursing is your best way to comfort him. Both my children were breastfed and didn't eat large amounts of food at that age. One is 10 years old now, and one is 21 and they are fine!
~A.
Very normal. Eating can make teething more painful, yet he wants to nurse for comfort.
He's getting all of his nutrition from you. Nursing is all he needs till he's 12 months, so that's one thing you can scratch off of your Mom Worry List :) Don't even bother trying to get him to eat. No need. Feeding before 12 months is just to get them familiar with it. Sounds like he is! Consider it a job well done! Spend that time cuddling and playing, instead, and give that kid a frozen-water-filled pacifier. Oooh. Molars. Right. Pacifiers often don't reach that far back. The Underthenile.com carrot reaches, and you can soak with water (wash in dishwasher, whatever) and freeze. Also, try the "milk and butter" amber necklace at inspiredbyfinn.com. They *work*!
L.
L.
Yes very normal. He really does not eat anything if he is still nursing. Both of my children did not start solids until they were a year old. It is better really because it prevents so many allergies that could be caused by early colid introduction, esp with grains. When you do introduce food, let it be the easiest to digest and the least allergenic, namely the fruits and vegetables.
B. S. RN CCM
Hi Tiffany!
Sounds like a fairly normal teething baby. :o) As long as you are nursing on demand he should still be getting all the nutrition he needs. Mama's milk is perfect for him! Please do not stop nursing him, as a previous poster suggested. He needs to nurse as much for comfort as for nutrition...as long as he is nursing you do not have to worry about what else he is (or is not) eating.
Some things our bub likes when teething: sippy of cold water, cold applesauce, chewing on rubber tipped baby spoons (supervised, of course), and all the little water-filled teether toys (chilled, not frozen as that causes sharp edges & can hurt tender gums). Sometimes a chilled wet washcloth works, too. I like the teething tablets and amber teething necklaces as well.
Hope those teeth pop through soon! Best wishes!
S.
I agree with the other responses.....please don't stop breastfeeding! My daughter is doing the same thing (she has never really been big on solids either) and I just have to remind myself that my breastmilk is the only nutrition that she needs until she is at least one (which will happen next month). I have also found that using a mesh strainer with frozen fruit in it seems to make her happy when we are eating at the table and she is fussy from teething. So, relax and nurse your son. You're doing a great job mama!!
Tiffany,
My daugther, now 3 years old, nursed exclusively until one year old. She was very healthy. She stayed in the 90 percentile for the first two years. As long as your baby is healty and growing, do what is comfortable for you and baby. If this means only nursing, do not worry, he will be all the better.
yes, this is normal. just nurse him as often as he wants to, and worry about the food later. he will get everything he needs, including comfort for his sore gums from your milk. hylands teething tablets worked for us, too.
If he's able to eat crackers and teething biscuits you may be able to try hot dogs and grapes cut up quite,quite small. The baby food may just be too bland to be worth it to him to eat despite the pain of teething. Something more tasty might be worth it to him! I have 3 kids and this is what I did. Mashed carrots, green beans, etc. that I cooked and seasoned myself (tastier than baby food) worked quite well too. But by all means keep nursing him. I have a friend who nursed her children till they were almost two so it is perfectly normal for him to still want to nurse and he will gain lots of nutrients that way as well as much comfort. Hope this helps!
