Advice needed please! Baby not eating solids...

[AussieAngel]

Hi all!

I know there are lots of experienced mothers, fathers and caregivers here on the DIS Boards so I thought I might share my little situation and see if you have any advice for me!

I'm a first time mum and my gorgeous little baby boy, Leo, is almost 7 months old. We've been very lucky because he's been a fantastic feeder from day 1 and is exclusively breastfed. We did try a bottle, but he's refused it every time. We tried expressed milk, formula, different bottles, different people giving it to him... Nope! No bottle for Leo! He just cried and turned away every time. We decided to eventually give up trying on the bottle and instead move to solid foods when he was ready.

So we started solid foods at about 5 and a half months, because he seemed ready and was reaching for our food, watching us eat, etc... In the beginning, he loved his pureed food! I made everything fresh for him and he especially loved pureed carrots, pears, peas and apples. His little legs would kick happily when he wanted more and he seemed to be generally enjoying his food, which was great. The only things he didn't really like was rice cereal and avocado.

Then just after he turned 6 months old, he suddenly went off his solid food. No matter what was on the food, he would close his mouth tightly, turn away, push away the spoon and grizzle.

We've tried leaving it for a few days and just going back to breastmilk again. We've tried offering him a little bit each day and once he turns away and gets grizzly, we stop. We've tried feeding him inside, outside, on different high chairs, on our lap... Still the same reaction! We've tried letting him feed himself with the spoon but that just results in a humongous mess and food everywhere except in his mouth!

So recently someone suggested trying finger food instead, so he can feed himself that way. I've tried that a few times but no matter what it is (cooked vegies, little bits of cereal, fruit...) he picks it up, looks at it for a while, and drops it on the floor! I don't think he's ready for finger food just yet.

I'm trying not to be too worried because he's definitely growing and happy. He's very tall and a happy, chubby baby! I know breastmilk is the most important thing for him at this age anyway, but it's hard not to worry. I'd love for him to go back to enjoying his food like he used to. It's been a few weeks now and I feel like I've tried everything!

Have any of you encountered this problem? Any suggestions on what else I could try? My only other thought is leaving solid food altogether for a few weeks but I don't know if that would make a difference and then we'd be starting right back at the start again.

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts and ideas!

 

[sookie]

You need to talk to your pediatrician.

 

[AussieAngel]

You need to talk to your pediatrician.

We did that. He said as long as Leo is growing and happy (which he is), there's nothing to worry about. To just keep offering him a little bit of food each day and eventually he'll start eating.

I know it's quite a common problem. That's why I asked here... To see if anybody had encountered the same thing with their babies, and see how they dealt with it.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

Does he have any teeth?

 

[etoiles]

I always visit this forum: http://babyandbump.momtastic.com/baby-forums/

I enjoy it and there are tons of mommies on there!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We did that. He said as long as Leo is growing and happy (which he is), there's nothing to worry about. To just keep offering him a little bit of food each day and eventually he'll start eating.

I know it's quite a common problem. That's why I asked here... To see if anybody had encountered the same thing with their babies, and see how they dealt with it.

That was my thought. As long as the doctor feels he's healthy & happy, I wouldn't push it. Maybe he's eating too much? Not feeling particularly hungry when you're trying to feed him.

 

[laurafergie]

That was my thought. As long as the doctor feels he's healthy & happy, I wouldn't push it. Maybe he's eating too much? Not feeling particularly hungry when you're trying to feed him.

This exactly. He is full from breast feeding, which is a great thing.

I don't know what the current thinking is on when a baby should eat solids....but if you and your pediatrician thinks he is ready, then make sure he is a bit hungry so he will WANT to eat. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of fights about food.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

This exactly. He is full from breast feeding, which is a great thing.

I don't know what the current thinking is on when a baby should eat solids....but if you and your pediatrician thinks he is ready, then make sure he is a bit hungry so he will WANT to eat. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of fights about food.

This. My belief is that before 12 months solid food is just for fun, not for nutrition. I have always waited until they are interested in food and not pushed it.

Sent from me.

 

[jgottlob]

If you are starting to supplement with solids and the goal is eventually moving to all solids, you've got to stick with it. Definitely offer him the solids first, when he is hungry and then move to nursing. Don't waffle on allowing him to nurse and then offer the solids. Let's face it, most babies are perfectly happy nursing exclusively at that age. If you want to start making the move to solids, you might try to give him breast milk in a cup for beginners with the cereal and vegetables. The refusal to eat the solids is a phase. Always offer the solids to a hungry baby first. Make sure that he's not starving, otherwise he will be unlikely to go with the flow. Best of luck!

 

[laughinplace199]

This. My belief is that before 12 months solid food is just for fun, not for nutrition. I have always waited until they are interested in food and not pushed it.

Sent from me.

I agree. My kids are older now, but my pediatrician always said that breastmilk or formula is all a baby needs for the first year and offering solids is for a learning experience.

If he's growing well, I wouldn't worry. My youngest refused all solids for the longest time. I introduced solids at 7 mos, but I think he was about 9 mos before he finally was willing to eat them.

You may want to think about the timing when he nurses vs when you're offering solids. He won't be interested in food if he's just been nursed and has a full belly. If he's nursing every 3 hours, for example, maybe try to offer solids 1.5 hours after he nurses so that he may be hungry enough to try some food.

 

[AussieAngel]

Thanks for your help and suggestions everybody!

To answer some of your questions... Yes, he does have teeth. He has 4 - two down the bottom, two up the top which have just appeared over the past week. I do wonder if his hurting teeth have had something to do with his lack of eating, but then he's fine in every other respect so who knows!?

I offer him solid food once a day - usually about two hours since his last feed, though I have tried at other times too. I just make sure he's happy and not full or starving hungry.

As I said, I know food in the first year is just for fun and experimenting... But at the moment it's certainly not fun and he's not experimenting!

I know I shouldn't worry, but I'm a first time mum! As much as I try not to, I can't help it!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Thanks for your help and suggestions everybody!

To answer some of your questions... Yes, he does have teeth. He has 4 - two down the bottom, two up the top which have just appeared over the past week. I do wonder if his hurting teeth have had something to do with his lack of eating, but then he's fine in every other respect so who knows!?

I offer him solid food once a day - usually about two hours since his last feed, though I have tried at other times too. I just make sure he's happy and not full or starving hungry.

As I said, I know food in the first year is just for fun and experimenting... But at the moment it's certainly not fun and he's not experimenting!

I know I shouldn't worry, but I'm a first time mum! As much as I try not to, I can't help it!

It could definitely be his teeth. My advice is don't force it, offer and if he doesn't want it, that's ok. Some kids are more interested in solid food than others. Another thing you could do it ditch the baby food and offer table food -- whatever you are eating in soft, small pieces.

Sent from me.

 

[Dugette]

I saw your post on Lauren's thread and jumped over here to answer you. Just wanted to chime in as another person who did "baby-led weaning". One thing we've noticed is that our daughter generally preferred very large pieces of food to the small ones. She's nearly 13 months now and is just becoming more interested in the smaller bits. Early on, she was happiest with a big hunk of food (meat, veggie, bread, etc.) that she could hold in her fist and gnaw on. She didn't necessarily get much off it to consume, but she enjoyed the flavors and textures. Also, make sure baby is eating meals with you, so he can see you eating too.

Also, not sure if he'll like these, since he's not fond of bottles and such, but our daughter also loves to slurp down the puree pouches. Might be something else to try.

And, as others said, the breastmilk is nutritionally enough for him until 1, so everything else is just a bonus and practice for the future. Good luck!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I saw your post on Lauren's thread and jumped over here to answer you. Just wanted to chime in as another person who did "baby-led weaning". One thing we've noticed is that our daughter generally preferred very large pieces of food to the small ones. She's nearly 13 months now and is just becoming more interested in the smaller bits. Early on, she was happiest with a big hunk of food (meat, veggie, bread, etc.) that she could hold in her fist and gnaw on. She didn't necessarily get much off it to consume, but she enjoyed the flavors and textures. Also, make sure baby is eating meals with you, so he can see you eating too.

Also, not sure if he'll like these, since he's not fond of bottles and such, but our daughter also loves to slurp down the puree pouches. Might be something else to try.

And, as others said, the breastmilk is nutritionally enough for him until 1, so everything else is just a bonus and practice for the future. Good luck!

This is also what I did, but I call it baby-led eating. Also I follow the general guideline that at 12 months baby is getting 75% breast milk/25% table food, at 18 months 50/50, and at 24 months 25% breast milk/75% table food. Also I agree it is important to have meal times all together, rather than baby's dinner, then our dinner.

Sent from me.

 

[AussieAngel]

Thanks everybody for sharing your ideas!

I do like the sound of baby led weaning / eating and have looked into it quite a bit. For those who tried that with your babies, what age did they start with it?

As I said, I have tried giving Leo small pieces of various types of food of different sizes and consistencies (cooked broccoli, pears, carrots, apples...) and he just picks it up, looks at it for a while, then promptly drops it onto the floor! I have a video of him doing this with a piece of broccoli and it makes me giggle every time. He's inquisitive, but just doesn't quite understand the concept of bringing it to his mouth! Which is odd, because everything else goes in his mouth - toys, remotes, the cat's tail...

I'm just not sure if he's ready for finger food yet.

We're flying to America next Wednesday (we live in Australia) for a 3 week vacation including New York, WDW, a Disney Dream cruise to the Bahamas and LA... So there'll be plenty of yummy food for him to try as we eat!

Who knows, maybe his first real food might be at Disney World!

 

[NHdisneylover]

Both of my kids nursed exclusively (no formula--and we only used bottles, and formula when we ran out of the expressed milk, for about a week after I had surgery and could not nurse due to medications still in my system). They were still getting 70-80 percent of their calories from nursing at age 1. DD quit nursing at about 20 months and DS continued to nurse at night until almost 2 and a half.

Both gradually replaced any calories they got from nursing with solid food starting around 4 months for DD and 6 months for DS.

I saw your post on Lauren's thread and jumped over here to answer you. Just wanted to chime in as another person who did "baby-led weaning". One thing we've noticed is that our daughter generally preferred very large pieces of food to the small ones. She's nearly 13 months now and is just becoming more interested in the smaller bits. Early on, she was happiest with a big hunk of food (meat, veggie, bread, etc.) that she could hold in her fist and gnaw on. She didn't necessarily get much off it to consume, but she enjoyed the flavors and textures. Also, make sure baby is eating meals with you, so he can see you eating too.

Also, not sure if he'll like these, since he's not fond of bottles and such, but our daughter also loves to slurp down the puree pouches. Might be something else to try.

And, as others said, the breastmilk is nutritionally enough for him until 1, so everything else is just a bonus and practice for the future. Good luck!

This was the main thing I was going to suggest. Set him up at the table in a high chair with you at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have a sippy cup of water for him and some finger foods for him--so he can mimic you and eat when you eat.

Expect most of it to go on the floor at this age. That is normal.

I would give only a few pieces at a time, so you can keep refilling after drops (space it out some--make him wait for a refill, so eventually he learns not to drop it so fast! But don't be angry--it is age appropriate to experiment with falling/dropping.)

I would work on getting him on more or less a schedule that involves nursing about a half hour after regular meal times--so that he is fairly hungry at meals and starts with the solid food and then fills up with milk afterwards.

I also suggest you only add a few new foods at a time. You may have overloaded him with too many flavours too fast. I would not add more than 2 new items in a week, one most weeks is probably better.

Thanks everybody for sharing your ideas!

I do like the sound of baby led weaning / eating and have looked into it quite a bit. For those who tried that with your babies, what age did they start with it?

As I said, I have tried giving Leo small pieces of various types of food of different sizes and consistencies (cooked broccoli, pears, carrots, apples...) and he just picks it up, looks at it for a while, then promptly drops it onto the floor! I have a video of him doing this with a piece of broccoli and it makes me giggle every time. He's inquisitive, but just doesn't quite understand the concept of bringing it to his mouth! Which is odd, because everything else goes in his mouth - toys, remotes, the cat's tail...

I'm just not sure if he's ready for finger food yet.

We're flying to America next Wednesday (we live in Australia) for a 3 week vacation including New York, WDW, a Disney Dream cruise to the Bahamas and LA... So there'll be plenty of yummy food for him to try as we eat!

Who knows, maybe his first real food might be at Disney World!

He might try something interesting or new while you are travelling--but I would not count on it! Having so much else that is new to cope with, he might want/need to comfort of nursing without any other new stimuli beyond what he has to cope with while on the trip.

I hope you have a great time on the trip!

 

[AussieAngel]

Thanks NHDisneyLover! All your advice makes lots of sense.

He's really only started sitting in his high chair over the past couple of weeks, now that's he's strong enough to sit up supported.

I don't really expect him to start feasting on various foods while we're on our trip... All I meant was he'll be sitting up with us in restaurants all the time so that might start to help too. And it's nice to hope!

 

[laughinplace199]

I don't know if this advice is still current, but when my kids were babies, I was told to only introduce one new food at a time. That way, if the baby developed a rash or had any signs of an allergic reaction, you'd know which food could be the cause.

 

[AussieAngel]

I don't know if this advice is still current, but when my kids were babies, I was told to only introduce one new food at a time. That way, if the baby developed a rash or had any signs of an allergic reaction, you'd know which food could be the cause.

That's exactly what I did too... Until I took Leo to his checkup with the health nurse, and she said it's been updated now to just giving them basically whatever we're eating, but whizzed up to a purée. The pediatrician said the same thing.

So for example, if we had steak and vegies for dinner, you'd turn that into a purée and offer it to the baby. If they had a reaction to something, it would still only be to one of the 3 or 4 ingredients, I guess.

I felt like that was too big of a jump from what I'd been doing though, but started to introduce some different food to him slowly anyway.

That's the current advice in Australia, anyway! Other countries might be different.

I'm sure it's like everything - all babies have their own tastes and personalities, and it's just about finding what works for them - and us!

 

[Dugette]

I do like the sound of baby led weaning / eating and have looked into it quite a bit. For those who tried that with your babies, what age did they start with it?

We started at exactly 6 months. We skipped spoon-feeding entirely, but did offer her some baby oatmeal by just giving her the pre-loaded spoon. Messy, but she had a good time. Her first "meal" was actually big spears of steamed broccoli and some baby oatmeal made with breast milk.

Remember that babies are not consistent too. At 13 months, she pounds down some meals like she hasn't eaten in days, sometimes steals food off other people's plates, but sometimes just gives all her food directly to the dog. No rhyme or reason, really. Maybe she's just not hungry or she's too tired or just curious what the dog thinks. Who knows.

As long as you know he's nursing fine, just keep offering a variety of food and including him in family meals and I'm sure he'll dig in when he's up to it.

Also, for what it's worth, our daughter didn't have any teeth at all until about 11 months and it didn't stop her. They have such strong little jaws!