4 Month Old Arching His back.......HELP

I didn't start feeding my kids food until 1 yo. I tried around 7-8 month but they didn't like it so I just went straight to table food at a year.

4 months seems so young to be eating peaches to me.

I'm guessing his little digestive system just isn't ready for solid foods. Four months is very young for that. That doesn't mean there's an allergy - just that he's not ready. Foods can cause gas or bloating so even if he's pooping, he's uncomfortable. Is there are reason why the pediatrician wanted you to start fruits so soon? Does he not drink enough formula or get enough nutrition?

Of course you can consult your doctor, but I'd take him off solid foods immediately and keep up with the formula, unless you have been specifically told that this added nutrition is vital to him right now. But I would think he would get everything he needs, plus liquid, in his formula.

And yes, ear pain can cause all kinds of discomfort. If he's got a cold or anything that's causing mucus, that can drain down into the stomach and make him miserable too.

Change his position from one side to the other every 5 minutes, push his knees up to his his belly, put him on his stomach for a while, etc. just to move him around.

I would also try feeding him while sitting up. My youngest had issues with reflux, and I used to sit him away from me and feed him that way. He really liked it.

You're doctor might have recommended you star your son on solids, but most pediatricians recommend waiting until 6 months. If your doctor had a reason, that's one thing. But if not, I would lay off the solids for a couple of months. Most babies' tummies just aren't ready to digest anything except formula or breast milk. That could easily be hurting his little tummy.

I agree with the food being too soon. But, it also might be the soy formula. Are you sure he is ok with it? When I gave it to my guy he did that and screamed and screamed! We had to move to the Alimentum which is hypoallergenic. Also, my pediatrician said to stay away from soy because it mimics estrogen in the body which is really not good for little boys. If it is the soy, it could be an intolerance that has finally reached it's point where he just can't handle any more.

Four to six months old is a time when many babies start on the most basic solid foods bu that does not mean that, at just barely four months old, your son is ready too. It depends on the baby. The new foods likely are causing him reflux or gas (he can be gassy even if you don't ever hear or smell burps or farts). And yeah, it could be an ear infection instead. Would be worth getting him checked out to eliminate that possibility and when there, ask the doctor about the solids.

There's no rush to start doing more than tasting solids yet, and you can even let that wait another month or so. I would not be "feeding" him solids so much as giving him tastes.

Arching the back is a fairly typical reaction to a lot of things in infants, from constipation to gas to being frustrated with the position they're in....Ask your pediatrician too.

Arching back and screaming... I'm gonna go with constipation...

ETA: see dr and have ears checked, the sucking can cause pain if ears infected, that actually seems very likely, any fever?

Yes, just the being laid back can start it...I'd def get in to have ears checked tomorrow morning - hope he's better soon!

The best way to figure out allergies - food or otherwise - is to see an allergist.
Guessing and switching foods and formulas just makes for a lot of misery.
My milk dried up when our son was 5 months old so he was on formula after that - and he didn't take to solid foods till he was almost a year old.
(He's 16 yrs old now and eats pretty much everything in sight - we have to remind him to slow down long enough to chew.)
There's no rush.
As for catching everything in day care - yeah, they do that.
In most cases it takes about 2 years to build up an immune system and then they'll only catch something once or twice a year after that (so that will be out of the way by the time he reaches school age).

Are you sure the back arching isn't a sensory issue?
Some kids are not cuddlers.
Also, 4 months old is not too soon for teething - and ear infections
The first 2 to 3 years is a lot of detective work for us Moms.
It helps a lot once they are old enough to tell us what they are feeling.

Your description suggests that something isn't working for your baby. We don't know what she needs. Call the advice nurse or make an appointment to see the doctor.

I agree it's too early for solid food. And peaches should only be given after baby has accepted vegetables. Fruits are sweet. Veggies are not. Baby is more apt to refuse veggies because they now prefer sweetness.

Sounds like you're feeding solids to boost his immune system. Won't help. Baby food contains very few if any vitamins and minerals. Baby would have to eat much larger servings to get enought to get sufficient vitamins and minerals to make a difference.

I wonder if the doctor said to feed solids because you were anxious about baby's health and you asked to begin feeding solids. Some doctors do not take the time to consider why a mom is anxious or explain reasons for doing things. I urge you to read a book about babies and their needs.

Peaches may be causing this reaction. Did she start arching her back and increased her crying. If so, she may not be able to digest them. I'd stop giving her solid food and see. If it helps. I suggest looking up feeding solids on the Internet. Nutritionit's have studied baby's nutritional needs and development. They have many recommendat ions for feeding babies.

Babies in child care often catch every bug that comes around. Consider that they are new to this world. Catching bugs builds the immune system. First time teachers are often sick because they have not not been exposed to the bugs children bring in. Immunity is increased by being sick. The body, when sick, builds a defense against those bugs.
Have you noticed that older people get sick much less often than young people?
people?

Be sure you're feeding him a nutritional dense formula. The doctor can prescribe vis and minerals to supplement the formula. Vitamins, minerals, as well as fats and other additives in formula are important for babies growth. That is why we don't give solids until they 've drank the recommended amount of formula. Also, at 4 months, it's unlikely that their digestive system is mature enough even for first foods. Baby has little gag reflex. Their mouth is still not ready tto manage solids. I recently learned that saliva in the food is what gets the rest of the system ready to digest food?

Why did you switch to soy? Changing to a non dairy formula should be done only when the doctor prescribes it. If your doctor has not tested for allergies I suggest he needs to do that before changing formulas. Your baby may be allergic to soy. I am. I've read that soy gives many babies difficulty. I suggest you do some research.

My granddaughter was often crying. She had gas And doubled up which can indicate difficulty with formula. Her pediatrician did a blood test and her mom learned she was allergic to milk protein. He prescribe Alumentiam, a non dairy formula. She improved in a couple of weeks.

I suggest you ask your baby's advice nurse or doctor this question. We can only guess at the problem.

Mine would do that if they had gas.

So sounds like something is not agreeing with his system.

I didn't think you are supposed to start foods this early. I think we started with cereal first, and it had to be the one most easily digested.

My kids had ear infections - when they did they would be miserable and inconsolable.

Hang in there - I know, it's rough at times.

Be sure he gets a really good burp after each feed. I remember with my first I thought I was getting burps and my sister said "that's not a burp" and she proceeded to get an enormous burp from my baby. Laying them on your lap and rubbing back to help move gas is good too.

good luck :)

Get a new doctor. It's way too early for solids and your child won't be able to "tell" you what's wrong for many, many months at least.

Make sure you are only introducing ONE new food per week. I'd actually do one new food every two weeks, but don't do it any shorter than one week. It's a way to help her little stomach and intestines adjust to food.

He's way too young for food and fruit is way out there.

I know docs often tell people to start food this early but they are the docs we should run away from.

Babies have underdeveloped stomachs and intestines. Made to process formula or breast milk. This is the ONLY food they need the first year. It has every nutrient they need until they go off formula.

Baby food is ONLY to teach a child to chew and swallow. A 4 month of infant does not need this skill. Babies usually start around 6 months with cereal mixed like soup with formula or breast milk. It's not chewy but runny so they get that introduction to texture.

Then if that is successful they go on to one more food each week so you can see if they have any allergies. By age 10 months they could be taking a full bottle THEN eating a little food from a couple of jars. Maybe some fruit and some veggie.

Your baby needs the vitamins and nutrients like DHA in the formula or breastmilk.

The reason babies eat and eat and eat and get fat and roly poly is because they are getting no nutrients from baby food. They get flavored goo that is nothing more than a paste like substance.

They are starving. The goo tastes good and they are starving so they eat it. And in 15 minutes they are hungry again and starving. So mommy feeds them more, thinking "what a great baby!!!! They are such a good eater!!!" when in fact mommy is starving her baby. The only thing keeping those babies alive are the minimal bottles of formula or breast milk they are nursing.

Please stop doing this to your baby. He needs formula or breastmilk first every single time. Until they're 11-12 months old they need a bottle first.

Could be gas from new foods or maybe a reaction to early teething pain. I would cut out the solid food for a week and see if he improves.

Good luck!