6-Month-old Doesn't Want "Baby" Food

If she wants to eat table food....let her. Just cut everything up into really small pieces. Some other foods to try - sweet potatos, yams, cheese, peas. She probably really likes the banana because it is so sweet - so you'll have to continue to introduce vegetables multiple times before she may accept them! Good luck.

Believe it or not, but babies do not "need" baby food. Breastmilk alone is enough to sustain them for two years, so don't worry about her not eating baby food. My son never had "baby" food. When he was about 7 months old I started giving him foods that he could eat on his own without choking, so that he could learn about food. We gave him cut up bananas, whole baby peas, or any other cooked veggies that we were eating. I would definitely stay away from items such as cookies and/or pretzels, due to choking hazards, well, that and they aren't really healthy for a youngn' who is learning how to eat.

Good luck!

D.~
You are not a bad mommy! Baby food isn't magic food, it's just food processed smoother so baby can eat it. There is no rule that babies have to have it, so I say if your kiddo can handle the chunky stuff w/o choking, yay for you! You get to skip the hassle and expense of buying baby food! As long as you are watching her for choking (which you are) what's the difference? Frankly, Im a little jealous!!! :)
~L.

D.!!!!I am almost at this stage with my 5th child. I have only breast fed her up to this point, and I am going to share what a friend of mine told me (I am just pasting her post here) I know that depending on what doctor, friend, grandmother or magazine you hear from tells you different, I say listen to baby...she wants what you eat..mash it up!!!
I am mom of 5 (and one in heaven) ages 13 to 5 months and I work out of my home helping people make their homes healthier and get out of debt..yay!

here is post from my friend...(it has been 5 years since my last child and I honestly forgot what to do at this point so I went to my friend for help...)
----------------
S. ... I can talk both as mom and a former LLL Leader :)

There is no set start date for beginning solids with a breastfed baby.
The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics
both say to wait at least 6 months now. As a mom, I would say there is
the occasional baby who is very ready before 6 months, but that is not
true across the board (usually solids is just fun at that age).

Here are the things I consider when looking at introducing solids:

1) As soon as baby is offered anything other than breastmilk, it
forever changes the intestinal flora and impacts baby's ability to
absorb the iron in breastmilk. This is the primary reason some
breastfed babies have low hemoglobin. It is also why it is recommended
to begin iron supplements if baby is a certain age ... actually has
little to do w/ the age and more to do with most moms offering solids
pretty young. Personally, I delay introduction of anything besides
breastmilk as long as possible because I want baby to get the most out
of my breastmilk iron supplies. Personally, I do not supplement with
iron unless baby does have a low hemoglobin (it just doesn't make sense
to supplement unless baby needs it since too much iron is not a good
thing either!). If iron supplementing is necessary for a baby,
Floradix is a great supplement to use because it is non constipating
and much more easily absorbed, just in case you ever need that
information.

2) Now setting aside the issue of iron absorption, here are the cues I
look to for whether baby is ready to start solids:

* Does baby still have the tongue thrust? That is a biological cue
that baby's intestines are not quite ready to be digesting solids.
* Does baby hold head well and is baby able to sit unsupported well?
(yes is typically the desired response except in special circumstances)
* Is baby showing serious interest in food? Am I sure it is actually
the *food* baby wants and not the spoon? I usually offer a spoon to
play with (baby proof spoon of course!) to rule that out.

3) This is my "mommy instinct" one. I had one child that I just felt
was ready for solids at a younger age than the rest of my children.
I'm not sure exactly what cued me in, but it was a very strong feeling
so I offered solid foods. The first time I did so, he turned up his
nose, but a week later when the urge was strong again, he gobbled it
down! This child was 5 months old and it was quite a stunner for me!
:)

4) The other component worth considering is family history of food
allergies. If there is a history of food allergy, then delaying solids
introduction until 8 months to 1 year is fine as long as baby is
thriving on breastmilk. In fact, I have known cases where baby was
showing signs of allergies where the baby remained fully breastfed
until 15-18months old. The great news is that most babies thrive on
breastmilk alone for many months. There is at least one recorded
medical case of an 18 year old woman with severe allergies who survives
solely on donated breastmilk (through a milk bank). I mention that
only to point out that breastmilk truly is enough. It has the whole
pyramid! Several of my babies started solids slowly around 9 months
and started picking up around a year. It is still a good idea for baby
to be more than half breastfed at a year. I can't remember the exact
percent recommended by WHO.

When introducing solids, it is also worth remembering what I mentioned
above. Breastmilk really is the whole pyramid. It includes grains,
veggies, dairy, proteins, meats, etc. So when supplementing baby's
diet, remember not to concentrate too much on one thing. Potatoes, for
example, are filling but have limited nutrition. Juice is really high
in both calaries and vitamin c but does not provide enough of the other
important nutrients baby needs. So remember not to fill baby up on low
nutrition foods or nutritional imbalances or obesity are risks.

Additionally, there are lots of theories out there on how to start
solids as far as what to offer first. There are those who recommend
starting with baby cereal first. Since those are supplemented with
iron, they are not the first choice for everyone since the iron can be
constipating in the form used in the baby cereals. Some recommend
starting with vegetables to encourage future good eating habits. Some
recommend starting with meats because that has important proteins in it
plus natural more absorbable iron.

Personally, I like to start w/ a banana because it is easy to mush and
nothing has to be wasted if baby turns up his/her nose (just pass it to
a sibling lol!). Avacados are also great first foods, filled with
healthy fats and other things baby needs. I like to pull some out for
baby then make myself guacamole ... Ole! lol. We often take what we
are eating and hold some out w/o spices for baby and puree if
necessary. They make these new baby mesh feeder things that you can
buy at places like Walmart now that you pop a bit of food into a mesh
bag and baby holds a ring (like a pacifier ring sort of) then can chew
the mesh bag to get the foods. It was invented by a dad whose dd
choked on a piece of peach (dd was fine thankfully! But dad wanted to
prevent her from choking again and still be able to easily eat solid
foods). I mention that because it is probably new since you had your
last child. I have a couple of these and they are awesome for things
like watermelon or if I'm too lazy to puree. ;)

Well that's off the top of my head right after getting off work (did
you plant any small grains this year, ma'am?). Dh is waiting to spend
time with me, so I will write more later if anything else pops into my
head. I hope this helps! :)
K

Have you tried mixing the banana with the cereal? I also give my lo her own spoon when I feed her, she puts it in her mouth, chews on it, and hits her tray with it. I would just try blending up other foods for her. There is a real difference in taste between jarred baby food and homemade baby food.

Hi! I have a 9 month old. Started off very interested in what I was eating also. I think it's important for them to see that there "mush" really is what we eat in a different form. I just grind it up in the baby food grinder or blender. First of all I strongly suggest reading the Super Baby Food book. My baby started off on avocados and bananas. The avocados are great for omega fatty acids. My baby is also breast feed. Good luck!

My daughter tried baby food for a day and decided she only wanted what my husband and I were eating. She wouldn't touch pureed stuff! I ended up feeding her cooked millet and currants (very small, and easy to eat at 6 months when cooked), bananas (her very first food!), stewed, diced apples and pears, cooked peas, etc. I was very frustrated when I first started feeding my daughter because she didn't want to eat, but when I switched from baby food to little bits of "real" food, she was much more interested. All kids are different! If you're worried about her choking, get one of those little mesh nets with handles (food section of baby department). You can put the banana inside and she can gnaw on it and you don't have to worry. GOOD LUCK!!!

Hi D.! My son did the exact same thing at that age -- he's almost 10 months now. It's frustrating! I started mixing the baby food with the baby cereal, with a little water but leaving it chunky so he could kinda scoop it into his mouth and I'd sit there with a spoon helping if he'd let me. I've fed him cooked carrots (no salt) cut into small pieces for him to grab and feed himself. Bananas, cut up cooked green beans, any vegetable really just super soft. Cubed baked sweet potatoes work well since they're so soft. Sounds like you've got a really smart and eager gal on your hands! Since she's getting most of her calories from the breastmilk, just letting her experiment with different baby foods on her tray will help her practice and she might get a few bites in there on her own or with a little help. Cyrus started eating toast and crackers shortly after that, and those little puffs from Gerber, that has helped with the huge messes at mealtime. HTH! C.

Oh D.!! I'm LOL right now b/c I have a 7 mos old girl who is the SAME way!!!! Thank God there is another one out there like her!!!! She's been doing this for quite some time now.
Kallie started w/the banana - my husband let her knaw on it, and I about freaked - until I saw her EATING it!! She eats baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, pasta, meat (I cut up very, very fine, peas out of the ca, a lot of things that we eat, just minus the seasoning and cut up super small.
Some babies just do things early - and this one is giving me a run!! She's already standing and trying to walk on furniture!!! I talked w/her dr. and he said just go with it! Follow her ques - she knows what she wants!!! OKAY!!

Hope that helps, and I'm so glad there's another mom I can go to for stuff like this!!! : )

Hi D.

Remember that babies need lots of practice and repetition with baby food...the texture is so weird for them...just keep trying and your baby will eat when hungry. :-)

Hi D.,

You are by no means a bad mom! I have a 1 year old and 2 year old and both of them started out with a little baby food, but by 8 months wanted nothing to do with it. I got a baby food grinder. It is the most wonderful thing, and it only cost about $9!!! I would grind up whatever we were having for dinner, everything from hamburger helper to roast done in the crockpot. As long as your baby is getting the right amount of breastmilk or formula, food is an added bonus before they are one.

Good luck!

Don't worry! It's totally fine to not feed your baby "baby food." There's an excellent article here that shows it's totally unecessary and possibly somewhat risky to feed babies purees.

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voeds...

My 11 mo. old daughter has allergies, so I can't just feed her "whatever I'm eating," so I give her bananas, small chunks of roasted red peppers, small fresh blueberries, black beans, small pieces of chicken, etc. She also eats purees periodically, but they're certainly not her favorite! She much prefers to feed herself.

Until your daughter has developed the pincer grasp, just give her bigger chunks that she can bite pieces off of. Soft ripe pears are a popular "first" food.

Oh D., You sound like me about 15 months ago. My beautiful girl is now 20 months old. She was never really into baby food except for certain kinds. My daughter had half of her teeth by the time she was 6 months old so she was looking to chew on anything she could. After speak with our pedi, he said that it is ok for her to try new "regular" foods. We would just let her try something new every few days or so. We never let her try 2 new foods at once just so we could watch her just in case she had an allergic reaction. After speaking to our pedi & researching it some more, "regular people food" is better for & cheaper to make for our little ones. Of course, that does not mean everything like certain baby foods & juices that have less sugar & sodium in them which is better for little ones compared to "regular food". We started her out with VERY small pieces or gently pureed types of homemade, natural foods (some organic) like bananas, green beans, peas, carrots, YO Baby yogurt with cereal already added, whole wheat angel hair pasta (if your little one does not have wheat allergy) (take a pizza cutter & cut it until it's teeny-tiny) with a healthy pasta sauce or homemade spaghetti sauce. The first time my daughter ate spaghetti was something else. It was like she discovered a new world. You know your baby & you know what she can handle. I would discuss it with your pedi & see what ideas he/she might present to you. Do not get sucked into the Gerber Graduate meals later on. They have more sugar & sodium than a meal you can make with "regular" food. They really are a waste of money. Here are some sites that I used during the first few months our daughter started eating "people food". http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
http://www.superbabyfood.com/
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/6-to-9-month-ba...
http://www.earthsbest.com/baby_nutrition/feeding_schedule...
Just keep on researching & you will know whatis best for your baby. That is what we did. Our daughter eats very well. She is a great eater & we never worry if she is not getting enough of what she needs because we only stock our fridge, freezer, pantry & cupboards with the best foods we can give her (though an occasional M&M or lick of ice cream makes into her mouth). Best of luck to you. It's a weird & exciting time when your baby enters this stage of life. But, then it's maddening because it's all you think about! Take care!

D.,
Welllll no ur not a bad mom.... Against all "norms" I have 4 very healthy kids ( 7-17) They all skipped baby food... i mashed what we were having once they showed interest, if it needed to be... banana well it mashes on its own... crackers get mushy taters are good etc etc.... Just "go with the flow" and let her eat what she is ready for not what youuuu are ready for..... its hard i know, thats ur baby, but ......
good luck
tam

It sounds like your daughter is the boss. I personally would take a little bit more charge in things and be extremely consistent with what she's supposed to be having. And that is her baby food. If you want you can mash up bananas yourself and feed it to her. And if your letting her eat whole bananas I sure hope you've also registered yourself into First Aid\CPR classes!!!!!!!!!!! If you don't start introducing now and be consistent like the same jar of that food for 3 days you are going to have a big problem with everything. How are you ever going to know what and if she's allergic to something??? You need to sit down and think of the bigger picture and what's really the most responsible thing to do here as a parent!!!!!!!!!!!! N.

oh D. I wouldnt worry, I am in the same boat too, I have a 7 month old and she wants nothing to do with baby food, it was a struggle to get her to eat once a day so now i do things a little different, I give her cherious soaked in milk and then drained so its mushy and she loves that, I also give her those toddler graduate meals and mush those up, she does great with them and and feel better knowing she is at least eating, so I would say anything that she can swallow works fine, just nothing sticky or real chewy your baby will be just fine