6.5 Month Old Not Eating Yet

Hi S.,

I am a mom and a Child Development Specialist. This advice is from a mom and a professional!

You do not have to worry at all at this point. What your baby needs most during the first 12-15 months is breast milk. Before he turns one he barely gets any nutrients out of anything other than breast milk. He really only eats other foods to learn how to eat them and to partake in the social ritual of eating with a family/friends.

The best way to introduce your baby to eating is to sit him on your lap during all meals (you don't need a high chair/baby seat at this point). Offer him the breast during the meal if he wants it, but it's okay if he refuses. Eat your meal normally (this is a bit tricky but it models the process for him). You can set a few pieces of cereal (Cheerios, etc.) in front of him, but it's not important whether they make it to his mouth or not. As he gets older and has more teeth you can start cutting up everything you eat into very small and soft portions and put those in front of him (Just one or two pieces at a time). Eventually your baby will be past one year and will be interested in sitting by himself and feeding himself all of the wonderful foods you're eating.

You really don't need to feed your baby cereal (the runny baby cereal). It will not give him any nutrients and it is confusing to have a runny liquid put into his mouth while he is still nursing. And you definitely do not need to use "baby food" for any reason...save your money!

This may all seem a bit strange to your MD but I learned it from my MD's from Homefirst...and they learned it from many, many women over the past 30 years. Plus it is what I learned in graduate school and it is what has worked best with 2 of my 3 kids (the 3rd is only 10 weeks!)

I hope this helps!

T.

Just wanted to echo what others have said. At 6.5 months, your breastmilk is all your child needs for nutrition; the solids are just for experience. My son did not eat solids at all until about 9/10 mos, and even then it was very little. I was worried, because I thought he "should" be eating, but he was just fine with only breastmilk. Now, at 18 mos, he has only been sick once, and is completely healthy and a great eater. Relax, you are doing great!

you should try putting the baby food in his bottle with the milk, and doctors recommend giving babies veggies first, then they will learn to like them, if start them of with fruits they won't ever like the veggies as they get older!!

S.,
You are doing everything right, imo. Many babies just are not interested in food at 6.5 mos. Some really aren't interested until their second year of life.
Your baby will be less interested in food as long as he is not feeling well. That's where the extra nursing comes in. You are correct. This extra nursing is temporary. It most likely will speed his recovery, as well. Everything will be fine soon.
Amy

Just want to confirm what everyone else is saying....

At this age, food is an experience, not sustanance. His nutrients will come from the breastmilk. It's a complete food and REALLY all he needs. He will eat when he's ready. The extra nursing now is what he needs. Not just the extra fluids, nutrients, etc. But also the extra time in mom's arms snuggle 'cause he doesn't feel good.

My daughter would not let us spoon-feed her. She only wanted to feed herself. Even then she was probably 18 mos. old before she really go into food.

Good Luck! Check out www.lalecheleague.org to find a group near you. C.

Hi S.,

Have you tried a different type of food? Some babies have very sensitive taste buds. Check out GaGa Gourmet Baby Foods. The foods are all natural with no added anything and taste amazing. They are shipped frozen directly to your door and keep for about 4-5 months in your freezer and up to 4 days in your refrigerator. Check out their website...gagagourmet.com. Good Luck!

Don't sweat it. My second daughter didn't eat until she could feed herself. The only problem is ruling out any allergies. If you already know he isn't allergic to bananas, try mushing some up (with no chunks) for him to "feed" himself. That may distract him so you can try to get him to eat some cereal. Give him some time to get over his cold and just keep at it, but don't make it a battle. If he doesn't eat then he doesn't eat. A lot of experts say not to introduce solids until six months anyway. Also have him at the table anytime you eat a meal, that might spark his interest.

In the beginning, a baby will only "eat" a couple of tablespoons at most. I was told to keep trying and not force the food in. They get most of their nutrients from milk at this point anyway. Baby food is just to help them experiement with new tastes and textures for future eating.

Good luck...sounds like everything is on track. Some babies take to food with gusto and others take a little longer.

Do you mix the cereal with a fruit or veggie? That often helps :)

Hi there, S.! I am a mom to 11 month old twins. I noticed that my kids were a bit delayed in how interested they were in eating solids. Now they were 2 months premature, so some people said to take that into consideration...I don't know if your son was preemie at all, but if he was then that could be part of it. Also, someone once told me she had read someone's theory that babies aren't really ready to eat solids until they are closer to have teeth...and that this is why they start drooling so much, its because their body can handle the food as the teeth are on their way, so the drooling occurs because the body knows it needs more saliva in order to handle solid foods. So there's a thought...if he isn't teething yet maybe he just isn't ready physically? I can see what you mean about the medicine maybe being part of it...back when my kids had reflux and i was trying to get medicine in them, they also weren't interested in eating food either...I think they were worried it was that medicine. So maybe he is just associating any food that doesn't come from you (via b-feeding) as medicine. In any case, I have heard tons of people say that you could go for a long time just breastfeeding and not introducing solids. So I would say just relax and just offer him food and if he doesn't want it, maybe wait a few days, and try again. Maybe he will be interested, maybe not, and then just try again in a few more days. He will let you know when he is ready. If he starts watching you eat your food he might think "hmm, eating looks fun, i should try that! :)

Good luck!
- S. :)