7.5 Month Old Reluctant to Eat

My son was completely uninterested in solids till he was 10 months old! I continued to breastfeed him till then & didn't insist on table food, though we offered it from time to time. Now he's 6'6", 26 years old & brilliant as well as tenderhearted.

I'm pretty sure your little girl will get interested in "big people" food by the time she really needs it. Just enjoy these extra weeks/months of closeness to her.

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DS (7.75 months) ate more than a fraction of a teaspoon for the first time yesterday. DD wasn't interested in food until 13 months, and then preferred food from our plates. I've read it's very normal for babies to not be that interested in solid food when we think they are "supposed" to be. As long as your daughter is healthy, follow her lead.

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I would think eating when teething would be comforting. Most children want to gnaw on things when they are teething. Have you tried the teething bisquits? They are a mess but most kids like them.

Me personally I approach eating issues like my mother did. Here is what I've prepared and that is all you will get. At that age the doctors said kids will eat when they are hungry. My mom put it on the table and we either ate or didn't....but she didn't prepare different things for each of us and we didn't eat snacks between meals. If we came to her after a meal and said we were hungry, then she pulled out the leftovers and that's what we got.

I try to have something in each meal that I know each of my girls really likes and then they must try one bite of everything on their plate regardless if they have tried it 100 times before. One bite. I put very small amounts on their plates because they are small at 5 and 3 years of age. They clean their plate they can have something else like a popsicle, apple, small sundae with fresh fruit for dessert. If they leave anything, then they are done for that meal.

They get snacks like pretzels, fruit, yogurt, animal crackers if they at a decent amount at the last meal. No more than two snacks a day. I want them eating meals not just snacks...unless they want a piece of fruit and then they can have as much of that as they like.

My girls still don't eat much meat. They eat small amounts of chicken, pork, or fish...but little beef. They just aren't big meat eaters. I make sure they get plenty of cheese, eggs, nuts, and so forth to make up for the lack of meat.

If you she doesn't want it, don't force it. Put it on her plate insist she eat one bite and then make sure there are other things on her plate. Don't do snacks that aren't healthy. No chips or silly stuff like that. If she doesn't have many teeth she might not feel comfortable eating solids.

For the first year of life, babies get their nutrition through breast or formula. Don't push the food if she's not ready or eager...it's all about experimenting at this stage..let her feed herself, use her fingers, etc. It will get messy but it's SO short lived...

Hi,

My daughter also wouldn't eat solids for a while... She used to love oatmeal from about 6 mos., but then refused it. Have you tried vegetables or fruit? We have had more success now that we've tried pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, etc. Also, I've read that feeding solids on an empty stomach is NOT a good idea, especially when you're first starting out. I always make sure to breastfeed my daughter before giving her solid foods. Another thing I've found helpful is to give my daughter a spoon to play with. If she grabs the spoon I'm using, I let her and take hers. Now she likes to drop spoons, so I have about 9 on hand every time I feed her. :-)

Anyway, we went through something similar about a month ago, when my daughter was 7 mos., but now at 8 mos., she seems to really enjoy eating fruits and vegetables (still no oatmeal). My mother told me that when I was a baby, the only food I'd eat from a spoon was pears. I've read that around 8-9 mos., you can introduce finger foods like Cheerios, and you might have more success with that, as well.

I've also read that variety, not quantity is important. So I would suggest you just keep trying. Good luck!

Hi K.,
I am having the same issue with one of my 8 month old twins! My daughter will eat virtually anything you put in front of her, my son is so sporadic and sounds a lot like your daughter. I make their baby food from scratch, so I know what they're offered is good for them, I make things I know he's enjoyed before, but it's always hit or miss, usually miss. He does love his bottle, though.

I expressed all of this to my doctor and she reminded me that babies don't actually need solid foods until they're a year old, and that as long as they're consuming around 25-30oz. of formula or breast milk, they're getting everything they need - eating solids at this point is just for practice so when they're around a year old and need supplemental food, they'll know what to do. This relieved me tremendously, and I also decided to move back from 3 meals/day to 2 meals/day (after their morning nap and dinnertime) which also seems to be helping.

I wonder if your daughter is just more interested in bottle/nursing right now and I'm wondering if maybe you're trying to feed her too often? Maybe re-start with just one solid meal a day, then when she's regularly eating that, increase to two, etc.

Lastly, I started to give my babies "snacks" which are homemade baked bread sticks (simply whole wheat bread cut into strips and baked for one hour at 200 degrees - great for teething and cheap!), tiny pieces of cantaloupe, Cheerios, tiny pieces of banana. I give these only if they don't eat their pureed baby food, I figure this is better than fish crackers or puffs and they're also learning hand-to-mouth coordination.

Sorry for such a long response, but I totally understand where you're coming from and how frustrating it can be. Just keep in mind the rule of thumb that as long as she's consuming enough formula/milk, she's healthy and fine and will eventually be eating solids with vigor! Best Wishes!

my son was never a huge baby food eater...he hated the stuff...he would eat sweet potatoes but not much else...also, he has never eaten huge meals...always been a snacker...which if it's healthy foods, i don't have the slightest problem with...He just eats in little bits all day which works well for him...at any rate...everyone else is right, these foods are still just practice, so don't stress about it...you'll just both get stressed out...offer the foods often and if she doesn't take them, she doesn't...our son's eating improved once he was able to eat more solid foods...and his height and weight were always fine so as long as your daughter is growing and thriving, don't worry...and good luck!

I would not push the issue too far just yet.
Do not wait until she is starving and crying.
However, everyday offer her just a taste. Even if it's just wiping it onto her lips. Or if she takes a pacifier dip it in the food. She will eventually get used to the different tastes and start to eat them. Mixing the fruit or veggies in with the cereal will mute the strong tastes. Sometimes that helps. Do not worry about how much she is eating by spoon just that you are introducing it every day.
I would not use Tylenol.
At your next doctors visit if you are still concerned ask the doctors if they are worried about her growth. But all her nutrition comes from her bottles still.
Good Luck!

Oh that's so frustrating! It's hard when we're ready to move forward into milestones and our kids are dragging their feet. (My 6 year old JUST learned to pump himself on a swing and refuses to ride a bike!)

Now is an excellent time to start learning basic sign language and I suggest you begin with eat. If you put your hands to your mouth and ask "eat?" at the same time, eventually you'll see some recognition from your daughter that she understands and can say yes or no. (By say of course I mean non verbal communication.) If the interaction can be more engaging for her on another level like communication that might stimulate her interest. And add in other signs for things she has a positive relationship with like nursing or bottle, nap time, bath, etc.

Also I have one kid who wants to eat as soon as she gets up and another kid who can't stand the sight of food for at least 2-3 hours after rising. Take the pressure off. Hungry kids eat. As long as she's well hydrated with breast milk or formula go at her turtle's pace.

Good luck!

Try different temperatures with the food. We found our daughter less receptive to cold cereal but okay with warm in the beginning. Same with the meats (yuk, yuk yuk!!). She's fine with it all now, but it was rough for a while.

Good luck! Maybe she wants to try feeding herself too...maybe get her involved. :-) We make meal time fun...lots of praise for good "big girl bites" and clapping....she's great at clapping for herself and it's funny. Just makes the whole thing more of a possitive environment.