8 Month Old Not Eating Well

I would strongly recommend making some of your own baby food. Babies seem to like the taste of fresh food much better than food from a jar. My 12 month old has never eaten from a jar, and has always been an incredible eater. He eats everything I make him. It's not as hard as most people think. Try boiling or steaming some apples or butternut squash cubes, then blending them into a puree. You can mix the two later on down the road for a nice blend. (carrots and yams too) OR defrost some green peas and blend them up, they are so sweet and taste really good. OR Peel and core a pear and just throw it in a blender for a really yummy treat. Also, you can make a vegi soup mix or lentil soup mix (leaving out the spice packet and adding your own fresh vegi's like carrots)and blend it up into a puree. My son loved this! As for eggs, the books I've read & doc's I've talked to say just egg yolks before one year. It worked beautifully. I just fried an egg hard, them peeled off the whites. Cut up the yolk into bite size pieces and feed it to them or let them feed themselves. As for dairy, I gave little tastes of cheese or tiny bites of plain yogurt after 10 months, but basically waited until he was one year. I know everyone does it differently. Go with your gut. Dairy is hard to digest for little tummies and can cause allergic reactions, so I would suggest taking it slow.
Good Luck! PS- "Super Baby Food" is a great reference book to look at for advice and homemade food tips.

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Hi L.,

My daughter is almost 8 months old and she is not to into eating either. Generally she will take a bite or two and then turn her head. She does like gnawing on bread, cucumbers, bananas, pears and cheerios.

She weighed 13 lbs at 6 months and is probably almost 15lbs now. Everyone says that she is tiny, but her Doctor is not worried, as she has been steadily gaining about a pound every month.

My Doctor explained that the babies still get the majority of their calories from the breastmilk and that feeding them is about getting them used to different tastes and textures.

My Mom says that I was a small baby and her father is very thin as well. So it makes sense that she isn't gigantic.

I would try not to worry. It seems as if she is developing on schedule.

Be happy that you aren't lifting a 20lb baby. Your back is probably much better for it.

Best,

W.

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She def. sounds like she is growing slowly. Here are some tips: a great book is Super Baby Food. It's about making your own food but you don't actually have to do that. What is great is it includes all sorts of information about what age it is ok to start foods.

1) you can give egg yolks only before she is a year--8 months is fine. I would hard boil and mash into veggies--it is too hard for kids that age to pick up bits of egg yolk
2) Milk is not ok but cheese and yogurt are fine. Yogurt may in fact be a great thing for your daughter--get the whole milk kind (I got the Brown Cow Cream Top in Vanilla). This is loaded with protein and fats and tastes good too b/c it is sweet--but not artificially sweetened. I would stir in other stuff too--baby cereal, jarred prunes, and at 9 months we started with Almond Butter. You can talk to your ped. about this but I think it's generally ok unless you have allergies in your family
3) tofu: I am not a tofu person. However, I found it was another easy food to mix into things to get my kids more protein. I think the book recommends the silken kind which is very soft so you can mash it into fruits or vegetables
4) other soft foods: mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes. Just boil or bake and mash with maybe a little butter. Beans and hummus--I can't remember exactly when we tried these but I think refried beans are probably ok by 8 or 9 months. Hummus maybe wait until a year b/c it has sesame in it.
5) chunks of multigrain bread. I would buy rolls that my kids could hold onto and gum bits off of.
Get your daughter moving toward a wider variety of foods and she might be happier and eat more. You didn't say you were giving her baby cereal which I think is pretty important in terms of iron and calories. And def, check out that book as it details every fruit and vegetable and when you can introduce them as well as other foods.

C.

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My first didn't start eating much food until she was 1 years old (only breastfed) and my second started much earlier. All kids are different. Honestly, your daughter would be fine to only have breastmilk. www.askdrsears.com has a great section on first foods, etc.. Your daughters weight seems fine, she may be a little petite thing or she may have a growth spurt soon and surprise you! Ask your Dr. at your next appt. but don't worry when others say, "oh she is so tiny" I catch myself saying that at times and it's usually just because compared to my 3 and 5 year old - all babies are so tiny! (-:

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Our daughters didn't eat much either. They say that infants should double their birth weight by 6 months and double that by 1 year. My daughters didn't get to 20 lbs until they were almost 18 months. We're not really big people, so our kids probably wont be either. Have you tried using a food mill? Some of those Gerber foods aren't very tasty. You could mash up the stuff that you are eating. I mostly nursed my kids until they were a year old, so the food was not the main source of calories. I stopped reading most books except "What to Expect the First Year" and what my pediatrician gave me. You just have to trust your gut feeling. Going to the doctor is certainly a good step. Your situation isn't too alarming to me because my kids were little (and still healthy).

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All babies grow at different rates. You have a small one. I had big ones. My boys never ate a whole lot, I knew smaller babies who ate more than them, but mine were just big. Now as toddlers, one is average and the other is small - go figure! Don't worry just because she is small. I know that's easy for me to say because mine were big. I think I probably would have worried if they were small, especially when they got sick. You are breastfeeding her, so be confident that she is getting the nutrition that she needs. I would suggest trying to breastfeed before her solid foods. And for jar foods, I always gave my babies the Earth's Best food. I felt it was the healthiest option for jar foods, and I've tried Gerber foods myself during those baby shower games, and they are disgusting! But if you try the Earth's Best, it tastes like real food. My boys liked every thing I offered to them (they got pickier later), but I didn't give them a huge variety. I have heard that little ones don't need and don't like a lot of variety. I'm sure your daughter is fine. Don't worry and just let her eat as much as she wants - she will get all she needs.
Just one more thought, a good friend of mine who has 3 daughters, all of her girls were small and very thin as babies (we're talking close to the zero percentile on the charts), but they were always healthy. The doctors always got her all worried, but I think it was completely unfounded. My friend is very lean, can't keep an extra pound on her, and her husband is lean also. So it made complete sense to me that their babies would be lean, too. I am not lean, and my husband is a naturally stocky, muscular man, so it was no mystery to me that my babies were like us!

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Hi L.,
I have been told no eggs and no milk until 1 year, but yogurt is ok, because of the way it's processed, whatever! So that's what I have heard. My daughter is 7 months and weights almost 16 lbs. The pediatrician said that she is a little under weight for her height, but wasn't concerned about, because of my body type. So I think it just depends on the baby. She seems to be hitting her milestones just fine. Does she eat rice cereal and oatmeal? I just found organic oatmeal, peaches, and bananas that my baby loves (she's picky too). I hear breast fed babies take longer to eat solids than formula fed babies. You just need to keep offering it to them every day. I'm sure she's fine, but it's good that you're taking her in for a check up.
Hope everything is fine. Let us all know what the pediatrician says.
S.

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babies will eat when they are hungry. I have very picky eaters. My 6 yr. old never ate baby food, she didn't like it. To this day, she does not eat meat and hardly eats at all, but she is healthy. It doeas take quite a few times for a child to accept a new food. I bought one of those baby mesh feeders and introduced new foods in that. Both my kids enjoyed that and I didn't have to worry about them choking. Just remember when you introduce new foods that you give each food at least 3 days in a row to check for any food allergies. Definitely wait on the milk until she is one yrs. old and I would wait on the eggs as well. i would try small chunks of fruit and put them in the mesh feeding bag. You can buy it at toys r us. Don't worry so much as long a she is still getting the nutrients from the breast milk then she will be ok. She will catch up unless you know something's wrong medically. Hope some of this helps. It sounds like you are doing a great job.

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My son did not get into eating solids until he was 10 months old or so. He breastfed a lot. So I guess I would recommend that you breastfeed first, and then let her explore with solids so that it's a positive experience for her. She is getting the nutrition she needs from your milk, the solids are just a taste/texture experience.
That being said, I always recommend trusting your gut!! Good luck, mama!

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All my 4 children were small and thin as babies, my voracious eater as well as my "can't be bothered with food" child. Our youngest was our smallest, and she was 18 lbs. at age 1. Other people were occasionally very concerned, but our doctor never was. All the kids were healthy, intelligent and hitting their milestones. My oldest is now 5'9' and my youngest is 9 and almost as tall as her 13 year old brother. Plus, people occasionally hint to me that she needs to lose weight. As long as your doctor is satisfied, don't worry!

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This sounds much like my daughter. She's 8 (almost 9) months and is 15 pounds. I think she was about 12 or 13 pounds at 6 months. EVERYONE comments on how petite she is and how she looks like a little doll, etc. But she seems so far ahead on everything, like crawling, standing, she's almost walking, saying "dada,mama,baba". She's very active, even more so than my son was (he's 2 1/2 and seemed active to me), just a hyper little thing. And, she too does not love baby food, pretty much detests the baby jar food. She just wants to eat whatever I'm eating, and even then she eats very little. It's a social thing for her, mostly, although occasionally she seems genuinely hungry and eats 'enough', but not often.
As someone already mentioned, the first year of their life babies get the majority of their nutrition through milk (especially yours, being breastfed still, as mine is too), so there's no need to stress about making them eat a well balanced diet of regular solid foods just yet. That will slowly come as they're toddlers. Again, my daughter's very different than my son was. He ate and ate and ate, as he still does. He was never chunky and had a high metabolism, but definitely was never considered small. Every child is different.
If you feel your child is thriving, growing and learning, and your mommy instinct tells you everything is fine, throw all the mainstream 'guidelines' out the window and do what you feel is best.
Best of luck,
N.

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Hi L. months at eight months old she should be able to ea tddler mills, i never went by books, because in my opinin they were just full of some one elses opinions. becasue i read no yogart until 2 years old, well yesterday my friend brought her 7 month old baby to my daycare and brought yogart and banana mix, so that who who knows, all babies are different, I would try her on mac & cheese, differet soups spagehtti chopped up. I would make mashed potatoes, and put vehetables and diced chicken and beef and my kids ate that. also you may want to try her on some toddler finger foods. Hope this helps. Jar baby food only goes so far, and then they need more. J.

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I had a little grinder that you put just a small amount of food in (I did it at the table) and served my last child (3rd)the food I felt he could have from our table...vegetables, potatoes, chicken. I think the baby food has too much salt and preservatives anyway. She will learn to like the food you are feeding the family that way. If she is crawling and pulling her self up she is right on track for physical development. Sometimes kids go through periods of not eating and then will eat more when they go through a "growth spurt". This was true with my first son. My middle son would do nothing but breast feed until he was about a year and was fine. I wish I had had the grinder with him:)
H.

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Just remember that eggs are brain power. I always tried to mix it up a bit, but usually they dont start eating "real" food until around 1 years old. Talk with your doctor, dont rely on books.

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I feel your pain! I'm not sure I have too much advice for you, but I have lots of empathy.

My 8.5 mo old son just got over a 3+ week food strike. Absolutely would not eat anything except Cheerios and Gerber Puffs. I was back to nursing every 2.5-3 hours around the clock. Not fun. Just when I thought my milk supply was disappearing and had to start supplementing with formula. I was distraught over the emotional disappointment of thinking I wouldn't be able to nurse him anymore. Now, I'm back to full, engorged, lumpy breasts, and my supply of breast milk in the freezer is filling up again. (My picky son will drink formula, but not breast milk, out of his sippy cup.)

He started solids at 5.5 weeks and absolutely loved everything. Couldn't get enough of it. Then he, one day, wouldn't eat cereal. Pushed it away and clamped his mouth shut. Wouldn't have anything to do with it no matter what I mixed it with (even his absolute favorites sweet potatoes or avocados). So I started giving him Cheerios and those Gerber Sweet Potato flavoured Puffs to get him his iron. As soon as he learned to put Cheerios in his mouth himself, that was the end of any other food. I tried even cutting up little pieces of sweet potato/bananas/avocados thinking he was ready to feed himself, and he'd just gag and spit it out. Even with the Cheerios, he'd only eat 6-7 pieces. I just kept trying, and wasting a lot of food, and asking everyone in sight what to do. He still seemed healthy and was very active (similar to your daughter, crawling non-stop and standing and now cruising) but was losing weight. Then, 3 days ago, he decided to open his mouth again. Don't know why and I can't explain it. Now he's practically non-stop eating again. Maybe he just needed to be the center of attention and have everyone talking about him :-)

Babies under 1 year get almost all of their calories and nutrition from breast milk or formula. Eating is just to get them to learn to eat and explore and have fun with different tastes. Have you seen how few calories are in a jar of baby food? Like only around 40 in a 4 oz. jar. Alternatively, breast milk and formula contain 20+ calories per ounce. The one thing is that solely breastfed babies start to lose their natural stores of iron at about 6 months, so supplementing with iron-fortified foods such as formula or cereal or meat is actually a good thing. (Not to scare anyone, but my friend's healthy eating 9 mo old breastfed daughter just was diagnosed with anemia and now needs iron supplements).

About solid food for babies: No egg whites--they contain the protein that may be allergenic. Just egg yolks. Also, no straight milk until a year as well, although yogurt/cheese/cottage cheese may be introduced carefully (a few of my friends started whole milk at 11 months because they'd already been feeding yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese successfully). You're from Aiea, so have you tried poi yet? I heard babies like that, and it's a good complex carb that's easily digestible. Maybe try fresher poi since it's not so sour.

And, don't feel bad about using jarred baby food. I do both jar and homemade. My son actually prefers some types of jar over my cooking... whatever... it gets him to eat. He prefers the Earth's Best Organic (maybe you can't get this in stores in Hawaii--you can from diapers.com though) and Beechnut over the Gerber. I'm out a lot, so I don't have to worry about an unopened jar spoiling like I do my homemade and frozen food. All of my friends do homemade, freeze their food in an ice cube tray, store it in ziplock bags, and then let a few cubes thaw for lunch while we're at the park. They haven't blacklisted me for using jarred food.

And, if your kaikamahine is happy and active and pooping and peeing, then probably try not to worry about her weight. Another friend's baby was constantly below 20th-%ile until he was about 10 months old. Now at 13 months, he's 75th=--%ile.

As moms, we're always so concerned about our babies eating and sleeping. My heart goes out to you. Just keep offering her food and trying to make it a pleasant experience. Ignore what everyone comments about her being tiny (My husband used to tell people our baby was a midget, and you should have seen the stunned faces of strangers!) Kama'aina pride their keiki to be huge (maybe that's why diabetes is so prevalent in HI--plate lunches aren't necessarily a good thing), so it's gotta be difficult there. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Pomaika'i!

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L.,
I went through the same exact thing with my daughter Libi at the same exact time! I too was worried and a bit frustrated! We were doing regular Gerber, but then tried Earths Best, Gerber Organic, and Yo Baby yogurts and she loved them all! She turned 1 on 6/18, weighs 19.3 pounds and is in the 26th percentile for weight and has started on whole milk and my Dr. (whom we trust explicitely!) said she is perfectly fine and healthy and gave me some tips, as she has slowed down her eating again...she said it can take up to TWENTY times trying before a baby will eat something and for me to keep trying. At one, she has carte blanche and has started on eggs, pasta (REALLY CUT UP), etc... My personal advice...talk to your trusted pediactrician...they know your baby better.
All the best,
S.

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Not too sure about the weight thing (my babies were all on the bigger side), but if she's growing, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Don't EVER give a baby under one eggs or milk! They need to wait in case of allergies. Also be sure to check baby food labels, because some noodles are made with eggs.

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Being 14 pounds at 8 months is not the norm. But you are not alone. My cousin's kids were like 20 pounds at like 4 years! Partially it was because they didn't feel like eating, and partially it is genetics -- their father is petite(is there a manly way to say that?) Anyway her dr told her to put them on Pediasure (or similar). How much formula/breast milk does your 8 mo. drink? Don't be afraid to let her try foods other than baby food. Some babies think your food looks better than theirs. Just NEVER give Honey to a baby. The reason some books say to avoid eggs is because of egg allergies. I'd go a head and try scrambled eggs (fully cooked) and see if she likes it -- watch for signs of food allergies. Unfortunately I have the opposite problem --- my daughter doesn't know when to stop eating(her body literally doesn't register the signal to the brain that she is full) and was 30 lbs at 6 mos and is 111 at 9 yrs.

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L.,
I am a SAHM of two boys (11 and 13 years). I was wondering if you have thought of making your baby food. When my boys were younger I used to steam vegetables and puree them in a food processor. My boys liked the taste of homemade baby food much more than any baby food I could buy. I would make the food and freeze it in a ice tray. That was a way of measuring it and also a quick way to make and preserve several servings for the week. I hope this helps.

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Hello L., I have a son who is almost 27 months old. The reason you are not suspose to give them eggs before they are a year old is because they can become allergic to them. My son is allergic to eggs and I never even gave him eggs until he was 1. You have to be very careful about what you give to your children because you don't want them to become allergic to things and the reason why they are not suspose to have yogurt is because that has regular milk in it and they are not suspose to have regular milk until they are 1. Formula has all the nutriants that she needs right now and then when she turns one the nutriants that she needs will change. I think you are doing the right thing by going to the dr. to make sure that she is growing right but I know to that some kis are just small for there age. I hope this helps. Take care and God Bless!

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Hi L. - I know EXACTLY how you feel! I could have written that letter about my son. First of all, don't stress - babies don't technically need anything more than breastmilk or formula the first year, so you aren't starving her. I'll just tell you what started to work for me (my son is now 12 months and still not he best eater, but getting better) - the only thing Sam would consider eating at first was Yo Baby yogurt, so I would try that. Try very small pieces of banana more on the ripe side so that they melt in her mouth. Anything creamy - like avocado. The issue I realized early on is that Sam didn't like jarred food and didn't like food without seasoning. He liked flavor! Makes sense to me - and go by your own thoughts on this, but I figured a small amount of salt or flavoring wasn't killing him and getting him to eat something, so I've gone with that - giving him a taste of what we are eating (as long as it isn't too spicy). The main thing is keep trying and be kind to yourself - you have her best interests at heart and eventually she'll eat. Good luck! P.

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My daughter is 7 months and we are still introducing solids. I did find that she does not like the processed baby food. I don't blame her have you tried it. So I make my own baby food and it taste great and she loves it. Steam the fruit of veggies then use a blender or food processor and add water and then freeze in ice cube trays. I also believe that the food is more vitamins and good things this way. Good luck.

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You're breastfeeding her -- that is the Golden Ticket!

It gives her the freedom to move to solids on her own timeframe, while filling in any "nutritional gaps" with the perfect nutrition of the milk.

My daughter started out small, despite having tall parents -- at two, she was at the very bottom of the weight/height averages for her age. She's still small, but making up for lost time the past few months.

Your baby is meeting her milestones and you're getting regular checkups at the pediatrician, and I bet she/he tells you it's absolutely nothing to worry about.

Lots of parents don't get serious about solids until around one year. Let your baby lead the way.

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I have one of those kids. My 2 1/2 year old used to be that way. She was only 12.5 lbs at 6 mos and only 16.5 lbs at a year and everyone always commented on how tiny she was- and still is. She was also breastfed for a year until she weaned herself from the breast, never missed any milestones and was and still is very much ahead of her peers when it comes to language development and cognition. My advice to you is to keep offering her foods she likes and keep trying new foods, I know yogurt and cheese are ok at 9 mos and egg yolk only until age 1. Avocados are great and offer good fats, add 1 tbspoon of flaxseed oil to her solids to get extra calories. My daughter used to do the same thing, purses her lips when she's had enough, I would just try to find distractions, t.v, video, playing with her while she ate. Whatever works,I didn't care. It's important that your baby experiences different tastes now. Now my daughter eats everything I offer her and eats quite a bit, too. She just doesn't bulk up, perhaps that's just the way she is built and maybe your baby is the same. As long as she is not sick, meeting milestones ok, and acts happy and playful. I say, try to ignore those who say she is tiny. Your baby will catch up one day. It's better to have a small, healthy baby, than one who is obese. Hope this helps a little. Good luck.

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hi L.... looks like you've already gotten lots of feedback, but i think it always helps for one more person to make you feel better. my son didn't start on solids 'til he was 14 months old. (he had his own issues) my pediatrician told us that he would get all the nutrition he needs from his formula (breast milk in your case) and baby food is mostly just for "socialization". as long as she's getting enough milk from you and you're ped says that her size is fine (i have a little guy as well)... our 18 month old eats so little (as far as i'm concerned), but yesterday at his 18 mo well check our dr said he was fine and he will eat when he's hungry and stop when he's full. just as long as he's eating healthy... good luck w/your little girl!!! but i know from lots of personal experience that it's impossible to stop worrying.

L. :)

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Hi L.--

My daughter is what people call "tiny" too. She is 7 months old and still wears 3 month size clothing. At her 6 month appointment she was 12 pounds 10 ounces. She is also breastfed.At her 6 month appt. my doctor told me to start feeding her 3 times a day of solids and breastfeed 6 times. I've been really busy- but it has helped. Also, I experimented with a few things:
1) I made homemade baby food out of sweet potatoes and squash. You can control the texture and it tastes way better than store bought.
2) I started mashing up avocados into any foods she liked. It's really creamy and high in fat-- so it helps.
3)I started adding an extra pumping of milk after she goes to bed to increase my supply and to use the milk as added nutrition in her cereal the next day.
4) I also bought Earth's Best Organic baby food- my daughter seems to like the tastes and different combo's better.
5) I also bought Earth's best organic formula and I mix 2 ounces of it into her oatmeal in the morning.
6) It's important to relax and not stress out too much about it-- baby's can pick up on that stuff.

I know it sounds like a lot-- but we recently weighed her and she put on a little over a pound in 1 month! Definitely worth the work. I encourage you to keep experimenting and find what works for you and your little girl. Remember, all babies grow different and we are blessed to have our little "pixies"!

Good Luck and write me if you need too!
R.

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At 8 months of age your daughter will eat enough to be hydrated and grow if she is being offered veggies, grains, fruits, dairy and milk products. Actually, at her age she could even sill be nursing. I didn't give my daughter any food or water until she was l year old/only breast milk. She has physically thrived just fine. The less fuss you make about eating and food, the more relaxed and happy your daughter will be.

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Hello, L.,

Perhaps you can experiment "out of the jar". Most of us grew up with baby food in jars and later on with our foods from cans and packages. There simply is no food value, no nutrition with these things. Once food is heated above 118 degrees, it is dead.

I have a book I can email to you that will help you learn more about food. It will give your daughter a life long core of true health and allow her to have parents who will be in much better health, too!

My very best to you all!

T.

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Hi L.

You’ve gotten great advice so far so I’ll just add a great book called Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter. You’ll get excellent info about what to offer your child, and you’ll feel much better after you read it. Most kids are not eating a whole lot in the way of solids at 8 months; most of their nutrition will still be from breastmilk/formula at that point.

Talk to your doctor about potential allergies – that’s the reason behind most food restrictions. I waited until a year for eggs and wheat; cheese and yogurt tend to be more easily digested than straight cow’s milk, so they are probably OK to offer now, unless your Dr. thinks otherwise.

Relax, and enjoy your child! (remember, SOMEONE has to be at the lower end of the growth charts!) my kid has always been at the lower end of the scale by weight, but he’s perfectly healthy.
C.

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Don't worry too much about what other people say.. we have an idea of how big a child "should be" because all the hormones in food are making bigger babies. Sounds like you just have a smaller child and that is not a bad thing. Girls are normally smaller than boys, I have a niece and nephew born 5 days apart and the boy is considerably bigger than the girl. I understand your confusion about the things you read, just use your good judgement. It is not abnormal at all for a child not to like the babyfood in a jar, my 18mo. old stopped eating baby food early on too. What I have learned about the "allergy" scare is to just watch your child, you should know if she is allergic to something, try a new food and then give it a couple days before you give the same food again. I gave my son peanut butter months before the books said to and he is fine...eggs too. Just watch for changes in behavior and poops,and of course watch for rashes or vomitting. Try mashing up whatever you eat and giving it to her, my son was always more likely to eat if I fed him off my plate, even if he had the same thing on his plate :) Try fresh foods, vegetables and fruits and ground meat. She will show you what she likes and she will grow when she is ready. If she is developing normally and is happy then ignore those who say she is too small!

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The BEST reference that I know concerning feeding children is the book, SUPER BABY FOOD by Ruth Yaron. She has diets, philosophy, schedules, recipes - everything you need to know about feeding your baby and toddler from birth to age three. It took all the guess work out of it and gave me good solid advice and choices. Important because my baby hated pre made jars of baby food!
Hope it works for you - it worked wonderfully for us.

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Hi L.- Are you nursing exclusively? Did you know a baby can live on breastmilk alone for the first year of life? My daughter did not have a lot of interest in solids either. She did nibble, but wanted my milk. Around 10 mos she was a little more interested but not so much. I was concerned, but my ped. said she was doing great. She was a chunk o'baby and in the 95%(at least) until she was 3 or so. Most reccomend dairy after age 1. I think dd did some cottage cheese around 13 mos (she will not touch it now) we stuck to fruit and veggies. I'd puree my own or buy the orgabic at the market. Some say give cereal at 6 mos. My daughter wanted nothing to do with that. WE are all different. Ask your pediatrician if she is gaining properly. I've heard it is VERY VERY hard for a baby to become malnourished. Check the Mothering.comforums. There is a whole section on this. KEPP NURSING!!! This will work itself out. Best H.

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I would stop worrying so much about giving her solid foods and make sure she's getting enough breast milk. Right now the whole point in giving a baby solid foods is to give them their chewing skills. She should be getting all of her nutrition from your breast milk (or even formula). My 9 month old son has only had food from a baby food jar maybe a handful of times. I give him puffed corn to learn to self feed and break up some of what we are eating and give it to him. He's not on a regular solid food schedule. Other than that he just gets my breast milk and he is a big boy. I weighed him the other day and he is 23 lbs. My 3 year old is only 28 lbs. At a year I think she was only about 17 lbs. Babies grow at their own rate. If you are really concerned about her weight I would keep bringing it up to her doctor. If it were me, I think I would supplement formula into her diet. Maybe you aren't producing enough breast milk. I have two friends who had very small babies and both decided to try formula at about 6 months and both of their babies immediately put on weight.

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Have you tried using a hand grinder and making her food yourself. My children all liked to eat what I was eating and so showing them that they could have what I did helped them along. You can serve your plate and then use the grinder (babies r us has them) to make her food while she is watching.Just an idea that might help. Good luck.
M.

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Hi L.,

How wonderful that you are breastfeeding your child! Breastmilk has more nutrition per calorie than any other food you give her. It makes more sense to breastfeed *before* offering her anything else, not only to take the edge off her hunger before trying something new, and helping her be more open to the new experience, but because other foods have so much less nutrition that it's actually robbing her of food value to replace breastmilk with inferior foods.

Trust your baby to know what she needs, and nurse her as often as she likes. Dr. Carlos Gonzalez of Spain, deals with this issue a lot, and has written an interesting and informative book, "My Child Won't EAT!"

As the mother of 7, and soon to be 8, fully breastfed children, I can say that my 6th child was huge--8#14oz at birth and still at 5 is almost as big as his 7 year old brother, while my 7th child is tiny--6#12oz at birth, and barely 20# now, if that. They are all so different.

(Yes, we get all the comments on how tiny she is; you are wise to look at her development as a whole--that tells the story; and also look at head circumference. Even when my first child went from the 95th percentile in the first three months down to the 15th or so in the latter part of her first year, her head circumference stayed up there. This is a very normal growth pattern for a breastfed baby, BTW, in contrast to an artificially fed one.)

It also helps to look at your growth patterns as an infant, and at dad's. We are all different as grown-ups, too!

If you can find La Leche League near you, try attending a meeting. It's amazing how normal you'll feel in a group of breastfeeding mothers. Check: www.llli.org

Best of luck,

~N.

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Great job breast feeding, that's the BEST thing for your child and she's getting everything she needs from you. However, solid food is introduced to get her used to flavors and TEXTURES so venture away from store food. Try finger foods, my son hated everything from a spoon, wanted to be 'independent'. Frozen or canned fruits & veg w/o salt or sugar: peas, corn, any type of bean, tomatoes... Well cooked yams, banana cut up, cheese, plain yogurt with fruit you add (no sugar from the store), whole wheat noodles... anything you're comfortable with. About the conflicting info about eggs... that you read in books, do what you know is right, think about our history, they didn't have this overload of info, they just fed them.

1 mom found this helpful