Can't Get My 5Mo Old Daughter to Eat Solid Food

Try oatmeal instead. Rice is part of the BRAT diet that you would use to help with diarrea. If she is getting constipated, stay away from bananas, applesauce, rice and toast. Or maybe try mixing it with prunes. Also try peas and squash. They are high in insoluable fiber. And have you started giving her juice yet? Apple juice is ok for constipation, just not the food. It has something to do with the sugar in the juice that promotes pooping. The pectin in the actual fruit can costipate.

Hope that helps

i usually don't ever bother with solids until the baby is at least 6 momths old. you may just want to wait if she's telling you she's not ready.

J.,

Did your doctor suggest that she start solid foods? From what I know, there is no hard fast rule to feeding a baby at 5 months.... My books say you certainly could start at 4 but no need until at least 6months. As long as she is nursing or drinking formula, I think she will be fine if you wait.... no rush- she'll be eating for the rest of her life!

Good luck!
K.

I agree with not giving her any solids until she is 6-8 months old. Her digestive system is rejecting the food causing havoc the next day. When you do start the solids, make sure if she's breast-feeding to nurse first then introduce the solids slowly. Solids should be pureed in a blender or mashed up. Introduce the same food for 2-3 days, once a day, maximum 3tsp. This ensures that if she eats something she has an allergy to, then you will know. Good luck with your angel!

i agree that your daughter's digestive system may not be sufficiently prepared to accept solid food yet. Another possibility is that your daughter may have some food allergies. I suggest that you visit NAET.com and order Dr. Nambudripad's book "Say Good-bye to Children's Allergies." After reading this book, you will be in a much better position to understand and assess your child's problems, and find the appropriate remedy. Knowledge and understanding are wonderful tools. I go to Dr. David Karaba in Fulleton (an NAET certified practitioner) and he has cured me of many allergies using NAET. Here is the book's description:

"In Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, the developer of NAET®, will help you understand your child’s illness and will assist you in finding the right help to achieve better health for your child. This book will show you how certain commonly used products in your foods and environment can cause health problems in your child; how you can test your child in your privacy of your own home using the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques described in the book. This book will educate you how your child’s health problems can relate to allergy, a traditionally under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed condition; and, how allergies can manifest into myriad symptoms that might seem unrelated. The author also provides remedies for mild conditions of common childhood ailments arising from allergies and how to find help in assisting your child find the right help for serious problems such as, asthma, hay-fever, common colds, sinus problems, milk allergy, peanut allergy, sugar allergy, hives, gastritis, vomiting, colic for newborns, ear infections, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, bronchitis, drug reactions, and many other conditions. Dr. Nambudripad explains how allergies are often the underlying causes to pediatric problems and how NAET® testing procedures and NAET® treatments can offer relief from these allergies. The book is supported by NAET® practitioners’ testimonials and patients’ success stories."

If your daughter is still breastfed, there is no need to feed her solids! My son was 10 months before he started truly eating solid food, and he still doesn't eat that much. He is a healthy, hearty boy. Check out Dr. Sears or Dr. Feder for more info and recommendations.

If you're talking about constipation then try prune puree by itself for 3-4 days. If she doesn't get a butt rash she's not allergic...The rice cereal really constipated my son. In fact now that he's on solids he has a couple of prunes with breakfast EVERY morning (non-sulfured organic). Without'em he's easily stopped up. He just turned one year yesterday. We didn't start solid until he was 6 months and his first food was really watered down cereal.

If we are talking about serious stomach discomfort it maybe time to read those labels. EVERYTHING these days has some form of corn in it. And if she has a allergy to corn than that maybe the cause of the discomfort. Most allergies show signs on the behind (rash). Also, she may be ready to eat (food lust) but her little intestinal tract is not. Hope this was helpful. God bless prunes!! Constipated babies scare me@

maybe it is just too early for her little tummy!! does she have teeth? teeth are a good indicator of readiness to eat sometimes. Is she breastfed or bottle fed??
you can try the whole grain rice cereal found in the natural section, my kids had an easier time digesting it. or maybe try vegetables and not fruit. good luck

my doctor swtiched us to oatmeal cuz the rice did the same thing to my son, she said rice is binding, total opposite of what I thought.

My honest suggestion is to back off on feeding her any solids and try again in a couple months. I started my first son that early on food and it was always making him sick. We stopped all togehter and started a few months later and it was a whole different story. Even though she's grabbing at everything and showing willingness to eat does not mean her body is actually ready. It's not even recommended to start solid foods before 6 months by experts.

She is 5 months old. She doesn't need solid food yet. If it bothers her stomach, she isn't ready for it. If you enjoyed eating something but it gave you adverse health effects, you would listen to your body and stop eating it. Her little body is trying to send you a message. Try again when she is 7 months old. Babies don't "need" baby food - we just want to give it to them.

Why are you trying to feed a 5 month old baby??? You need to do some research on when and what to feed your child, don't just listen to one person. In my opinion you should not start feeding solid foods until 6 months old and if your nursing you can wait until 12 months old (as long as your child is getting the appropriate amount of iron). Although this is not my suggestion. Do the research and come up with what you believe is the healthiest solution for your baby, everyone has different opinions on the subject but there could be health issues when you feed your baby to soon.

she is telling you very clearly i believe that her body is not ready for solids...take a good long break...like a month or two

Quit trying to feed her solid food for a month. Babies don't need to start solids until they are 6 mos. old. Another thing you could try- feed her formula with rice cereal in it. Babies HATE solids when they first start them,( and most mammals nurse their young for at least a year.)

Hi there J.! Im sorry to hear about your daughters eating trouble. My highest recommendation is that you firstly, listen to her needs. If her body is saying no to rice cereal, its probably not the best thing for her now. I personally, do not feel infants have a need for solid food well into their first year. Are you breastfeeding? this is all they need. I would suggest taking it easy with foods for now. Let her body rest and digest easily. This will be very important through her life, due to so many toxic foods and air and products etc, children just get overloaded with stuff and their bodies just cannot process it all. So as far as rice any other foods like it, i would hold off for a while. I breastfed exclusively until daughter was a year. Shes very vibrently healthy, andnever had digestion problems. If you are bottle feeding, cows milk, or soybean will definately cause many digestion problems. I would encourage a dairy free diet. If you would like to share with me further, (I am a doula, nutrition counselor for children, raw foodist and mother).
so take care,
shylah sullivan
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have you tried a different cereal? She may have allergies to the rice, and may need to eat something else.

The same thing happened to my youngest. I started trying rice cereal at 5 months and she would go days without pooping. She was strictly breast fed so I went back to only nursing her for a couple weeks to get her back on track and then made my own yellow baby foods like squash and carrots. Those became her first foods instead. I have no idea why rice is a first food since it will constipate even an adult. Most countries do not use rice as a first food.

Good Luck!

Dear J.,

Firstly, ask the pediatrician about what can be causing this problem. Did he or she tell you to give the baby those foods?

Go online at the pediatric sites, I know about two of them. www.drgreene.com and About.com/pediatrician.

This is a serious matter and you need to talk to the doctor or nurse about it.

Good Luck, C. N.

My daughter ate no solid food until she was 10 or 11 months old. We tried but all she wanted was my milk. She is now 5 1/2, healthy and has a great appetite. Every child is unique.

She is too young for solids, especially cereals! Solids shouldn't be introduced until at least 6mo. ALL cereals should not be introduced until 1yr. We have specific digestive enzymes in our stomach to break done the proteins in grains. Babies don't develop these enzymes until after the first year at the earliest. That is why babies get constipated and upset stomachs. Pediatricians push cereals because of the iron. BOTH a breastfed and formula fed baby get iron in the milk. No matter what pediatricians say they DO receive enough iron through this source. Introducing food too early can cause food allergies because their systems aren't equipped to process many foods. You can introduce avocadoes, pears, mangoes first. Be cautious when introducing bananas because they can cause constipation as well. This site has great information http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html. Remember she is a baby, don't force her to grow up before her body is ready.

consult your doctor. it might be a digestive issue or gastro testinal problems. if your pediatrician thinks it is nothing you might want to seek a second opinion from a specialist.

My advice to you especially if you are still breastfeeding or even formula I would hold off a little on the solids . The more you wait the better for her. I was told to not start solids till about six months. she might not be digesting it properly. Also try regular oatmeal and just grind it up finely. But honostly do not rush it she has her whole life ahead of her for food, right now she really does not know what food is. I hope this will be of some help to you and good luck.