Exclusive Breastfeeder Won't Eat Solids

Just continue to offer. My daughter had the gag reflex really bad at 6 mos, she finally around 7 mos got solids down and ate well. Some kids it takes a bit longer. My son however was eating solids at 5 mos! :)
Just continue to offer it to her. It is a great time to start her on a bottle too, to free you up, you can pump and then put it in a bottle. That way the transition to sippy won't be so crazy either and she will get the feel of something other then you in her mouth. Just a suggestion.
I think the Dr is overreacting too!! I think give it two mos befor you are concerned but since she is so dependent on the boob, changing up things now will help her a lot as too much dependencey is a hard one when it comes time to wean or offer new things.

If she chokes and gags, I'd say definitely go to therapy. If it's just a food thing and she's gaining weight well, you might be able to put it off for a while and see if she takes to it in a few months. I didn't look to see where you are, but we have a great therapist who talked with me for a very long time before our initial eval. to see if we were likely potential patients, which our son was. The therapy was great. If your daughter does need the feeding therapy, the sooner you start it, the sooner you'll be released from speech therapy. Most kids who need feeding therapy also need speech therapy. Insurance rarely pays for speech therapy but always pays for feeding therapy, or so I've been told. Our insurance covered everything. If you have more questions, let me know. I can also give you the number for our therapist. GL! I hope you can bypass the therapy.

My daughter is breastfed and we tried to start her on solids at about 6 months. But she wouldn't eat anything; she just pushed it out with her tongue or turned her head away or closed her mouth. When I got comfortable enough to try little bits of food, I let her feed herself and then she was interested. She still won't take very much food from a spoon, but she eats pretty well if I give her finger foods and she feeds herself. When you think your baby is ready, I would suggest letting her feed herself. Even if she doesn't get a lot in her mouth, it is still a great tactile activity to play with food.
Most of the advice you have already gotten sounds pretty good. I would just remind you that winter is coming and that means getting sick. If your baby is close to borderline, I would error on the side of caution. Being sick only makes things worse especially when it comes to feeding and being hydrated.

My little girl did the exact same thing! She was exclusively breastfed, never took a bottle or binky, and she was and still is petite. Her ped. told me not to worry at all about it. He said it is extremely normal for breastfed babies to reject solids for a while. He told me to just keep trying it but not to force it on her. If she doesn't want it then stop giving it to her and try again later. He said that when she wants it she'll eat it but it has to be her choice. So that's what I did and at 9 months old she apparently decided that she wanted it and has been eating it and trying new things like crazy ever since. She is now 15 months and eats pretty much anything we give her and is just about fully weaned! There's nothing wrong with your little girl. Just give her time. She'll figure it out. Good luck! :)

Every baby is different, so really it just depends on the cues your baby is giving you (sitting unassisted, teething, mooching for your food). I have 3 kids, all breastfed, and none have been the same. My 1st had no interest in solids until she was 9 months old, also when she finally got her first tooth. My 2nd was about 6 months, and my last started mooching for food at 5 months. Nutritionally, breastmilk alone is sufficient even up to 1 year. The solid foods you offer are more for experimenting and having fun. The bottom line is: don't stress-out about it. If she likes it, have fun, if not, try again next week and enjoy the fact that you don't have to scrub food stains out of her clothes or pack food for her when you go out!

My daughter was also exclusively breastfed and did not take well to solids until she was 10 months old. She was gaining weight (she wasn't a chunky monkey) but she wasn't under weight. I had read that babies know when their digestive system is ready for solids and will take them when they are ready. We would just try every week with solids to see if she was ready. We never forced her to eat them. Then when she was around 10 months she decided she wanted to eat and she had done wonderfully ever since. Good luck. I think if your daughter is at a healthy weight you don't need to see a specialist.

I don't think you should be worried about it. I think a women's breastmilk is 'designed' to sustain an infant for at least a year. Breast milk is loaded with fat, and most baby 'first' foods are not (veggies/fruits, etc), so if you (or your doctor) are concerned about weight gain, switching to solids is not likely the solution.

I would just suggest you keep trying the solid food - and try some different foods. We started with avocado - loaded with fat (I had a skinny one too), and easy (although, not exactly cheap). BTW, this is a great website for making your own baby food:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm

Sometimes babies will become interested in what you are eating, so have her sit with you during your meals (if she's not already). Otherwise, just keep trying everyday, but I would think it shouldn't be much of a concern until she's closer to a year old (and even then, who knows)...

the doc is being overdramatic. in some cultures babies don't start solids until 1 year, exclusively breastfed until then. it's absolutely cultural with regards to when and what we feed our babies. not taking solids could be her body's way of protecting against allergies she may have to foods. signs of readiness include her actually reaching for foods, showing interest in foods, good neck control, being able to sit up. i'm assuming at six months she has the latter two. i wouldn't worry, just try a few bites of mashed up fruits (like bananas) every few weeks. and eventually she'll probably be ready. go with your gut, and trust your baby. and keep nursing. . . hooray for breastfeeding!!!

A baby gets all the nutrition they need from breast milk for the first year--any solids are just "practice". If she doesn't want to eat, don't make her. My midwife is also a naturopathic doctor--she says kids are ready to eat solids only when they get teeth because their saliva changes to better be able to digest at that point. My 7 1/2 month old is still strictly breastfed. He still pushes things out with his tongue and he has no teeth. I'm not even sorta concerned. Trust your instincts--with both my children I've found my instincts to be better than the doctor's. You say she's fine---I believe you.
Hope this helps!
J.

I just wanted to write and let you know that my 9 month old son and I are going through the same thing! He's in the 3rd percentile for weight which alarms his grandparents, but he's healthy, happy and strong. He can take a bottle but has really been reluctant on solid foods, turning his head away whenever a spoon comes near! I think it has to do with the feel of the spoon against sensitive teething gums. Since he likes to chew on things, I bought a "munchkin" brand gadget. It's a little mesh bag with a handle on the end. I've stuffed it full with peaches, and he really got into chewing on that bag and sucking out peach juice! For the past 2 weeks he's been eating Cheerios and other small bite size things. The pureed food/cereal just wasn't for him, I guess. Also, my niece didn't get into solids until 9 months and a friend's kids were, in her words, "on a liquid diet" until age 1. Hope this helps.

6 months is really the *earliest* that they recommend starting solids now, so I don't think it's unusual that she's not into it yet.

My 7 1/2 month old was totally staring us down for our food by 6 months so we started some solids, but we're not giving them now and he doesn't seem to care at all. (I stopped 'cause he's got some food sensitivities to something through my breastmilk & it's ridiculous to try to see if he's reacting to solids when he's already reacting to something.)

I, personally, think docs get way too hung up on the growth charts. (I assume your doc is using a breastfed chart & not a formula chart, right?) If she's growing well and has plenty of energy, curiosity, etc. I would say you've got some time before you need to start worrying. Just like any other developmental milestone, they pick their own pace. I think your instincts are spot-on.

Trust yourself... best of luck!

Actually, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends delaying introducing any solid foods until after six months of age and continuing to breastfeed until at least one year of age because of developmental and allergy concerns. Since babies don't look at calendars too much, your daughter is probably doing exactly what she should. Continuing to nurse her ensures she is getting healthy fats and perfectly designed nutrition--how much healthier to have her as a nursing junkie instead of hooked on Cheerios or something else that's OK, but not as perfect as your milk.
My first son was exclusively breastfed and did not show any real interest in solid food until he was nine months old. (We went on a trip to Berkeley and pretty much ate our way through Northern California--he tried bits of lots of things and decided food was pretty fun.)
Also, you might already know pediatricians' growth charts are based on artificially-fed babies' growth patterns. Breastfed babies tend to be leaner and grow more slowly and steadily. If your daughter is healthy and still on the charts at all and is reflecting her genetic make-up, I doubt there is reason to worry.
I highly recommend the book "My Child Won't Eat!" published by La Leche League. It's only been out for a year so it's current, and I think you'd find it both helpful and reassuring. You can order it online or borrow it for free from your local La Leche League group's lending library. You can find a local LLL contact at www.llli.org.
Best wishes!

All babies need for the first year is breast milk! Shame on your pediatrician for suggesting otherwise. Solids in the first year should be voluntary and exploratory as the child shows an interest. Pushing food before that time may cause problems with eating solids in the future! Follow your heart on this one. If your little girl is developing normally and meeting her milestones then there is nothing to worry about. Your doctor may want to check her iron levels but sometimes breast-fed babies have lower iron but are fine developmentally so this may cause some added stress if the tests come back low. Food can be such a psychological issue early on so follow your heart and don't push her. Although I have no medical training I know you can find many pediatricians who agree with my logic.

OVERBLOWN! Go with YOUR gut instincts! Moms are better for that than Drs. Relax, she'll eat when ready!!

Doctor's are not alway's right and you should listen to your gut here! If she is healthy and gaining weight than she is probably ok. I know you said you wern't looking for suggestions but I did want to reassure you about the dr. thing. My son was a late walker and we went to physical therapy for 6 months or so and to be honest I thought it was a little silly, the stuff they did I could have done with him at home with some guidance. Sometime's I feel the Dr's are trying to protect themselves from lawsuits. So maybe just keep trying with the food, I remember the first few months when my kids were infants, most of that food dribbled out of their mouths! At this point maybe some finger foods too, since baby's naturally put everything in their mouths and she probably has some teeth.

Doctors generally look more at growth patterns that size. For example, my second is short for his age. But he has always been on the 30th percentile (he's bigger than 30% of boys his age, or smaller than average) so there's no worry. My neice, on the other hand, started out average (7 lbs at birth) and dropped significantly in comparison, so that at 6 months she was only about 10 lbs - about the 2nd percentile. There was worry there, because she started near average and grew well for a couple months, then her growth REALLY slowed down. So, if your doc's worried, it may be more over a growth pattern change than that she's petite. No advice really, just hope that helps

My son had to go to feeding therapy. I started him on solids at 6 months, and he gagged and threw them up. I tried waiting a week and trying again. Same thing. I tried once a week until he was 8 months, when I finally gave up and took him in.The feeding therapist was WONDERFUL, and I am convinced my son would not be where he is now without her. He has also always been small, but I am not sure if that means anything. Anyway, he is 2 now, and will eat almost anything! The only things that give him trouble now are peels on certain fruit that get caught in the back of his throat and cause him to gag; I try to peel fruit so this doesn't happen. If your doctor thinks your daughter needs feeding therapy, give it a try. It isn't scary or invasive. For my son, they did a lot of desensitizing his mouth and "resetting" of his gag reflex, and taught him to self feed. I feel so thankful that he had the help he got!

My son didn't start aggressively eating solids until 14 months. He nibbled and occasionally ate more starting around 9 months, but his intake between 9 and 14 months was extremely small. We offered and offered, sometimes he took it and ate, but in tiny portions, and he was fine then and still fine now. He has food allergies and had reflux, too, at the time, so that was a contributor to his waiting so long, sort of a protective thing. I'd say pay attention to the percentiles, and if your daughter is in the 50th percentile for weight at one visit, the 25th at the next, and the 10 or 15th at the next, then talk about options. Or, as another poster said, if there is huge gagging going on still after 7 or so months, check it out then, too, because that can be a sign of an issue.

Babies start eating at different times. Check out a La Leche League meeting for information on starting solids and "normal" progression of solid foods for breastfed babies. There is an entire meeting devoted to nutrition. Their information and resources reassured me immensely.

Good luck!

H.

I always think doctors that say things like that are blowing things out of proportion. My son was not even interested in solid foods at all until he was almost 8 months, and then even then it was a slow go. My daughter was like opposite of that. I just kept exclusively nursed him, until he showed interest. I always just use the rule of thumb that every baby is different and has different needs, I just take things as they come. If they are happy with what's going on and healthy. Why worry.

Hi J.!
My take is that your daughter just may not be ready for food. By trying to force it, you will only be increasing hers and your frustration. It is not uncommon for babies to not really want solid food until 2 years of age. She will let you know when she is ready. Maybe she knows that her body needs a little more time to be ready for solid food...
It bothers me that the doctor is wanting to take such drastic measures. She is so young and has plenty of time to develop her palate into wanting food. I think you should follow your instincts and do what feels right. You know your daughter better than any doctor.
I guess, since you weren't looking for advice (sorry!) that I just want to encourage you to listen to your instincts. I also agree with you that the Doctors recommendations are a bit drastic and unnecessary. She'll get there, in her own time. I also just wanted to give you a kuddos for thinking for yourself and not just blindly following doctors orders.
Goodluck!
H.

Hi J.!

I think "feeding therapy" sounds ridiculous. I think you'd be starting the food battle. All three of my girls were exclusively breastfed. My oldest did not start solids until 6 months, the second was 6-7 months, and the third (the largest by far -- 10 lbs at birth) didn't start until she was nine months old. My doctor with the first two was not concerned at all. I had a new doctor with the third and he urged me to start her on solids at 3 months, which I ignored. If your baby is not missing any major developmental milestones (such as rolling, etc.), just keep on breastfeeding. When she's able to sit up really well, put her in your lap from time to time while you're eating or put a banana on her high chair tray. She'll eat when she's ready and interested.

BTW -- all three of my girls are happy, healthy and are doing excellent in school.

L.