Feeding Solid Foods

My youngest son was that way and we started him on a little bit of cereal in his formula at bedtime and it seemed to help him sleep during the night.

All you have to do is put about 1-2 tsp of cereal (baby cereal) any flavor in with your formula and then shake well. After you have mixed them together check to make sure it will come out of the nipple. If it does not then you need to make the hole in the nipple just a little bit bigger by putting a very small cut at the top of the nipple where the hole is. You make it just big enough for the cereal to come through.

You can start with a small amount of formula and cereal about 2 ounces and then finish with regular feeding if you would perfer.

I also gave my children mashed potatoes and butter or gravy in very small doses (1-2 tsp at a time) when we first started feeding them. Sometimes it takes them getting use to the texture and taste. You just need to keep working with them in small doses.

Don't rush him, when he is ready to eat solids he will let you know as long as there is no other reason for him not doing this.

Listen to older ladies and ask them questions as they have already dealt with most things to due with babies and are a world of information and help.

Hope this has helped you with your concerns. I have 3 kids all in their early 20s. So keep up the good work and concern for your son.

Never had to see a speech therapist however have had hungry babies becuase I wasn't producing enough milk. I supplemented with a bottle and at about four months I added rice cereal to their bottles, cut a little larger hole in the nipple and they "drank" their cereal. They slept through the night from that point on...which was nice! I have five children and they are growing up so fast!! I have a 9 yr old daughter and 11, 15, 17, and 20 year old sons. They are the best!!

Hi there!
How old is he now? I would follow the advice of your doctor and if it wasn't ok to keep waiting, I'm sure they wouldn't tell you to wait. My experience with introducing solid foods, both my boys gagged as new foods were introduced due to the new textures and tastes. I decided to make homemade baby food with my second child and found that he ate nearly everything I made for him, versus the very bland tasting baby food. Although he gagged and such at first, he eventually picked it up and ate relatively well. I introduced solids when my second child was 6 months old (as recommended by our pediatrician) and started with cereals and worked my way up from there.

Good luck!

Be encouraged. Some babies just need practice. I would continue to offer baby foods everyday, don't give up. I would stick to one flavor you know he likes, and practice away.

My second son was not interested in solids at all until about 9 1/2 months old. I offered food on and off from 6 months and he would refuse or spit it out. Also, he was really big for his age, like the 95% on the charts, excusively breastfed... Then one day he decided to eat food! There has been no turning back. I would suggest you just let him decide what he needs for now and hold off on the speech therapy and the worry until 2 years or older. Just enjoy him! You may want to chat with a lactation consultant even if you aren't breastfeeding. They know alot about infant nutrition and have lots of first hand experience with the normal ranges in which babies do things, like eat solids.

Although both of my girls are tweens now, I introduced solids first by bottle (mixing in with formula and gradually adding more cereal until they were eating cereal the same consistency as baby food). I'm not sure what doctors recommend now, but I was told to introduce foods for a week at a time to be sure they didn't have food allergies. If your baby is gaining weight, getting proper nutrients from formula, and the doctor thinks it is fine to wait I'm sure you are doing the right thing. Like one of the other moms said, keep offering and don't give up.
Good luck!

My son did the same thing. I just kept offering him some and eventually he started to like it, a spoonful here and there.
I started off with the baby oatmeal and put a half a scoop formula in it and of course water I added water until it was kind of thin. And eventually he started to eat. It took quite awhile, he didn't start eating the food until he was 9 months, now he's a piggy, he love to eat.

Same things to my third son.. He had hard time to accept eat... He s gag and spitted... Close mouth. Won't let me feed him.. He s cry and not want.. He want the most is drink ...

Give him lots of fluid like formula or breastfeeding ...

I try feed little time by time ... till 6 months old , he finally accept eat little..

By the way, our doctor thoughted he have problem with swallowing but not.. My son had some gagging for 1 to 2 months ... Normal.. I hope same as yours.... Keep give him some taste, see if he will eat...

We started introducing solids to our daughter when she was six months old. EVERYTHING got this absolutely incredible full body shudder. She didn't like any of the things babies were supposed to like. Then, at nine months, it was like a little switch in her brain had gotten flipped, and she suddenly started liking solids. She was just finally ready. My little brother didn't start solids until he was a year old, and he's turned out pretty well too. *smile* I even know one lady whose first child didn't start solids until she was almost two. She's five now and doing just fine in all respects.

S.

Ellen Satter is an expert on feeding babies and children - She's got a great book called, "Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense." I suspect that you will find some answers to your questions in this excellent book - she talks a lot about when babies are ready for solids and how to do your best to gently and lovingly help them learn to eat :)