Introducing Solids--My 7-Mo Doesn't Seem Ready

Hi there --
One question -- does he have teeth yet? My friend's child's teeth didn't come in until 12 months and he didn't seem that interested in solids until he had some teeth. He just kinda spit stuff out until he had his first tooth. And yes he is thriving and a good eater now.

My daughter wasn't that gun ho about solids until about 8-9 months and we started at about 6 i/2 months. You are still breast feeding and it is the perfect food, especially if you have had food allergies to contend with if I am understanding correctly.

She also didn't really like the "traditional" starter foods and someone suggested trying puffed rice to start with. She seemed to like them, got some confidence eating with them and we moved back to the avocado, banana, sweet potato stuff. We actually used rice crispie like cereal instead of the actual puffed rice, but both are good because it melts in their mouth and you don't have to be concerned with them choking on them. It could be a texture thing maybe? Also for whatever reason, probably us and not her, it seemed to make a difference to only put a very small amount of food in front of her at a time.

Don't worry it will all work out and just keep trying but don't make a big issue out of it. Hope that helps T.

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7 months is early in some circles. My Pediatrician was very conservative and had guidlines for when to introduce the solids. Such as, must be taking in at least 32 ounces of formula/breast milk. Also able to swallow solids. When a baby is feeding on liquids their tongues move in a different direction than for eating solids and in order to take in solids they need to be able to push the food back with there tongues, not forward like drinking from a nipple. They should also be showing an interest in the solids, like watching you intently while you are eating. I would discuss this with your Dr. and see what they think. I dont think there is a problem here, but I am not a doctor. Good Luck.

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The first year a baby's primary source of nutrition SHOULD be breastmilk or formula. Introducing foods is just that. Tasting.

Their little digestive tracts take some time to develop, and some are ready earlier than others.

I'd never heard of so many people actually trying to *feed* their little ones at 6 months, until I joined this board. <grinning> Apparently it's a popular trend. You'll also notice INNUMERABLE posts about digestive problems at/around 6-9 months...typically you'll also notice that they're being given 'real' food during that time period. (Gas, constipation, colic, vomitting). Some babies have digestive tracts that are "ready" to digest that young, but most aren't. If they're uninterested, wait, and you'll save yourself some problems :)

Don't worry. You wee one will not go to college drinking formula, or attached to your chest.

Right now he's getting all the nutrition he needs from your milk. As he starts to eat table food, he'll nurse less, and your body will start producing less. No need to supplement at all. The whole process works quite smoothly.

Best of luck!

PS...you have until age 2 (ish) to introduce as many flavors and textures as your can. Which is a GREAT adventure between first and 2nd birthdays. Avoid bland old "kid" food...and travel the globe culinarily speaking! :) At 2ish a neurological thing happens that registers all new tastes as poisonous. This lasts until about age 5-6. Any flavors/textures tagged 'poisonous' during that period take 10-20 years to wear off. It's not as hard as you might think though...Cillantro is cillantro whether it's in thai, mexican. chinese....cumin is cumin whether it's in Indian, greek, or middle eastern...and pineapple is pineapple whether it's all by itself, in cottage cheese, cake, etc.

Have Fun! You've got the time :)
Z

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just wait awhile. as you've discovered, all kids are different and there's no reason to force the issue when you've got plenty of milk. there's no 'learning to eat' window that you're going to miss. after all, once your milk has dried up, what option does he have?

if your husband is anything like mine, he wants to be involved in the feeding process but he'll just have to wait unless you can get your little one to take a bottle. my MIL was always trying to sneak my baby food (grrrr) just because she wanted to feed her. i think she just didn't believe the whole allergy thing in babies.

my daughter didn't get teeth until 10 months and showed no interest in food until then. she also had eczema (dairy and egg allergies) which she outgrew by 2, avoiding those foods until then. i have heard that some babies somehow know to avoid food they are allergic to.

my daughter also liked to put everything in her mouth other than food. i don't know if she had 'sensory issues' but she's doing fine.

so just relax and wait until he's ready. in some ways, breastfeeding is easier than table food anyway. (other than the fact that YOU are the only one who can feed him now.)

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My son was totally uninterested in "regular" food until almost 9 months. We just did the same thing and offered him stuff every couple weeks. He let us know he wanted our food when he was ready. ;)

For what it's worth, he skipped mushy baby food (hated it!) and went straight to soft table food, which he did MUCH better with.

I would try not to worry about it, seems totally normal to me. :)

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Agree with the other moms...just wait.

My youngest didn't get introduced to solids until 7 or 8 months old, but he didn't really eat anything that would be able to be called a meal, or even a snack, until around 9 or 10 months. I even asked our doctor about it, and she said he'd be fine with breastmilk alone until a year, at least, and not to worry about his lack of interest. He's not quite 18 months now and eats everything we'd want and then some; he's turned into quite an adventurous eater, and like yours, has always loved putting everything else in his mouth.

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I'd try sweet potato personally. My oldest loved it (still does) and it's actually a really good food! Lots of vitamin C and fiber which will help keep his digestive track happy as he does start solids.

Even though he's not really interested, I'd try offering solids at least once a day. It doesn't have to be for more than a minute or two if he really doesn't want anything to do with it, but just the exposure will help him get used to the idea of solids. Just make sure it's always a positive experience and not something that you're battling with him about. :)

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Foer digestive health, get him on a probiotic, like primadopholus or bifidus in a powder form. His digestion will improve much more quickly.

You also might try avocados mashed up. The thin rice cereal is more for babies to learn to push the food back with tongue and learn to move it around for swallowing. Bits of food when first starting out can pose a choking hazard. My son would gag on any "solid" at first and I just waited a few days and tried again. You also want to keep the food bland tasting since they haven't developed the taste buds as well (or maybe they have a heightened sense of taste and most foods are too strong for their little pallettes).

Give him time and don't rush it with solids. But put him on a probiotic that is made for little bodies.

Oh, and the green poop - my daughter had flourescent green poop a few times- I was told it was due to the bile and food going through too fast.

Happy eating and sorry this post is so late.
D.

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L. - I don't think it makes a difference, in my own experience.
I was so nervous feeding my first son. He never put anything in his mouth. I could have sat him in a room of pennies, buttons, and marbles and he would not put a thing in his mouth. He had a feeding tube for four months so I often wondered if he had a problem with things in his mouth as well (we had a horrible car accident).
I didn't feed him ANYTHING solid (cereal, bananas, applesauce, nothing!) until he was one. He was also a breastfed baby and did just fine.
He is now 7 and eats perfectly fine, is very tall and lean, and the picture of good health.
I'd say if he's not interested to not force it. He's doin' just fine with your mama milk!
L.
Yo tambien hablo espanol! (pero no se como poner los acentos como ustd!)

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Bring up your concerns at your next well baby check up. There's nothing wrong with waiting to start solids, but some babies who refuse solids but put everything in their mouths are having problems because they have sensory issues. If your child is still gaining weight and you aren't frustrated by the way your child eats, you probably can hold off on getting your child evaluated. However, it can be very frustrating when a child isn't eating and if it is a sensory issue you could probably use some help. My son wouldn't eat solids either. We had him on various different reflux medications too since the doctor thought a large part of his problem was reflux (so I understand the concern about being tramatized by oral medications you have to force down the baby). I finally got a referral to have him evaluated and then got an amazing occupational therapist come to the home to help with his sensory issues. He had a high need for sensory input which was both affecting his ability to eat and to sleep. He also put everything in his mouth (even though he would never take a pacifier or bottle) so I thought it strange he wouldn't eat solids. Will your child be okay if he starts solids late? Definitely. Will you be extremely frustrated if you don't seek help and it continues? Probably (I was in tears trying to get my son to eat since nobody's advice helped until I saw the OT and started to look up sensory integration issues). Thus, talk to your pediatrician about possible causes and ask to get a referral. We had a swallowing test preformed first to see if it was a medical reason he wouldn't eat solids. My son also had eczema when he was young so I thought it could have been allergies. Then we got referred to have him tested and they found he had a high oral sensory need (proprioceptive problem) and everything started to make sense and I could deal with his delayed eating of solids.

I can't remember now when my son finally started to eat baby food(I know it was WAY after every other baby was eating them and after he was 1 years old). I do remember that he didn't start other solids until 2 years old. Now he's almost 3 and eats everything we offer him (except peanut butter which he has a serious aversion too). We just kept exposing him to everything and when he was finally ready to eat he decided that all food tasted great -- especially fruits and vegetables. We pureed everything we had since I got tired of throwing out baby food. We learned tricks to help him eat like letting him taste lemon in between bites (sort of wakes up their senses) and putting various mild spices in his food like curry powder and cinnamon (same reason). Salty foods like olives use to wake up his senses to help him eat too. The best trick was watching baby einstein DVDs. The combination of classical music and visual stuff could keep him focused and willing to eat. I'm exhausted thinking about how tough it was back then. But now, getting him to eat isn't a problem at all and he's SO healthy. I wish I ate as well as him!

Hang in there and remember that no questions or concerns are silly to bring up to your pediatrician and to pursue aggressively. The answers you may eventually solve will help both your baby and you deal with the situation.

Starting foods later is totally fine! In fact, children that are breastfed longer and introduced to foods later have fewer allergies. So with the history you described above, I would wait another month or two and see what happens. With my daughter I just sat her in the highchair so she could be with us during meals and put little bits of food from my plate on her tray. She mostly played with the food at first, then she started putting it in her mouth and explored the taste and texture before spitting it out and then one day, she started eating it and I slowly just fed her more and more.

They also say signs of readiness are: able to sit up on their own, have teeth that have broken through and express an interest in your food. Many parents in my circle typically wait until at least 9 months to really introduce food at any level. Your baby boy is getting everything he needs from you right now, so I wouldn't worry one bit. If you were doing formula, then it might be a bit different, but since it's breastmilk, let him continue to drink his milk, outgrow some allergies, and physically and mentally prepare for eating food when he is ready.

Just listen to your gut! You know your baby. :)

I would not worry to much, especially if you are still breastfeeding. At this age solids are mostly supplementary and all babies' main source of nutrition should still be breastmilk (or formula).
I would try to go with purees instead of pieces. My daughter hated anything chunky until she had mastered feeding pieces to herself at almost a year. You can use a blender or foodmill, soft fruits like banana can just be mashed with a fork. Add a little breastmilk if you like, to thin it our and make it more enticing (that's what I did).

Now that said, banana may just not be his thing. Most babies love it, but we also went through a phase were mine would not touch it.

Carrots are good starter foods as well. Buy in a jar or make your own by steming and pureeing them. Go with whatever your son has tested negative for.

I would just try to offer him solids every day. If he doesn't want them, no biggie. Just offer again the next day and the next...
For us it worked best before nursing and while we are all sitting at the table for lunch or dinner.

BTW there was a pretty recent study on how solids are introduced in different countries with the result that the recommendations are entirely based on cultural preferences. Many nutritionists now suggest to start introducing veggies and fruit first, instead of cereal, which really is pretty much nutritionally empty carbs.

Some kids truly aren't ready to eat until 12+ months. My best friend's kid hardly ate anything at all until 14 months old, then one day it clicked on and now he eats everything. Also, he didn't digest anything before 14 months, so this was a big indication to her that he wasn't ready to eat yet. I suggest that you relax and wait for your baby to show you that he's ready. :)

My daughter had GERD (acid reflux) and so we were encouraged to start solids early. Unfortunately, with all the meds we had to give her, and the discomfort in her tummy, she was not a big fan of people putting things in her mouth, and had pretty serious texture issues. If dairy isn't a problem, the one thing we could always get her to eat was yogurt (Yo Baby brand). Aside from that, her favorite things were actually crunchy textures. She loved the Gerber melting crunchy things (sort of star shaped, come in a tube shaped package), and of course good old cheerios.

Good luck!
K.

Most babys start baby food at 4 - 6 months. But many have a hard time with the thicker textures of whole foods. Have you tried stage one baby foods. Did your Ped. suggest you not start with cereal? Usually they recommend starting with rice cereal because it is so unlikely to cause a reaction. I would talk to your child's Ped if you have not all ready done so.

Hi L.,

This is one of those development issues that we actually get to relax about. My son was nursing as well and wasn't really interested in food until he was well near 8 months or so, and even then we lingered *forever* in babyfood land. He was well over a year before we started formed solids. :) Kids all have their own schedules, and if your son is rejecting food at this point, it's likely that he's not interested/ready. Nothing wrong with this as long as you are still nursing. He's likely not going to starve himself, and might be more curious about food in a few weeks. If you are still hitting nine months with no interest/successful eating at all, talk to your ped.

Also listen to your own answer- it sounds like his previous experience with being 'fed' has been unpleasant. Stick with 'okay' fruits (which are sweet), and allow him to scoop it up on his fingers and taste it for himself. This may be a friendlier way for him to try out the new tastes of good food. This is messy, but letting him introduce foods to himself might be just the amount of control over the situation he needs to be able to enjoy the food.

And no--- I've NEVER seen late starters have a harder time as a rule. Children each have their own challenges, and letting him work it out in his own time will empower you both!

You should buy this book - "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. She outlines how to introduce foods successfully and safely, avoiding choking and food allergies that can be brought on by introducing the wrong foods too early. The index in the back allows you to look up every food you can think of. It tells you, for example, that blueberries shouldn't be introduced until 9 months but cooked peaches can be introduced at 5 months. Raw peaches shouldn't be fed to a baby less than 7 months. It's very scientific and makes things easy. It will probably direct you to which foods your baby will want to eat first.

I agree totally with the others - there is no hurry at all. You can let him go at his own pace and will be doing him a big favor by not trying to get him to eat things he doesn't want and possibly setting up battles over food. Your breastmilk has everything he needs for now, and he will show an interest in eating other things when he's ready. You can continue to offer him foods, if you like, to let him have the opportunity to taste different things, but don't be attached to whether he actually eats them. He will grow up with a healthy relationship with food if you allow him to choose from a variety of (only) healthy foods.

You're doing great. 7 months is very early to be introducing regular foods. My daughter breastfed only until about 13 months and was perfectly fine. I wouldn't push him - breastmilk is the perfect food :-)

my daughter didn't eat solids until well after a year, despite introducing them at 6 months, and again off and on thereafter. I think some kids just aren't ready.

At your next peds appt. bring some food, ask the doctor to see if s/he thinks there might be an issue. Also ask if your baby looks healthy, and the ped. recommends vitamins. Then relax. Keep introducing foods when they are available, don't push the issue, and eventually it will work out.

7 months really isn't that late to be breast feeding exclusively.

Breast milk is the best food! It is whole and complete nutrition and if he isn't interested take his que! Your baby knows what is best for him!

My daughter was 100% BFed and wasn't interested in solids until 10 months. She got teeth late to so she didn't eat much solid food until after 12 months.

She is and always has been perfectly healthy and a chunky thing! It's totally ok!

The longer you wait, the worse it will get and the harder it will be to introduce textures. Both of my kids hated bananas, especially real bananas. They did better with the baby food ones, but still didn't really like it. They loved sweet potatoes though. Try Gerber Graduates sweet potato puffs. They melt almost instantly in their mouth, but he may be more accepting of the puffs.

If you get really desperate to get him to accept something, try things like pudding. Better to have him eating a bit of sugar than to refuse all foods and cause big fights.