My 6 1/2 Month Old Won't Eat Solids

I wouldn't worry about it. The 6-month mark has been made into such a feeding milestone when it doesn't have to be. She's letting you know she's not interested yet. If you keep trying to feed her when she doesn't want to mealtime will not be worth it for either of you.

FWIW, I've skipped spoon-feeding with my 7-1/2-month-old and gone straight to finger food. She's shown no interest in food until she got two top teeth in yesterday, and now won't stop eating. ;-) It's a lot easier for me, too, because I can just set food on her tray and she feeds herself.

Enjoy your baby! :)

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Dear J.,

I have a son who will be 8 month old next week, and I am having an exactly the same problem as you mentioned in this e-mail. I was serching through any advices before I request to all the moms and I found your e-mail. Now I am feeling really down, and I just wanted to e-mail you. My in-lows are staying with us for Christmas since Wednesday, and I have FORCED my son to eat some solid foods last night and just one hour ago under the pressure from them. Yes, he did slept better last night after that big meal he had, but I MADE him to eat. He was crying, but my mother-in-low held him in her arm and I shoved food in his month as he opened his mouth to cry and scream. I am feeling really aweful and really down. I really don't even know it was good thing to do. Just like you mentioned, I am brestfeeling him and I have started introducing solid food since he was 5 month old. He does not take bottols at all. I have tried pretty much every kinds of baby food out there, but he hates it. He shut his mouth tight and turns his head - eventurally start screaming. See, exactly the same as your child 4 month ago.
My question to you is - what did you? What actuall worked for your child? Thank you for your advice.
Look forward to hearing from you.

K.

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Don't push it. As long as she is at a healthy weight, don't worry about the solids at her age. You also didn't mention if she is teething yet, but that can help or hinder new eating habits.

It will come. I know it is hard not to compare your baby to others, but gradually your daughter should take to solids. Just be patient and try not to get discouraged.

You mentioned some fruits and veggies, but didn't say anything about cereal. Will she eat rice cereal and/or oatmeal? Sometimes you can add a little bit of the fruit or veggie to that and then they will acquire a taste for them.

Good luck!

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Hey, my little boy was the same way, if you have tried changing the temp of the food, like try it cold, or warm it up and that doesn't work then table food is the way to go, I stopped seasoning our food while cooking it, you just take a little bit of everything you cooked, throw it in a food mill and then give her that, it is no more trouble to season things after you take out her portion, plus you can buy these little tupperware containters that are freezer safe, after you figure out what she likes you can process a bunch of her fav's in the food mill, then freeze them into Ava portions, so if you are having something like taco's she is still good to go. Good Luck

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I've heard that some babies take longer to warm up to solids because they may not be developmentally ready for them. Or they may even be prone to food allergies, and by delaying solids, they're more prepared to handle them when they do start eating. You're not alone - my boys don't really seem too interested until late in the first year. I have friends whose babies didn't really pick up until 12-18 months!

During the first year, breastmilk CAN provide 100% nutrition for her, and SHOULD provide most. Solids are just for practice. An ideal situation would have her still 75% breastfed at 12 months old, believe it or not! Breastmilk even changes as she gets older, providing less fat and more carbs & protein as her growth slows down and she needs more energy for activity.

Also, you may want to try making your own cereal - that boxed stuff is so flavorless, my boys didn't like it! Just grind your grains up in the blender to a fine powder (2 minutes for brown rice) and then simmer for 10 minutes. You can make several day's worth at a time.

Here is a fantastic website for you: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Good luck!

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I had the same problem with my son at that age, who also was breastfed-only baby. Just take your time and do not struggle with her or force her. When she shows an interest you will know. She will try to reach for foods off your plate. For now, you could just start by offering her foods that are safe for her to teeth and chew on, of which I am sure you are aware, like teething biscuits, bagels,cheerios. Feel confident that for now your breastmilk is probably giving her what she needs, except iron, and she will let you know when she is ready for more. It will be much harder on both of you if it is a struggle. I know because I struggled with my son, but he eventually found his own time, around eight months and has been a great eater since. Some babies just do not like baby food either, but finger foods instead. I hope this helps. I am a mom of two wonderful, healthy children, a three and a half yr old boy and 21 mo. old girl. Needless to say, I was much more relaxed and had an easier time with these issues with my second, probably because I took a more relaxed approach with her. I hope you find the way that makes you feel the best for both you and your child. C.

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Good evening, J.. By no means am I any sort of expert, but just read a tid-bit about introducing "foods". "It can take up to 10 attempts to get your child to like a new food. Keep trying. Persistance pays off." I know it's hard when "everyone else" seems to be cruising along, but hang in there...every child is different (I've heard that stupid saying a million times now). However, what I've seen is even if my son is not as quick with something, he's twice as quick with something else. So, no need to fret (easier said than done I know). My son is 5 months old and we just started trying rice cereal mixed with breastmilk in the evenings. He's definitely no pro, but he'll try anything as long as it involves going in his mouth. HA! Let me know how the feedings progress and what foods work best. We are moving to O'Fallon in the next couple of weeks and would love to have a sounding board and/or play day. Good luck!

--k.

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I love the name Ava! She may not be ready yet. My little guy is 8 1/2 months old now and prefers to eat while someone else (not me) is also eating. He's finicky, but I found he loves pureed casseroles. He hates the jar foods so he was a difficult eater. When I tried some home cooked food, he gobbled it up. Hope this helps! Good luck
-L.

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oh my gosh...for now ALL she needs is breast milk especially if she isn't into solids yet! She can exclusively breastfeed for at least the 1st year as long as she is healthy! :)

Best of luck!

C.
Jockey Person to Person
Independent Comfort Specialist #23406
www.comfortparty.com

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hi, I never gave my kids store bought food ( i say if you wont like it your baby wont eather) i have 3 kids ages 6,5,1,but did have a little problem with one of mine too.for me i started making scrambled eggs at 5 1/2 months and she really loved that, also i cooked potatoes, mashed them and aded sour cream, and this was the winner.after 2 weeks she would eat everything i gave her.I guess it comes down to the taste.If this wont work,make some chicken soup,and try giving her that.trust me one of those will work.the chicken soup i make it like this:
one chicken thigh w/bone & skin
water about 6 cups of water
2 carrots peeled and cut into pices
half of onion ( not cut into pices)
2 sticks of celery
half of a bunch of parsley
salt and pepper to taste
and you have a choice of either potatoes cubed and cooked together with the soup or very tiny noodles cooked seperate
and put them into the plate wright before putting the soup on the plate.
I can say that you will have a 100% of satisfaction from your little one.
I hope that this will help.
P.S. make sure that you mash the carrots one the plate with a fork so she can eat all of it.

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She's likely not ready yet. In todays society pushing solids is very common but not necessary. I have 3 kids all of which are excellent eaters now. My kids are 4.5yrs, 3 yrs and 1.5 yrs. My oldest had no interest in eating solids when I attempted to start him at 6 months. I tried again every few weeks and it wasn't until he was at least 8.5 months before he started eating the equivalent of one jar of baby food per day. It was very slow going and I always felt it had something to do with the fact that he was also slow at teething. His 1st tooth was at 9 months and each one came one at a time every 2 months. My youngest was similar in that she wasn't ready for solids until about 7-8 months and her teeth also were slow to come in, though faster than my oldests did. My middle guy had 5 teeth arrive all at the same time when he was 4-5 months and he was reaching and begging for food from the table. I started him on solids just before 6 months because I had read how important it is to wait until at least 6 months (because of digestive enzymes not being present until then). All 3 of my kids were different in how they started and I can honestly say they have a fairly experienced or rather broadened palate and truly eat everything...we do avoid most processed foods and refined sugars and my kids tell me the food tastes toxic if my mom for example asks to give them a piece of gum or candy that has artificial anything in it. Good luck and remember not to stress about it now. Breastmilk is the most important and namely the main source of her nutrition in her 1st year anyway. Hang in there, Mama!

B. :)

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My daughter did just fine when I took her down to strictly formula and she was between 6-9 months old then began reintroducing solids because My mother was feeding her something (still hasn't coped to it) that was making her stools ocean blue. and that stopped once I enforced only formula for her and my mom also quit feeding her whatever it was. But solids is nice but not necessarily required either. Perhaps waiting a month or so will help. They get all the nutrition they're little bodies need from breast milk and formula. And I don't know any doctor that will say otherwise. Adding solids just cuts back on formula and breast milk which just reduces the cost for formula fed babies. And thats what I been told by doctors. and also by wic nutritionists as well

I had a similar problem with my daughter. I exclusively breastfed until she was 6 months old. Every time I tried to give her any type of food she gagged. The doctor told me to just keep trying and that my daughter just wasn't ready. I finally purchased an infant feeder set. It looks like a bottle, but you put food in it. There is a nipple and a spoon that can be attached to the top. It still took some time, but we finally got the hang of it. We still have some gagging problems with certain foods and my daughter is almost 2 & 1/2.

I hope that helps a little.

I had that problem somewhat iwth my daughter also she wanted was me to breastfeed her finally i just stopped giving her breatmilk when it was time to eat meals and she finally got hungry enough to eat the food. You might have to try not giving her breast milk for a while I know it will be hard but she has to start eating food Otherwise you are going to be breastfeeding her for a long time

I wouldn't worry about it. My son's dr. said they don't really need food until they are a yr old. Just breastfeed her. She'll eat when she's ready. Oh, the dr. also said a child needs to try something 7 times before they've had a chance to really become accustomed to it...to really know if they like it or not...lol. I didn't necessarily agree on that after having brocoli spit back at me.

Hi J.. I am certainly not an expert, but I have taken two nutrition classes with a certified nutritionist. She has continually taught us that babies do not need solid foods until they are approximately one year old...until then, they are just practicing eating. Also, the mainstream literature says that babies will eat when they are ready. They show signs like they become very interested in what you are eating...by staring or licking their lips. And when they're ready they will accept the food and swallow. Right now your baby is developing her swallow reflex. Until this very important neurological reflex has developed...you just have to wait. My child was breast fed and she was a very large baby...but she still did not eat well until about 7 months. Good luck!

Hi J., have you talked to your Dr. about it? If he doesn't think its a big deal yet, I wouldn't sweat it. I think when it comes to hard and fast rules for babies and how they should progress, sometimes we've just got to take a deep breath. Sometimes they know better what their little bodies need and when they need it. Just wait until she's 3 and driving you crazy because she will only eat one paticular item for a week and nothing else.

My 4 yr old son didn't take his first steps until he was almost 2. Now, I can't keep up with him. When my niece was 3, for almost an entire she would only eat white food. At 15 she's the poster child fruits and vegetables. And how about Alber Einstein? He didn't speak, not one word, until he was 4. And we all know what happened to him. :)

Btw...if you ever give her a bottle, do you ever put cereal in it? If she's gone from breast milk to food, maybe her little tummy just isn't ready for it yet. Maybe she just instinctively needs to still be as close to Mommy as she can. Maybe... she senses a little bit of a power struggle and she's strong willed. Who knows? But if she's healthy, well nourished and your Dr. thinks its not time to worry yet, then give it some more time. And give yourself a break.

G.

Why don't you just breastfeed her? All 3 of my kids breastfed until they were around 18mos. I didn't start trying to add anything to it until they were almost a year old. My pediatrician said he thinks that is one of the reasons that he doesn't have to see my kids very often. The longer you can breastfeed the better for your baby. But solids before 12 -18 months isn't generally recommended. It has been known to cause digestive problems.

Hi , My name is J. and I live in Belleville IL.
I have 3 children and hopefully I can help ya out.
Have you tried mixing up food in rice cereal and breast milk?
This is how I got my daughter to start eating food while breast feeding. She took to it like a champ. Put a small amount of baby food at first and start adding more as she progresses.
I hope this works.
Let me know if it worked
J.

Hi I know you got a bunch of help but I thought I might put my two cents in. My daughter who just turned one on July 22. Complexly refused any baby food. She only took a bottle. Our Pediatrician who happens to be a head of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital told us one that all that a baby truthfully needs is formula or breast milk till they are one. We started introducing her to cereals and fruits and vegetables and two bites and she was done. We found out that Gerber makes these cookies type teething sticks called bitter biscuits. That is what we started her on around ten months and bread it is soft and it dissolves pretty easy in your mouth. Then she started looking at what we were eating and took interest and we would give her small bites of stuff like noodles and mashed potatoes and then she ended up going straight to finger foods. I give her now the Gerber graduates. I like the white ravioli because it is not messy and cut them up and she picks them up off her high chair tray. We did not jump into it fast at all and like I said completely skipped the whole baby food phase and now she is doing good on grown up food cut tiny.
I am an EMT so I have to give my little lecture just in case you don't know. They are not allowed honey till they are two as well as Peanut Butter. Honey has a natural strain of bacteria that can make her very sick. The peanut butter you want to wait to they are at least one and a half for two reasons. One being an allergy to peanuts which if introduced to her young can be fatal and second it is very thick and hard for them to swallow so it gets stuck . So until they have complete control of chewing and swallowing it is really not safe. The other thing is There is a Hugh rise in kids having an allergy to peanuts and they could not figure out where it was coming from. They linked it to Fast Food one of the very first foods that parents give there kids now a days is a French fry to gum up from Mcdonald's or another fast food restaurant. Well, the French fries are cooked in Peanut Oil and it is being introduced into their bodies to soon and they do not have the immune system to fight it off yet. The occasional fry is not going to hurt of course. If you want to give you little one French fries the best way is to bake them in the oven.
The best advise I can give you is don't sweet it at all she will eat when she is ready and as long as she is talking her bottle there is nothing to fret over unless she is over one and still won't eat anything then I would talk to your doctor.
L.

J.-
I have 3 children, the 3rd being the only one I breastfed. I had the same problem with her, but did not have it with the other two. Don't fret, she will come around. Do you pump and bottle feed at all? If not, perhaps baby girl correlates you with feeding and if so, may have some confusion as to why you are feeding her something that isn't coming from you. If you have bottle fed her before, she just may not be ready. I would suggest to continue offering her the baby food on a daily basis. If she doesn't take it, just keep trying daily and she will eventually come around. My daughter did not eat baby food on a regular basis until she was 9 mos. Her pediatrician didn't seem to have many concerns as she was very healthy. Further, I really wouldn't worry about the fruits, as many doctors suggest starting this later. Have you tried baby cereal mixed with breast milk? It is a little more bland, more akin to the breast milk, and may offer a better start. Hope this helps.
S.

Hi J.. Some babies just take a little longer to have the desire to eat solids. The only concern you should have is that she is getting enough iron. By 4-6 months breastmilk alone doesn't usually have enough iron for the little one so cereal should be given. I am assuming she is eating cereal right? If not you can try to thin out cereal and try it in a bottle mixed with breastmilk. My suggestion is as long as she is eating some cereal take a break on the other foods for now. She will eat them when she is ready. Most babies are very textural when it comes to food and she may simply just not be ready (mine didn't do fruits and veggies till 8 months). So relax and take a break for a month or so and then try again. Don't worry as long as she is gaining weight and is healthy she will be OK. Good luck! :)

I breastfeed my first daughter until she was 7 months old, I didn't force her to eat solid food until she was ready, some kids just take a little longer to want to go to solids, I started her off with oatmeal and made little faces in it with like honey or jelly, I made it a game for her and she took to it slowly. My daughter is now 16 yrs old and healthy, as long as she gets her nutrition she will be fine. I wish you the best of luck.

J.,
Everything will be okay, like most of these responses, your baby will eat solids when she is ready. Something you might try, which worked for us...
My baby will NOT eat jarred food. So, we literally give him mashed up banana. We just did banana for almost six weeks, along with breastmilk. Then we introduced rice cereal, mixed with breastmilk. He didnt like the cereal, so I put in a splash of apple juice. This made it sweet, and he loves it. We also recently introduced pear, I just mash it with a fork.
Basically, we are sticking to the whole foods, not jarred. Some may think this is more work, but it really isnt.
I would stick to one thing for several weeks before a new food is introduced... this way you can prevent allergies... if a reaction does occur, then it is easier to single out the food.
Also - your Dr. is a great source for many things, but remember, you are the one with the instict for your child. Listen to it and just think, by the time everyone is in kindergarden, they are all eating solids. :D

There is no magic number that amkes a child suddenly ready for solids, and honestly I think that 6 months is far too young. As long as you are still breastfeeding her there is no ral reason for her to start solids, it sounds as if she isn't ready. You can wait, it won't cause any harm or problems. She will learn to eat when she is ready and forcing her is only going to cause a battle and possibly lead to future food issues. Why make it a strugle when it doesn't have to be. I know lots of mothers who wait a year before introducing solids. Breastmilk contains 20 calories per ounce, no solid food can compare to that and no solid food will contain all of the nutrients that breastmilk will provide.

My advice, put all the tuff away for another month or two then try again,. If she's still not ready then wait later. You'll cause more frustration by trying to get her toeat than you will by letting her be ready.

Are you still breastfeeding Ava? If you are then don't be concerned that she is not eating solid foods. She is getting all she needs from you.There little digestive systems really don't need the stress. I nursed my first son til a year old before solids. I like you, was worried, but I had a wise Doctor and he said unless the baby is loosing too much weight don't worry about it. The babys get so much benifit from nursing. No food allergies ect. He also said, breastfeed babies tend to grow-up with less weight problems. My children have grown-up with tall lean bodies, healthy teeth ect. This eating solids thing comes from bottle fed babies thinking, because they do not get all they need from the formulas, but Mothers milk is perfect and the baby asimulates it completely.I have breastfeed three children and I am glad I gave each one of them the time for their digestive systems to fully mature before having to move on to solids. So don't worry J. just enjoy the bonding time you have with Ava. They are not babies long. H.

J., Have you tried just setting the food in front of her and letting her eat it herself? Yes she will make a big mess but sometimes they just want to do themselves. Also give her some cheerios, crackers, and those hard baby biscuits to eat with the baby food. Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

L. H.

J., oh my gosh this was my son at 6 mos. I was so excited when the dr told me he could start rice cereal. Tried he hated it, tried every kind of baby cereal and nothing. Dr said go ahead and try some veggies. Nothing doing! Tried fruits, nothing! He wouldn't eat baby food to save his life. I kept breastfeeding. I was so excited when I got one whole jar of sweet pototoes done over 1 day I called the dr and told them, they said great except that he should be eating at least 3-4 a day!! I was so stressed out and worried that I would cry at feeding time trying to get him to eat. I was so worried that he would not get enough food. I look back now and it seems kind of funny but at the time I was really upset. This is kind of gross, but it did work for us. I would take whatever food we were eating and chew up little pieces and give them to him to eat. He would eat that readily. I didn't do this until he was 8-9 mos and really bland food, no salt or pepper etc. He never did eat baby food and I breastfed him until he was about 15 mos. By this time he was eating regular food. The bad news is that he is still pretty picky and doesn't eat on a regular basis, but he tells me when he's hungry and he eats then. Big difference now is that I don't worry about it as much! This too shall pass . . . You are NOT alone, let me know

I would try rice cereal. My dr told us to give our 7 month old that first and she loves it. Teething definitely makes a difference too. We have been feeding our daughter cereal since 4 months and gradually added other solids. She doesn't always like to eat as much as she used to since she started teething. Good luck!

My 6 1/2 month old had trouble in the beginning too - he's eating them fine now. I just kept trying a little bit at a time - usually right before we ate dinner, about 90 minutes after his last feed. I started w/ sweet potatoes, carrots & apples because they were somewhat sweet and he seemed to like those. The sweet potatoes, after repeated tries, were what did the trick. Now, he'll eat anything. Wish I had more advice than to just keep on trying! And, in reality, since you are breastfeeding, I thought it wasn't a big deal to start your daughter until 7+ months. I remember reading that somewhere and know that I have cousins who nursed and didn't start solids until after 7 months...

I have a 9 month old and I am BF (only in the mornings now), I didn't even introduce baby food to her until she was 6 months.
Since you are BF, you really don't have to introduce solids until they are 6 month or older. I started out with rice cereal-almost soupy. Then made it a little thicker and added pears or apples. She ate it right up. She is 9 months old and just now eating some of those veggie puffs by Gerber. Unless your baby is not gaining weight-don't worry-she will eat when she is ready.