My 8 1/2 Month Old Won't Eat Solids

My daughter was fussy too so I went to Target and bought one of those hand blenders and made things from scratch. Just boil it up and then blend it for about 15 seconds or whatever it takes. Some early favorites: Carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, and sometimes combination's. You can do really any vegetable that way. I would boil it in half water and half chicken stock (low salt) and it really worked well. Remember that the fresh food has a lot more flavor than the jars and it doesn't take long at all. Buy some mini tupperware to store. Last piece of advice: stick with vegetables first and then when you've run through them all go to the fruits. It helps them (theoretically) develop a taste for the vegetable. When the time is right (maybe already, I forget the age) you can put chicken in there as a blend- just boil it the same way. thighs work best at the beginning because they are more moist. Good luck!

I would cook fresh veggies and let her feed herself even if it is really messy. Just put a little bit of mashed carrots, etc. on her plate at a time. Also under age one only egg yolks are to be given as to give the whole egg may create egg allergies. This is from the federal/state food program. If she is eating puffs she may be able to eat small pieces of soft veggie too.
F.

Dear K.,
My children hated jarred baby food. My only guess is that it was too bland because they loved having what I ate. Also, my kids both had their own little plastic spoons and forks and were very happy to try getting some food on them by themselves. Of course, until they got good at it, they just used their fingers, but that's okay! We bought vinyl fabric backed tablecloths at the dollar store to put under their high chairs so there was no worry about having to clean the floors. They can be wiped off, thrown in the washer, or even just thrown away if they are too messy to deal with.
Let her try feeding herself and let her try things off of your plate. People were shocked to see my kids munching on steamed brussel sprouts, which they love to this day. I let them taste EVERYTHING. You might be surprised at what you'll find your little one likes. Just keep trying.

Best wishes!

Sounds very familiar! My second child was just the same. She would barely eat anything, spat out cereal, veggies, homemade purees, storebought babyfood, whatever. She started eating a little more when we switched to finger food (and loved Cheerios), but then regressed again. I remember reading/hearing what other babies the same age were eating and being amazed, because mine would sometimes go all day on just milk. However, I didn't stress it too much, just kept trying it at least once a way, and by a year, she was finally eating a little. Today (14 months), she's still not a huge eater, but she does like lots of things (yogurt, cheese, peas, sweet potato, berries). So hang in there. On the bright side, I saved a lot of time pureeing baby food or money on jars! Just try it once a day, don't be upset if she won't go for it, and wait it out.

My now 12-month old has never eaten very much, and is only now that she's walking getting an appetite. She is very healthy, though slimmer than most babies. Did you say that you're nursing some? even if you only have a little milk, you can always increase supply by pumping and drinking lots of water. Fenugreek helps, too. My daughter gets a few extra calories from emotional nursing, just wanting to snuggle and suck a bit. Just going through the motions, so you two get in the habit of meals, is fine for now, as long as she's getting as much milk as she'll take. She knows how much she needs, and will take accordingly.
Also, my daughter loved re-fried beans at her age. She loves all kinds of beans. Try those. Also, my daughter didn't ever care much for jarred food, so try cooking some soft foods for her. Once she gets a few teeth things will get easier.

My baby started solid food at 5 1/2 months. liked them for about 2 weeks then totally lost interest. I backed off and just continued offering her food every couple of weeks. I even made all her food fresh. She is now nine months and is just starting to eat. She will eat only food she can pick up such as softened apples,sweet potato,grapes,blueberries,crackers. She likes to eat banana out of the peel. I just loosen bites for her. She will not eat any of the gerber stuff. Oh she loves cheerios and is just starting pasta she can pick up and feed to herself. Not a lot of things but it is a start. She does breast feed frequently so I know she is getting her nutrition. I would say ask your dr. about the formula intake.My dr. told me not to worry about the not eating. Not all babies are ready by 6 months and not to force her.

Hi K.,

My daughter just turned 13 months, and is finally eating solids on her own. I had the same issues with her that you are having, she would not feed herself or have anything to do with most solid foods. She never drank the amount of formula suggested, and still doesn't. I just kept trying, never forced her to eat, left cheerios in front of her, etc. I found she liked sweet potatoes and that's what I gave her to get her to eat at least once a day. The best piece of advice was from her doctor...."A Child will not starve themselves, they eat when they are hungry and when they want. Chill." Seriously:) that's what she said. My daughter is happy and healthy, just not a big eater.

8.5 months is still young for tons of solids. I know that develop. the tongue has to master a different movement for solids than liquids, and maybe your baby is still mastering that? Also, my daughter was/is a lighter eater. My pedi told me to aim for 16 oz a day of formula at about that age (I was way stressed b/c all the books said 30+ oz). She is now 2 and is in the 25 percentile for height and weight... and always has been. She is perfectly healthy. My advice is to look at your kid and be sure they are thriving, and then don't let food be a power struggle. No kid that has access to food ever starves. Good luck!

For whatever reason my child does not like jarred or prepackaged food either. I guess she's like me really. I fed her initially the Gerber step 1 foods just to see what she may be allergic to and watched for rashes, she started loving the foods i gave her then since has been regressing. I don't know if its just bothering her because of teething or she's just picky. However, when i make her green beans, carrots or sweet potatoes fresh she'll eat so much I can't imagine her tummy is even that big. I guess what I am saying is I've found that they tend to like homemade fresh stuff a little bit more. I have this for the baby food and it's SOOO easy, you steam then blend in the same container. http://beabausa.com/babycook.cfm They even have cookbooks you can learn to make all kinds of foods that maybe your little one will like.

I hope this helps!

Hi K.,
My son is 9 months today and we had a hard time getting him to eat solids as well. Then we finally had some success when we gave him foods that he could hold himself and eat. He would do the same thing as your daughter, locking his mouth up like Fort Knox if I came at him with a spoonfull of anything but if I gave him a turkey dog or pasta or pieces of fruit that he could hold he would eat just fine. So perhaps try that. Although, I'm sure that you are feeling like you have tried everything! Best of luck!
G. :)

Hi K.,
by 8.5 months she is no doubt using her hands alot. What about cherios and frozen peas set in front of her? She's going to discover something that she likes the taste of, and it seems it is not eggs. Try sour, sweet, savory, seperately. She just may be an apricot gal! I know I am!! My kids loved steak.
You'll figure it out, then there will be yet another worry.
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Hi K.:
every child is different and as long as your daughter is still healthy and growing, try not to stress over it (I know, easier said than done). One book that helped me a LOT in the not-worrying-over-feeding department was nutritionist Ellyn Satter's "Child of Mine, Feeding With Love and Good Sense", which gives a lot of sound information and reassurance in the parental-feeding-anxiety department - one of her big phrases is "Your child KNOWS how to eat and grow". At this age solids are more a bonus than a nutritional necessity, so feel free to back off when your DD is being really resistant - no need to make it a battle of wills.
And another web site for great feeding suggestions is http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com

Good luck! Keep offering her a variety of healthy things and she'll come around on her own time.

My son refused to eat jarred or rice cereal or anything I purred at home until he was 11 months old. What he would eat was a food off my plate. I would put his highchair next to me at dinner time and take things off my plate and put them on his (sometimes I would pre-chew a little so it was eatable for a kid with no teeth). He would eat almost anything that way. Meat, broccoli, carrots, whatever. So long as it came from my plate to his tray where he could grab it himself and feed himself. Later, when he learned to like food better he would be willing to eat other things (even from a spoon). So it wont last forever-- it is nice to share a meal together and we do so still.

Hello K.,
If you are really really concerned, make an appointment with her pedi for a weight check. From what you've posted I really wouldn't be too concerned at this point. The first year of solid foods is mostly for the experience, texture, tastes, etc not nutrients. 30 oz doesn't sound too little to me either. It's hard to think back that far, but I'm pretty sure my daughter had 4 8oz bottles a day back then. Although my daughter was eating a full jar of food by that age.
You may want to try just finger foods. I know my daughter was off the jar food before she was 1, but I can't remember the age. Peas, meat cut up into pea size pieces, yogurt, small broccoli pieces, apple sauce etc. and let her feed herself. Maybe she's just super independent and doesn't want to be fed.
Best of luck,
C.

I never had this issue with my son, but I wanted to encourage you that each child is different, just as each adult is different. Not everyone has the same needs, and I would say that your other baby eating 2 jars of baby food at one sitting is not the norm! That's a lot of food!!! :)

It sounds like your little one eating half a jar with rice cereal is a perfect amount. That's about what my son ate at that age. She also may be more of a "grazer" than an "eater." She may need more frequent smaller meals vs the traditional larger meals that we as adults seem to have adopted.

Here's a good guideline on how much formula/breastmilk your daughter needs each day:

Baby's Age min/day max/day avg/day
0-3 weeks 14 28 21
3 weeks-2 mo 21 32 26.5
2-6 months 24 40 32
6-9 months 24 32 28
9-12 months 18 32 25

You'll notice that the ounces are pretty much the same from 2 months all the way through 1 year, so trust your instincts and remember that each meal is different as is each day and each person. If we have a large breakfast, we may just want to snack around lunchtime, just as the next day could be the exact opposite. :)

Have you TASTED the Gerber stuff (In jars or the snacks)!? The fruits are okay, the rest is bleh. Maybe she'd like real food better. Babies R Us sells a really handy baby food grinder for about $12. You just use it to grind up what you're eating. I use it with my almost 8 month-old all the time. I keep a couple of jars of fruits around in case I need to augment on a night when our dinner doesn't work well ground up.

I had something similar with my first, at about 9 months. We had to fly from California to the Azores, and were in temporary quarters, and she would not eat the jarred food I had brought. After we moved into our house, out of desparation I put a spoonful of corned beef hash on the tray, and she went at it with both hands. I figured she reaized no one was spoon feeding us so she refused. However, I would not give her eggs (or peanut butter) till after her 1st birthday, this can cause allergies.
Maybe try her on a sippy cup, or hold off the milk till after she has a meal.
If this does not work, take her to the doctor for a check up.
Good Luck

Hi, K.,
Don't worry about it! My first son was exactly the same. He actually refused solids until just after his FIRST birthday!!! LOL! I tried and tried like you did from the same age that you did, to NO AVAIL! I did not know what to do and was worried like you are. He would just his lips and not open them at all. At 4 and a half, he is the best eater. He eats a lot and eats many different kinds of foods. He even tries oysters, squid, caviar, soft-shell crab among other exotic foods. You would never guess he was such a fussy baby who would not eat until he was 1. Just relax, keep trying, but stop stressing. Eventually, your baby will learn to eat solids. I would wait until after she is 1 to start worrying. If she exclusively breast feeds until 1, that is still ok.

my son (9 months) JUST started eating solids about a week and a half ago. We started around 6 months when everyone said that he 'should' be eating. He'd take a few tastes from time to time but wasn't interested. Now he's all about food but NOT "Baby" food. He's not interested in pureed anything. I can mush the peas. Here's a sampling of what he eats: sweet potato pancakes , oatmeal, slighly mashed peas, teething biscuts, banana - if I put it with the biscut.
He's also not that into the spoon right now. He loves those little gerber sweet potato "crackers" but if put one on a spoon he won't take it.
Try not to worry and to follow her lead. You never know, she might just crawl up to you one day, take the muffin out of your hand and start eating it! That's what my son did!
Good luck

30 oz of formula seems like a lot for an almost 9 month old. Have you talked to your doctor about offering food before formula? There were some days my daughter only had 1 bottle (but I also nursed at night and morning)If she is already full she may not want solids. Anyways, all babies are different and some just don't need as much, just keep trying and offering lots of different things. I found when my daughter refused something, sometimes if I just let her sit there and play with it eventually she would eat it if I stopped looking at her. . .Good luck!
Remember though, she doesn't need to eat a lot of solids anyways, mostly for practice and learning variety and getting more iron and protein. Don't worry about the amount as much as making it fun-- i know some babies that never learned how to chew because their moms bought in to the whole no solids until after a year thing (NOT recommended by AAP), and then had difficulty until 18 months.

Give her yogurt mixed with rice cereal. She is getting to the independant stage and will probably eat some finger foods. Give her cheese and other semisoft foods. Just let her try iot on her own and see how she does.