My Baby Dosen't Want to Eat Baby Food

The AAP does not recomend a child to start solids any earlier than 4 months. So 1st thing is you need to find a doctor who is up to date with these things and is not trying to harm your child. 2ndly not all babies are ready for solids by 6 months. Some don't take to baby food until much later.
I belong to a group whose babies were all born in January (mine was born Jan 27th) and some of the babies are just now starting to be interested in food.
I understand it must be hard trying to keep up with him, but he will let you know when he is ready for solids. Good Luck :)

My breastfed baby girl started on solids when she was 4 1/2 months old. The guidelines I read and was told about by my pediatrician said that babies can be given baby cereals and other 'solids' as early as 4 months without a problem. We started her early because she was getting fussy at mealtimes and reaching for our plates and doing mouth movents that indicated she could start swallowing food. I bought the book Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron as a guide to make sure I introduced foods in the proper order.

I kept reminding my self that early feeding is more about learning how to eat rather than getting nutrients. My daughter loved to play with her spoon and spent a lot of time just exploring the food in her mouth. It was a bit messy but she picked up quickly what was going on. She is now 12 months and loves meal time.

My daughter wasn't fond of baby cereal at first and didn't like anything I mixed with breast milk. She only likes her breast milk straight up ;-). Oh, and at 12 months she is showing no signs of weaning and is probably drinking at least 12 ounces of breast milk.

Her early food favorites included sweet potato, banana and peas. I made all of her food initially and thinned them with water. Have you tried making it yourself rather than using jarred food? My daughter is picky when it comes to the quality of her food and won't eat jarred versions of food she usually likes. In fact, she won't eat generic frozen veggies. She will only eat them if they are fresh or a more expensive brand.

Good luck with the feeding.

The fact that your baby is so big at only 5 1/2 months just shows how good your breastmilk is for him, good job mama! I think it is odd that your pediatrician would suggest starting food at only 3 months when 6 months is usually the norm for breastfed babies and its not as if yours is having trouble gaining weight. You might want to consider a new doctor. Starting solids too early can cause many problems such a food allergies and upset tummies. I think you should just take it a bit slower and try offering the cereal again in a few weeks. As for supply problems, it may be because of the pumping which I know personally is also very hard work. You may want to try to offer the breast more often too. Good luck!

I would talk to his dr, Maybe they can set you up with a Speech tharapist, yes i know it sounds crazy but they help lots of babys and victoms of brain injeries learn to eat, my best frind had a lady come to her house 2 times a week for about 4 weeks and know that little girl eats like a pro!

Hmm, my baby went through so much milk at that stage but didn't want baby food. My doctor told me there was no reason to give them solids until a year old and that the general guideline was between 6 months and a year. I was breastfeeding and couldn't keep up. I started supplimenting with formula and in addition tried to give him thinned out cereal three times a day. The best thing to do is see your doctor again or talk to another doctor if he has no other ideas for you.

i would just keep at it a little at a time but when he is happy not cranky or starving. have you tried mixing them in the cereal or offer him a few ouces of milk 1st then try a few spoonfuls of fruits or veggies mixed in with cereal. if he keeps still protesting then i would either call your dr or i wouldn't try and force him to eat it if he absolutely doesn't want it becuase as he gets older it will only get worse. good luck.

I KNOW MOST DOCTORS SAY START WITH BABY FOOD AT 6 MONTHS. MY SON, WHO IS NOW TWO WAS NOT AS BIG AS YOUR CHILD AT 5 1/2 MONTHS. I AGREE WITH YOUR DOCTOR, REALLY IT IS ONLY A 1/2 A MONTH EARLY...NO BIG DEAL. TRY CUTTING HIM DOWN ON THE BOTTLES FOR A DAY OR TWO AND SEE IF HE'LL EAT THEN. MAYBE GIVE HIM CEREAL FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WHEN HE'S THE MOST HUNGRY. DON'T FORCE IT THOUGH HE WILL EAT WHEN HE IS READY. IT IS JUST IMPORTANT THAT5 YOU KEEP ON TRYING SO IT IS THERE WHEN HE IS READY. IF THAT DOESN'T WORK TRY ADDING A LITTLE BIT OF CEREAL TO HIS BOTTLE, MAYBE HE JUST NEEDS A SLOW TRANSITION. REMEMBER A BABY'S STOMACH IS SMALLER THAN THE SIZE OF YOUR FIST. SO, MAYBE THE PROBLEM IS THAT HE IS ALREADY FULL.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY MOTHERING,
A.

A.,
The breastmilk you are giving him is nutritionally complete for the first year, so I wouldn't worry about the food yet. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until at least 6 months to intro solids now because of the increase in food allergies, and he may not be ready yet for solids. Skip it for now and try again in a month or so. Putting cereal in the bottle isn't recommended because your baby could choke on it, and you want him to learn to EAT his food, not drink it. If you need to supplement your milk supply, check www.milkshare.com for info on how to increase your own or find donors. Remember- there are 3 things your child can control- eating, sleeping, and pottying. Go with his lead on this, and don't fret. You're doing a great job!