I first tried to feed my baby girl at 6 months per my pediatrician's recommendation. She still had a very strong tongue-thrust reflex at that time. I'd read that this usually goes away between 4-6 months, but she had it still had it very strong. So . . I waited a week and tried again and so forth for the past month. Her reflex isn't quite as strong now as it was @ 6 months, but still makes it so I can't get any food in her despite many attempts. I know that most new eaters push the food out with their tongue- my first child did- but not like this. She also isn't very interested in food, which I know is another "readiness" sign for eating. She gets frustrated after a while, so we stop.
I know that eventually she will out-grow this, but in the meantime, she has started to wake me up at night for additional feedings. She was sleeping 6-8 hours at a time at night, but now she has me up every 3-4 hours again. This is my big concern. I don't want to lose the ground I've gained with her sleeping at night. I don't want her to develop hunger cues for the middle of the night.
Should I try feeding her cereal mixed in a bottle of formula/expressed milk? I know it isn't generally recommended, but this seems like a possible exception? Is it a choking hazzard? Do I just make the holes in the bottle's nipple larger?
Any suggestions or experiences you could share would be most appreciated!
Thanks!
I had the same problem. I added cereal into her night-time bottle. She sleeps very deeply and long after that. Also, I've been trying to introduce foods. She spits and sprays it everywhere but for now, it's only just for practice and fun. She is starting to slowly understand and eat it. Baby steps. :) I have a 7mo old.
You might appreciate the book "My CHild Won't Eat!" published by La Leche League. You can order it online through them at www.llli.org, or look up the local number for your nearby LLL Leader, and she may have this book in her group's library for you to borrow for free.
You must be tired and fristrated. Please remember that the tongue-thrust reflex is not arbitrary--it's a protective reflex designed to prevent babies from ingesting things that would either cause choking or potential allergic reations. It disappears as their digestive systems mature enough to tolerate foods beyond their mother's milk.
Other signs of readiness for solids include being able to sit up unassisted and developing a pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger) to pick up little bits of food. Many babies prefer to try little bots of food over eating purees. Two of my sons were like this and rejected all puress but were eager to share little nibbles of what we were having--this encouraged me to eat more simple, whole foods and was a great incentive for me to eat less "junk."
Remember, too, that she is hitting a time of major growth spurts and development. She may very well need to wake up for a little snack, but that doesn't mean she is not getting used to a sleep routine, it just means she is growing and gets hungry. She is learning and growing and burning calories like crazy, and very few solid foods are as calorie-dense as mother's milk. She could eat a whole dish of rice cereal and baby sweet potatoes, but that still wouldn't have as much calories and healthy fat to stick with her as a nice nursing session.
The medical definition of "sleeping through the night" is a four- to five-hour stretch, so if you're getting that, it sounds pretty typical. As her growth spurt tapers off, you'll be able to cluster nurse her before bedtime (nurse many times in a couple of hours) and that will tank her up for a longer stretch of sleep. I wonder if it would seem less intrusive on your sleep if she slept nearby so you didn't have to get all the way up to top her off at night? Perhaps making your crib a sidecar against your bed for awhile?
In another month or so, she will be more interested in eating little nibbles of this and that. For now, I suggest just honoring her preferences since they are not arbitrary, and consider attending a La Leche League meeting, where you will get lots of sympathetic, experienced moms who can give you great ideas on how to get through this.
Best wishes!
I'm a tongue-thruster (yup, still) myself and had no trouble going to solids when I was ready. :)
You might look into baby-led solids/baby-led weaning (it's not really weaning so I don't know why some call it that). http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/
http://www.tribalbaby.org/babyLedEating.html
Any chance she's waking for other reasons? Developmental stuff, maybe? I am astounded that she's been sleeping 6-8 hours at a stretch to begin with! Personally, I wouldn't do the cereal in the bottle. From what I've read, there's no evidence that it actually works. You might try to see if you can add in a daytime feed or two. If she eats more during the day she'll be less hungry at night.
Sleep issues aside, there's no reason to worry that she's not eating solids yet. Our pediatrician said there's a developmental window that closes after 10 months, were a child who is still not on solids might start having sensory issues about food. We started our 2nd son late on solids (right around 10 months) because he has a lot of food intolerances and we were struggling with figuring out which foods in MY diet were affecting him in which ways...we sure didn't want to throw solids into the mix! He's now 20 months and doing great and doesn't seem to have any textural aversions. (Still doesn't like green veggies, but wolfs down the orange/yellow ones!) Still doesn't go 6-8 hours at night w/o nursing, though. ;)
Best of luck!
Follow her cues not the "schedule". My daughter didn't take solids until after 8 mos. I breastfed her until then. She was always in the 50-60th for weight and very healthy. Once she started eating solids... she did very well too! Don't worry, just give it some time.
Also the night wakings may not be food related. I know it's hard to tell for sure, but don't assume that. Try to feed her right before bed, but I'd skip cereal in the bottle.
Finally, I made the baby cereal VERY watery, just so she could get used to the texture... took a while for her to get used to it, but she did and loved it.
My second child was like this - no interest in baby food at all, refused it and wanted to nurse a lot. Then, at dinner one night when he was almost 8 months old, he grabbed a pizza crust off of my plate and started eating it happily. Apparently, he just loathed being fed baby food. I called a nutritionist I knew and she explained that baby food is more about practice than nutrition and to just let him eat mushed up "real food" on his own, which we did. Before we knew it he was sleeping through the night and dinner time was fun (if messy) instead of the "war of the baby spoon". Bread and pizza crusts, mushy bananas, cheese and cooked carrots were all big first hits.
Up until about a year, most of baby's nutrition comes from breastmilk/formula. Feeding other foods is kind of practice and getting her used to different flavors. So don't push the issue. Take a break for a month and she may be more than ready. I would say, don't add cereal to her bottle. The point is for her to learn to eat with a spoon and "chewing", not to sneak it into what she's drinking.
Go ahead and feed her the extra times for now. She may be hitting a growth spurt or she may even be teething (which could affect her desire for solids). Don't woryy about "loosing ground" with teaching her to sleep through the night. There's plenty of time for that later.
Hi--
I agree with most everyone here. Babies do not NEED solids until around a year for nutritional purposes--it's all practice. Don't give her cereal in her bottle. She knows her own body better then the doctor does--if she doesn't want it then don't force it. My oldest didn't eat solids until 7 months, and then only once a day until around 10 months and then only twice a day until around a year. My youngest wouldn't eat solids until just after his first birthday. Both are extremelly healthy active little boys. My midwife, who is also a naturopathic doctor, said that the first sign of true digestive readiness is when baby gets teeth. However, my youngest still didn't want it for another six weeks or so after getting his first teeth.
Also, if you do push the solids and her body isn't ready it's very likely she will develop food allergies. All babies are different and they will do things in their own time. Just because the doctor said you can try it doesn't mean that she is ready. So don't worry, let her have all the formula she wants, and when she is ready, trust me, she'll let you know. It will be totally obvious. Both my sons reached for food and put it in their mouths.
Good luck--you're a good mom!
J.
My daughter didn't take to solids until she was almost 10 months old. They know when they are ready for them. Just keep trying every week to see if she will take it. I wouldn't force it. As long as she is not losing weight she is fine. Good luck!
Every baby is different, if she is gaining weight on breastmilk you can always put it off longer. I didn't feed my son any food until 1 year, and then it was slow going. I am doing the same with my daughter now who is also 7 months old. Trust your gut and remember that even if you do lose some sleep right now, it is a short time and can be worked on more later.
S.
I can imagine you're getting frustrated and concerned that your munchkin having's a tough time.
First, RELAX.
You're right in thinking that adding cereal to a bottle is a choking hazard. How about starting again with the cereal or maybe some sweet potato or something. Sit her on your knee when you're nice and relaxed. Offer some food on a soft flat spoon and just let her suck the spoon. Don't worry about her taking large amounts at this point. Give her time to get used to the spoon in her mouth.
Maybe you could have some 'spoon time' just before bed so she may feel full for a little longer to give you more sleep.
All the best and I hope you get your 6-8 hours back very soon.
