Help with 8 Month Olds Eating

You'd probably appreciate the book "My Child Won't Eat!" published by La Leche League. You could order it at www.llli.org or you could look up the contact for your local LLL Leader and she'd probably have this book in her group's library for you to borrow for free.
It's very informative and not just the same ol' re-hash of eating advice. I liked it a lot.
My sons were not really "sold" on solid food until they were nine months old. If she still has the tongue-thrust reflex, she may not be ready for much solid food. And calorie-wise, there is not much solid food that has as many healthy fats as your milk, so that's your best bet for helping her fill out a bit. Best wishes!

At 8 months, she should still be getting most of her nutrition from breastmilk or formula. At this age, I would just put a little of what you are eating in front of her - or finger foods like cheerios - and let her eat what she wants. Then don't worry about it!

Hi--
A few questions? Is she bottle fed or breast fed? I ask because breast fed babies are usually much smaller then bottle fed babies because they can regulate their own intake of food. As for not eating solids, she's still pretty young. A baby could have nothing but formula or breast milk for the first year and be totally fine. Solid food is only "practice" until then. If she's healthy otherwise I don't really think you have a problem. My oldest was in the 3% and my youngest in the 5%. Oldest was born in 50% and youngest was born in 65%. Both are totally healthy. Maybe she is just small. You should always let her have formula/breast milk before solids because that is where all her nutrients are....solid foods do not have enough variety at this age to actually be nutritional. So let her have as much formula/breast milk as she wants and then offer solids. If she doesn't want them you don't need to worry about it. She's regulating herself and that is good. She knows what her body needs----trust her instincts. And if she is as busy as you say she is then she probably gets hungry at night because of her activeness (is that a word?)
One more thing....birth weight percentiles do not mean very much. At around 9 months of age children will even out on the percentile that they are naturally meant to be at. If she continues to fall off the chart then worry. It also makes a difference how big you and your husband are. My husband is pretty sturdy, but I'm little. It's not weird that my children are too.
Good luck!
J.

I agree, offer the breastmilk/formula first so that she can fill up on that and get her calories. Don't worry about the solids, let her play and experiment with those. The fats in the milk should be great for her weight. Is your doctor worried about her weight? My son has been all over the charts, so don't read too much into that, unless the doctor tells you it is a problem.