Introducing Solids - Son Refusing

We had the same challenge. We kept trying but found the only way he will eat food is if he can feed himself. I started by making organic veggies that are soft but easy for him to grab (carrots, green beans, lumps of sweet potato and mashed potato). I next moved to whole grain pasta that is well done and hard-boiled organic egg yolks. He is now almost 9 months old and he eats all of this plus beans, chicken and fish. A lot of the food ends up in his hair and on the floor but some does make it into his mouth. Keep trying the spoon but don't stress. He is getting what he needs from breast milk or formula. Give him finger foods to play with. He'll get some in his mouth and you may even be able to slip in a spponful of food!

Dear J.,

Well, I just tried to get a taste into the lips and then let them deal with cleaning it off and maybe that way they would find out that it is good to eat. Maybe he is not quite ready yet. Keep on trying. Put some on his fingers and maybe he will put them in his mouth, and find out that way,

C. N.

Sometimes we 'distract' our 13 month old son. We give him a spoon of his own to hold in his hand and/or put his favorite movie on TV in the living room. It may be messy, but you could let him try to dip his fingers in the bowl and taste his fingers, so he gets a taste of the food. Also, we went with single grain oatmeal (gerber) to start instead of rice cerel and mixed in bananas to give it a 'sweeter' flavor for our little guy. after the 1st feeding, it's his favorite meal of the day.

Hi J., We had the same problem with our now 1 year old (well, her 1st birthday is tomorrow) - started the solids at 7 months and she was not happy. We sweetened the rice cereal with bananas we crushed up or with 1st stage bananas in a jar and that worked wonders. We also started her on some 1st stage fruit. I know some pediatricians don't want babies to only be getting sweet tasting stuff, but for us it got her to start the transition - she loves all foods now (except most meat things, except chicken).

Good luck!
L.

Sounds like your son isn't ready for solids. My first baby started solids at 8mo with no problems. My second baby is 21mo and still doesn't want anything but breastmilk. Mr dr said not worry because he is getting all the nutrients he needs and will continue up to his 2nd birthday. I'd urge you to check the previous post about child led solids. I wish I had done this with my first baby. After my son first refused solids, a friend told me about child led solids. I stopped offering him purees and instead gave him pieces of food he could eat himself. He was more responsive to feeding himself. He did enjoy using a food mesh feeder, which you can find at Target. This especially helped when he was teething because I would put frozen mango/banana inside. He would gnaw on it until the food disolved and I didn't have to worry about him choking. Also, it isn't a good idea to introduce grains before the age of one. Babies don't develop the necessary enzymes to break down grains until at least one year. This is the reason many babies are constipated or have upset stomachs from grains. I wouldn't push him into eating before he is ready. Eating should be fun and enjoyable.

Put a little applesauce or whatever fruit he likes on the tip of the spoon (after putting on the cereal etc.) and he will think he is getting a treat. Also, play "airplane" with him, swoop the spoon around like an airplane and tell him, "here comes the airplane!" open your mouth and let it in! This always worked with my five children. Sometimes, you have to make meal time fun - don't let him see you getting stressed! Hope this works! We also used "here comes the choo-choo train" and that worked too.

If baby is still breastfeeding, you don't have to introduce solids regularly til 9 months, try over and over with rice cereal and breastmilk/formula, no worries til 9 months.

They say when a child begins "mooching" or showing interest in your food it is time... my almost eight month old loves to eat "my dinner". It is really just him on my knee with the babyfood bowl on my plate. He eats at the table with us at the same time. He is much happier than in the high chair by himself. Also, don't wait until he is ravenous have him a little hungry otherwise he'll be too upset to concentrate on eating. Fyi bananas gave my son constipation, start with easier to digest fruits like pears and peaches. Also, my son loves yogurt. Good luck!

Put the bowel in front of him, no utensil, just be patient, he will be inquisitive, let him try things on his own, he is already showing the independence we all hope for! You can always clean him/the area later.

if your son doesn't respond to the types of food your giving him, he may not like it? to also try to help him out, try to give him finger foods so he can try to feed him self. tasting it and playing with these types of finger food, he will adjust real soon. this teqnique will help him prepare to eat baby food. sit him on the high chair and let him expierence the variety of baby foods on his own and most likely he will make a mess. he's a baby and that's what they do!

Dr. Sears has some good tips on that one. Maybe use your finger instead of a spoon. Does he have teeth? Does he show any interest in what you are eating? I'm not a big believer in pushing kids to eat solids "at six months," if they're just not ready. That said, I fed my daughter solids at five months because she already had six teeth (Ah!) and was extremely interested in what we were eating. Just seems every kid is different and there is nothing magical that happens at the exact six month mark. He'll get there. Just offer and play at this point.

Best of luck to you!

jen

my son does the same thing (he is now 8 months) and he has never really eaten solid foods. just recently we tryed little bits of soft foods for him to pick up and feed himself and that seems to work for him. he seems to like the control.... might work for you? also i was told that some babies need a little extra time - dont rush it or force it.

Maybe he doesn't like the rice cereal and sweet potatoes! My son, who is now 10, didn't like anything as a baby. I had 5 kids, and he is the youngest. He is the first one I had any trouble with.

Some kids are born with sensitive taste buds. I hated oatmeal when I was a kid. Why was I forced to eat it? Why do we force our kids to eat things that they don't like?

Find something else that will be good for him that he will like. I know we are all told to start with rice cereal, but that is only because kids are less likely to develop allergies. Talk to your doctor about other foods that you can give to him instead of the rice cereal.

Could also have to do with texture. Did you know that some kids are born with Asperger's syndrome and have a sensitivity to the texture of foods?

7 month old babies do not need solids. It sounds as if he isn't ready yet. If he is being breast fed or given a good formula, he is covered nutritionally. Wait a month and try again. If he still isn't receptive, wait another month and try again. And so on. Don't make an issue of it. Every baby is different. He is an individual and is on his own schedule. He will be eating solids by the time he is a year old. Don't sweat the small stuff. This is small stuff. Enjoy your sweet, happy baby!

Let him feed himself! Put the bowl and spoon in front of him and let him go for it! Maybe he wants to feed himself likes he sees you eat. He could just be super-independent. Also, maybe he doesn't like the color or texture of what you are trying to feed him - change it up. I used to give my kids canned peas (since they are soft enough for babies with no teeth) to eat with their hands/fingers. Experiment and see what works. Good luck!

my two year old didn't eat any solids until he was 1. he refused it every time i tried. he never ate pureed foods and went directly to finger food that was easy to eat. he's very healthy, is rarely sick and has met every milestone at the appropriate time. i wouldn't worry too much mama.

Here is a great article on a baby led approach to introducing solids....

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voeds...

have you ever tried eating that stuff? Maybe buy a real yam, something a little more attractive. Try not to laugh, so this will not become his comedy routine, and make sure he's (no milk) hungry when you try new foods.