My son is 7.5 months old, and refuses to eat from the spoon. I tried Gerber fruit and vegetable stage 1 baby food and rice cereal mixed with breastmilk, but he just turns away when I offer him a spoon. I tried to force it but he almost chocked. It looks like he still has a reflux when his tounge gets anything solid out of his mouth. He eats well from the bottle, mostly formula but also some breastmilk. And he has no appetite or weight issues. His twin brother, by the way, opens his mouth readily when I bring a spoon closer and eats everything fine. Has anybody experienced such problems? Are there any tricks I can try? Or should I take him to a doctor?
just wait..
not all babies lose their reflex to thrust "food" from their mouths at the same moment in time. =D
best wishes-
My daughter fought this for awhile around that age...and now (11mos) she eats EVERYTHING under the sun. She's eating us out of house and home!
My ped at the time told me that she might not ever do regular baby food. She might skip it and go straight to table foods in a couple of months. She said not to stress about it.
Mine prefers to feed herself. She did eventually take baby food, but only for about 2 mos. Now I can't get hear her with a spoon. She wants to use her hands. So we just give her everything that we eat. Much cheaper!
Sounds like his mouth, tongue are not developmentally ready for solid food. Milk is a baby's main source of nutrition until they're around a year old. He doesn't need to be eating solid foods yet.
Even tho they're the same age, his twin has apparently developed sooner in that area. I wouldn't be concerned. Let each baby lead you as they develop.
As you found, if you try to force him to eat he'll choke. He'll also develop a dislike of eating that could interfere with him learning to eat solids later when he is developmentally ready.
He simply isn't ready... forcing it will only make him dislike the association with solids even more. Let him go at his own pace.
A 7 month old not liking solids is not an issue - especially if he's still breastfeeding. An 18 months old on the other hand - I'd be a bit concerned about if they weren't eating solids by then,
I wouldn't push it. He doesn't need the food right now. He will most likely come around in his own time.
My little one refused a spoon! If she couldnt' do it herself, she wasn't eating it. Give him the spoon and dish and let him at it. I recommend the ones with the suction cup and take off his clothes, cause its going to be messy, but he will learn to eat on his own when he wants to. She was also really picky about what she would eat too, and we only bought applesauce, blueberry applesauce and pears. She thought everything else was icky. But, you can give small pieces of other food stuff like mum-mums and toast. Good luck!
Usually if they don't want it, it's because it doesn't smell good to them yet (the same way cardboard doesn't smell delicious to us, because our body knows we can't digest it) OR because they want to do it themselves.
Not eating solids isn't a problem until well after 12mo old. (as in 15-18mo). The vast majority of infants can digest solids by 9 months (still 6 weeks out for you), very few can't by a year, and very few can earlier than 6 mo. Only about half or less of infants can digest table food at 6-7mo.
If he doesn't want it, wait a few months. Even if he CAN digest table food, there's almost no nutritional value in it compared to breastmilk and formula. Wanna pack on 30-50 pounds in a month? Only drink formula instead of eating table food. Babies need *tremendous* concentrated nutrition to support the exponential growth they're doing. Just imagine how much food you'd have to eat to double your weight this year, much less height and weight. (Hence the whole 'primary source of nutrition until 12 mo needs to be breastmilk or formula). Think of table food until 12 months like dessert.
So no worries for another 5 months.
I started with my milk and mixed rice cereal... started with as thin as I could and worked my way up by cutting a larger and larger hole in the nipple. I would not worry about the choking yet. It may be just because it is new. Try via the bottle first and then take the cereal that he is eating via the bottle and put it in a spoon. I started solids really early cuz my newborn baby was 10.7 when she was born! And never had a problem... You are fortunate to have a twin who is easily eating with a spoon. Let your baby watch his brother... make a big deal with each bite... but Marada is right... I wouldn't worry until he is a year old.
huh, did you put a camera in my house and watch us one day?? LOL, I have 8 month old twin boys who are kind of reluctant to eat food as well. they love their bottle, Conner especially, that boys screams if you take the bottle away until he is done, he doesnt want that mid feed burp anymore. Conner isnt big on the baby food unless i mix it with some rice cereal. He does like mashed potatoes, even will eat small bits of whole green beans and he likes peas, i think he is a texture kind of kid, i am. Sean, his twin brother, only like the baby food if it is kind of runny, no rice cereal, no interest in table foods. this is just recent because we tried for 2 months to get them to eat baby food to no avail. i wouldnt force it, a nutrionist we take our boys to, they have feeding isues due to cleft lip and palate, said not to force because it creates bad feelings or something like that. just offer everyday and if he refuses just let it go. he'll eat when he is ready. i think as long as he is healthy and gaining weight then he is okay for now...but wow, am i glad you posted this!!!! makes me feel better about my kiddos. doesnt help that older brother, Ian, is 2 1/2 and always wants to eat what they eat. finally convinced him baby food is yucky...LOL, apparantly Conner was listening..lol
my boys have reflux as well, one much worse than the other. my oldest Ian had it too but luckily outgrew it by the time he was about 1 year old.
I would do as another mom suggested and give him his bowl (the suction type so it won't move around) and spoon on his high chair tray and let him go at it. Also push finger foods like dry cereal, toast squares, crackers, cooked vegetables and soft fruit wedges, self-feeding with fingers often comes before they're ready for spoon feeding (even when you're the one holding the spoon) and develops their hand to mouth coordination. Also, now is a good time to start them on sippy cups, it helps with the swallowing control.
I found my guy would turn his head away from the spoon when he was teething, he's 27 months now and is working on molars, and still refuses to use a spoon or fork when they're bothering him and just goes at his food with his hands.
He's a baby. They don't need to eat food until they are a year old. Gerber is loaded with salt and it is disgusting. Why don't you cook food for his brother and mash it up. Is he a fraternal twin?
In most countries babies are not fed food until they have lots of teeth. Maybe his stomach isn't developed yet for food.
Please go to the bookstore and find some books on babies first year. And get one for the toddler stage as well. It's always so much easier when you know what to expect in advance.
The doctor can't make your son eat, so unless he starts to lose weight I wouldn't take him in. Solid foods are not that big a deal until the first birthday. All solids before that are suppose to 'supplement' the breastmilk/formula. After a year, breastmilk/formula/cow's milk is suppose to 'supplement' the solids. My daughter wouldn't eat solids no matter what I did until she was about 13 months old. She now eats better than her older brother. Just hang in there and keep offering it. He'll get the hang of it eventually.
None of my kids had any interest in solids until 10 to 12 months, and they all hated baby food, they basically went from breast to table. As long as he's getting breastmilk/formula and has no weight issues he will be fine. I'm sure he will eventually be interested in what his brother is getting. I would leave it alone for a month or so and try again :)
I have two children myself. My oldest never ate baby food. When I talked to my pediatrician about it, she told me not to be alarmed. She had told me that more children are completely skipping over baby food and going straight to table food. This is exactly what my daughter had done. But, she also began cutting teeth early and had 8 teeth by the time she was 9 months. She ate everything we gave her, including steak, by the time she was a year old.
My second daughter was breast fed. I also had an issue with getting her to eat solids, but that was because she just wanted to nurse all the time. She was nearly 9 months old before she started taking solid foods. Again, my pediatrician said this was fine because she was still gaining weight with no issues.
Have you tried talking to your pediatrician about your concerns yet? Your son could very well be like either of my little girls, or there could be underlying issues. His doctor may want you to have him evaluated by Early Intervention to make sure there is nothing wrong. For example, sometimes children need to be taught how to eat from a spoon. Does he have any teeth yet? Maybe you should try Puffs or Cheerios and see how he does with those. I had done that with my youngest. And Puffs are safer because they melt in your mouth.
I wish you the best of luck.
Really? He is too young to worry about solids.
Relax, do not push food at him, that will only cement the resistance in. I would let him be for a while, no real need to eat foods much before a year old. Try putting soft foods on his highchair tray and see if he wants to feed himself. (one of my daughters never let me spoon feed her) I would mention it at his next doctor appointment or call and talk to the nurse at ped's office if you do not want to wait, they will tell you whether or not he needs to be see sooner.
i think it would be best to consult a doctor. Am not a mother of kid, am a design student. But i have read something called aspiration where kids have trouble taking solid food inside the body. I am not trying to scare you. It could also be some issues of baby not liking particular kind of food or so. If your baby still doesn't eat food, ask your family doctor or pediatrician to know in detail.
P.,
He might not start them for a long time. Forcing can cause other issues - some long term. Don't. Solids at 7 months are not critical.
One mother - she is the pastor's wife - had a daughter that didn't start solids for 2.5 YEARS. She's alive and a mother now as well.
Trying is okay. Forcing, no. Cereal isn't worth much - except where a baby won't accept something iron-carrying like spinach. All cereal is fortified because it doesn't NATURALLY carry vitamins that the body needs. So I have plans to avoid it entirely with my 2nd baby. 1st son, the poor guy tried to back up from his lips. It was AWFUL for the little guy. We didn't continue forcing them and just gave him other things. Eventually my 1st took cereal, but only with breastmilk.
Now we are trying baby-led weaning. It does NOT mean ceasing breastmilk. It means giving baby (judiciously) foods. Like, he's held his own green bean. No puree, no breaking up, just letting him gnaw down a green bean. HE LOVES IT! So I plan to let him do other things. Spinach will get pureed when the time comes, but for now, he likes single leaves. He nurses above all else, and isn't backing down from anything.
Good luck,
M.
Your baby doesn't need the doctor. A doctor can't make him eat solids and he has no medical need to eat solids. For the whole first year, his milk gives him all of the nutrition he needs. Food is just a supplement, for tasting and practice. It's not actually necessary. Keep trying every day but do not force the issue.
