My 8 1/2 Month Old Won't Chew

S. I say just give it time. My sister has a 7 month old and he just recently started eating baby food. When she's ready she'll chow down. I don't think it's something you should worry about; all kids are different and move at different speeds. :)

My 2 1/2 year old had that same problem when he was around 9 months old. His doctor wanted him to start eating Cheerios and he would choke on it. We just tried a few Cheerios every now and then until he figured out that he had to chew them up first. You could always mention it to the doctor and see if they have any ideas.

My daughter was like that too. She didn't start to get any teeth until past 9 mos...and she would choke on the jr foods because they have firm chunks of veggies so I would give her things she could swallow easily like thinned out mashed potatoes, apple sauce, jr.bananas, cream of wheat thinned, strained meats or meats I pureed myself. It is dangerous to give her chunky foods if she wont chew and swallows it whole. It's not good for digestion either. Just keep feeding her the 2nd foods until she gets some "toofies" to chew with...lol...it wont be long! Not to worry as long as she is getting the nourishment she needs and variety. My other child was totally different too...he got his first tooth at 4 months!

I just wanted to add that with my kids and my grandkids I taught them to chew...yep, I made the silly looking overly exagerated movements with my mouth bringing my teeth up and down so they could see and immitate me chomping my teeth together saying "chew-chew" (works when they only have gumms too, lol) and when they copy you it is a riot!! Sooo funny!! but they WILL copy and learn quickly. When you think about it, most of us chew up every bite with them when we are feeding them anyway, right? lol. it's a mom-thing, lol. I just remembered this so I decided to edit my post and add it. Hope it helps and don't forget the camera...it will be so fun to look at later! :)

What about teething? Does she chew on teether biscuits when she's teething? I do not have any particular advice and have not had this problem, but wonder if getting things like biter biscuits that are larger and not so much choking hazards for her to learn on would be a better start?

Edited to add: Sorry, I just re read and saw she does not have teeth yet. Sorry!

Have you tried the Gerber Puffs? They melt in their mouths so it's a great first finger food.

Hey S.-My daughter didn't get teeth until she was 9 months old. First-don't start with cherrios--those are too hard at that age. Try the veggie puffs...they melt in their mouth. My daughter loves them. What worked for us-was trying new foods/textures every 4-5 days. The puffs or even rice puffs-are good too. She will eventually get the hang of it!

I got those things that are mesh and you put fruit in them. The child holds the handle and chews the fruist throught the mesh. This would be great to practice chewing because your child can't get choked on the food. I got mine at babies-r-us and think I have seen them online.

Good Luck

I am soooooo glad that you brought this question. I have the same problem but my baby is a 10 month old preemie. His corrected age is 8 months and he chokes on cherrios too. He doesn't even like mashed potatos. I think I will do it just like I started him on the oatmeal and 2nd baby food that he is on. I just tried it and if it didn't work, gave it another week or so then tried it again. He has 2 teeth so I think we will try the rice puffs at Walmart. I thought about doing that anyway but I didn't know how fast they dissolved. Now I have to at least give it a try, gotta be patient with these little ones. Again, thanks for bringing the subject up:>)
Good luck!

My son used to be like that too , he had 2 teeth at around 7 months , but yet , even at 10 months old he choked on almost anything , i barely get him anything just because i was too afraid that he might choked . Those stage 3 food , sometimes made him choked too , it was really frustrating . Now he is 22 months old , he would chew sometimes , not all the time , i think u can always wait and let them play around with food and don't rush her . That was me , i tended to rush him , and that's probably why he would just swallow and choked on it , now i let him alone with his food and he's taking his time chewing and swallowing . But then again , there are days or sometimes weeks that he wouldn't chew .. and it's really frustrating . If i were you i would wait a while since she's only 8 months old .. i think it takes time to learn to eat right . HTH

Your situation sounds exactly like what I went through with my daughter. I attempted Cheerios like her pediatrician suggested, but she kept choking. My daughter didn't get her first teeth until she was 10 months old. It wasn't until she was over 12 months old that she was able to begin solids without gagging. I just waited with my little one until she seemed ready, and it turned out perfectly fine. If your daughter's appetite appears to be satisfied with just breastmilk, I would just continue breastfeeding and try introducing solids again when she is older. If you're breastfeeding exclusively though, make sure your diet includes iron-fortified cereals and other iron-rich foods to prevent your daughter from developing iron-deficiency anemia. Good luck!

About a month ago, I started my (now) 6 month old on rice puffs made by Parent's Choice. They dissolve fairly quickly in the baby's mouth so they won't choke. Also, Gerber makes a similar brand (found beside Parent's Choice at Wal-Mart) but they don't dissolve as quickly.

I recommend trying these w/ your little one to encourage chewing.

While you are breast feeding I wouldn't worry about it. Right now her tongue is used to the sucking motion and will need to stay that way. You'll know when she is ready for solids when she bites you for the first time.

playing with cherrios right now isn't for learning to chew it's to develop a pincher technique with her fingers. If you want her to develop that I would suggest supervising her learning time. Maybe you could let her glue them to paper instead of trying to eat them? That would help with hand eye coordination as well.

hi i would continue trying to gt her to chew but be carefull not to push it to much if she is still eating other foods that still give her the nutrients she needs they figure stuff out dont worry if she doesnt get it when you think she should she'll do it when shes ready although if she does not start chewing after 10-11months i would definitley be worried and consult a doctor none of my children have had any problems like this and i may not know what im talking about but id definitley give her a little more time to get it down.