My seven month old is refusing to take solids or the bottle. I have tried leaving her with Dad for the whole day, praying hunger would win out, all it accomplished is her crying when ever he picks her up now. The Ped. said he has some babies that won't take solids until the 10th month and some that never want the bottle. So I tried the sippy cup and a regular cup. They had the same result. I don't know what to do and now whe is teething and biting me all the time. I am starting to regret the choice of brestfeeding. I hate feeling this way. If I can't get her to wean I need to at least get her to eat solids so that I can get away for more than 30 minutes at a time. Please help.
Frozen watermelon puree is great for teething. freeze it in 'bars' about 1" around and 3 inches long - it feels good to their gums and melts too fast for them to choke. You might try cooking really simple foods and smashing some on your plate for your baby to eat - some just don't dig baby food. IE plain baked potato, sweet potato, steamed carrots or summer squash.
My 7 month old has started solids and otherwise exclusively breast feeds and will not take the bottle either. Have you tried all sorts of foods, like apples and bananas. Also, make sure the food is very thin at first, like the consistency of milk. But your baby should be able to go for several hours without anything to eat at all.
Try popsicles or frozen milk. I had the same problem when one of my kids was about the same age, it worked for me. Good luck.
My middle son did not take to solids until he was about 8 mos old. Even then it was very slow going until about a year. And neither my middle nor my youngest would take a bottle.
Your baby is wanting to nurse a lot because of the teething. It's comforting and makes her teeth feel better. You can also try teething tablets if you feel comfortable with that. Your baby will not always nurse this much. It'll pass, I promise. Try to keep breastfeeding as it really is the best thing for your baby.
I assume you are giving her breastmilk in the bottle?
As for the biting, simply unlatch her and tell her in a firm voice "no" or "don't bite" or whatever phrase you want to use. Then put the breast away so that she learns a conditioned response (biting means the breast goes away).
I was never able to breastfeed, but when I was trying to, I did notice that there are nipple shields which go over your nipple and keep you from getting bit. I had found these at a local drugstore, so you can probably find them at walmart or walgreens.
