6 Month Old Doesn't like Food

Have you tried mixing the banana with the rice or oatmeal? And some babies are picky about the consistency of their cereal. Some like it thicker while others like it more runny. Good luck!

Did you mix the cereal with her normal milk or formula? That may help. Many hints I've read say to offer the solids about an hour after nursing/formula. This is what we do with great success. She will be a little hungry for the food but not so hungry that she gets mad trying to eat it. And a few bites is often enough. You're just trying to get her used to eating, not replace the milk at this point.

Hi E.,

When my little girl was six months old she did the same thing. She refused to eat any of the baby food including the fruit. My Dr. had her start on our food at that age. I just had to make sure that everything was soft enough for her and very small bites. She thrived and now at the age of 3 she is taller and weighs more than her 4 year old brother. One more thing, I found she never really went through the stages of I don't like food anymore like my son did. She tries to do that everyonce in a while but it is not too bad. Hope this helps.

Good Luck,
L.

E.,
I feel your concern. I have a three year old boy and still have struggles finding ways for him to eat. At 6 months I started him on veggies baby food in combination with fruit baby food by putting in the spoon a little sweet and a little veggie. I am not sure if you are willing to try it, but is worth the try :-)
Mother's absolutely know best and have that actual sense when our children don't like something.Maybe,like you mentioned, she might not be ready yet.
Good luck and let me know if I helped in any way :-)
have a good day!
M.

My son is the exact same way - but he's now 8 months and still refusing food!! We have tried everything - rice/oatmeal cereal, veges, fruit, mixing it all, etc. He pushes our hands/spoon away, closes his mouth so we can't get anything in and if we do get it in he spits it out or gags until it comes out (or he throws up). We gave the food a rest and then started up again with no success. I have talked to the pediatrician (a development specialist) every month since he was 5 months old (when we started trying to give food) and he is now recommending we have him seen by a occupational therapist for feeding issues. So that's our next step.

He seems so interested in food - he watches us and his 2.5 yr old sister eat and he puts everything in his mouth. We have given him the spoon to play with so that it's not such a scary thing - I have tried to finger feed him (stuff off of my fingers) - nothing has worked. We have even given him a cracker and he puts it right in his mouth gums it for a while and then either spits it out or gags until it comes out (sometimes making himself throw up).

We are at our wits end and will be off to see an OT as our next step.

My daughter hated baby food. She stuck to table food as soon as I let her. She still (6 yrs) hates any food that is mush (mashed potatoes, apple sauce, etc.). Eats well, is healthy, and willing to try new foods about 4x a year.
Talk to a professional to help understand where to draw the line between feeding your child and deciding what she can, and cannot eat and how to enforce it. I write the above, because if I had tried cereals, and veggies and not a morsel was tolerated, I wouldn't care if fruit was all she would eat! I would just be glad she was digesting more than milk... Also, if the child "will make herself throw up," there may be more significant control and behavioral issues that could be more serious in the future - but how you handle it now may give you and her much more peace and serenity between you and less history of struggles...
Good luck.

First is she showing any interest in food at all? For example if you are holding her while you eat does she reach for your food. If she is in a high chair does she fuss, reach or in anyway act like she wants what you have? These are good clues that she wants to try something new.

Second do you breastfeed? If you do she is getting minute tastes of foods seasoned in your normal manner. If like me you like well seasoned (spicy) foods and you give her something bland she may reject it. Try letting her have a tiny taste of something from your plate properly mashed of course. You may find her more receptive to that.

I agree with you on introducing veggies first.

As to allergies my ped. wh o is a homepathic practitioner told me in our case we probably didn't need to be too concerned as there is no history of food allergy on either side of the family. He said still keep an eye out to see if any unusal symptoms and new foods coincide. But if he wants to try something as long as it is not too spicy go ahead.

hth

PS

You can always try a little and honestly tell your ped you have tried but she shows no interest and you will try again in a couple weeks. As long as she is growing fine and developing normally I wouldn't worry.

FWIW Jericho really didn't get into eating everyday till he was almost a year old. He would sample foods from 4 months ( abite here and there). About 7-8 months he got where he'd usually have a bite or few of whatever we were having, sometimes a lot sometimes a little. I just went by what he wanted at the time.

I wouldn't worry about her turning down veggies b/c she had fruit. I started with fruit for both of my children and they both eat their veggies very well. I would try adding banana or pears to the oatmeal first, and if that doesn't work, try just the fruit. Also, try using fresh fruit or veggies and pureeing it yourself, rather than the jars (you have to cook the poo out of it first, then put it in the food processor). My kids ended up rejected jarred food in favor of homemade foods, and I think it had to do with consistency. Neither of them ever liked really "watery" foods at all, but prefered a bit more consistency than that. The only way I ever got them to eat jarred foods was by adding rice cereal directly to it, to thicken it up. Oh, and I promise you I'm not a woman who saw myself cooking my kids' food -- I work full time and rarely even cook for my husband. It's not hard to cook babyfood, though.

Also, it sounds like, if she's making herself spit up, she still has a gag reflex. Just know that they WILL gag like that in the beginning, and spit it out a lot, and you just have to keep trying a little bit here and a little bit there. Eventually she will learn. I swear it took three weeks before my DD was taking down foods without gagging, but I just kept trying. Don't drive yourself (or your DD) crazy with it, but definitely keep introducing those solids, even if it's just a few spoonfuls at a time.

It's frustrating at first, but once she gets the hang of it, it will be fun! I promise! Good Luck!

Introducing solids doesn't mean she will eat much. My daughter did not eat solids regularly until 7.5 months. Then, she got picky again around 11 months.

Peds put lots on emphasis on solids, but it is misplaced for a 6 month old or even 8 month old. She needs the introduction to solids to get familiar with them, but formula or breastmilk are a completely balanced diet for a 6 month old.

Continue to introduce a variety of foods. She will gradually get more curious and eat more.

You daughter may be like my nephew. He is independent and would not eat solids until he could feed himself. That is just part of his personality. Is your daughter like that?

Also, I totally skipped the cereal with my kids. They liked bananas and sweet potatoes much better.