7 Month Old Doesn't like Solids!

Hi L., I have a 6 month dautgher, and I started some solids with her, she was gaging too. I decided to wait, so I offer to her some solids every now and then not every day, and I keep eye on the ones that make her feel not so bad like banana, she liked and was better than apple. I'm breastfeeding and it is my second child, so I'm just waiting with no rush for when she is ready.

My lacation consultant told me her 3rd child refused all solids until after his 1st birthday. She said she would've worried if it were her first kid, but by the time she was on the third child, she just said "Well, that makes my life a lot easier!"

Not only do you not have to worry about grinding up baby food, you have someone taking all those calories out of you, so you can have dessert and still lose weight!

Hi L., Please try introducing the single grain rice into the milk in the feeding bottle. Put two or three table spoons in the baby's bottle of milk and shake to an even contituency and let the baby suck on. do it slowly as she gets ued to the milk getting heavier and heavier then you start introducing the mixed grains.As she get's familiar with it then you start to spoon feed the baby and there you go. Try this and good luck. S..

Good morning L.,
There's nothing missing in your daughter's diet. Thankfully God provides all she needs in your breast milk, that's why it's nature's perfect food. I breastfed all 3 of mine, and they're healthy, wonderful children now all over the age of 10. Please don't be intimidated by the formula commercials. It's great marketing though. Your baby is showing you that she has some slight control over her existence by gagging to throw up on purpose. Perhaps she will be a strong-willed child. :-) My niece, who is now a middle school teacher did the same thing. It's okay. My grandmothers and mother gave me the most wonderful advice that worked for us perfectly. They breastfed their combined 37 children until they were 1 years old.

And, for some reason doctors are now catering to the baby food and formula companies. My sister told me the same thing my neighbor did: their pediatricians are trying to coerce them to take their 6 and 8 month old babies off the bottle!!! Oh my God. There is absolutely no rush to do so. They're babies, and they need that baby growing time - not be forced into toddlerhood early and away from their natural nutrients. If you've ever tasted baby veggies, they're not very tasty. LOL My mother made our baby food, and you can too. Mashed peas or cream of wheat and the like are very appealing. Plus, you can allow your little one to begin, in time to chose things she can introduce herself to also. I put my youngest in my lap to help w/the process. So, he grabbed the string beans and initially dipped his pacifier in my mashed potatoes when he was eight months old, and he's doing just fantastically now. Best of luck to you and enjoy your baby, they grow up so fast. My almost 20 year old is proof of it. A.

It sounds like you're doing it right, and she may just not be ready for solids. Ask your ped's office for a good iron supplement if you're concerned (mine usually recommends Tri-Visol) - but other than the iron she's getting what she needs from you.
You might give her a couple days off from solids if she's fighting you. Then try a bit of mashed ripe banana or avocado, or grated apple or pear. I found the local La Leche League chapter very helpful for "alternative" advice on solids - you can find one at www.lllofga.org

She w

Hi L.,
Congratulations on your beautiful 7 month old baby girl. She is so fortunate to be exclusively breastfed. Good for you!
I have been a lactation consultant for 14 years (IBCLC), and before that a full time mother to two exclusively breastfed children. My second child was also reluctant to eat solids at 7 months. But gradually she became more interested in food and eventually she did eat solids on a fairly regular basis. She was a picky eater for many years - but now as a 21 year old adult, is extremely healthy and fit and chooses to eat a vegetarian diet. We never forced her to eat. Her growth and energy level were good, and she was healthy ; so we were happy to let her add solids to her intake whenever she was ready.
I know of at least one research group in Italy that studied iron status and exclusive breastfeeding. They found evidence that exclusively breastfed healthy children over six months often had iron levels on the low end of normal, and were perfectly fine. They found that children up to nine months were able to maintain reasonable iron levels, without regular intake of solid food.
How is your daughter's growth and general health?
If she is healthy and happy and active, all is well.
Keep offering food on a regular basis (when you eat) - she might be interested in soft finger foods - eg tiny pieces of ripe banana; she might like to try something you are eating eg avocado? mashed sweet potato?
Enjoy her, and enjoy your food! She will get the idea.
If the gagging continues to be a problem, you may want to have her checked by a doctor.
All the best
Maggie

I never did cereal for either of my girls. I exclusivly breastfed for nine months and then started solids. I just mushed up what we had for dinner. Personally I don' think she is ready. She might just want to be left alone. I wouldn't worry, she'll do it when she is ready.

Hi! I also have an almost 7 month old baby girl. I started introducing solids about 6 weeks ago. I mixed a little rice cereal with breast milk (i also exclusively breast-feed). She spit it out at first and didn't seem interested at all. I put the very diluted rice cereal in a bottle with a bigger nipple opening and she drank it just fine. We did this for several days- trying the cereal by spoon and then giving it to her in the bottle and she got used to the taste and eventually took it by spoon. After a week of just cereal, we slowly added veggies and fruits, one at a time and she's doing fine now. You may have already tried this but that's what worked for us. Hope you find some success!

My now 13 month old son was the same way. He refused all baby food/cereal and bottles period. One night on impulse I took the lasagna that I made for the rest of the family and placed it in our blender and pureed it. He ate every single bite! That became an everyday thing on top of the breastfeeding. Whatever we had for dinner he had as well. If your daughter is gagging though when you feed her maybe she is not ready yet for solids. There are baby vitamins out there in a drop form that you can give her if you are worried about iron, but I would speak to her Ped about it first. My son never had low iron, but it was honestly one of my concerns as well. good luck I hope you find something that works for her.

My 3rd child was like this. At 7 months she should still be getting the majority of her nutrients from formula or breastmilk. I would just stop for a week or so, then try again. Also, if you are trying to give her cereal, make it very thin. It could be that the texture is too think for her liking. Gradually increase the thickness of it. Maybe try giving her cheerios on her tray and letting her pick those up and feed herself. She may develop more of an interest if she is doing it herself. She has plenty of time to get used to solids and she will do it when she is ready. Just keep trying. Good luck!

Hi L., my now seven year old daughter also did not like to eat solids. Her pediatrician advidsed me to keep feeding her formula and attempting to introduce the babyfood. She explained that many infants do not like the texture of smooshed, soft food so prefer milk. She also said that as long as the baby was growing properly I did not need to worry about adding variety to her diet until she was in her 9th month. By then she will be able tp feed herself with her hands or with a spoon and will probably prefer foods with more texture like the stage 3, chunkier baby foods. Well, she was right! Although Grace awoke in the middle of the night for formula feedings and did not sllep through the night until she was 9 1/2 months old, she did begin to enjoy feeding herself and eating table food and chunkier baby food. I had to allow her to ffed herself even though she was messy as she did not take kindly to being spoon fed. She is now a very focused and independent child. She still would rather not eat mushy food though. Does not like pudding, applesauce or mashed potatoes much. Still can not get her to try sweet potatoes or squash. She also has a sensory processing disorder. Is fussy about how things feel against her skin, like clothing tags, hems in socks, lace trim, tight or stiff waist bands. Keep this in mind, my doc thinks her finikyness with soft food as a baby, and her fussiness... needing to be held a certain way, only falling asleep by herself (she would wiggle and wiggle in my arms when she was tired until I put her in her basinet, then she would fall asleep) was an indication that her sensory processing is sensitive. She also has an aversion to bright lights, loud noises and is distracted easily. She eats like a champ though, loves meat, vegetables and fruit, not so interested in sweets like candy, cakes and cookies. Relax and let her find her way. Vikster.

Hi L.!

Don't force the foods. She is still quite young and if you are exclusively breastfeeding then she is getting everything that she needs as long as you are eating right and taking your vitamins. All the good stuff you take in (to include bad stuff too) goes into your milk to her.

I would back off and give her some time then and after a few months (wait till she's like 9 or 10 months) try again. I breastfed my daughter who is now 6 years old for the first year. I want to say that she was more like 9 months old before I started introducing the starter babyfood. She didn't like the rice cereal either so I didn't force the issue. It isn't worth it. I chose, rather, to pick and choose my battles and she eventually came around. I remember that she really liked the deserts LOL!! She didn't like the carrots and to this day doesn't like carrots. Kids are funny that way LOL!

Good luck and I hope this helps : )

C.

My third child would not eat solids until she was eight months old. I also exclusively breastfed all of my children (but my son was only breastfed until he was eight months old). Some kids just start the solids later than others. As long as she doesn't seem hungry she's ok. One thing with my third, we later figured out that she wanted nothing from a jar. She's a smart little cookie and she figured out that everyone else was eating from the pot and not a stupid jar and she would have nothing to do with it. She didn't even really want to eat mashed table food. So what we ended up doing was feeding her soft table foods. She did turn out to be a very picky eater though, but we did manage to hit on a couple of things that she would eat regularly. One of her favorites was macaroni and cheese (yeah of course not the boxed variety, Mommy had to make it from scratch LOL). We just made sure that the macaroni was really well cooked so she could gum it. She was on a mac and cheese diet for probably six months straight! But she survived and even thrived and now she's more adventurous with food (she's 20 months old). They do outgrow the pickiness eventually. Conversely my son ate everything he could get his hands on from a jar as a baby and now he's very picky with his food and he's six! The other thing with my youngest is that she wouldn't drink milk no matter what flavor we added to it or what fat content we gave her. But she is now starting to outgrow that too, and up to this point we have managed to have her drink calcium fortified juices. Check with your ped and see if it's a big deal, but like I said, some kids aren't ready for solids as early as others. All three of mine were on different timetables (especially my two girls, who I would say were breastfed more than my son) but they are all healthy as horses. A Question: Are you taking any iron? If her iron is a concern (and again I would check with your ped) your supplementation will help. With mine it wasn't an issue.

L., I might have misunderstood...you are not giving her solids "solids" but baby food right?? The gerber stuff, right?? It's waay too soon for solid foods, let her get familiar with her milk (or formula) mixed with a cereal and then add gradually to the cereal the banana, carrot or other sweet purees (gerber or even home made). The sweet taste is very inviting to them, you can add later all the other flavors like veggies and meats (still pureed, mind it!). I started giving my son solid foods (like coarsely mashed banana) close to 1 year old and he is been doind just fine. He never had digestive problems and he likes all kinds of foods. So my advice is to stick to a very gradual introduction of pureed foods mixed with her favourite cereal (rice is generally mild and works well, although it might get them a little constipated). Take your time with her, every kid is different and she has to get used to the new texture (you can also try to make a runny-er texture at first and later increase the thickness of the food). Good luck, it's going to be fine.

It may be the texture of the food. I have a son that is now 8 and he has never had anything soft or mushy, like mashed potatos. They make him gagge. It may just be an oral sensation that she will out grow.

I have a 6 1/2 month old little girl as well who is strictly breastfeed and we have just started solids. She gagged at first with the cereal but I mixed it with warm breast milk, making it very runny and she seemed to do better. I now make it a little thicker and she does fine. If you are concerned about the iron, you can buy the Poly-Vi-Sol (liquid vitamins with iron) over the counter and mix it with your breast milk in a bottle. I had to do that with my daughter until she started the solids. I wouldn't force the solids either, just keep trying at different times of the day and she will eventually get the hang of it. Your breast milk is still the most vital part of her nutrition- keep it up!!

Try fresh foods made by you. Start with a ripe bananna. Make sure it has several brown spots on it. Mush is with a fork and let her get used to it a little at a time. I had 6 and breastfed them all and made babyfood, started one thing at a time little by little. If you are eating a healthy diet she will be getting good nutrition.

Hi L.,

My little man is now about 14 mos. old and he too had a hard time taking to solids. As it turned out, it is allergic to rice cereal. It is quite a rare allergy. Rice cereal is normally the one most easily handled and the one doctors recommend using first. We started with tiny bits of oatmeal--watered down very thin and just a few teeny, tiny bites to start. Then we started adding in some fruits in small amounts. If it turns out that your little one also has an allergy to rice cereal, be careful when you start in with stage 2 foods. Many that you would never think to check contain rice starch and rice flour. You can check with your pediatrician but breast milk should provide sufficient iron as well other nutrients. Once she is taking more solids and cereals, you might need to keep prunes handy because the supplemental iron with decreased amounts of breast milk might cause some constipation.

Good luck!

My son (now 2) didn't like solids either. My doctor recommended supplementing with Tri-vi-sol, a liquid vitamin. I tried, but he spit out most of that, too. Eventually, he started trying to get the food off of my plate. I ended up mixing rice cereal with soft foods (like mashed sweet potatoes) until it made a ball he could pick up. He loved being able to eat all by himself. By the time he turned one, he ate everything we did. Follow your daughter's clues and remember, if you are breastfeeding, your daughter is getting the best food there is!

This may be normal for your baby. Neither of my two sons took to solids until they were almost 9 months old. My pediatrician said this was fine for this age and did not seem worried as long as they were happy and growing well. Now my little guy eats like a champ, although he never did like the rice cereal -- he preferred the oatmeal hands down. For iron you could try mixing nursing with formula feeding or giving an iron supplement.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. My first son was exclusively breastfed for 15 months, he never took a bottle or even a paci. He was not a big eater at all until I stopped nursing him. I would get so excited if he even ate 1/4 of a jar of food. You can try that yobaby yogurt. If I can recall correctly that is something that he ate. I also got those things that are kind of netted and you can put fruit or veggies in them and they can chew on them (don't know the name). But unless the doctor says her iron levels are low I wouldn't worry. My son's levels were low at one point and I had to give him vitamin drops with iron for like a month and then the levels went up and stayed up. Also try food that isn't in a jar, like a banana that you mash up or real sweet potato. Hope this helps. I can tell you when I stopped nursing my son started eating like crazy, non-stop.

I would discuss this with your pediatrician. I found less acidic fruits lik banans were a good start. Watch for constapation though!!

I also have a beautiful 7 month old daughter. She was not crazy about baby food at first. Actually for several months she really did not want to have anything to do with it. She has always been a lazy eater and I think she feels like the baby food is harder work than a bottle. She is eating pretty good now but it took quite a bit of work. She does not like the cereal by itself at all so I mix some of the cereal into her baby food (per my doctors instructions). They also feed her a mix of baby food and cereal twice a day at daycare. If your daughter is like mine it will just take awhile to get her used to eating solids. I know it is frustrating but I would say don't force it down her but keep trying to feed her a little at a time. Don't put much on the spoon and try mixing some cereal into applesauce or pears. She may just take longer to learn how to eat solids like my daughter did. She did the gagging thing too. I also have to catch her when she is hungry enough to want food but not so hungry that she is mad. Good Luck.

Do you make your own baby food? I found that my son would eat homemade fresh fruits and veggies and he refused the commercial stuff. I think it was the more vibrant flavor that made all the difference. He never liked rice cereal either. I would use that to thicken up the homemade food when needed. I also used the baby oatmeal cereal mixed in .

Hi L.! As long as you are breastfeeding, I wouldn't worry one bit about her not eating solids. She is getting all the nutrients she needs from you. Keep in mind that we are one of the few societies in the world that doesn't breastfeed exclusively for the first 3 years. No worries!! :)

Dear L., I have breastfed all 4 of my children and none of them ate hardly any food until almost 10 or 11 months old. They would just refuse it as well. I also was very nervous with the first couple that they weren't getting enough food or that they would be hungry or not grow well, but each one of them has been very healthy and strong and have had no problems. If you are worried about her iron levels you can have it checked at the doctor (it's a simple little poke to the finger or toe) and you can also get iron drops to give her if it is low. I hope this helps!

just start at givig her mashed foods for 1 week then slowly but surely every week make the food a littli bigger than the last week

Hi L. E!
Whenever you are nursing, it is usually difficult to get the child acclaimated to another form of food. For the child, nursing is not only a form of sustanance, but also a very intimate time they enjoy spending with Mom. You may want to start by feeding her apple sauce, and soft foods like potatoes, green beans, spinach, etc blended smoothly in a blender, but do not take the nursing away just yet. With the foods having a smoother texture, she may be able to tolerate them better. At the point she is able to eat the blended foods, reduce the blending slightly until she is able to tolerate food with a coarser texture. I pray this helps!

P. Y. Martin,
Family Relationship Coach
Martin Maximum Mediation, LLC
###-###-####

Have you tried mixing the foods with water to thin them? There may be a problem with the thickness, that may be why she gags. If this continues, though, you should probably check with your pediatrician. There could be a medical reason why she is unable to swallow. But try thinning them down first.

She'll come around when she gets hungry enough. Just keep offering different choices, but don't force the issue--you don't want mealtimes to become a battle. Soon, she'll be able to pick it up herself and she'll proabbly have more interest then. My daughter didn't eat much food until she was about 10 months--she was a major milk junkie. I just made sure that what she DID eat was healthy.

I'd give her a little break from it, then try again in a couple days. She'll get used to it in her own time. Things like applesauce that are a little chunkier but not quite solid are good transitions, maybe mashed potatoes. It's just a different texture for her. I agree that you shouldn't force it. Then maybe try soft pears or peaches cut up small. Don't worry, your girl will be fine. Each child is different, so don't feel pressured by others who are already on solids. It doesn't mean your daughter is any less wonderful :) Be patient, sometimes you have to offer a food 8 times before they decide they like it.

Dear L.,
My third and youngest child was this way and so was my nephew.Both of them went for actual food instead of baby foods.Take a fruit holder and put real fruit in it.(It has a mesh material enclosing food to prevent choking; that allows the baby to suck on it.)Try the biscuits that she can hold and suck on, try toast and if that appeals to her, that could be issue. Some babies don't like baby food.
I did it and my sister, first time mom, took this advice and it worked out well.(Of course her formula shouldn't be replaced yet)KEY: Let her hold her food and bring it to her mouth herself, she is making her own discovery!

My little one started with stuff like yogurt, silken tofu (mixed with pureed veggies), hummus, guacamole, applesauce and pearsauce. Actully his first "adult" food was some soup that demanded when I was eating it. your child might not be ready for food yet, but don't think that canned or boxed baby food is where you have to start. Mine wouldn't eat rice cereal without applesauce or something else in it to give it a little flavor.

Hi L.! Great job with breastfeeding. I know lots of new moms today are not going that route for various reasons. I brestfed both of my girls. My pediatrician did say when I had my oldest that breast milk will be fine for babies till they are 12 months old. Your milk has all the nutrients your baby needs.

As far as the baby food - Do you make your baby food or buy from a store. I made their food and they did great on it. When they first starting eatting it, I had to make sure it was runny. Babies have to learn how to eat solids. They would wear more than they would eat in the beginning till they learned how to take it to the back of their mouths and swallow. As they were handling the food better, then I would make it thicker. I know store baby food does try to account for this too with their stages. As far as the iron, my youngest did have low iron at 12 mo check up, but it was just 1/2 pt lower. We decided not to worry about it and she will be checked again when she turns 2. I know there are infant vitamins on the market, but I would check with your ped. before using on your child. Have fun with your baby!!

Looks like you already called your pediatrician. I started to tell you that and then realized you already did.

good luck.
aimee

I had trouble feeding my little girl solids to. Is she taking a bottle? If so, one thing that someone told me to try was to put oatmeal or rice cereal in her bottle with breast milk or formula. Start with just a little bit, then when she starts tolerating the oatmeal or rice cereal in her bottle increase the amount that you mix with the milk. When the milk starts getting thicker you can make the nipple bigger each time. Also, she is only 7 months old, it takes a while for some babies to get the hang of eating solids. So, just be patient. Start with one fruit and try it once every day till she gets the hang of it. Also, when my daughter started eating solids she would choke on certain things. You can consult a baby speech therapist. They also help with eating habits. Another thing to ask your doctor about would be if you could feed her Yo baby yogurt. It's soft and it might be easier for her to swallow.

I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet! My now 13-month old wasn't interested in solids until about a month and a half ago, and now he gobbles them up. I have 4 children and waited to introduce solids for 3 of them, until they were 9 months or older, and all are perfectly healthy. Breastmilk is still nutritionally complete after 6 months ;-) Its OK to take a break, sometimes a week or two makes all the difference in their readiness.

I wouldn't worry about. Mother's milk is the best source of food. When she is ready, she'll eat. Each child is ready in their own time. She is just isn't ready yet.

I am a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and know that SLPs can work with children with aversions to different types of foods. I just moved to GA so I don't know which hospital you would want to try, but I would call the pediatric hospital and ask to speak to an SLP. Also, check to make sure that insurance will cover it. The SLP may be able to give you some tips even if he/she can't see your daughter. I would give you tips myself, but I have not worked with that population and all I know is from grad school. I think you need some advice from someone who knows more!

Hi there,

Same problem here. My baby girl is 8 months and even though she started eating some baby food she doesn't like rice cereal at all! I just give her some cheerios and she gags too.

But every time her dad or I are eating she reaches out for the food and she tries it. I think some babies just go from formula or breast feeding to big people food.

Let me know if you find some help because I will need it too.

my pediatrician recommended polyvisol (an over the counter vitamin drop for infants) when i was breastfeeding. you can find it at most stores like publix, kroger, walmart or target. if you have trouble locating it, ask the pharmacist to show you where it is.

I could have written your post just a few months ago. My DD did not want to start solids. She would gag and would refuse to swallow any of the food. She has been exclusively breastfeeding and so I decided to just wait another month before offering any kind of food. I tried the cereal again and she refused. So, I started her on table food and she has eaten it like a champ since day 1. I started with mashed sweet potatoes and within days she was eating small soft pieces of table food. Every baby is different and it may be that she is just not ready for solids yet. Also, I wouldn't worry about the iron intake. Breastmilk is the perfect food and personally, I think that a lot of moms push their babies to eat food before they are ready. The whole purpose of giving solids is to introduce the idea of eating. Until the baby is 1 year old, breastmilk/formula should be the primary food source and the solids should supplement that. Good Luck!

There's no need to worry. Please read the following article from KellyMom.com: (you may have to copy and paste the link into your browser)

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

P.S.
You can also mix some breastmilk into the baby food, which will help with the taste.

My son wasn't able to handle solids for a very long time. The daycare tried to force the issue on us, but he just couldn't handle it! He would gag & throw up any time we tried. He finally was able to start handling them when he was about 8 months old. That was the finest pureed foods out there, too. We were able to get him on real solid food after he was over a year old. Some kids just have a texture aversion and it needs to just take time to get over it. If you're really concerned about it, ask your pediatrician. Ours recommended us to a speech therapist who helped us out. But the biggest thing we had to do was be patient and let nature take it's course until he was ready.