My 7 month old is a healthy boy who loves boobie and despite our many efforts is determined not to let us put any foods in his mouth. At 4 months we introduced cereals, but he would gag and throw up so we figured he wasn't ready and waited a few weeks before trying again. When we gave it another go he did the same thing. He gagged and gagged until he threw up. We waited and then tried peas, apples,bananas, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes over the next several months offering some every day. He will not open his mouth, you have to sneak it in or use the spoon to opne his mouth, but after 2 or 3 bites he makes himself gag and we are back where we started. We never had this problem with our daughter. Any suggestions?
I should mention that he lunges toward steak, sausage etc with an open mouth and would gnaw it if allowed, but nothing mushy... and clearly he isn't ready to eat steak yet... I'm not wanting to wean him, just have the option to leave him for a bit and have some personal time or go to a dentist or doctor's apt... etc. He will not take a bottle and sometimes the occasion arrises where I need to be away from him for longer than he'd like. I need to be able to leave something with whoever is watching him if I am not back before he is hungry again... I've tried pumping and leaving a bottle or sippy cup, but that doesn't work for him... it only angers him. I don't think there is anything wrong with him... I really think he just doesn't like the baby food.
Try homemade mashed potatos! my 9 mo boobie-baby wouldn't eat anything either, we finally got her on solids by feeding her mashed potatos!
We started with steamed broccoli stems and mashed potatoes mounded up in front of Sierra on her Bumbo tray. (We skipped cereals - it's hard for the young digestive systems of babies to process cereals without discomfort. Also, I learned that purees are mainly for 4 to 6 month olds with pediatrician OK and that a 6 mo old can handle all types of finger foods with their incredible gag reflex - even without teeth!)
The approach is called baby-led weaning. I call it "Finger Foods From the Start." (I found out about it on Mamasource!)
Check out http://babyledweaning.blogware.com
It's a very informative and funny blog from a Scottish mom about her adventures with solid food.
There's a Y! group too. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/B-LW
"Baby-led weaning is an approach to the introduction of solid foods which involves babies from around six months of age feeding themselves with their fingers, thus avoiding the need for spoon-feeding and purees. Babies who are allowed to take control of their eating in this way seem to enjoy the process enormously and to become
less fussy eaters later. It's also less work for Mum! Join the group to share the experiences of those who are using (or have used) this method."
Sierra is the BEST eater. She's not picky at all and she even has multiple food allergies! She loves to try new things, especially if we say "oooh yummy (fill in food here)!"
Bottom line is that she is in control of what she eats and how much. On 2 occasions we tried to spoon feed her and she clamped her mouth shut each time. But when we placed finger foods in front of her for her to pick up she was much more happy and she actually ate her food!
I will be posting more food pics at our blog. (I'm way behind on our blog. Sierra just turned 15 mo and I'm posting 9 month entries!)
S.
Baby Sierra updates can be found at our Pregnancy and Birth Blog:
http://360.yahoo.com/ut96grad
Latest entry 7/1/08
L.,
A 7mo does not voluntarily choose to make himself gag and throw up. You need to discuss this with your pediatrician. This is not a discipline problem. His swallowing mechanism is not ready for solid foods, for whatever reason. Sneaking foods in or forcing the issue will not change that. This is not typical at 7 mos., but neither does it seem to be a life-threatening issue, so don't take it that way. It's not something to panic over, just something to ask about.
Please don't handle this as a discipline issue. Babies are not really capable of being defiant -- until they are old enough to stomp a little foot, look you in the eye, and say, "No." :-)
He's a boy. Trust me, he will eat solids eventually. By the time he is 14, he will eat everything that doesn't move!
Blessings,
P.
About me: I am a 48yo SAHM, homeschooler, mom of 3 (14, 12, 7). Our 12yo has high-functioning autism.
Some babies never do like "baby" food. Have you tasted some of it? I can't really blame them. My son breastfed til he was two and didn't start eating solids until he was almost a year, and then we went straight to table foods. He was like your son, hated baby food. But after checking with the pediatrician to be sure there was no physical reason he couldn't eat or swallow, I did start offering him mashed or cut up foods from my plate and he started to take to it.
In my opinion (and you know what that's worth!) we rush too fast into weaning our babies off the breast and onto solids. Clearly, he's making his preference known. If you are SAH, is there any reason you need to get him weaned or onto solids? If there is, try going straight to table foods, soft cooked veggies, mashed fresh fruits, finely cut meats, since I'm guessing he's not ready to chew too well yet. (there's a reason they don't have a mouthfull of teeth that early!)
On the other hand, if you don't have a problem with continuing to breast feed then DO IT! Don't let society pressure you into pushing your baby into toddlerhood any faster than you have to! They are only babies once!
Hi L.,
It sounds like your little one may not care for the mushy texture. My son did not like baby food. I would talk to your pediatrician too. I gave my son table food cut in 'little' pieces.
Hope you find the answer you are looking for.
My son was 9 months before he was ready for solids. We tried every now and then but he didn't want them. My personal advise is to just let it happen when he's ready.
Breastfed babies are perfectly fine on just breastmilk until their first birthday. It has everything they need and more.
Good luck.
I have a home day care and one of the babies is 25 months now. He will not ate reg food. At first at a 1 old he would only eat baby food. Then finally I was able to make his baby food in a Quinisart but now it can be some what lumpy but he refuses table food. He was a preemie. I am able to sneak in better foods with the blender. But sick of feeding him. Making separate food for him. He will throw up deep from his stomach not just what you are giving him. I have been putting table food down and he will lick it and put it back or throw it down for the dog. They say not to even feed them until they are around 4-7 mo and then it is only 3T of cereal or 3T ceareal and 3T veggie or fruit. To look for is can he control the food with his tongue to shove it back to his throat? Not just let it sit in his mouth. They worry about choking children. They have to have that control first. Sorry but I just do not have the answers but want you to know you are not alone. G. W
i would stop expending so much time and energy on something that isn't necessary at this point. your little boy can make it a few more months on breastmilk alone, so i'd just wait til he's around 9 months and try again.
L.,
There is absolutely nothing wrong with him just taking the breast. Nutritionally speaking, baby doesn't need anything more than mommy's milk for 12-18 months. Doc's only want you to prepare him for real food. Before that all your doing is preparing them for real food. I must say all my mother in law spoke about was feeding her babies beans and rice and all sorts of big people food from a VERY young age, 4-5 months. I completely understand about needing to be away from him longer that a mealtime, and when he gets hungry enough he will take a bottle. I don't see anything wrong with letting me gnaw on a piece of meat, as long as he can't chock, that may be what he needs to jump start his eating. But don't get worried about him just drinking your milk. He'll surprise you one day and just start eating out of the blue.
Hi L.,
Looks like you should consider the "Baby Led Weaning" method of introduction to solids
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast-voeds...
There is absolutely nothing wrong with skipping purees and the nasty cereal stuff and letting him go to town on real food, obviously you want to watch your son closely and make sure he isn't choking or anything, but he should totally be able to handle real food if he wants it at this point.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQxu2Zh9O7E - try searching "Baby Led Weaning" or "BLW" on youtube to see more examples!
Good luck!
L.
It is wonderful that you are giving your baby the best start in life by nursing. My daughter who is now five nursed exclusively for the first 12 months. we too had the problem with introducing foods. Our pediatrician who is a big supporter of breast feeding rec. to us that we just offer foods off of our plate and not make a big deal about it. She also encouraged us to never pry or force food because this was not a healthy pattern to start and it could cause more probs later. Deanna never had baby food and actually did enjoy having some of what i was eating. We had a healthy nursing relationship and I would not change it for the world. remember all children are different, my son started foods at 6 mo with no problem.
You might check with your pediatrician. NOT that this is your childs case. I have a neice whose little daughter started having trouble when starting cereals and such and had some internal problems. She had different procedures and also stretching exercises and swallowing exercises at a specialist for her throat, over several months. She is completely fine now and is almost 2 now. It also could be that he is just not ready and is refusing anything that is not milk. One of my sons would not eat any kind of meat until around 3. Our pediatrician said that it was the texture and he would eventually grow out of it. He did.
S.
My daughter was the same way but not my son. She nursed til he was 18 months old. The doctor suggested real food. Still she only liked goldfish, cheerios and breastmilk. Now she is a happy healthy 7 year old that eats everything on her plate. She was a picky eater for a while when she was littler, but our doctor said never to fix her anything special from what we were eating. We definitly benefited from it in the long run. I wouldn't worry too much. Good luck!
After 10 children and more than 50 foster children, I wait as LONG as I can to start spoon feeding. And I do it as little as possible!!
A breast baby doesn't need other food at this age. What I do at this age is put the baby in a high chair while the rest of us eat, and put cheerios, or tiny pieces of bread on their tray, and let them feed themselves if they want to. If they just slap it around and play more than eat, I put them back on the floor.
You could put this off for a couple of more months if he's fighting you.
I regret very much listening to my pediatrician tell us my son 'needed' solids as soon as he began to cut teeth (he started teething at 2 months). It was a convenience to me to give him cereal so that he'd sleep through the night. Looking back, I realize that they are that little for so short a time. I could have easily waited a bit longer had I known better.
Since then, I've known very many happy moms & kids who have breastfed exclusively or almost exclusively to one year. The moms who were almost exclusive introduced things like small pieces of sweet strawberry and avacado or sweet potato cubes(they are more nutritious & flavorful than white). Fruit, especially juicy fruit is easy to digest & not as difficult a transitional food as say, grain products.
So when you feel you & baby are really ready (not just b/c the doc said to do so), you can try this trick: Put baby in his high chair near the table when you all sit down for dinner. Place a small plate with chopped avocado or small fruit pieces on the table near you where he can see it too. Let him see you eat a piece now and then. If he seems interested, hold it out to him. If not, just let him play & watch you eat. Eventually he'll want to join in. Breastfed babies do tend to have more sophisticated pallates simply because breast milk flavor can be strong and vary depending on what you are eating & drinking. We get fresh cow's milk from a local farmer & I swear I can tell every time the cows are eating lots of alfalfa or are pregnant. Those different foods & hormones come through big time in the taste.
Kudos for B/F your little boy!
B.
Mine wasn't interested until almost 8 months. He's a great eater too. Don't worry, he'll be a good eater. Breast milk exposes them to so many flavors that bf'd babies usually have a more varied diet to begin with. Mine hated the prepared cereals and jars -- can you blame him? I ended up making my own baby food (it's very easy btw).
Breast milk is mmore nutritious ounce for ounce too. Food the first year is just an experiment. It could be that your little guy will bypass baby food all together and start with table food.
http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/bf4.asp
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp
buy a baby food travel grinder thing ($10 at Babies R Us) and grind whatever you're eating that night. Both of my kids refused jarred baby foods (have you tasted the stuff? yuck!) and ate like pigs if I grinded what we were eating. I think it has something to do with the breastmilk having more flavor than formula, so breastfed babies want to go straight to the good stuff when you start solids. That's just my guess, though, from what me and some mommy friends have gone through. lol
Good luck!!
I totally understand and have been there.
As others have told you the breastmilk is the best for him any way. I would try table food not baby food and things he could eat him self. Thaw some frozen peas, rice chex, home made sweet potato fries. I just slice them like fries spray pam on a cookie sheet then place the fries and pam them then a little salt and pepper and bake them till they are soft. My baby girl LOVES them and they are somethign she can feed herself, but plenty soft and a great first food.
Enjoy your babies. ;-)
Don't rush - the joy of feeding messiness will soon be upon you! LOL. I would just have him around when you eat so he sees what's going on. When he's ready, he'll eat. Let him try things, but don't worry about him not eating it. He may not really be ready yet.
I had the same thing happen!!! My little boy is now 11 months old and when he was 6 months old I tried to start solid foods. He wouldn't eat anything. He LOVES the boobie. I kept trying baby food until he was about 9 months. Finally I decided to stop and just started giving him real food that we would eat...little bites. He really likes to eat real food like all fruit, breads, and crackers. I think some babies just know that baby food is gross! =) And obviously your milk is all he needs at the moment or else he would be interested in baby food. Good luck!
