My exclusively bestfed son just turned 8 months old today, and so far I think he has yet to swallow 1 Tbsp worth of solid foods. We started solids at 6 months and first we tried rice cereal, then baby oatmeal (both mixed with breastmilk), and since we have tried bananas, sweet peas, pears, apples, and sweet potatoes (all 1st foods). He has seemed totally revolted by all of them, and as soon as he sees the spoon coming, he clams up right away and doesn't want any parts of it. When we are able to trick him and get some in his mouth, he twists up his face, shivers and gags, as if we've put the most revolting thing in his mouth. I feel bad for the poor guy! He seems happy and content and it continuing to gain weight, but I would still like to get him eating some solid foods sometime soon. Any suggestions? Do I just need to be patient and all of a sudden one day he will be able to handle it? Thank you!
Thanks to all the wonderful ladies for your very helpful responses! Mostly, I'd like to thank each of the moms who encouraged me and reassured me that breastfeeding is all he needs right now. I know that, but it's great to hear that reassurance! To answer some of your questions, my son was sitting very well at by months, rolling over, etc, and he has been showing a lot of interest in solids for a while. He watches us, licks his lips, and lunges for our plates every chance he can get, but once you get it past his lips, he just gags. Based on some of your suggestions, we decided to give him a week off, and then tried again. He seems to be doing slightly better and we are optimistic that if we continue to give him time, he will improve on his own. I plan to (but haven't yet) try some of your suggestions, like making my own baby food, adding yogurt to cereal, and trying the mesh teether (why didn't I think of that?). We will definitely discuss this with his pediatrician at 9 mos, and b/c our ped is very pro-waiting-until-6-months-for-solids, I am optimistic that she won't try to encourage us to force it down his throat. We are still putting him in his high chair at meal times and getting him used to sitting with us at meals. Thanks again!
All little ones move at their own pace and I know you probably heard that a ton of times, but it's true. He will come around.
Obviously he is not ready. Don't force this on him and let nature take it's course. Stop feeding him solids but continue to put him in a highchair or booster seat so he stays used to it. Try again in a couple of weeks. He will get interested just not yet. I wouldn't worry about it at all. I would do what one of the pp said try making your own baby food maybe he'll like that better. All kids are different and some have to get used to the eating thing. My daughter ate pureed foods at six months but didn't start eating real food until she was about 14mo and even now still won't eat some foods unless it's pureed. She will figure it out.
My sister is having the same problem with her 8 month old. She's had more luck with getting those mesh bags and putting a soft piece of fruit in it and letting him suck on it and get to like the taste without the texture. Maybe that would work for you
I agree with all the moms who wrote that there's no rush. One thing I will mention, though, is that one of my little guys wouldn't eat cereals unless I mixed in some plain nonfat yogurt. I thought it would be too sour for him, but another mom suggested it - and voila!
Do you have a history of allergies in your or your partners family? Even without a history, sometimes babies who are allergy-prone will keep themselves from eating solids for a while as a self-defense mechanism to prevent allergies.
The good news is, that since you're breastfeeding, it is nature's perfect & whole food. As you probably know, the make-up of breastmilk is constantly changing to meet your son's needs.
Dr. Sears actually suggests holding off on even introducing solids until somewhere between 6-9 mos. Even after that, I know of a couple of babies who self-delayed & just nursed until they were about a year old. One of them eventually needed a whole food iron supplement, but other than that, was perfectly fine. He litterally came up to the table one day, grabbed a piece of food & walked off with it!
If it were me, I'd ease off. Still offer things to him every now & then (maybe a bite of your banana or something like that) but don't panic if he refuses. When he's ready for solids, he will let you know!
www.AskDrSears.com has some good info on foods to introduce (and when) to avoid allergies. Avacado is usually a good one & banana & sweet potato.
Hang in there though! Clearly your milk is doing an excellent job of keeping him happy & healthy! GOOD FOR YOU, MAMA!
Congrats on your success with breastfeeding. Someone posted about how their pediatrician follows the AAP guidelines. Not sure if that mom has a formula fed baby so maybe her ped was telling her to introduce solids early. I copied and pasted the AAP guideline, here they are:
Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child. Complementary foods rich in iron should be introduced gradually beginning around 6 months of age.
This is from http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/ped...
We tried introducing solids to my breastfed son at 6 mos and he had a strong gag reflex. We continued to gradually offer a variety of homemade and jarred foods over several months, because he showed such interest, but he continued to gag. We had him evaluated by and Ear Nose and Throat doctor and he found nothing structurally wrong with him but sent us for a barium swallow study. The radiologist said all she saw was weakness and recommended therapy.
When he was 10 months old I had him evaluated by Early Intervention, which is available to you free through you county, you can self refer or your pediatrician can. Part of the reason he qualified was because he got the diagnosis of dysphasia (swallowing disorder). After a month of therapy with an occupational therapist, who specializes in feeding difficulties, he is now eating a few bites of pureed food about 3 times a day. She did vital stim to strengthen his muscles.
Would he have stopped the gagging on his own by 11months if we had just waited? Maybe, but for us it was becoming difficult because he also never could take a bottle or sippy and when I would leave for my part time evening job my husband was always having to bring him to me at breaks to nurse. This was not a big deal at first, but after 10 months of dragging my 3 year old and infant out on the winter nights it was really inconvenient. Now he doesn't have to bring him to me because he can keep him satisfied with the few bite of food and sips of juice.
Your local La Leche League may have books you can borrow of feeding. Please post what ends up happening.
Good luck,
S.
Both my 3.5 y.o. daughter and now my 11 m.o. son were exactly the same. I didn't introduce solids (pureed banana with breast milk) with my daughter until 8 months and we have a video of her gagging and shivering just like your son. It didn't look like a very enjoyable experience ;- ) She just wasn't ready. We tried a month later and still no real interest - she preferred to nurse. We left her alone and tried again when she started grabbing at our food/forks when at the table. She didn't really start eating until 11 m.o. and it was still mostly pureed baby food until after her 1st birthday. My son is similar. I tried to give him some baby jar food (chicken and stars) and the tiny weeny little stars made him gag, vomit and then he went on an eating strike for 4 days! Don't push it unless your son is underweight or your pediatrician has a serious concern. Otherwise just allow him to enjoy as much of your most nutritious milk and try every now and again some cheerios or baby cereal or soft baby food. Don't worry, they all survive. Good luck!
I STRICTLY breastfed our little guy till he was 9 months old. He went on some baby food for about a week and then we started feeding him from our plates. There were still DAYS after he started "eating" that he would only breastfeed.
Breastmilk is perfect for him. It has everything he needs. Forget other food for now. He'll let you know when he's interested in more.
You're doing great just by breastfeeding. If he's still growing and thriving- which it sounds like he is- he's getting everything he needs right now.
All babies start eating food at their own pace, and he just really enjoys the boobies! :)
I agree with another mom on here: keep putting him in his highchair so he's used to it, and I think that once you have him in it you and hubby should eat in front of him. He'll pick up on what you're doing and eventually he'll want to do what mommy and daddy are doing.
Just enjoy your mealtime together, and make sure the little guy is watching. Thats what we did and my son picked up on eating solids around 8 or 9 months and loves it now.
Good luck and keep doing a great job! :)
My oldest daughter was the same way. She even gagged on the vanilla custard and refused to swallow it. At 1 year old she went directly to table food obviously cut/shredded and mushed so she could swallow it.
I believe there is no nutritional reason to feed him any types of solids yet. He gets everything he needs from breast milk.
Hi L., There are several things that could be effecting your son. It could be something as simple as the texture or tempture of the food. It could also be that he just isn't ready or that you are switching foods too quickly. It takes 15 tries (so the experts say) to find out for sure if a child doesn't like a food. Maybe you should just start feeding him stuff from your plate (like mashed potatoes etc) to see if he likes the "real" stuff better. Some kids are like that too! If he has a couple of teeth soft canned veggies, mashed or baked potatoes etc will be fine in small bites. Think outside the box and you will get through this...just remember, if he is hungry he will eat and as long as he is gaining and growing he's fine! Best wishes.
My little guy was never much into the prepared baby foods you mentioned above. He wanted the real deal. So, i would puree sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, pretty much anything plain, myself and he would eat them up. He didn't even last very long with those until he just wanted normal food that we were eating. I just made sure to cook everything to make it nice and soft. He would never eat any of the prepared kids meals, even now, from gerber graduates and the like. Good Luck.
My youngest daughter would not eat anything out of a jar!! I had to make all of her baby food. I had 2 books and it really wasn't too difficult. I made a bunch and froze most of it. You can easily cook up apples or pears or peaches and puree them. My oldest daughter was always a good eater and by 9 months she was on all table foods (not pureed just cut up small). She only had 2 teeth so I was nervous about choking but her Dr. said to skip stage 3 and go right to table foods. Both girls were breastfed until a year too. I would keep trying different textures. (I know its hard with allergy testing though) Don't force him, he will come around. Good luck!
Have you spoken with the pediatrician about this reflex (the gag reflex)?
It's usually normal for babies to have the thrusting reflex when first being introduced to foods, but they usually quickly learn to stop thrusting and to start swallowing.
If it were my child, I would be concerned. Perhaps it has something to do with the consistency of the foods you're giving him that he's not handling well. Perhaps if you tried small pieces of foods that he can gum instead he may be more willing to try solid foods.
I'm in the small minority here who introduced solid foods early (4 months) based upon the advice of our pediatrician (who follows American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines to a T - the only one we've yet to disagree upon is discipline) and both of our children being well above the 75th percentile on height/weight. Both took to solids very well and have continued to thrive.
My best advice is to call the pediatrician and ask if this is normal for an 8 month old.
Good luck.
I would consult your pediatrician for his or her take on the situation. It's still early for some to take to solids, and foods your son could suck on and start enjoying the taste of might make him more interested. With my son, white cheddar cheetos (or whatever the brand is -- less messy than orange ones) and graham cracker sticks helped him make the transition. That said, his gag reflex was a serious matter that didn't get resolved until he was over two. As long as your baby is meeting other milestones (rolling over and sitting, for instance), he'll probably be fine with eating before long, too. Best of luck!
I like the idea of continuing to have him in the high chair (or whatever) and watching you eat. Is he curious and interested in what you eat? I always ate my breakfast in front of my son (oatmeal) just because he was such an early riser. He was super-interested in it, and he would startle if I moved my mouth to talk or do something other than eating. Though my ped gave me the greenlight for solids at 4 months, I had been planning to wait till six. By 4 and a half months my son wouldn't wait any longer. No toy could distract him from my bowl, so I got him some cereal of his own. He ate solids like he was born to do it!
Another thought, does your son mouth toys and things a lot? You could put a Gerber puff (my son likes the sweet potato ones best) on his tray and see if he'd pop it in his mouth. They dissolve fast with even a tiny amount of saliva- try one yourself and you'll feel less anxious.
My son hated rice cereal too until I started mixing pear juice or apple juice with it. (I make it a little liquidy) Plus- he hated the spoon until recently. He would get frustrated that food didn't automatically dispense out of it. LOL! I found a combination spoon/bottle thing that worked for a while! (unless he got used to the spoon)
NUBY Natural Touch Silicone Travel Infa-Feeder
http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product...
At least for breastfed babies, the recommendation is breast milk almost exclusively for sometime. No worries... it will happen. Good luck! ;)
