My baby is 8 months and he refuses to eat any type of baby food. I have tried many different types of jar baby food that can be found in the store. I have also tried some soft table food such as mashed potaoes, beans and avacado and he will not take to it. Once he see's the spoon comming close to his mouth he closes up and refuses to taste it. Any advise that you can offer on how to get him to at least try new food would be helpful
Hi,
With my kids I would put a little bit on their lips and eventually they would lick it off. Most of the time after they tasted it they would willingly open for more.
Hope this helps!
Hi there, M.,
I'm a new mom too (my son just turned 7 months).
One thought I had was using your finger to place a small amount of food, such as mashed banana, on your baby's tongue as an initial "first spoon" (a suggestion I read about from Dr. Sears). Also, I've read that it's good to let babies play with food, as it develops their interest in it and in feeding themselves. I give my son his own spoon and let him have a fun, messy time with it as I feed him. I've also started to give him little pieces of avocado and such to play with.
Have you tried rice cereal? You can start with a lot of liquid (breast milk, formula or water), and then gradually thicken.
I hope this helps. Good luck to you.
I had the same problem until we visited my mother-in-law in the Carribean. She put a baked potato, cooked squash, and some steak meat into a blender and made sure it was FLAVORFUL. That was all it took. I know it's not the American way, but they have taste buds to. My daughter was only 4 months old. She LOVED IT.
Have you tried barley? It worked for my friend's child. She had that problem as yours. I would say to you to not give up, just make it more fun for your child to try those jars/cereal. Like making plane noise, funny faces. Just don't force the child, just play it around and the child will come around later or soon. You should also ask your doctor and see what doctor has to say. Good luck.
I have a friend whose daughter was difficult to introduce foods, and she did better if she was able to feed herself finger foods. She overcooked vegetables like green beans and peas and left them on her plate to let her try them at her own pace. Soft fruits like pears and oranges cut into squares did great too. I'm sure you've talked to your pediatrician, but there are some kids that are just hypersensitive to textures in their mouth, and need therapy to help them adjust to foods. Good luck, I'm sure it's frustrating...and hope it goes well.
As a breastfeeding educator and doula here in Albuquerque, I can tell you this is really normal behavior. If your baby is breastfeeding, don't worry too much about it. He's still getting all he needs. They take cues from you and if you're stressed out about it, then he will be too! I suggest seating him at the table for each meal where you and your family sit down to eat. One approach is to wait until he requests food before offering it. Sit there, eating you own food and enjoying your meal until he reaches for your food or in some other way requests it. Then do your best to comply in a way that will satisfy him. (If he's looking for a drink, help him have a sip of your water, if it's food he wants, give him a safely-small taste.) He will guide you as to when he is ready to start eating solid foods. The beginning is just experimental--"starting solids" has absolutely nothing to do with nutrition. It has everything to do with learning how meal times work, developing eating related coordination and abilities, and, in your son's case, developing interest in his next nutritional phase. Don't worry, he WILL be eating solid foods before he graduates from high school (although sometimes we doubt!).
For our family, we found we never had to mash stuff up very much as the kids found ways to handle it in their mouths and prefered the bigger pieces they could pick up with their fingers. Also each of our children took solids at dramatically different times. My first ate well at 6 months, my second was not particularly interested until she was about 9 months old and we were holding my third back by making him wait until he was 5 1/2 months old. We always used baby-appropriate parts of our own meals for their foods. Have you TASTED the stuff in those jars? Yech. I can't blame any baby who turns that down. (Except the peaches are pretty good :) )
Anyway, best of luck with it--remeber not to stress out about it--he has very normal behavior.
Cheers,
L. M.
Hi!
I wouldn't force the issue. Just keep offering a bite here and there. When he is ready he'll let you know by reaching for the spoon/fork you're eating with. Then offer a bite of a soft food. Have you tried cherios?
Perhaps trying something he could hold onto, like a biter cookie/biscuit, so he could put it in his own mouth. Try letting him play with a spoon dipped in oatmeal/rice cereal...
Hope this helps, my daughter is going to be 3, and she has always been a picky eater, and only seems to try new stuff when her grandma gives it to her.
