Help with Solid Food Schedule for 10 Month Old

I just wanted to pop in to say that up until at least 1 year of age, formula or milk should be the primary meal for infants and solid food is only a supplement to milk feedings.

Hi S.! I have a 3 and a 5 yr old at home as well and I know what you mean. But I toughed it out. I never let a meal pass without them having any, but milk. I used to have two high chairs set up and would do almost anything and everything including puppets, stories, funny noises...haha! Sometimes, all the baby needs are something to focus their attention to. A fun distraction that will enable you to spoon feed while he is entertained. No TV! Ex. when feeding colorful veggies like peas, corn or carrots...lay them in front of him and count them out. Say, one for my baby then one for mama, one for my baby and one for mama and incorporate some fun elements like having a pea roll off your cheek to your mouth. haha! silly i know, but my kids ate very well during this period. It just takes a lot of patience and a little bit of ingenuity. Also make sure that you're supplementing for optimal nutrition. I'm very big on my family's nutrition and that's the reason for my becoming a part of a health science company that manufacture the best of the best. Check out www.globalsynergy.usana.com and look at the nutritional products. Want to validate if it's truly the best? Check out the book: Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, by Dr. Lyle McWilliam. This book is published to help consumers find what their money's worth buying.

Take Care! M. B

Hi,
I would try cutting the milk in half and setting food out so he can fill up on both. All kids are picky eaters and stick to what they like, so put out a variety and let him have a go. Also, offer food first than milk.
L. (L.A)

He still needs his milk!!!! My baby is also 10 months and I give her yogurt or baby food (fruit with oatmeal) I also give her french toast made with the yolk only. You do know that babies should not have the whites of the egg right until they are a year old!!
I too started my baby on solids at 6 months. I could hardly get her to eat the veggies, I would have to mix it into the fruits so she would eat. Now, she won't eat them at all, the only way she will eat her veggies is if I boil them and cube them up in front of her so she can pick them up herself. It takes a long time for her to eat.....but it is wonderful to see her independence.
Good luck!

at 10 mos old, he should still be getting most of his calories and nutrition from his formula (or breast milk), at least according to my pediatrician. my son is 14 months old and in the last month just started eating solids well. what i found with my son, it's all in his time. i was concerned that he wasn't doing well with solids (lots of gagging and vomiting), but my pediatrician was correct in saying it was developmental (after a barium swallow test was done) and to keep him on formula until he started eating well. i hope this helps (as far as piece of mind). good luck.

Hi there!

I also wanted to pop on and assure you that for baby's first year of life their PRIMARY source of nutrition should be breast milk or formula. Don't stress over your baby not eating as much solids... When he is ready to eat more, he will.

Also, my 11 month old doesn't have teeth yet either and I give her cut up avocado, bananas and tofu (I simmer the tofu in chicken broth so it soaks it up and let her go to town on it! she loves it!). Maybe try letting him feed himself! Do it close to bath time cause it does create a big mess!! A fun mess though!

My 8 1/2 month old has also been on strike, though mostly just from food on a spoon. If she can do it herself, she is perfectly happy. Of course, what she wants to eat is Puffs and Cheerios (easy for her to pick up). It's a bummer to throw food away at the end of every meal, but with some perserverence she has started eating avocado, steamed carrot bits, turkey, toast, etc. Oh, and don't stress about the formula!

Also, my mom claims that when babies are teething or experiencing teething pains, they tend not to eat - the bottle may be more confortable for eating. Like other moms have said, as long as he's not wasting away, he is fine! It took about 3 weeks, but my little one is slowly coming around...

Hi S.,

I was told that eating solids twice a day is fine. My daughter is nine months and is eating just organic baby foods with cereal mixed in for some texture. She just started teething (1 bottom). He'll tell you what he needs and offering it to him is all you can do.

At ten months my son was eating breakfast at about 630/7am, a juice around 9am, lunch at about 11am, snack at 230, and dinner at 530. He would also have a bottle at 12 before naptime, one at 5am, and before bedtime. I would try some new foods. Or is your son teething? It might not feel good for him to eat. They all have their own phases and as long as he is gaining, I wouldn't worry about it. Some days my son ate, some he didn't. When my son wasn't wanting to eat, I could always get him to eat some black beans. Black beans with spiral pasta is a lot of fun (a big mess but fun for them :). Beans also have a lot of fiber and protein. He may also not be ready for a true lunch yet. Instead of lunch give him a bottle and then do dinner. If you want to pump up the milk, put it in a blender with a banana and any other fruit (even some rice cereal if you want) and pass it through a very small strainer. Put that in the bottle and give it to him for lunch instead. Just make sure you still give solids at dinner and breakfast so he continues to get used to texture. Have you done cheerios yet? My son went through a only wanting to eat by himself phase. It was a mess, half ended up on the floor, but he ate. Pasta and beans also work very well for that. :)

DEAR S.;
LOSE THE BOTTLE DONT KEEP ANY AROUND THE HOUSE. ALSO IF YOU GET SOME SIP-CUPS YOU CAN BOIL SWEET POTATES, SQUASH, CARROTS OR FRUITS PUT IN THE BLENDER YOU CAN MIX IT WITH A LITTTLE BIT OF MILK JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE IT LIQUID PUT IN THE SIP-CUP AND GIVE TO YOUR BABY. SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO REALIZE IS THAT KIDS WILL NEVER STARBE JUST GIVE SMALL PORTIONS.
BELIEVE ME IF THEY DONT SEE THE BOTTLE AROUND THEY EVENTUALLY THEY FORGET ABOUT IT. IF YOU TO SHARE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN E-MAIL ME AT ____@____.com. about the teeth some kids take longer than others but check with your doctor.

Siencerely Anna Leger

This sounds almost like my son at that age. These are the times when I'm so happy I'm still nursing because some days (and times), for no apparent reason, they will go on hunger strikes! The other thing to think about is the fact that your baby doesn't have teeth (mine didn't either until 10.5 months). I took that into consideration because biologically, it would make sense that babies without teeth don't eat as much solids as babies that have teeth (although I know there are exceptions to that).

I'm not sure what you're feeding your baby, but we didn't do very many purees at all. My son wasn't into having us feed him. So, he's always sort of self-fed which made it more fun and intriguing for him, but that way he didn't really eat as much as if we were shoveling it in his mouth for him - that was the trade off for us. Maybe your son would gradually eat more if could do it himself? Just a thought. Good luck :)

Hi S.,
During the first year, a baby gets his/her primary nutrition from fluid (breastmilk,formula). After a year, they should get their nutrition from solid food sources. Did it occur to you that he may be getting a tooth? Sometimes, when those little buggers are about to erupt, the texture of the foods feels foreign in a person's mouth. I have a feeling that this little one is getting ready to push up a few teeth. Remember that it takes a very small amount of food to nutritionally satisfy your baby's body - a couple of teaspoons - so if all he wants is formula, give it to him - and keep on offering him the food. How are his bowel movements? Keep an eye on those, it could also be a virus - so many things to watch - few to be concerned with.
Good luck. J.