My Daughter Stopped Eating Solids

She might be teething. My son was teething horribly at 8 months and didn't have near his normal appetite. Once those teeth came through he was back to normal.

maybe she is getting a tooth.

It is hard to say but she may be teething which can cause decrease or loss of appetite.

Hi there,

Our daughter did the same thing. She stopped eating "solids" from about 8-10.5 months old. She just breast fed. I was so upset by it, but tried to calmly offer her food every mealtime. She just refused. She finally started eating again when she was big enough to handle small pieces that she could feed herself. I never force fed her, but I wonder if it was just a control thing, that she wanted to feed herself.

She did loose weight during this period, which worried me, but she went from being in the 97th percentile to about average and has stayed there ever since. Maybe she was just feeling fat compared to the other babies. :) Anyway, I'd just follow her lead.

You might want to check out this site: www.baby-led.com
Our pediatrician suggested it, but our daughter was beyond that point by the time I found the site.

Good luck!

H.

My 9 month old daughter did the exact same thing! Once i started introducing other foods to her, such as, Graduates Puffs and little bites of goldfish crackers etc, she was hardy interested in her baby food. I have talked to many of my friends that have little ones around my daughters age and most of their kiddos went through the exact same thing. My daughter is nursing perfectly still an because of this her pediatrician said that she more than likely is bored with her baby food, now that she has tasted "real" food. If she is still nursing well and seems content, I don't see ANY reason to worry! Oh and I almost forgot, my daughters poop is back to newborn like poop with some thicker consistency from time to time. My suggestion would be to introduce her to the Graduate puffs.. they dissolve fairly quickly and my daughter loves them. SHe also loves her "baby goldfish." They are these little mini goldfish. Also, when you feed her solids, make sure you offer her plenty of fluids in either a bottle or sippy cup. My daughter seems to get thirsty easily when eating. I hope this helps.
God bless!
J.

Kids go through stages with eating. As long as she's healthy, I'd simply keep on offering and not worry. She's just as likely to begin eating heartily one day and surprise you. Are you feeding her from the baby food jars or are you giving her table food? If you are using the jars, you might want to see if you can interest her in table food. I always recommend having a child sit at the table with the family to eat solids, as it gives them the idea they are part of the family and as they observe the parents (and siblings if there are any) eating, they are more inclined to try new foods. Simply choose the foods you are eating that can be mashed or chopped up for her, and offer her those.

I understand how worried you must feel when your baby won't eat. I just went through the same thing and realized my little girl didn't want her baby plates and baby spoons. She wanted her food in a glass bowl and a silver/metal spoon....just like mom and dad! I don't let her near the bowl of course. She eats best when we are all sitting together. So I encourage us to eat dinner together every night.
Try that whithout changing the food you were feeding her. I don't advise you get her used to snacking. There will plenty of time later to introduce her to snack food. This is the time to train her to eat veggies. Also, try not to breast feed her too soon before dinner time. That was also causing mine to not want food.
Good luck and keep us posted on what worked.

Hi J.,

I agree with many of the other mothers – maybe she’s teething. My son is teething right now and it’s a real challenge to get him to eat.

HERE’S WHAT WORKED FOR ME:

Vanilla yogurt

I was recently complaining to my son’s Great Grandmother about his eating issues and she suggested that I put the food I want him to eat on the spoon and then put the food he loves on the front of the spoon so he gets that first and eats all his food. This works well for me most of the time.

However …

There are times when I find there is nothing I can do to get him to eat. SO, just today I tried just yogurt mixed with cereal (mixed with the cereal for the nutrients) he loved it! It was cool and was a taste he likes.

I know how you feel, though keep in mind, babies do not starve themselves to death. They just get super fussy and make the feeding process difficult for us.

Best of luck,
D.

Could she be teething? My son seems to stop eating every time a tooth pops out. If he doesn't want to eat baby food he is still interested in Cheerios so I give him that along with milk.

Pretty normal I think, especially if her behavior seems pretty much the same. All my kids went through phases where they would not eat much. Worried a lot about it with my first two...not much with my third. She actually showed no interests in solids at all until she was about 7 or 8 months. She is 2 1/2 now and we have many a nights where she eats very little for dinner, then one night she will eat a ton. As long as she is gaining weight and acting normal, I don't think you should worry. At her age, it is just a time to explore food, she isn't getting her main nutrition from it. Her main nutrition still comes from breast feeding.

Hi Julie,
Unless you start to notice other problems I wouldn't worry about it. Your baby is still getting all the nutrition she needs from your breast milk. Solid food at this point is more about curiosity, texture etc. The bulk of the nutrition comes from your milk. My son did not really eat solid food until he was a year old - but he is strong and healthy.
Take care.

Hi,
My daughters stopped eating as much solids whenever they were sick, or teething. It resumed back to normal as soon as they were feeling better.
I would try having solids available at each meal as usual and seeing if she is interested. Maybe touching a bit to her lips so she gets a taste, but not forcing it. Also, try giving her soft finger foods and see if she would be interested in feeding herself, or seeing it on your plate first and then given to her (my girls always loved mommy's food better then their own). If the problem is still going on after a week or two check with your doctor and maybe inquire with a nutritionist. Good luck!