Hi Mama's! Wanted to get your advice on my 7 month old. She is not interested in any baby foods other than cereal - oatmeal or rice. She can somewhat tolerate sweet potatoes and squash, but only if they are mixed with her cereal. She spits out anything else. With fruits, she does a full body shiver and looks like she is gagging. I make all her baby food. I don't think it is a texture thing because I am mixing everything down to a pudding-like texture and mixing it with breastmilk. Any advice? Do I just need to give it time? My first was extremely motivated to try just about anything and she seemed to like everything she tried. This little one is interested and seems motivated, but she just doesn't seem to like anything. For your reference we have tried the following so far: sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, peas, green beans, avacado, carrots, peaches, apples, bananas, and pears.
Moms, thank you so much for all your responses. i deeply appreciate you taking the time to answer and for your advice. Just to clarify, there is no tongue thrust reflex. That has totally diminished. She is VERY motivated to eat. She grabs the spoon, tries to feed herself, etc. Breastmilk is her main source of nutrition. I am only offering 2 tablespoons of solids twice a day. She just doesn't seem to LIKE anything except the cereal. She is eating the cereal because she is low on iron so thank goodness she likes that. For those that suggested we stop the cereal that is not an option at this point. We have tried each food for 4-5 days in a row at the doctors recommendation. When she eats the cereal she eats/swallows just fine. When she eats something else, she makes a face like she is thoroughly disgusted and then spits it back out... not with her tongue, but like a rasberry and spits with her lips.
My daughter was not a fan of baby food. She wanted to feed herself.
cut up really small peices of some soft foods, put it in front of her, and see what she does!
Not every kids takes to solids right away.
My son was just about a year old when solid food and he were more compatible.
Slow down.
Try her on some new things every so often, but there's no rush.
She just may need to mature a bit more...her gagging and thrusting it out is showing she isn't ready.
7 months is still a bit early, especially if she is breastfeeding... she gets plenty of nutrition from there.
My youngest wouldn't eat ANY solids until she was about 9 months old. And when she did, she went straight to finger foods - she would NOT let me feed her mushy baby food. Some kids are just like that I guess :)
I'd back off for a week and then try again. If she still refuses, give her some more time. At this age - and up to age 12 months - eating solids is more for practice than nutrition....they get all they need from breastmilk. In fact, my mom told me that when *I* was a baby, I didn't get any solids until after my first birthday. Things just change like that.
Anyways, once she does start eating, try letting her feed herself....she may find that better like mine did :)
Baby food always looked so nasty to me. I can't imagine eating any of it (but of course, I am not baby, so what do I know?!) Maybe the pudding-like texture is turning her off? When my youngest was 8 months she was DONE with baby food - doing the same thing your daughter is doing. I just started giving her regular food, chopped up really, really tiny. She had no trouble with that. Worth a try for you maybe. Not sure if she is too young (it's been awhile for me - my girls are 10 and 8) But I know by 8 months my daughter was chewing regular food - well, actually "gumming" it b/c she had no teeth. If she continues spitting everything out I'd wait another month and then give normal food. Good luck!
Maybe it's a texture thing. I'd personally skip the rice cereal (just filler) and worry about it later. Breastmilk should be primary til at least 1 year anyway, and she has time to experience food and isn't going hungry. My friend's son skipped baby food completely and went for the real stuff so maybe she'll be happier with little bits she can pick up vs puree. Also, maybe she's not ready to swallow more solid things yet. At 7 months, it's still a work in progress vs necessity to have meals.
Yep, seven months is still quite early for many children. Don't go by what your first child did; this child is her own person and will go for solids when she's ready. Give it time. If you push too hard she will start to associate that feeding spoon with gagging and spitting, will start to resist it, and will take longer, in the end, to get interested in solids. I'd give hera little oatmeal or rice occasionally but stop the other solids for a few months yet. It is not essential to her nutrition or development that she have these foods yet.
The same thing happened to me! My oldest was very eager about eating food. He loved it! My youngest didn't want anything to do with it. I just gave it some time. I think I waited a month before I tried again (not that you necessarily have to wait that long, I think I just realized one day that it had been that long). He was never really interested in baby food at all. He has always been an "I can do it myself" type of kid, so we had more success once he was able to try finger food.
I would say just give it time. Some kids aren't ready as soon as others. Good to know their bodies don't need table (or baby) food right now. I would try again in a couple of weeks and see how it goes.
She can wait a bit for food and introduce it slowly, you've tired quite a bit for her only being 7 months old. Start with whatever your doctor tells you or whatever you want to do and give that one food for awhile and don't mix it in the cereal so she gets the taste of that food. I always started with fruits as in my day that's what they started with but I think later they did vegetables first. Be sure it's not lumpy or too much texture for her. If she still doesn't like it just give it more slowly and don't panic because she's still young and it takes time. Start with one of this long list of foods and stick to it for a bit and then go to another one. Rushing it confuses them too. Too many strange foods to them at once.
If you are breast feeding she doesn't really need baby food for first yr. Your milk is all she needs. We reallt only start feeding this early so they can get use to textures and tastes. Also to learn how to eat with a spoon This might be her telling you she's not ready for it. But if you think she is ready then it could be the texture. Just try a little every few days..
She is still young to be doing table foods so let her take as much time as she needs. She needs the breastmilk so much more anyway.
Take it slow. There is no reason for her to have to *have* food at this stage. Offer and move on, in time when she is ready she will start to explore more.
If she really wants to do it herself, can you give her foods that she can feed herself? My second child would never eat baby food at all (except cereal). But from a very early age, he loved soft-cooked green beans. I could cut them up into pieces that were small enough that he wouldn't choke, but big enough that he could pick them up himself with his fingers. He loved them. Same with carrots, peas, bananas, or anything else you can make soft. After all, have you tasted baby food? It's pretty terrible.
If that doesn't work, just give it time.
NORMAL! She's not ready for food yet. Some are, some aren't at 7 months. Under a year, breast milk or formula is their source of nutrition. Food is just really to practice at this point. You have tried alot already!
PS You should re try MANY MANY TIMES the same foods. It may take 5 tries for the baby to like it.
PPS Make sure you're mixing it with some breastmilk or formula and some rice cereal.
