Not Eating Solids at 7 Months! Need Suggestions!

Try letting him "play" with food for a little while, without the expectation that he'll actually eat it. Try dry Cherrios, or the Gerber "puffs". You can also try the little "feeding rings" (Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder, a small mesh bag with a plastic ring to hold on to). You can put fresh fruit or veggies in it and let him gnaw away without worrying about him choking. They're sold at Target and WalMart. My sons loved them, especially if I filled them with bananas or peaches.

iwould wait two weeks then try again thn another two weeks and try again until he liked it. try putting a flovor in it. rice with bananas or sweet potatoes. he doesnt need food because he gets all the calories from formula getting them to eat just hlps them learn to eat and taste new foods to get ready for the real stuff at age one. he might not understand how to swallow it one idea is to put it in a medicine dropper to see if he will suck it. if you really want him to have it for other reasos they have cereal bottled you can buy or just take one of your nipples from your bottles and make its hole bigger. good luck.

Have you tried letting him selffeed? My daughter tolerates being spoon fed yogurt, but otherwise wants to do it herself. She is older (nearly 16 months), but it started early.

Cheerios, small pieces of fruit, bread to gnaw on.

Put food on his tray and see what he does.

My pediatrician is a big fan of just giving baby table foods in sizes and textures baby can handle.

Also, my daughter wasn't big into food until almost 8 months. Yogurt was a total hit.

If you are concerned about your child's feeding, don't just ask your pediatrician. Call your insurance and see if they cover any speech therapy, get some names. Call the names they give you and see if those people deal with feeding issues. Feeding issues can become (or be an indicator of) speech issues. Don't let it go, don't just rely on your pediatrician for this. My pediatrician didn't pick up on my son's issues...even when I asked. A proper SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) also helps with feeding issues. Don't get frustrated, get help!

:)
N.

I may be a little old school when it comes to this so forgive me because I hear all these doctors telling everyone to start there kids on solids a lot earlier. I have 3 boys and none of them started even rice cereal until they were 8 months old. And then it was weeks of that and then veggies, then fruits, and when they had enough teeth (almost 1) I started them on more solid foods. My boys have all been very different when it came to eating but each of them let me know when they were bored and ready for something new. So just let your son show you the way remember he is only 7 months. Good Luck!!!

Have you tried mashed potatoes? Make them pretty loose so it still seems like it's cereal. Also mashed fruits like mango- my daughter loved it as an infant and at 2 she still eats it. But this still leaves the dilema with the spoon. He still has time to eat solids- I would talk with his Dr. and as long as he's getting all the vitamins and norishment he needs I wouldn't worry too much about it. When he's ready for solids you will probably have to tackle him away from the table :) Good luck.

My DD hated cereal of any kind. (Eating cereal from a spoon is not a requirement, it took over a month of tries before the ped said we could skip it.) We tried bananas and suddently she wanted to feed. She still occassionally refuses food, but we put a tiny bit on her lip and she licks it off and decides that the food isn't so bad. It is also a good idea to feed your DS when you are eating. Try to relax and breath. Every child is different. My nephew only had cereal before 1 year. There is no right way. Trust your gut. When you care enough to ask, your mommy instincts are probably pretty good.

I would not worry about it. Babies do not NEED table food before 1 yr.

My daughter never liked cereal of any kind, so I fed her table food and organic jarred food right from the start. Try "real" food, like applesauce, baked potatoes w/butter, pancakes, pasta w/little tom sauce, etc.

I wouldn't worry about overfeeding at this age. He'll tell you when he's had enough food. During growth spurts they eat more and you just have to let them eat to support it.

~L.

Hi B.,
Have you tried yogurt, avocado, or bananas? I think it takes a lot of tries, too. Offer yogurt at every meal for a week, for example. If he doesn't take any after the 3 try, just let it go and try again the next day. Maybe try a different spoon, too. Do you put him in the high chair when you are feeding him the formula/cereal? If not, that might help. And are you eating your own food at the same time? That was the only way we could get my son to eat at first - if we were all eating at the same time. Don't stress too much, though. If there is one thing that these wonderful mommies on Mamasource have taught me, it's that everything will happen in it's own good time!

While it is still early and I don't think it will hurt him to wait you may want to try to feed him from your plate. Make a meal for yourself that is soft enough for him to handle and then both of you eat off of the same plate. Sometimes they will want it because you have it.

Try grilled cheese, mashed potatoes, applesauce, scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc. If you can get him to realize that it is good you may be able to get him to eat on his own.

It may just take some patience for him to develop a taste for the food.

Good luck!

My son had a hard time figuring out how to move the food to the back of his mouth so he could swallow it. I decided to wait a little longer before I introduced solids to him because of this. It meant I had to get up at night (which was hard), but when he finally was ready he ate really well. I did start off giving him food on my finger (oatmeal cereal) so that I could move my finger to the back of his mouth. It seemed to help him figure it out. Also, even now my son doesn't like foods that are too chunky. He doesn't mind it being thick, but he seems to get choked on chunky food.

My 3rd son was the same way. The advice of waiting for two weeks and then trying again is great advice. When I started at the two week mark, I used my finger with a dip of pear on it while I held my son. The day he decided he liked it, I plopped him in his chair and he ate like a champ. He's been doing so ever since. So don't worry too much; all kids seem to have their own time clock!

S.
SAHM of 4

Hi B.,

Call your local pediatrician and talk to the nurse.

Call your local children's hospital and talk to the nutritionist.

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.