Nutrition for 8 Month Old

Keep in mind all kids are different. So, no she may not be ready for those thicker foods. It's not unusual that when you start introducing foods the first thing they do is gag, this is new territory for them. Give it a couple of weeks and try again, that's all you can do with any new foods. She may like it one day and be perfectly fine with it and the next she'll hate it. This will go on for a long time to come as well. Goodluck

At 8 months I wouldn't be too concerned. I would wait a couple of months and slowly start reintroducing the thicker foods. Being breastfed gives your child almost all of the nutrition she should need. Relax new mommy, you are doing a great job! :)

Buy the book FEED ME I'M YOURS by Lansky. It will walk you thru all kinds of suggestions and stages of a baby & toddler's life w/ regard to nutrition.

It took my son quite awhile before he could he the thicker foods. He really never at the 3's. I just moved him to table foods when he was ready. He was still eating some 2's after he turned a year old along with some mushy table foods . Most of his foods he will gum or try to chew a little but swallows a lot of it. Don't worry about it yet.... just go slow and keep trying. Every baby is different and just follow her lead!

My son was the same way. Just keep introducing them. I read somewhere that it takes like 20 times for a kid to like different foods and textures..

she's telling you she's not ready. And just because the so-called experts tell you what she should be eating at 8 months doesn't mean that's what she's ready for. She actually gets plenty of nutrition from breastmilk and solids aren't really necessary. So give her what she'll eat and give her time to get her mouth and throat muscles coordinated. My youngest was exclusively breastfed for about a year and went right to table foods. So just let your daughter tell you what she's ready for instead of thinking what she's "supposed" to be doing. You wouldn't be forcing her to walk if she wasn't ready, right? As long as she's not losing weight and seems happy and satisfied then you are giving her all she needs. Relax and enjoy her!

This is pretty typical. I remember my daughter did the same thing. THen, all of a sudden, one day she just started eating everything! Just keep trying, and don't get discouraged. If she doesn't eat it, she doesn't eat it!
Good luck!

My nine month old has the same problem and he has no teeth. He is also still breastfeeding. So I have been just very slowly thickening up his food over time and that seems to be working. I spoke with the dr. and this is what she suggested. I also have given him smashed up avacado in a dip bowl (it is very messy...) and he loves to hold it and lick it and try to eat it. He doesn't seem to choke if he does it himself. He actually does really well with pretzel sticks and crackers too. For some reason if he is putting it in himself he doesn't seem to gag. Those baby puffs he ALWAYS gags on. He can also handle tiny pieces of wheat bread if I put them on the side of his mouth.

I was surprised at this with my son, because my now 6 yr old daughter (S. too) at the same age was eating spaghetti noodles and waffles!

The dr told me for the most part there is nothing to worry about, if it continues for a long time they may need some type of therapy (basically thickening the food, I guess) and working specifically on swallowing. Which you can do on your own. You can talk to your dr. about it at the 9 mo. appt.

Just remember to watch her close with the pretzel and crackers : )

Good luck to you! I used to be a teacher too, till I had my daughter!

S.

I would not worry about this. I think it sounds like she just needs thinner food for a while. There's a really good book called Super Baby Foods that you might enjoy--it talks about what your baby is probably ready for each month, and has a bunch of great advice. I didn't follow it to the letter, but got a lot of good ideas and am still using it, as my child is 14 months. And bravo for breastfeeding this long and often! Good for you, good for the baby. Take care.

Here's the info on that book:
http://www.superbabyfood.com/about-book.html

I would not worry about it... my 10.5 month old is still gagging on thicker/textured foods. He will eat a few cheerios every once and a while, but gags on anything thicker and with little chunks. He is also breastfed and got his teeth at 6 months. I don't stress about it - I just keep offering him thicker foods and finger foods to let him try and when he gags/fusses I add some BM to make it runnier or throw it back into the blender. I figure I'll be concerned if he is 18months doing the same thing. Otherwise, I let him eat at his own pace. He's healthy - that is all that matters.
Good luck!

I would agree that she's just not ready. Don't push it. Let her eat the runny foods and nurse all she wants. She's getting the nutrition she needs from your breastmilk and there's no reason to push the thicker foods on her at this time.

At 8 months since she is breastfeeding, she has all of the nutrition she needs. Solid foods are just practice for when she's ready to eat. We never bought baby food for our daughter who is now 19 months. We just gave her a little bit of whatever we were eating, smashing or giving very tiny pieces as necessary. She never ate a whole lot, but I was never worried, because she still gets breast milk which has all of their nutrients. Now she eats a lot of vegetables, fruit, meat, beans, etc. Don't stress it, jut enjoy the nursing and feed her what she grabs for (avoiding any of the possible allergens).

breastfeeding is great, though I understand that the milk changes as the baby gets older and that's when baby needs other foods, too. I'm sure she'll get used to solid foods as you continue to introduce her to them. Some children have texture or sensory issues, but most outgrow them.
If you're still concerned about the nutrition that she's getting, feel free to message me and I can get you information on the nutrition shakes that I have given my children since they were about 6 months. I nursed both of them for 1 year each, but I know that I wanted to make sure that they always have the best, and this is natural and formulated for them with brain foods, and balanced nutrition that I couldnt' get them them other ways.

If she's having a hard time with the thicker foods, don't worry about it. She's just not ready. It might also be that she is just not ready for the texture in the food that you mash up. Just wait a month or so and then try again.

My daughter, now nearly 5, was the same way. She absolutely HATED the stage 3 foods and would only eat the stage 2 stuff. Shes a good eater now, even though after she turned one and was on table food completely, she lived off of chicken nuggets and fish sticks for nearly a year with some fruit and veg in for good measure. Don't worry about it, she'll come around.