Am I the only mom who's 9-month-old isn't really interested in solids yet???

[mamathomas]

It certainly seems like I am!

DD isn't really interested in eating anything beyond Happy Baby Organic Puffs and Yogurt Melts, which she loves. Sometimes she'll eat little bits of soft diced fruit or veggies, maybe a little macaroni with spinach sauce. She refuses anything coming at her on a spoon! I don't make a big deal about offering and certainly don't push her at all. I'm a SAHM so she can breastfeed whenever she wants so I know she's getting good stuff there. She also gets a teaspoon of flax oil daily, and I sprinkle nutritional yeast on whatever I can.

Plus, she's small. At her 9 month check-up she weighed almost 16lbs. and was 28.25". She has dropped off a little on that damned chart. But her ped. is not too concerned. He just suggested trying to offer higher protein things like hummus, yogurt or chopped chick peas (which she thinks are great for tossing!). And he said she could just be petite (which I am) or she's going to be long and lean (like dad).

But I do get discouraged by people constantly telling me how tiny she is, and then saying, "Well, if she ate something she would grow!"
WTH? You can't force a baby to eat people!

I try to stay optimistic and feel secure that she will eat when she's ready to. But I feel a bit embattled lately.

I can't possibly be alone, right???

[LadyCatherine185]

My DS wasn't really eating solids until well over a year, and didn't seem to REALLY enjoy them until about 15 months. And he has always been big, 90th % for weight, so it has nothing to do with how much she is eating! If you are BF'ing on demand, she is getting all she needs. You are doing a great job following your babies lead and your instincts.

[newmothermary]

At 11 months, Miles is just now letting spoon feed him. We are doing a combo of blw and spoon-feeding. He seems interested in everything we're eating but he mostly gnaws and gets very little in. He has an allergy to wheat and eggs so that limits us too on what we can give him. His weight started to level off @his 9 month checkup. And even though he's healthy, HAPPY, alert and meeting all his milestones, the ped wants to see him gain more than he is. She does tend to be a bit of an alarmist so I take it with a grain of salt. He has been eating more in the last week or so, so we'll see where he's at.

Your baby sounds just fine to me. Not all babies gobble food up at this stage.

[elmh23]

My dd rarely ate anything until around 18 months old when I got pregnant and my milk lessened. I remember around 12 months her eating pasta and enjoying it, but pretty much everything else was a no go for her.

At her 12 month appt I asked her doc about it and he said as long as I was fine continuing to nurse, then she'd be fine for awhile longer. I believe he said he wouldn't worry until either I weaned her or she was close to two.

She's now a very typical 5 year old!

ETA: My dd was a chubby lil' one so it had no effect on her weight. My ds on the other hand LOVED food and was a whopping 18lbs at one year and 22lbs at 2 years. He's almost 3 and somehow reached 30lbs recently, though we're not sure how cause he still doesn't eat a whole lot and you can count all his ribs/see all his veins.

[ShadowMoon]

My babe was EBF until 8 months old and wasn't eating solids regularly until 12 months. He's always been small, (He's 3 and 30 lbs, but dp and I were around the same at his age). I always offered him foods we were eating but he would just pick at it.

He's now a happy, healthy little boy that LOVES food. He eats all of the time. I would continue to offer healthy, fatty foods (like you already are) and follow her cues. People will always have comments, just know you're not alone and try to ignore them as best you can.

[melamama]

It's such a bummer to get the comments from other people (and family members) but it's so not a big deal. I have a 6m old who I am not stressing about starting solids with. She is sort of curious but it's not a big deal to me. My first dd started solids closer to a year, but didn't really eat-eat until closer to 18m. Now she is a tall strong 10y who eats everything (really).

If you're bfing, that is more nutritious than any beginning foods you would be feeding her, so I'm not sure what people expect you to be giving her to pack on the pounds (rice cereal? just kidding). If you do eggs, high quality egg yolks with good (pastured) butter are really good first foods.

All babies learn to eat food. They have their entire life to eat all sorts of different kinds of food and will (except of course for that period around 3y when they only seem to want to eat bread and cheese and crackers).

Let the beginning foods stage be fun. It will come, it's also the beginning of the end of bfing (even if they go on to bf for 3 more years!) so don't fall into the trap of rushing getting older.
Hang in there

[teagan01]

My 8.5 mos olds only get 2 tbsp of Cereal and a Fruit or Veggie a day. I am not in a rush since I am BFing and I want to continue my milk supply (especially since I have twins). I may increase it over the next month or two but will not be replacing feedings anytime soon.

[dex_millie]

DS didn't care for anything until around 14months and still was about 90-95% breastfeed until 18months. DD is the complete opposite though.

[babygirlie]

Mine eats purees and rice cereal. She is 16# at 9 months old. She was in the 25th percentile. It's possible they put her on a different scale though since she was 6wpremature. I have given her food but she just drops it. She isn't too interested in putting things in her mouth. She put her arm in her mouth because I taught her it makes a funny sound when you put something up against your mouth and take it away. So she does that and she is working on her third tooth and enjoys chewing on me which hurts, but she's really not interested in chewing on toys quite yet. She will a little but not enough. She also won't take a pacifier. She just isn't orally into things.