Questions on starting solids

[zoesmom2009]

My daughter is 7 mo. and I have been experimenting with solids (all homemade) for about a month. At first she really seemed to enjoy trying new foods. Now she is totally rejecting them, including her favorite bananas and solely wants to nurse. She has been exclusively breastfed up to this point and will continue to nurse until she weans herself. Is her solids strike something I should be worried about or should I just relax and go with the flow? Being a first time mom, this is all new to me. Thank you in advance for any advice or suggestions.

[Llyra]

I wouldn't worry about it, not at all. Only one of my three ate any appreciable quantity of solid food at that age, and from what I've heard talking to other mamas, that's pretty common. Some kids don't really get into much solid food until the second year of life. Just follow her lead-- her appetite will guide her to eating a greater variety of foods when she needs them, as long as you make healthy, appealing foods that are manageable for her available on a regular basis. Just don't fall into the trap of offering less-healthy stuff like snack crackers for instance just because she'll willingly eat them.

At this age, solid foods are just for fun and new experiences, not for nutrition. Up until about a year, give or take a few months, the huge majority of her nutrition should be from your milk.

FWIW, my kids always stopped eating solids when they had teeth coming in. And my kids all rejected pureed baby food after only a few weeks-- if you're offering mush, you might try offering small pieces of soft foods that she can try picking up herself, or that you can put on your finger to feed to her.

[blueridgewoman]

Yep, my daughter STILL (at 2.5) goes through stages of wanting a lot of food and a lot of variety one week and then only eating a few things another week. Generally, when she was really little, I would just sit her on my lap to eat my meals and she would eat whatever she wanted from my plate. It also had the side benefit of making me more aware of what was going on my plate.

[reezley]

Yes, what the above posters said. My two guys both didn't eat much food until 9 months or so, going through stages of being interested and not. I think it's a great idea to offer finger foods instead of feeding mushy ones, in case she finds that more interesting. Just for the new experience of it, not so much for the nutrition at first. Little cubes of cooked sweet potato, or banana pieces, or peas, or avocado pieces.

[calebsmommy25]

Oh Mama, no worries! She is only 7 months! Keep doing what you are doing, introducing purees or soft small chunks (like the pp said, banana, avocado, sweet potato, butternut squash, etc.). It is all about fun and experimenting right now. Mama's milk should be her primary source of nutrition until a year anyways! My ds started 'solids' around 7ish months, but didn't really start eating 'meals' until after a year old.

[zoesmom2009]

Thank you for the great advice! I tend to be a bit of worrier sometimes and you guys really helped me relax about the whole matter.