Refusing solids altogether - after eating them pretty well until now.

[Blessed_Mom]

Hi,

My DD is close to 11 mo and started solids around 7 mo. She was fed some purees, some finger foods (avocado, rice cakes, puffed rice), mushed up banana, mango, blueberries etc.

She just cut her first tooth a week ago. Since a week she has refused all solid food (purees or cut up pieces). She just wants to nurse. I am happy to oblige except my milk supply was pretty low to start with and has settled down to being 50%- 70% of her needs. She is allergic and as such cannot take any whole milk nor formula (don't want to do Elecare or Neocate) and refuses all bottles and sippy cups.

Her weight gain was very slow (she is 17# at 11 months) and is now stalled due to refusing solids which made up almost 50% of her daily nutrition......

Help me please. What can I do? Why this regression? When will things turn around?

[sapphos]

we were easily at a year before dd was doing much solids and during the time she was cutting teeth she ONLY wanted to nurse. Remember it's a lot of comfort for them as well. I'd wait a bit and see if in a copule of days she's back to more than nursing. Remember this too shall pass

Originally Posted by Blessed_Mom

Hi,

My DD is close to 11 mo and started solids around 7 mo. She was fed some purees, some finger foods (avocado, rice cakes, puffed rice), mushed up banana, mango, blueberries etc.

She just cut her first tooth a week ago. Since a week she has refused all solid food (purees or cut up pieces). She just wants to nurse. I am happy to oblige except my milk supply was pretty low to start with and has settled down to being 50%- 70% of her needs. She is allergic and as such cannot take any whole milk nor formula (don't want to do Elecare or Neocate) and refuses all bottles and sippy cups.

Her weight gain was very slow (she is 17# at 11 months) and is now stalled due to refusing solids which made up almost 50% of her daily nutrition......

Help me please. What can I do? Why this regression? When will things turn around?

[Critty]

My DD went on a 6 week solids strike when she was cutting 4 teeth at once (ouch!). Before the strike she would only eat purees, after the strike she wouldn't touch them. The only thing she would eat during the strike was pureed fruit with greek yogurt and some barley cereal (all mixed together). I usually added some olive oil because greek yogurt is fat free, but it contains a lot more protein than regular yogurt. Not sure if your LO can have yogurt ... or maybe goat yogurt?

[Blessed_Mom]

Originally Posted by Critty

My DD went on a 6 week solids strike when she was cutting 4 teeth at once (ouch!). Before the strike she would only eat purees, after the strike she wouldn't touch them. The only thing she would eat during the strike was pureed fruit with greek yogurt and some barley cereal (all mixed together). I usually added some olive oil because greek yogurt is fat free, but it contains a lot more protein than regular yogurt. Not sure if your LO can have yogurt ... or maybe goat yogurt?

Critty, how did you realize that the strike was over when your LO was still refusing purees after the strike? And what did you start feeding her with afterwards?

[marge234]

I hope you can get some good advice about getting your baby enough nutrition during this solids strike. I've been having a really hard time getting our 10 mo piranha (is about to cut teeth number 9 and 10!) eating solids too. He won't eat from a spoon and, aside from puffs, has no consistent interest in finger foods. Our ped said the problem might be that I waited until almost 9months to start him and suggested a feeding specialist if things didn't improve in a week or two. That the teeth are slowing things down makes a lot of sense to me.

[Critty]

Originally Posted by Blessed_Mom

Critty, how did you realize that the strike was over when your LO was still refusing purees after the strike? And what did you start feeding her with afterwards?

I would offer her little pieces of bread or grated apple and all of sudden one day she started eating them like a mad woman. I tried purees and she closed her mouth up. I offered her little pieces again and she went for it. For a few weeks afterward I would offer purees every couple of days (I have a freezer full of them!) but she wouldn't touch them. I now mix them into things.

Good luck!

[kdtmom2be]

We're in a similar situation here and the doc got reallllly bent at our last appointment about my DS's weight gain. He's currently cutting teeth and not eating much solids either and my milk supply is not where it was with DD, that's for sure! (DD just simply wouldn't eat solids at all until 10-11 months).
What about trying to feed with a plastic spoon? We have a nice spoft plastic spoon that goes over a whole lot better than the metal ones when the gums are sore.

[MaryMarg]

As a mom of a picky eater and (professionally) a feeding specialist, I know what you're going through! Intro'd cereal and purees to DS at 7 mos and was desperate by 11 months when he would hardly eat anything (except bananas and Happy Baby puffs!). Weight gain was low for us too and I was desperate and frustrated! Even laid-back DH thought DS would never eat. We went through jags, too, where he would refuse everything for a few days. Practical tips include keep trying again and again! Keep whatever mealtime routine you have, offering various foods at different times each day. Continue with variety, along with including a food or two you know she'll eat. Try many different textures & types of food as well, as appropriate for your child's oral motor skills. High-fat foods & protein were hard for us to sneak in (and sometimes still are!) but I felt better if DS ate some avocado (had to mix with a desired food), wheat germ, tahini (mixed with yogurt or an accepted puree), an egg yolk and healthy oils. If your child is old enough and allergies are not a concern, ground nuts and seeds (pumpkin, almond, etc.--refer to Karon's Super Baby Food book) added little by little to an accepted puree also help with protein and fat. Consider varying the temperature of the foods--really cold applesauce might feel good to sore gums or warmer food may be more accepted than room temp.

Most important part--that I had to remind myself constantly with DS--is that if you are stressed, baby will know and the refusals can continue. As much as possible, simply offer the food to your DD and eat while she's eating to decrease the attention to her. She may eat nothing and you can prompt every now and then, or try to offer a bite from a spoon, but work hard to stay low-key about it. Keep the meal going as normal. Leave a spoon on her tray to hold, play with, throw (!), etc. Give lots of praise after meals when food is accepted, but otherwise OFFER, OFFER, and offer some more. I know this is hard and I was frustrated to tears at many meals, thinking I should know how to get DS to eat! It will get better with your patience and perseverance! Our job as parents is to keep the food coming and the variety high; we have to trust their little bodies to eat it! Hoping you'll see change soon! Best wishes!

[sapphos]

Originally Posted by marge234

I hope you can get some good advice about getting your baby enough nutrition during this solids strike. I've been having a really hard time getting our 10 mo piranha (is about to cut teeth number 9 and 10!) eating solids too. He won't eat from a spoon and, aside from puffs, has no consistent interest in finger foods. Our ped said the problem might be that I waited until almost 9months to start him and suggested a feeding specialist if things didn't improve in a week or two. That the teeth are slowing things down makes a lot of sense to me.

Is your pediatrician nursing friendly? I wonder because to say that you might have waited "too long" to start him on solids? There are cultures out there that don't even worry about starting on solids under one year old. Maybe it's just too darn uncomfortable to eat foods with all those new teeth... have you tried any of the baby led feeding sites for lots of other thing you could try getting him interested in playing with?

[marge234]

Originally Posted by MaryMarg

As a mom of a picky eater and (professionally) a feeding specialist, I know what you're going through! Intro'd cereal and purees to DS at 7 mos and was desperate by 11 months when he would hardly eat anything (except bananas and Happy Baby puffs!). Weight gain was low for us too and I was desperate and frustrated! Even laid-back DH thought DS would never eat. We went through jags, too, where he would refuse everything for a few days. Practical tips include keep trying again and again! Keep whatever mealtime routine you have, offering various foods at different times each day. Continue with variety, along with including a food or two you know she'll eat. Try many different textures & types of food as well, as appropriate for your child's oral motor skills. High-fat foods & protein were hard for us to sneak in (and sometimes still are!) but I felt better if DS ate some avocado (had to mix with a desired food), wheat germ, tahini (mixed with yogurt or an accepted puree), an egg yolk and healthy oils. If your child is old enough and allergies are not a concern, ground nuts and seeds (pumpkin, almond, etc.--refer to Karon's Super Baby Food book) added little by little to an accepted puree also help with protein and fat. Consider varying the temperature of the foods--really cold applesauce might feel good to sore gums or warmer food may be more accepted than room temp.

Most important part--that I had to remind myself constantly with DS--is that if you are stressed, baby will know and the refusals can continue. As much as possible, simply offer the food to your DD and eat while she's eating to decrease the attention to her. She may eat nothing and you can prompt every now and then, or try to offer a bite from a spoon, but work hard to stay low-key about it. Keep the meal going as normal. Leave a spoon on her tray to hold, play with, throw (!), etc. Give lots of praise after meals when food is accepted, but otherwise OFFER, OFFER, and offer some more. I know this is hard and I was frustrated to tears at many meals, thinking I should know how to get DS to eat! It will get better with your patience and perseverance! Our job as parents is to keep the food coming and the variety high; we have to trust their little bodies to eat it! Hoping you'll see change soon! Best wishes!

Wow, thanks for this. Interesting what you say about being low-key. I think DH gets marginally better results than I do and it may be because he's less anxious about it. We'll keep trying different foods, different temperatures, different textures.

[marge234]

Originally Posted by sapphos

Is your pediatrician nursing friendly? I wonder because to say that you might have waited "too long" to start him on solids? There are cultures out there that don't even worry about starting on solids under one year old. Maybe it's just too darn uncomfortable to eat foods with all those new teeth... have you tried any of the baby led feeding sites for lots of other thing you could try getting him interested in playing with?

Ped is not nursing unfriendly but was concerned about DS's iron--which was was low--and seemed to think getting them used to eating from a spoon is easier when their 6/7 months than when their older and grabbier. That teething is affecting things makes a lot of sense to me.

Yes I've got some books and sites. And ped said can give DS just about anything we eat as long as we can break it into small enough chunks. So far we've tried avocado, sweet potato, a number of indian dishes, yogurt, beans, eggs, pasta, all kinds of purees, oatmeal and rice cereal. The only thing he'll consistently eat is puffs. We were getting a few bits of avocado into him but lately he's been shutting them down.

As PP suggested we'll just keep offering and trying.

I feel for OP--she's not got sufficient supply and her baby won't take a bottle. I hope someone has some advice about this for her.

[Blessed_Mom]

Originally Posted by marge234

Ped is not nursing unfriendly but was concerned about DS's iron--which was was low--and seemed to think getting them used to eating from a spoon is easier when their 6/7 months than when their older and grabbier. That teething is affecting things makes a lot of sense to me.

Yes I've got some books and sites. And ped said can give DS just about anything we eat as long as we can break it into small enough chunks. So far we've tried avocado, sweet potato, a number of indian dishes, yogurt, beans, eggs, pasta, all kinds of purees, oatmeal and rice cereal. The only thing he'll consistently eat is puffs. We were getting a few bits of avocado into him but lately he's been shutting them down.

As PP suggested we'll just keep offering and trying.

I feel for OP--she's not got sufficient supply and her baby won't take a bottle. I hope someone has some advice about this for her.

What do you mean when you state you tried Indian dishes? What kind?

[MaryMarg]

Blessed_Mom--just checking on you--how are things going with DD?

[Blessed_Mom]

Thanks for checking in... they are the same, unfortunately. Some times (not days) she eats a bit better but for all practical purposes she is still in the "refusing solids" mode. I curse that my milk supply is not abundant. I am the sort of the mom who doesn't mind her DD being attached to her 24/7.

Marge - thank you for the pm.