Almost 5mo and desperate to eat!-xposted in Nutrition

[Mirrormonkey]

So what do I do??? I had wanted to try to go at least the full six months before introducing solids, but ds cries when he sees us eating. He is not really ready physically, can't sit up on his own and has trouble getting things to his mouth accurately. Do I just keep him in a different room while we eat? I would feel awful doing that. Oh and he refuses to nurse when we are eating now too....

[sarafi]

have you tried giving him a spoon to chew on?

[Mirrormonkey]

The spoon works for a few minutes but I think he knows he is being cheated... I even pretend to put food on it.

[Bokonon]

My baby always cried when I ate without her...and she didn't even start really eating until about 5 months after we introduced solids. Just hang in there, offer breastmilk slushies and breastmilk in a sippy cup; toys on the tray, etc.

[dahlialia]

I went through this with DD2, oh, about 5 months ago now I guess (she's 10 months)

Turns out all she really wanted to be doing was tasting, not actually eating. I gave her things she could taste, a whole carrot, a big wedge of apple, a strip of red pepper, etc. Well supervised of course. If she got a piece off, she would spit it right out. It worked until she was ready to actually eat, which was more than a month later

[Baby Mama]

If your son is asking to try some food then why keep it from him? Maybe after a taste he'll change his mind or maybe he'll love it. Either way, it might be a good idea to listen to his cues rather than trying to stick to a "schedule". When our DD showed interest in solids we'd give her tastes of stuff which was, in the beginning, enough to quench her curiosity.

[Abraisme]

Both of my kids started eating at 5mo because of extreme interest. I think it's healthy and normal to follow your child's cues, not some time-line created by a doctor somewhere. I don't think that our ancestors would have waited for a set 6mo before starting solids, they'd had simply gone with what the baby wanted. If you LO can chew, swallow and pick up food then go for it!

MY DD EATING AT 5MO

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by Abraisme

Both of my kids started eating at 5mo because of extreme interest. I think it's healthy and normal to follow your child's cues, not some time-line created by a doctor somewhere. I don't think that our ancestors would have waited for a set 6mo before starting solids, they'd had simply gone with what the baby wanted. If you LO can chew, swallow and pick up food then go for it!

MY DD EATING AT 5MO

We used that EXACT SAME MESH FEEDER! DS was "eating" around 5-6 months. Like others have said, he just wanted to feel included and taste things.

[happysmileylady]

Originally Posted by Baby Mama

If your son is asking to try some food then why keep it from him? Maybe after a taste he'll change his mind or maybe he'll love it. Either way, it might be a good idea to listen to his cues rather than trying to stick to a "schedule". When our DD showed interest in solids we'd give her tastes of stuff which was, in the beginning, enough to quench her curiosity.

Originally Posted by Abraisme

Both of my kids started eating at 5mo because of extreme interest. I think it's healthy and normal to follow your child's cues, not some time-line created by a doctor somewhere. I don't think that our ancestors would have waited for a set 6mo before starting solids, they'd had simply gone with what the baby wanted. If you LO can chew, swallow and pick up food then go for it!

MY DD EATING AT 5MO

I agree with these posts. Just like some babies walk earlier than others, some roll over earlier than other, some sit up earlier than others, well some are ready to start trying solids earlier than others. If he's asking for it, why not give it a try. If it doesn't work out, you can always stop and come back. When DD2 was 4 months old, she was VERY interested in our food, reaching for it our spoons, but when we tried a bit of cereal, or even a bit of peach puree, she just spit it out. So we gave it up, tried again in another 2 or 3 weeks, and ultimately, she wasn't really eating solids until like 5.5 or 6 months. Simply giving it a shot won't hurt anything, won't physically or emotionally scar her for life.

[Mirrormonkey]

Bokonon - How do I make a breast milk slushy? Just slightly freeze and stir or add an ice cube and blend it? I like that idea!

We followed ds1's cues for eating and he started about 5 mo, I guess I just wanted to continue ebf for as long as possible, I will nurse for a few years but I like what we have now and him being my last baby and all...

And yes I love those mesh feeders!

[Norasmomma]

Both my kids were like that-my son was worse, he screamed at dinner, no spoon, cup or any deterrent of any kind would work, the kid wanted food.

I think like all things with babies it's highly individual. For me I just want to follow my baby's cues, and yeah they wanted food