delaying solids due to digestive issues

[Tattooed Hand]

My 9.5 month old DD is not doing well with solids. She's only been eating solids (we delayed until 8 months because she has multiple food sensitivities through my milk) for about 4 weeks. But in that time her sleep has gotten terrible. She wakes every 1-2 hours, has disturbed naps and is often awake at least once a night for 1-2 hours. She is very gassy, straining alot, not pooping some days (though pooping alot other days) and I can often hear her stomach gurgling. We've scaled way back with solids, only giving her a few select fruits and veggies, because she has a horrible time with anything else. Her sleep has improved some, but not all the way.

Is there anything wrong with stopping with solids all together, at least for a couple of weeks (maybe longer?) and seeing if that helps? I don't know why but I feel like I should be trying to give her solids but her super sensitive system really does not seem ready AND we are both exhausted...

[CheriK]

No, of course there's nothing wrong w/ stopping solids to give her GI tract some time to heal. Until she's about a year old, your milk contains all the nutrients she needs.

But, what's her response to solids? Is she eager to eat and trying to get solid food? If she doesn't really care about solids or has to be coaxed to eat, then she's probably trying to follow her body's cues that her system is really not ready for something other than your milk. If she's really eager and insistent on eating, then you might try to focus on one or two low-allergy foods for now so you can still allow her to explore and learn about eating without stressing her GI tract.

[momto4plus4]

We had to cut out all solids with ds1 until 10 mths. He had bad gi issues and bloody stool (allergic colitis) and just could not tolerate solids. Then we had to be very selective and go very slow. We avoided super sugary foods like fruits and carrots until later. He struggled with grains. It was real hit or miss with him. I'd trust your instincts. For us, just because he liked (still true with some foods) something didn't mean he could handle it, even in small amounts.

Also, my babes have tended to swing from diarrhea to constipated when they start solids. So frustrating. We avoided prunes as they caused such bad gas and stuck with "P" foods: pears, peaches, peas.

[smeep]

I'm a big advocate of child led solids. The idea of babies eating a large amount of solids is NOT biologically normal. It was pretty much introduced with formula. The idea is to get them used to a lot of solids so that by a year they can wean off of formula and onto a diet consisting solely of solid foods and cow milk. Babies who are nursing on demand will get enough from breastmilk and will almost ALWAYS signal on their own when they need additional nutrients from solid foods. It is quite rare for a baby who is allowed to nurse and eat solids at THEIR own rate to eat a lot of solid foods prior to a year. Many babies will eat very few solids until 18-24 months, sometimes even later. Babies are amazingly great at listening to their bodies, and your LO's body is saying that she's not ready. I also think that pureed foods are useless for nursing babies. When they can look at real solid table food and decide to pick it up and eat it, then they're ready and they will pace themselves, sometimes grazing all day and then showing no interest for the next two days. We weren't born with charts that told us when to start solids on our babies, nor were we born with blenders to make purees.

In other words: She's fine without the solids! Don't worry! She's listening to her body and if you listen to her she will tell you when she's ready. My DS didn't start eating solids 5-10 times a week (by times I mean like a snack or perhaps a full meal counting as one time) until he was 15 months. He just wasn't ready until then and breastmilk provided all his nutrition.