Please reassure me about 7.5 month old not wanting to eat solids...

[BabySmurf]

So DS is 7.5 months old and he still has no interest in solids...he will act like he wants what i am eating, but really he just wants to teethe on it...or lick it like he licks EVERYTHING.  I had wanted to do BLW, but my pedi has me paranoid about him not eating any solids yet.  I know all the research out there says that this should be fine, but as a FTM, i have nothing to compare to!

my question is, did you have to "teach" your LO's to eat, or is it something that they will just do on their own?  I kind of broke down and tried spoon feeding to see if it went any better, and the only way he takes anything is if it's just BM on his spoon...and even then he spits most of it out.  is this normal? when and how did you know your LO were ready to eat? i really don't want to force food down his throat - i'm so confused, lol!

[LittleBirdy]

Just keep offering.  Whether it's BLW or spoon feeding, that's the most important thing - keep offering.  Things they turn their noses up at this month they might scarf down next month.  So just take a little time out of each day when baby is in a relatively good mood and offer up something.  IMHO it doesn't matter if it's purees or BLW as long as you're careful to watch cues and don't try to force your LO to eat.  We tried BLW and it just didn't work for our family - DH and I sat on pins & needles constantly worried about choking.

What sorts of foods have you tried?  The first thing my son really found tasty was squash which is not so common as a first food. 

[brennan]

Dd didn't really start eating until 13 months.  We did BLW, and we allowed her to have something with us at every meal.  She would teethe and experiment with things in her mouth.  She did more accidental ingestion than anything.  At 10 months she did start eating more, we introduced dairy at 10 months and she loved smearing yogurt and would lick it off her tray.  But true eating wasn't until after 1 yrs.  She also was not interested in being spoonfed.  My MIL was very concerned that she was making a mess and not eating and tried once to spoonfeed her, and dd screamed at her.  I was proud.  I would just focus on offering, give your lo what you're eating and relax.  BM is all a baby needs for the first year!

[somegirl99]

My 11-month-old doesn't eat much more than apple and carrot, despite being offered many foods.  He usually just throws the rest to the dogs and watches with glee as they eat it.  He didn't eat anything until about 8 months.

[BabySmurf]

yeah, i'm not really against spoon feeding - i just feel like i'm trying to force him into something he's not ready for yet...if he was more interested in table foods, i think i would feel more comfortable with it.  i've tried a huge array of foods at this point, and the only think he "likes" so far is pizza crust, because it's fun for him to gum...he spits out virtually all of the pieces. 

i'm just more curious if there is a magical "point" where LO becomes more able and willing to eat, or if it's more about giving him the right foods.

thanks for the responses!

[McGucks]

Our DS is 16 months old, and his lack of interest in solids was a big concern for me, especially since his iron was low at 9 months.  He still gets most of his nutrition from nursing but has finally started eating more than 1/4 cup of solids a day.  Babies are on their own timetable with solids, despite what "the guidelines" are and what some pediatricians say.  If your baby is healthy and gaining, continue to offer food but don't turn it into a struggle for either of you.

[BabySmurf]

thanks for your reply!  it's crazy how much i over think things...i think it's because i expected him to be ravenous when i introduced solids....he's definitely on slower schedule.  he's been in the 95%+ since birth, and has been gaining weight steadily - he still nurses ALL the time.  i guess they know what they are ready for :)

[callahansmama]

My son is 13 months and he still just nibbles and plays with his food. He doesn't tolerate dairy but that was the only thing he really did eat a lot of! I find he grazes better and if I give him food as he plays he eats more but it can be messy. He will eat tiny amounts of everything on his tray at mealtimes and it seems like nothing at all but he is a hefty 26 lbs and all his blood work is great. He still nurses every 4-5 hours in the day and minimum twice a night and seems content with that at the moment. Once he could start holding a spoon or fork and i would help him get food on them, he ate a little more too. That being said, every day is different and every child is different. There's no rush:)

[sosurreal09]

I didn't offer until DD was 0.5 m/o and it was just BLW and she eats a TON. Do not worry. We never did purees or anything like that. She has been eating 3 meals a day and a couple snacks since about a year. Now at 20 m/o she eats more than me some days! I swear she will down 6 oz of blueberries in one session (a whole small package) she eats a couple eggs and a couple of bananas daily on top of her 3 meals.

All kids are different some aren't much for solids until 16 m/o or so. Either way it's totally normal!

[~Adorkable~]

how is he in some of the possibly related milestones? like sitting up, tongue thrust, pincher grasp and getting teeth? if he perhaps was a bit on the later side with getting to those it would stand to reason that he may be on the later side to his interest in food.

or maybe you just have the most delicious breast milk in the world and he does not want to soil his appetite!

[BabySmurf]

huh, i guess those points should be obvious, lol...ds has seemed to be interested in our food for so long, i just assumed that he wanted to eat it, and i've been sooo confused about why he is so confused when i give it to him! he is actually working quite diligently on his pincer grasp the past week or so, and is seeming to be getting pretty good at it, but it's definitely a newer skill.  and his tongue thrust is still pretty far forward (i think - don't really know how that's supposed to look).  he does have a couple of teeth, and i feel like he is *always* on the cusp of one milestone or another or teething (do babies EVER have good sleeping periods, lol?) so, he is getting ready for food - i've been wondering if i'm missing something, lol - i love these boards!

btw - your babies are adorable and i LOVE your screen name :)

[callahansmama]

Just wanted to add that my son met his milestones right on target or early and is very capable of picking up the smallest crumb and also has three molars in addition to 8 front teeth and he still doesn't eat too much..

[SuburbanHippie]

My YDS hated solids until he was over 12 months.  He would gag and spit everything out.  He never ate anything off a spoon.  Once day it just clicked with him and he started feeding himself.  He still preferred BM though.  Who can blame him?  It's sweet and it comes in fabulous packaging!

[hillymum]

My son is now a very active, intelligent 6 yr old, who was exclusively nursed until he was 24 months old. Totally not my choice! His doctor tried to make me feel really bad about it, insisting he was anemic etc, and when we moved and I found a really progressive doctor she tested him and said he was totally healthy. I had started offering food at 6 months, and by 20 months was willing to offer chocolate to get him interested in solids. I should also add I was hoping to let him decide when to stop nursing, but if I had done so he would probably still be doing so. I finally refused to let him nurse when he turned 4. As an almost 7 yrear old he now eats a very healthy varied diet.

[Marissamom]

DD wasn't really ready to eat more than a bite here and there until 9 months. solids are really for experiencing new tastes and textures, and not really for nutrition, until after a year. 

[MoonWillow]

Pediatricians are so annoying sometimes. 

7 months is young to think about solids much less "worry" about them. You're baby will let you know when he wants table food. In the meantime breast milk is enough. 

Here is some more information for you:

Solid Foods and the Breastfed Baby & Toddler

[BabySmurf]

Originally Posted by hillymum 

My son is now a very active, intelligent 6 yr old, who was exclusively nursed until he was 24 months old. Totally not my choice! His doctor tried to make me feel really bad about it, insisting he was anemic etc, and when we moved and I found a really progressive doctor she tested him and said he was totally healthy. I had started offering food at 6 months, and by 20 months was willing to offer chocolate to get him interested in solids. I should also add I was hoping to let him decide when to stop nursing, but if I had done so he would probably still be doing so. I finally refused to let him nurse when he turned 4. As an almost 7 yrear old he now eats a very healthy varied diet.

That is dedication! That is some good milk you have!

It's funny having sooo much information at our fingertips, and yet the simplest answers are right in front of us :)

It does really help knowing that this is normal by hearing from other Mammas rather than just reading it somewhere - Thank everyone for responding! It's funny, just this week DS is starting to play with stick shaped food, so I'm just helping him explore now.