Feeding Solids--Help

[katslo18]

Good Morning-

My daughter just turned 6 months old.  We have been trying unsuccessfully for a month and a half to get her to eat cereal and also puree.  She has no desire...as soon as it goes in, it comes right back out again.  

I read somewhere about a different method of feeding solids...I can't remember the name of it, but it was basically just giving the child really well done veggies, and soft fruit that they can't choke on.  Does anyone know the name of this feeding method?  

Does anyone have any tips on how I can start introducing foods better?  She is growing really well (was previously breastfed, now on formula) so I am not worried about that, but want to get her introduced to food!

Thanks in advance! 

[slgt]

I'm not an expert, but I don't think you can force your daughter to be interested in food. If she's not ready, she'll let you know! If you keep trying to force it, she may develop negative associations.

If your DD is a strong sitter and has a good pincer grasp, you can give her some very soft, small pieces of food (banana, fruit, well-cooked veggies) and Os to play with. Food at the early stages should be about exploration and letting your child develop her own interest - you can't force it!

Case in point - my DD#2 is 12.5 months and still only wants to chew on a piece of crusty bagel. She went through a short stretch of liking yogurt, and is vaguely interested if she's allowed to feed herself. She also likes sitting under a blueberry bush and picking blueberries into her mouth - but otherwise - food? Blech. No interest. We've tried everything. DD#1 was about 12 months before she was really interested in food, too.

So I would say - keep letting your daughter experiment, but she's going to eat on her timeline, not yours. Have fun with it, and don't stress!

[ashleybrook]

google baby led weaning...you'll get some great ideas...

to start

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/babyledweaning.htm

and 

http://www.babyledweaning.com/

but there's lots more inspiration out there! good luck! i think it's a great way to go.

[amberskyfire]

She's not ready yet. :) 6 months isn't when you are supposed to start solids, it's the EARLIEST you can start solids. You still have to wait until baby is ready. Signs of readiness:

1. Pincer grasp. Baby should be able to pinch and pick up small items such as peeled peas or a small cube of steamed carrot. Babies are not ready for solids until they are able to feed themselves. You shouldn't ever really need to give baby food in a spoon.

2. Baby can sit up entirely on her own with no problems.

3. Baby does not push food out with tongue. This is a defensive reflex in babies that is designed to repel food before baby is able to digest it. If baby pushes the food out, then they are not ready for solids. The tongue should stay in the mouth.

4. Baby does not gag at each feeding. A little gagging the first couple of times is normal, but if baby gags at each feeding, it is too early.

Be sure not to introduce solids if it is too early because it can cause baby to have digestive problems and can also cause baby to develop allergies. It's also best to avoid cereals (rice, wheat, oatmeal) at first and feed foods that are known not to cause problems. Steamed carrots and baby applesauce are great first choices. Avocado can cause allergies and digestive upsets as well as gagging if given too young,  but lots of moms swear by it if you add a little breastmilk to it to thin it. Cereals have almost no nutritional value, are loaded with carbs and cause constipation more often than not.

Good luck! Just keep trying again each month until she's ready. My daughter started solids at about 10 months.

[BabySmurf]

i agree with the pp's - my DS is only JUST starting to become more interested in solids at 9 months, and still doesn't eat more than just a taste most of the time.  Totally normal! It's one of those things where if your baby is ready to eat, you can't stop them from doing it, and if they aren't - you can't force them! Try not to stress about it - you don't want your DD to develop a bad association with eating.  HTH!

[~Adorkable~]

I have never heard of any issue with avocado, so many many moms have used it as an early food, do you have any reading that explains what you are talking about in relation to them?

[JulieInChicago]

funny you mention avocado issues.  We were very hesitant to give our son avocado because my husband is allergic- he gets terrible stomach cramps and gets pretty violently ill.  We did give it a shot at 9 mos, though, and our son was fine and loves the stuff.

[amberskyfire]

Yes, my husband also is allergic to avocadoes. He also gets the violent stomach cramps and becomes very ill. Avocado is a food that can be an allergen, especially (says our pediatrician) if it runs in families, so avocado might not be a great first-food, though, like I said, a lot of moms do swear by it. I avoided it with DD because of the family history.

When DD was older, she ate them and did just fine. Avocado is a member of the plant family that latex is in, so if baby has a sensitivity to latex, avocado could cause severe tummy upsets. Not saying that avocado is a bad first-food, just that you should definitely watch closely, but that's with any first food.