Baby hates solids!

[lilfina]

My baby girl will be 8 months old in a week or so, and she still hates solids! She gags and spits out almost everything.  The only thing she will eat, in small quantities, is brown rice cake, which she likes to hold and gnaw on. Everything else, she pushes away or throws on the floor.  Is this normal? or will I have to breastfeed her forever to make sure she is properly nourished?

[Megan73]

Don't worry about it, mama.
My first son was exactly the same way - no interest in solids until he was able to feed himself with the "pincer" grip when he suddenly started eating basically everything we were eating. Have you tried giving her other things she can hold, like a partially-peeled banana (she can hold the peel so it's not so slipper) or large soft chunks of sweet potato?
Even if she was eating a lot of solids, breast milk should be the source of most of a baby's calories for the first year. There's an expression that "solids before one are just for fun."

[mamazee]

My first one refused all solids until around 11 to 12 months, and still ate almost no solids until 18 months. She's almost 10 now, eats well, and is very healthy. I'd try not to worry and just follow her lead. She'll know when she's ready.

[greenmulberry]

My 8 moth old is the same way.

I still offer her some every evening when we have dinner. She will eat a few spoons of yogurt, or baby oatmeal. I was really against the baby cereals but the baby oatmeal is so far her favorite, and by that I mean she will eat a few baby spoons of it. At least it is a whole grain.

I do give her some chunked food that she can play with and she eats a slight bit of it, like soft cubed squash, bananas, ect.

[cloudgazer]

My baby was this way too. She hated most food until about 11 months. I was concerned about her iron, so I did get her to eat chicken liver (organic, cooked, and then pureed). She also liked things that were chunkier - like oatmeal (ground up when she was younger like 6-8months, and then when she was a bit older, whole), even quinoa (ground in a coffee grinder before cooking). She loved coconut oil added to oatmeal, so at least she was getting some fat. But, really, all that worrying was probably unnecessary. I was afraid she wouldn't get a taste for a variety of foods and never like veggies. I think the pureed consistency was what turned her off...once she could pick up food she has been eating very well. She loves broccoli and green beans (phew). 

[Honey693]

Totally normal.  My oldest just played with solids until about 12 months.  Maybe 2 days a week she'd eat more than a few spoonfuls.  Once she hit 15 months and I started to limit nursing sessions (I was pregnant and hated nursing) she ate a ton more.  She'll eventually start to eat more.

[BabySmurf]

Originally Posted by lilfina 

 or will I have to breastfeed her forever to make sure she is properly nourished?

lol! many babies are a little "slow" to start solids.  it's totally fine.  my DS was the same way, then all of a sudden since he turned 11 months his appetite for solids has sky rocketed...well, he went from only a couple of bites of food every couple days, to eating what would probably be the equivalent of 1 jar of baby food per day.  some days he's not as interested, other days he is more interested.  he also developed his "pincer grasp" a little late, and his tongue thrust reflex stayed pretty far forward for some time, so if your DD doesn't have all of the traditional readiness signs, it will probably be a little longer before she is really ready.  the other thing that happened when DS decided he was ready (yes it changed within one day) we had a family gathering where he was too distracted to be nursing a lot, and there were other slightly older babies (and a younger one, lol) who were eating solids, and something kind of "clicked".  he is also a meat and potato type of kid, so a lot of the fruits and veggies weren't going over so well, although he eats them fine now. anyway - totally normal, and you won't have to breast feed FOREVER!

[Red Pajama]

My youngest didn't want anything until just before her first birthday. She didn't eat much until a few months after that, but is a healthy, happy almost 4 year old now, so it didn't do her any harm.  She didn't nurse forever, but certainly wasn't ready to wean at two.