Solids not going well - 8mths

Hi ,

After some advice with solids. I started my 2nd daughter on solids at 6 1/2mths. Prior to this she was fully breastfed and continues to be breastfed on demand in between trying to get some food into her! Sheis 8mths old now.

I persevered with 'mash/puree for 2 weeks and just couldn't get her to have more than 1/2 a teaspoon after the 2weeks. Lots of caljoling/games to get her to open her mouth. I worked out that this wasn't working so started on finger foods instead - much better and of course she would also take food that was mushy from my fingertips.

Doing slow food introduction and she has reacted to apples and carrots so far. So we have stopped them. ATM she is not wanting to even eat finger foods at all. I have heard at this age that with starting on the 'big' motor milestones like crawling that they become less interested in food, she is also perpetually 'teething' with lots of drool. She just pushes it out of her mouth with her tongue or spits it out.

So what she is good at eating now is soft toast (rice/pumkin bread) and rice rusk sticks. She also likes drinking water out of a cup. Thats it. So far we have tried pear, corn, rice cereal, rice/pumkin bread, pumkin, potato, zucchini, peach, beef, lamb, chicken, choko, apple, carrot, oats. We introduced foods that were low in salicilates from a food intolerance point of view as she is intolerant to dairy, wheat and soy through breastfeeding (excema).

Her routine is 5am bf back to sleep; 6am up and breakfast at 6.30 - 7am; play; sleep 9am; up at 11am play; 12 noon lunch; sleep 1pm; up at 3pm; dinner 4pm; bath 4.30; play; bed 6.30; roll over feed 10pm. I demand bf her during the day which is generally every 4hrs and a little one after solids.

Any ideas?

Hey Mich, my DS was really slow to take to solids, he was over 12 months before he started to be consistently interested.

It's difficult not to worry, but at only just 8 months, the BF is still the most important thing, and she will continue to thrive on this. So you're doing a great job there.

The second thing that I'd do, for my own sanity if nothing else, would be to not worry about giving huge variety of foods in the hope of coming up with one that she will eat, just pick a handful of things that are healthy & easy for you to prepare, and offer them consistently, because she will eventually go "mmm, yum.." and then you won't be able to feed her enough :) It might still be a few months away, but if you're not doing a chocolate/chips diet in an attempt to get her to eat something/anything then she'll probably eventually decide that she does like fruit/vegies/both.
THis is certainly my experience with my DS, he's now great with lots of fruits (most of the time), and is pretty good with vegies. In fact he's a bit of a weird child, cos he'll eat raw tomatoes & capsicum very happily. I'm a bit of a food-police-freak in that I've never given him cake, biscuits (except for a rare dry biscuit), chips etc. If I'm out & about & desperate/disorganised, then I give him a sushi roll, which is fun as well as healthy, although I do watch the seaweed consumption, cos that can choke him, which isn't fun.

for me, one of the best things about BB when I was going through the "my DS is never going to eat normal food & will never give up BFing", was that there are lots of us out here who have kids that don't switch onto the whole solids thing until quite "late", it's really pretty common. Which I found very comforting.

Michelle, I'm sending you hugs hun :hug: I remember going through this with DS1 and I didn't know what to do. The very first thing I found that he liked (yoghurt) he was allergic to! He eats better now, but is still fussier and a smaller eater than his younger brother.

I am going to give you a suggestion, because it's what I wish I now wish I had done with DS1. Don't worry! Offer finger foods (forget the puree, she doesn't need it), and if she doesn't eat, then don't worry. Offer a good variety, pretty much everything you are eating, and also keep offering things she doesn't seem to like (it can take a lot of goes for them to like something). But keep up the variety. Don't stress if she eats nothing at all - the bm is enough until 12 months or so, and when it's not enough, she will eat. I really belief that part of DS1's fussy eating now stems back to me trying to encourage him to eat before he was ready, and also from me giving his favourites over and over just to make sure he ate.

I wish you luck. I am sure she will eat well in time, she just doesn't seem to be ready yet.

My DD was hard to start solids too.. I stopped offering them on a daily basis and just when we had time. We basically offered food as an activity rather then a meal.. She was around 9 months when she started having 1-2 meals a day.. Now she is a great eater..

I am having issues with DS who is 7 months old, started just before 6 months was going great guns for 10 days then suddenly stopped and since then has sometimes vomited and gagged and splutterd and spat out!!

I have started offering every few days instead of every day (unless i open a jar or tin and want to try again before time limit up and needs throwing out)

Have tryed homemade, jar, tins finger foods nothing seems to make a difference.

Good luck

I completely agree with MantaRay, hun. Try looking at the Baby Led solids thread and see what advice the other girls have to offer there. If you have already cut everything out of your own diet that causes her problems, then just watch carefully as you offer her small amounts of what you ate. Babies are surprisingly good at 'chewing' and swallowing if left to their own devices. Until 12 mths it's mostly about experiencing different tastes and textures anyway.

Hi,

You know, when I read your e-mail I see a perfectly health, normal baby - doing all the right things for a baby her age. It sounds like she has some issues with allergies or intolerances. Are there allergies and intolerances in your family? Asthma or eczema? These wise little souls know intuitively that they need some more time to grow and develop on mum's milk before launching into solids.
I caught up with a mum at my local ABA meeting last week. It was her house. Her 14mnth old son was in heaven. he ate 1/2 the fruit platter, 3 mini quiches, two sandwiches, about a dozen rice crackers and dip and a tim tam. (we'll we think he ate it, but a fair bit was left on the outside) His mum mentioned that she couldn't fill him up now - he ate everything that wasn't nailed down. I reminded her of all the conversations we had about his lack of desire for anything other than breastmilk from 6-12mnths - and we both had a laugh. He is still happily breastfeeding - but he's into his food in a big way. This will happen with your babe too. You have years ahead of you to fight with her (think about the teen years) No point starting now. Offer a healthy diet, and be totally unconcerned when it's rejected.

I posted a thankyou to all you lovely ladies for your advice yesterday but it doesn't seem to be here??? Thankyou anyway, lots of good tips and hugs which are appreciated.

Barb, there is a history of allergies, food intolerances in our family - asthma, eczema, milk intolerance.

Thanks,

Mich

I thought as much. go directly to your ABA group library and get copies of Maureen Minchin's "food for thought" and "Breastfeeding Matters". All you are experiencing will fall into place. Please don't be tempted to wean her - your milk is keeping her together - body and soul. It is important to keep going for as long as you can (I only say this because people are generally quick to recommned weaning) She is protecting herself from foods that make her ill

Hi Barb,

there is not a chance that I would consider weaning, in fact, that is why I postered in here as a first 'port of call' rather than see a doctor/child health nurse. I have already been told by one that she 'should be eating more' (Heid was only 6 1/2 mths at the time) and advised at that time to cut back a feed. I fed my first daughter until 21mths and plan on continuing with Heidi to this and beyond. food for the body and soul as you said, for both of us!

thankyou for the book recommendation, I will get onto it.

I'm glad to find this thread too. My LO is also just over 8 months and really not very interested in solids. I do BLS because I was getting too frustrated chucking out jars of baby food. I'm very glad to hear it will all fall into place!

For breastfed babies I like to remember

"foods before one are just for fun"

They will get their nutrition from you and a lot of babies will turn their noses up. Boobie is better lol

What all the others girls have said is so true and I all I wanted to add is that we were in exact same position.

Mackenzie didn't show ANY interest until aroun 11/12 months and that was just tastes here and there and around 14 months started actually eating meals. She is now 17 months and eats better than some other bubs who started eating earlier!

She tries new things all the time and last week she started eating weetbix with milk which she previously hated! I thought she would never eat and I would be breastfeeding till she was at school but she surprised us all! Basically we just kept offering without forcing and got into a good habit of having some time in the high chair each meal so she got used to it. Good luck!

Well I am so glad this thread has helped others out there. It can be hard with all the mainstream pressure out there to be doing certain things at certain times. Heidi is enjoying her foods a little more. Just trying to do what the girls suggested - lots of variety and fingerfoods. Actually ate a bit of porrige of a spoon this morning, thanks to a very interesting piece of cardboard that joined us for breakfast! LOL