Baby won't eat food

[Dreamer_D]

Ryder is 8 months old now and won't eat any solids. He just lets it sit in his mounth and drool out, or he gags and coughs and sputters. I don't think he knows to swallow things put in his mouth? I notice when he spits up he also does not swallow it.

Just wondering if anyone else had this with their kids? Hunter took to food like a mad man at 6 months when we introduced it, but after two months of trying to give him solids each day (most days, not every day), Ryder is still not really getting the hang of it!

He is exclusively breastfed and VERY huge -- about 23lbs already and 29 inches! I'm not worried about nutrition at this point, just looking for stories of other kids who were similar.

 

[Logan Sapphire]

We had a similar situation with our son as well. He just wouldn't eat any purees and I was starting to despair he'd ever learn! I think I just kept trying and trying, and even after he accepted the purees, he would then not eat the stage 2 chunkier foods. One day we were at a restaurant and we tore out the insides of bread and he just gobbled it up. I think he was looking for real table food and not the baby foods. My daughter was kind of like that too- she turned her nose up at the purees and just wanted real food. Maybe Hunter would go for something like that?

I checked my son's 9 month stats and he was 19lbs and 30.5", so I felt pressure b/c the dr. wanted him to gain a little more weight than typical. Even to this day, he's a very poor eater

 

[Puppmom]

I have the opposite problem as my toddler would much rather have his fruits and veggies in puree form. Anyway, I have a friend whose son wouldn't take purees. She would put soft fruit and/or veggies into one of these:

http://www.target.com/p/Gerber-Graduates-Feeder-Teether/-/A-13966926?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=|13966926&CPNG=baby&ci_sku=13966926&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=

Her son would just gum it. I don't know how much nutrition he was getting but it got him used to the flavors and the softer textures. Then she moved straight to small bites of softened solids instead of purees.

 

[Skippy123]

Did you try making a thicker oatmeal maybe? I notice with my twins that they didn't love super thin foods at first so I made it thicker and now they can do thin purees

 

[Laila619]

I had the issue of my son not liking 'real' food, only the pureed jarred baby food. We just kept trying, and eventually he started to like it. Once he got more teeth is when he finally started to get the hang of chewing food. So even though the situations aren't the same, my advice is to keep trying and experimenting.

 

[kennedy]

I think you're right not to worry about nutrition at this point as most of their calories should be coming from breastmilk anyway. My older daughter wasn't super interested in food either until she was a little over a year -- even then she was mostly into nursing. With my 7 month old, I'm doing baby led solids and haven't done any rice cereal or purees. She just eats tiny amounts of whatever we're eating. I don't know if you're already doing that or if perhaps he would take to that better? Does he show interest in what you're eating? Is it possible he's just not quite ready for solids yet? 6 months is a guide, but some are ready a little sooner and some a little later. I would do what you're doing and just keep trying -- my guess is he'll suddenly take to it one day.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thanks everyone.

He seems "interested" in that he looks at us eating and wants to grab it. But anything we put in his mouth he basically just lets sit there and he stares at you with his mouth open and the food sitting there! lOL!

We have tried purees, chunky things, those mesh feeders, letting him feed himself (though he does not have a pincer grasp yet). I make his own food so have control over the texture. I thought of the baby led wearing thing. He doesn't put anything in his mouth that way either! haha.

I think he's just not ready. He has two teeth on the bottom and two more cutting on the top, maybe as they come in more he will get the hang of it.

 

[Lynnie]

Dreamer, have you tried giving Ryder those fruit pouches? My nephew had a bit of trouble eating solids from a spoon, but he'd eat straight out of the pouch no problem. In fact, when my nephew was done with the fruit, BIL would cut the bottom out and refill it with veggies. It's an idea, maybe he's just used to sucking his food and a little stuck in his ways? If he'll take to the pouches, it'll at least get him used to the thicker consistancies of solids.

 

[Munchkin]

It honestly sounds like he's just not ready.

My little guy had (has) serious feeding aversions which are likely secondary to HORRIBLE reflux. In addition, though, he always seemed to have an oral motor delay. B had a tongue thrust reflex until over 7 months and really didn't seem to figure out how to move food from the front of his mouth to the back until about 9 months. Even now (12 months) solids can be hit or miss. He seems to prefer foods he is in charge of though, like cheerios.

I agree his nutrition is probably fine and I would simply continue to offer some form of solids daily in a low-key manner. Until one year, his primary nutrition should be breast milk or formula, anyway.

If it makes you feel any better, my guy wasn't even 17 pounds at a year!

ETA: B loves the pouches! He laughs when I squirt it into his mouth. But, again, oral motor wise he was only recently ready.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thanks again! I haven't seen those pouches. I prefer to give him home made foods since I think they taste so much better than the bottled/canned type... but I'lls see if I can find them.

My feeling is he is just not ready. My MIL thinks he is being picky but I really don't think so. Oh well, he gets lots of milk from me and is big as a house.

 

[Skippy123]

Thanks again! I haven't seen those pouches. I prefer to give him home made foods since I think they taste so much better than the bottled/canned type... but I'lls see if I can find them.

My feeling is he is just not ready. My MIL thinks he is being picky but I really don't think so. Oh well, he gets lots of milk from me and is big as a house.

here is the link http://thesilico.com/
you can buy the refillable pouches online, you fill them w/your own baby food and they suck on them. Our feeding clinic said to let the babies play with the food so they get the feel for it in there hands and eventually they put it to their mouth. Worth a try if you haven't tried it?

 

[Pandora II]

Dreamer, what is his tongue thrust reflex like?

Have you tried BLW? Hand him a nice chicken bone to gnaw on, or a big piece of broccoli and see what happens - needs to be something big enough for them to hold in their hand and chew, don't give little pieces of anything as that is what can make them choke.

Daisy couldn't bear baby-food or purees of any kind. She was also 80%+ breastfeed until well into her second year.

 

[AGBF]

I didn't have this problem for any length of time, but you reminded me of the first time I tried to give Whitney solid food (at six months and one day). It was rice cereal, per the pediatrician's orders. It was a major production done in my parents' kitchen, with the baby as the centerpiece surrounded by people. I think it was my mother who actually gave her her first spoonful of food...and she made a face as if someone had tried to poison her. It was disgust and anger and disbelief. She could clearly not believe that anything one put in his mouth could taste as bad as what she was then tasting!

She did not take to food easily, but she did eat. She also loved her bottles, however, and hung onto them for as long as she possibly could. I think she was having one at night up until she was about four years old and I was getting all sorts of warnings about dental health which proved totally silly since she ended up with the best teeth of anyone on earth!

At any rate, thanks for the stroll down Memory Lane! (Whitney will be 20 this summer.)

Deb/AGBF

 

[Dreamer_D]

OK, I'm going to get one of those silico things! Looks neat, and very useful for when you are out.

Pandora what would the tongue thrust reflex look like? I suspect that is the "issue" but don't know for sure.

 

[Pandora II]

If you try and put something in his mouth does he automatically push it straight out with his tongue?

Even if you don't do BLW, it's worth getting the book by Gill Rapley as there is so much information on knowing when a child is really ready for solids.

 

[Skippy123]

If you try and put something in his mouth does he automatically push it straight out with his tongue?

Even if you don't do BLW, it's worth getting the book by Gill Rapley as there is so much information on knowing when a child is really ready for solids.

Pandora, I never heard of that before but I guess some babies skip the puree part and go straight to table food like pork chops and chicken bones like you were saying! that is awesome!! http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/from-baby-food-to-table-food.htm

 

[Pandora II]

If you try and put something in his mouth does he automatically push it straight out with his tongue?

Even if you don't do BLW, it's worth getting the book by Gill Rapley as there is so much information on knowing when a child is really ready for solids.

Pandora, I never heard of that before but I guess some babies skip the puree part and go straight to table food like pork chops and chicken bones like you were saying! that is awesome!! http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/from-baby-food-to-table-food.htm

Skippy, it's known as Baby Led Weaning, IIRC Hudson Hawk and Robbie both did it too.

We never ever did baby-food - Daisy had things like a finger sized chunk of steak to suck on or a chicken bone right from the start - her first meal was poached egg on toast with grilled bacon, mushrooms and black pudding. She also had things like curry and rice early on - for a long time it was the ONLY thing she would eat and is still her favourite. Most of the time she just sucked things rather than eating them but she did enjoy the tastes and I felt that my extended-EBF baby was at least trying things! Plus sucking a piece of steak is actually a great deal more nutritious than rice cereal that is basically gloop to make them feel full!

I've never put a spoon into D's mouth - she's always fed herself. First with her hands and then using a spoon and fork. Strangely she's always been an incredibly clean eater.

It's also less stressful and makes it very easy to go out - we've never had to take babyfood, we just ask for an extra plate and she has a bit of whatever DH and I order. I do try and order things she might like but it's not very restrictive. She first ate sushi at around 9 months - she likes salmon sashimi and pickled ginger but not wasabi! It also means you're not slaving over special home-made baby-food that the child then refuses to eat!

 

[FrekeChild]

Have you tried mixing milk with whatever food it is you're trying? I've read that if you mix the new unfamiliar food with milk, they recognize the taste of the milk and are more inclined to eat it.

("Welcome to Your Child's Brain", Sandra Aamodt, Sam Wang)

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thought I would update.

Ryder is almost 9 months old and seems to be making some improvement. About one week ago I think he made a bit of a developmental leap and he no longer immediately pushes/spits out anything in his mouth. We thought we were home free because he ate about 2tbs of my home made organic carrot puree, but since then he is much pickier. We have gotten better about "feeding him" twice a day at breakfast and dinner as part of the routine. He will usually swallow about one or two mouthfulls, but that is all. But it is progress.

He weighs 24lbs and is 29 inches so he is BIG and exclusively breastfed. He goes from 7pm until 5:30 sleeping at night with no feeds, but that means he needs his calories in the day and thus nurses about every 1.5 to 2 hours in the day! I don't mind since I am on maternity leave, but I am *supposed* to go back to work on April 9! We have a daycare spot from May 1. I don't teach until September so have flexibility over the summer and can use the care only an hour or so a day to get the basics done at work, but I don't see how he can really attend daycare for any length of time while still getting all his nutrition from breast milk. Pumping is not an option, and I am not interested in formula. We will figure it out! If he is hungry at work I suppose he will eat And we will introduce cows milk around 12 months.

Anyways, there it is. Some small progress.

 

[Pandora II]

It sounds to me like he's not yet completely ready for solids - the loss of the tongue-thrust reflex is a huge stepping stone for eating.

I would just be led by him - keep offering but don't worry if he doesn't eat it. As you say he's not a shrimp so he won't wither away! It's also very, very normal for a child to decide they want to EBF well past the date that we are told they should stop.

You might find some of the posts on the forum at Kelly Mom helpful - they were very good when I was having huge issues with eating.