Getting a 6mth old to eat solid food that prefers the breast.

Sarah - posted on 12/02/2008

my guy is the same. he is seven months now and is just starting to accept some things. just keep playing. the first food little dude liked was boiled egg yolk mashed up with breastmilk.

Rebecca - posted on 12/02/2008

Nicole is right, it is about learning, not nutrition. Just keep offering it to her and don't put pressure on her to eat. She will do it eventually. My 10-month-old who never had a bottle, only breast, was a little slow with eating, too. She just couldn't figure out how to swallow. She finally did, and ate enthusiastically for a few days. All of a sudden she started refusing to eat. We finally figured out that she wanted finger food, so that's what she's been eating for the past couple of months. Each child is different, so just experiment with what she likes and make meals a positive, pressure-free experience. Good luck and congrats on breastfeeding!

Nicole - posted on 12/02/2008

I think it is also important to remember solid feeding the first year is not about nutrition. It is about learning and having fun. Keep trying, slowly and eventually she will get the hang of it. My son exclusively breastfed, NO bottle as he wouldn't take it, for the first 6.5-7 mo and didn't really get into eating solids, other than for fun, until 18 mo. Now at 23 mo. he's eating us out of house and home in the form of fruit, more specifically blueberries. LOL! It'll come, in their own time, if you just go with their queues and go with the flow!

Kristina - posted on 12/01/2008

Sounds like she is not ready yet. If she is spitting it out it may be thta she hasn't matured enough yet to take solid foods. I wouldn't pressure her into it as that can cause soem major oral aversions. Is there a specific reason you are so worried about her starting solids right now?? Some babies don't start until 7 monthsor more, I have a nephew who refused until he was 18 months. There is nothing wrong with her except that sh eisn't ready, and there is no reason to worry, or hurry.

Sherrie - posted on 11/30/2008

try just some applesauce. That is the first thing i tried with all my kids cause none of them really liked the cereal. start with about 1/2 jar of stage 1 and work your way up. Feed her that portion then let her drink milk. It took my little girl about 2 weeks to decide that the food was really good, but once she did she is hooked.

Shannon - posted on 11/29/2008

My daughter to was like this!! She HATED baby food and anything that resembled it, so no mashed potaotes, applesauce oatmeal.. still won't et those things to this day and she is 5!! She wasn't ahppy till she could pick things up and put them into her own mouth. We started with the usual cheerios, and some of the graduates foods since they are all soft and easily swallowed. Whatever you try, I wish you luck.. m 13 week old already eats a ton... can't get it into him fast enough some days!

Sandy - posted on 11/29/2008

Some babies just refuse solids. You can exclusively breastfeed until she is ready. She may not like the texture of the cereal or baby foods and may end up going straight to finger foods instead. I found both my girls would eat just about anything if I mixed some yummy fruit baby food in to sweeten it. Beech Nut has some great exotic flavors that don't have any sugar added.

Amie - posted on 11/29/2008

BF babies don't NEED solid food until they are a year old. Don't stress about it or push it, just try again when she starts showing some interest in food.

Brenda - posted on 11/29/2008

LOL...that was me! My baby was exclusively breast fed till about 10 months...then all of a sudden he just got it...skipped baby food (for the most part...I give him baby food fruit) and just eats everything we eat. I was always stressing about it...mostly because everyone was telling me he *should* be eating more. From my experience I would say keep offering...she'll grow out of it :O)

Jenna - posted on 11/29/2008

I'm in the same boat. My first two (also breastfed) took to foods like they were starving. Emma refuses. I didn't really push until yesterday, when she had her 6 month needles, and my doctor said she's anemic. We now have to give her fer-in-sol three times a day, and it will mean bloodwork for a while to make sure it's not a problem with her absorbing iron. keep trying. You can hard boil eggs, and give her just the yolk to give her some nutrition if she'll eat finger food. I've had a little success with one of those feeding bags. you make the cereal and freeze it in tablespoon servings, then pop on in a feeding bag (looks like a lollypop, you open it up and put food inside so they can suck out the food without risk of choking) She'll take it frozen, but it's messy.I can also get her to eat banana's by cutting them in long fingers she can hold. Farly cookies are really just dried cereal, and she'll eat those too (basicly anything she can feed herself). Good luck, and let me know what works. We're getting desprite

Kristin - posted on 11/29/2008

She may just not be ready for solids just yet. You may way to wait a week and then try again. Are you making any of the veggies? Have you tried any fruits? I've heard that breastfed babies will often do 2 things. The first is that they prefer homemade baby food because it has flavors similar to what they receive in the breastmilk. The second is that some breastfed babies will wait until they can feed themselves before eating solids. Keep in mind that solids are only for practice until 1 year.

Michelle - posted on 11/29/2008

hi cathi, i had the same prob with my daughter when she was bout 6 months, i found that being persistant and using finger foods, where she can feed herself also worked, it took a few months befor she starting enjoying solids but she is now 10months and she eats anything.i hope that helps in any way.