Refusing solids again...but wants table food

Carri - posted on 09/24/2010

Sounds like my son!!! He was 4 months old when he figured out he was NOT getting the same stuff we were at the table. He was sitting up unassisted, and smacking his gums crying for table food. Moms have been feeding their babies from their plates for hundreds of years. It's no wonder babies want what we are having. The get the flavors of our food from the breast milk, so why wouldn't they want what's on our plate instead of what's in a jar. Just make sure he's still pooping ok and the food is smashed well. I would sneak some of his baby food onto my plate and sometimes he'd fall for it. But I think we've just got smart little boys. They know what side their bread is buttered on hehe!!

Elizabeth - posted on 09/24/2010

Baby Led Weaning! It's amazing - I'm still breastfeeding my daughter of 7 months and she has 'normal' food; just the same as us, at every meal - and she is teaching me! She eats better than her brother, who is 2 and was weaned with puree.....
I'm just going with her flow (so to speak)...no stress, no worries....easy peasy!
Gill Rapely& Tracey Murket Baby-led Weaning book......

Jessica - posted on 09/23/2010

A friend of mine had a similar issue and tried the "self weaning" diet. You feed them the usual stuff - potato, pumpkin, carrot etc but you cook them in sticks and they feed themselves. As long as they're sitting up you'll find that they wont choke (but i wouldn't reccommend leaving him unattended!!!) Good Luck!

Talia - posted on 09/22/2010

With my daughter.. she wanted solids at 4 months! I held out till 5 and gave in, starting with the cereals like you're supposed to, etc... But by 7 months she was refusing to eat any of the mushed up stuff! I basically fed her what she could still manage to mush up with her gums, or suck on till it disintegrated... REALLY soft-cooked veggies, cheerios, homemade teething biscuits... I barely even remember quite how I managed that now. But I was also bf-ing so at least I didn't worry about the nutrition too much. And around a year she got some chewing teeth, so it got easier!

Camie - posted on 09/22/2010

I didn't get to read all the responses but I also wanted to assure you that this is completely normal for a 6 month old. Especially a breastfed baby (who has most likely been fed on demand). For the first 6 months of his life he has chosen when to eat, when to stop, what position to nurse it, etc. and then all of a sudden they are expected to "be fed" on our terms. Many babies will reject this.
We did Babyled Weaning (http://babyledweaning.com/) when it came to introducing solids. When my daughter was 6 months the first solid I gave her was a half an avocado. From that point on we more or less offered her what we were eating. If she put some in her mouth, great! If she threw it on the floor, great! If she signed for milk, great and I would nurse her. My daughter is 17 months old now and still doesn't love solids. I would say 50-75% of her diet is still breastmilk.
Babies do not need "baby food". Mushy food is common practice because many babies are offered solids way before they are developmentally ready. At 6 months your son can grab foods and bring them to his mouth, he can "chew"/gum foods and swallow them. Like the other posters said steam some veggies (we found the froozen peas and little carrots to be great), over cook some pasta, etc.
Also, don't worry about his weight. My daughter was 18.5 pounds at 1 year. When you breastfeed I believe that your baby is exactly where they are meant to be weight wise (assuming he is not showing signs of hunger).
Hope this helpes a little bit.

Brittany - posted on 09/22/2010

Don't be worried!! My daughter just had her 9 month check up & is only 16 lbs. She's the same exact way with the baby food, no interest & has only ever been breastfed. My ped told me if she'd rather have the table foods to go for it as long as they're mashed or cut in small pieces.

I have a nephew who is the same age as my daughter & weighs the same as my 2 year old son. All babies are different & just because your son is on the slimmer side doesn't mean there's something wrong! :)

Carol - posted on 09/22/2010

Maybe he likes the nursing he dosent want formula or a bottle or sippy cup. When my son was six months old he took a peice of meat off my plate.Thats when I knew he was ready. You son may be saying he's ready for adult foods because his baby food is nasty. ( Which it is everything but the fruits and the meats smell like cat food) My daughter is five months now and she looks at my food when I feed her but she dosent like baby foods unless its cereals.

Celeste - posted on 09/22/2010

Try not to compare your baby to other babies. It can drive you crazy! My twin boys are tiny-one was OFF the weight chart and the other one was barely on.

My daughter is also tiny. With her, I thought by giving her solids, she'd gain weight. But, she didn't. Now, I understand why! Breastmilk has more calories than solid foods. Take a look at this chart:
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitami...

My boys are almost 4 and my daughter is 8. They are still tiny!

Also, you don't HAVE to do purees. I gave my boys bits of whatever we were eating.

Penny - posted on 09/22/2010

My daughter was not a big baby. She was always small. She still is but she is short too. She hated bby food of any knd, but loved to eat table food. I gave up and at four months I let her eat the unseasoned food from the table. She started gaining weight and she is around 24 pounds at 17 months. So it paid off. And she was breast feed and very healthy.

HEIDI - posted on 09/22/2010

My little girl eats solids but hates the meats that is recommended she eats. She is 7 months old and bottle fed not breast. She is just now 15 pounds, so as for the weight I wouldn't worry about it. My doctor actually said that babies are better off being on the smaller side then the chunky side when infants as chunkier babies sometimes have trouble with their milestones.
Does your baby like cereal? Rice/oatmeal etc. If he eats that then he is getting the extra Iron he needs. Also if he likes green vegetables there is a lot of iron in that too. What about fruit? Have you tried fruit. Banana''s are also great!

Erin - posted on 09/22/2010

My second daughter didn't eat baby food. She wanted what everyone else was eating. She did fine on it! Just be careful as to what to give him obviously. Don't worry too much about what the doc's say. All my kids are small. I have a 10 month old son that weighs 16 pounds. He is healthy! He is just small. With my first child the doc told me to put her on a bottle, that I wasn't giving her enough. What!?!?! I did it , unfortunately. I learned later that she was just a small baby. They shouldn't judge all babies by a scale. Each one is different. As long as your baby is nursing like he should, I would think he would be OK. Give him table food if that is what he wants! Good luck! :)

Heather - posted on 09/21/2010

Can't recommend this enough: 'Baby-led Weaning Helping your baby love food', by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett. It really help us when our Son refused mashed up food. In fact, we found out that, the recommendation for weaning in the UK is giving your baby 'family food' at 6 months, i.e. whatever you are eating. Remembering of course to make spicy food mild! It's messy, but at least everyone is happy and relaxed.

Jennifer - posted on 09/21/2010

His weight does not sound low to me at all. As long as he has been following his own growth curve, he is fine. Also, make sure his doctor is using a growth chart for breastfed babies. Many docs still use the old one which is based on formula fed infants, and the growth patterns are very different. You can find a copy at kellymom.org.

Brenda - posted on 09/21/2010

Pureed food is unnecessary. Just let baby eat what you eat -but of course that means you need to eat well.


Pureed baby food is 'unnatural'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/676279...

Experts seek to debunk baby food myths
Little evidence supports ‘any particular way of doing things’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449/

Guidelines for implementing a baby-led approach to the introduction of solid food
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintro...

Beyond Breastmilk
Starting Solids
http://thebabybond.com/BEYONDBREASTMILK....


How might I increase baby's weight gain?
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/gro...

Jennifer - posted on 09/21/2010

Why smash his food? He is wants table food give him some, he can gum lots of foods like Avocado, banana, green beans, noodles. It is all about experimenting right now, so if he doesn't consume anything it isn't a big deal.

Erika - posted on 09/21/2010

my daughter was the same way, she was very interested in table foods, but not ready for them. so we'd let her try them and when she refused that was it. i must admit at 1st it was frustrating/nerve racking, but i think it just boiled down to she wasn't ready. she now is 14 months and eats 3 meals and snacks in between (still BF for naps and bedtime). she also was "smaller than other babies" and at our 1year visit was just under 20lbs... i don't think its anything to worry about as long as she is healthy, and it also boils down to her genes. i personally wouldn't stress it :)

Tracy - posted on 09/21/2010

My son didn't eat any solids until 9 months and was exclusively breastfed. You don't have to give him baby food...give him a banana to chew on or a piece of soft avocado. I wouldn't worry about it. He's only 6 months. There's no reason he needs solids. In fact, I would nurse him more because no other food is as nutrient dense as breastmilk. Any other food wouldn't add weight as well at this time.

Michelle - posted on 09/20/2010

My children also have been unimpressed with mashed food! My nephew was not interested til 8mths then he tryed sausage and despite having no teeth (until13mths) he at all the food he could reach with his little hands. You may just need to wait a little longer and keep nursing but still offer food even if it just off your plate.

Dora - posted on 09/20/2010

I know this may sound crazy but make a game out of it. Give him a bowl of mashed veggies and tell him to eat like a doggy or piggy. Also if your son has been following the growth chart since he was born and there haven't been any drastic increases or decreases then he is fine. My son has always been in the 90 percentile for his height and only 25 percentile for his weight. My son is now 2 1/2yrs old and still remains the same on the chart. He is tall and thin.

Lise - posted on 09/19/2010

Breast milk has a lot more calories than food, so solids will keep him skinny. My daughter started solids (all table food - she will not eat purreed food or mashed food) after 6 months and started losing some weight. I stopped the solids, breastfed exclusively, and introduced solids slower.

Aicha - posted on 09/19/2010

cook the vegetables until super soft but don't mush them up then let him self feed himself that is what I did with my daughter

Jacquelyn - posted on 09/18/2010

Your milk has more fat and calories than any baby food so that will not help his weight, let him have small bites of your soft food he may just skip baby food all together :)

Cassandra - posted on 09/18/2010

my 8 and half moth old son won't eat any baby food and i mean nothing. he only wants what table food. so i give him little bit of what i'm eating. i mean if he is able to eat it. just alittle bit. i still nurse him regularly. i do still try to give him baby food but i think he just doesn't like the texture of it.

Lydia - posted on 09/18/2010

my daughter is getting mad at us if she doesn't get to eat from our food... she is 5 1/2 months old and i haven't really tried to give her mushed food, but she managed without teeth to eat some bread, cucumber, potatoe etc... i think if your son wants table food give him. don't force mushed food. you can be just really smart about your table food and always have something that your baby can also eat easily like potatoes or steamed carrots (or almost any veggies). my friend's baby is 8 months and she even ate pieces of meat without teeth. as long as you are there and make sure they not choking i think it's ok. i think it's also totally healthy sign that your son is interested in what you're eating. don't stress to much about his weight.



btw i am from israel and here it is recommended from 4 months on to let the babies try everything you eat and than at 5 months to give them a spoon of what they liked and at 6 to start giving a mushed baby "meal"... supposed to prevent allergies to let them try everything in small amounts at this young age.

Aleks - posted on 09/18/2010

First of all 15.5 lbs is NOT low. My 18 nearly 19 MONTH old is may be 18.4 lbs!!!!! he is good size. please don't frett over his weight. He is fine in that department.
My baby wasn't too impressed with "baby food" either. Always preferred to feed/sample from my plate (and everyone elses) and still does! Like a little birdie, takes a little mouthful here and there. And then she is off...
Its ok to let your son sample. He is just curious. Its a healthy and good sign. It means he is interested in food- real food.
I have heard that maternal and childhood nurses ( basically child nurses in australia who do regular baby check ups) currently recommend skipping the "puree" phase altogether and going straight for mash and roughly mash when introducing solids.
I, though, recommend doing what suits your baby best. If he is happy in sampling "finger food" from your plate, why not let him? It really shouldn't hurt him..... let him play and discover.
I didn't understand this with my LO and tried to discourage her, and now I believe this is the reason why she is so not into food and is quite fussy eater (she is so much of a child/baby that likes to follow her very strong instinct and if I dont play along with her wants/needs things get out of whack pretty quickly for us... hence why I believe that that is the reason for her fussiness with food - she was unable to effectively communicate this with me when 5-8mths of age)

Minnie - posted on 09/17/2010

It can be a little confusing trying to read our babies' signs of readiness. Pureed baby food isn't a necessity. You may find that he likes a little of what you're having on your plate!

Babies who are allowed to feed themselves table food tend to do very well with pacing themselves and get all the milk they need. They tend to only eat small portions and follow their bodies' signs that they have had enough. You can offer to nurse him before mealtimes if that makes you feel more secure in how much milk he is receiving. Offering to nurse him frequently, rather than waiting for him to ask to nurse can help ensure that your milk remains priority as well.

Foods that are good for a six month old getting used to solids are steamed broccoli and asparagus spears, thin slices of apple, pear or peach, avocado slices, toast with hummus, sticky grains like rice or quinoa, etc.