likes new formula & refusing solids

[mom of malakai]

Hi,

My 8 1/2 mo. son had really bad reflux when younger and on the advice of the pead. and nutritionist we switched him to Enfamil thickened A+ formula. He loves the new formula and it has helped his reflux significantly!! Before he would eat his solid food with no problems, but now he is refusing his solids (everything but blueberries - I guess he loves them too much to give them up too  . Since giving up his solids he is taking more formula (anywhere b/w 30 and 40 oz. a day!!!)

Is this (giving up the solids) something I should be concerned about?

I am aware that their main source for nutrition in the first year is supposed to be formula, but if he isn't interested at all now in even trying any, how will I make it his main source once he is around a year old?

Help please.

Julie

[RyansMum]

When do you give him his solids in relation to his milk feeds?

[mom of malakai]

We give a bottle when he first wakes in the morning, and the rest of the day he has solids and then his bottle (something that has also shown to help with his reflux).

[RyansMum]

Well you are doing what I would have done!  Is it the feeding he doesn't like but as he can pick up blueberries he likes the feeding himself?  Perhaps more finger foods for now?  They all go through phases so perhaps when he is more used to the formula his interests in solids will increase.

Sorry, i don't know what to else to suggest except continue to offer the solids and keep bottles out of sight so that he is not just waiting for the milk.

[mom of malakai]

Thanks for trying Ryan's mom.  Anyone else with any suggestions?

It is not the finger foods thing (the blueberries are babyfood and fed on a spoon just like his cereal, carrots, etc.). Bottles are already out of sight, too. I guess I am just at a loss. I like your idea of just waiting it out ... keep offering the solids and as he gets more used to the formula, he'll take his solids better. I hope that works since I don't know what else to do. Thanks again.

Julie

[Freya'sMum]

Hello!

I didn't jump in with a response yesterday because we Mods like to give other posters a chance to share their experiences first, which RyansMum has done ...

...my only additional thought is that if ds prefers his milk (for whatever reason) and knows that if he doesn't eat his solid foods you will offer him milk, then he has no incentive to eat the solid foods

At 8.5 months I would still be prioritising milk over solid foods anyway, but within the next month or so, you do need to be encouraging ds to take more of an interest in solid foods, so perhaps change your approach to offering the solid foods, maybe to finger foods rather than purees?

Offering finger foods and allowing babies to take control over how much and which foods they eat at a mealtime can really take the pressure off them. It can pretty intimidating having a grown up staring down on you whilst you eat, even if you enjoy food, so why not all eat solid meals together, even if you have something slightly different to ds? This way, ds can model eating from you, learn to enjoy food from observing your pleasure in eating, and by experimenting with different tastes and textures without the expectation of him having to swallow anything if he doesn't want to.

I would do this for the next month or so, still offering him milk as you are currently, and then at 9.5 months or so start to limit the amount of milk he has each feed, to a maximum of perhaps 32oz (8oz per bottle for a 4 feed schedule), so your routine would look something like this:

7am 8oz bottle
7.30am solid breakfast (finger foods like soggy cheerios, shreddies, and/or some fruit sticks)
nap
11am 8oz bottle
12.30pm solid lunch (finger foods like pasta spirals, cheese sticks, cucumber sticks plus fruit sticks)
nap
3.30pm 8oz bottle
4.30pm solid tea (finger foods like roast potato wedges, homemade chicken & apple sausages, steamed carrot & parsnip sticks plus fruit sticks)
6.30pm 8oz bottle
bed

then if you reckon that the milk is still interfering with his solid food intake, drop it down by 1-2oz each feed to see if that helps - it is a fine balance between maintaining milk as the primary source of nutrition and encouraging babies to sample some solid foods!

The Finger Foods for Young Babies thread has some good recipes for inexperienced eaters

Just a thought anyway...

Ax