Doesn't like new foods - 7 months

[jessmered]

We have been on solids for several weeks now and I have tried all the foods from the stage 1 selections. There are definitely some she likes more than others. But recently, she doesn't want some that she used to like and doesn't like anything new that we have tried. I tried avocados and it was basically spit back out. Is it bad that she only like squash, sweet potatoes, and peas? Should I keep trying to introduce foods? Is there a way to introduce them that she may like better than just starting a new food first thing in the morning? Should I mix them with something she has already tried and liked?

The only thing that I can think that was the turning point is we got a new high chair and she is sitting up straight instead of a slightly reclined like the old one. Could this be the problem?

Any ideas would be great!

[Evgenia]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. los go through stages of loving/hating certain foods. At the moment for ur lo solids is just to explore and learn, they are not the main source of nourishment.

Keep on offering new and established foods, but don't get stressed or upset when she dislikes something in particular and spits it out.

When introducing new food it is recommended that u do it in the first meal of the day and offer the food on its own not mixed with other stuff. This way u avoid ur lo refusing solids for food unrelated reasons like being OT or OS, it allows u to see if there is any allergic reactions or constipation, and by not mixing foods straight away u allow ur lo to explore the taste.

Once u r sure she has no adverse reactions to a particular food u can mix it in with other established fruit and veg.

Hope this helps

[brenda2]

i agree that you should introduce new foods at the breakfast meal, and to just keep offering it.  at 7 mo solids are still relatively new and she will get used to them the more you offer.  it has been shown that it takes many times of trialling a new food before the lo accepts it and likes it.  i think it's fine that she still only likes 3 foods.

at this age milk is still the most important calorie source so really don't stress about it.

offer the food on its own not mixed with other stuff. This way u avoid ur lo refusing solids for food unrelated reasons like being OT or OS, it allows u to see if there is any allergic reactions or constipation, and by not mixing foods straight away u allow ur lo to explore the taste.

i actually disagree with this.  if you have established that she is fine with a certain food (sweet potatoes for example) i think it's fine to mix the new food with it.  she's more likely to accept the new taste and then you can reduce the amount of sweet potato in the mixture and she'll take to the new food better.  it won't mask an allergic reaction if you have already "cleared" the food you're mixing the new food with.  just don't mix 2 new foods together.

this especially goes for meat when you introduce it.  chicken or meat is a totally different texture so i would mix it with sweet potato or applesauce or something she likes so she'll be more likely to eat it.

have you tried pears?  this is my lo's favorite!

[First Time Mom]

There is not a right or wrong way to introduce new foods. Many moms like to introduce a new food blended with a favorite, while others like to introduce it in it's natural taste for lo to know what the true taste is. Both methods work, it comes down to personal preference! I didn't mix new foods as I couldn't be bothered later on to withdraw the old favorite gradually and I always wanted dd to taste the natural taste of the food but I did mix foods after dd got used to a new food and didn't show any reactions. As a side note, the only item I really would not mix is water and juice. I know some moms will mix water with juice to get their los to drink water but the juice is sweet (and can cause cavities later!). This is one item I would say to keep offering without mixing and eventually lo will like it.

[jessmered]

Thanks for the input! I was trying to get her to try avocado and it was a no go - so I mixed it with some banana and she put up with it for a little while, but not for long. And DH has been doing the morning feeding (while mommy naps!) so I need to convince him to try out the new foods..... we'll see.

Do you think that I should try to re-offer the foods that she previously disliked? how long should I wait before trying it again?

Also how should you introduce a new texture? I wanted to try to get her to "experiment" with new textures like pieces of ripe banana... or more textured foods. Should I mix cereal with already pureed foods to make it more textured or just jump into "stage 2" foods?

[brenda2]

i agree that there's not a right or wrong way to go about it!  just keep offering foods and she will either eat them or not and if she doesn't then you can offer it again another day.  they go through phases (for years) with what food they like or don't like.  jiust to keep us guessing !

i'm not sure what stage 2 foods are as i always made my food.  mostly i offer fruit, veg and protein source (meat, chicken or tofu) all pureed and mixed together with cereal mixed in too.  kind of like a "casserole" of puree.  you can put in more cereal or less to vary the texture.  right now iwth my 8 mo her food is fairly thick though still pureed.

my dd1 did not do well with lumps, and i have hear of other los doing this too.  if there was a lump mixed into the puree she would choke on it.  twice she turned purple and we had to thump her on her back and then she projectile vomited across the room.  very scary so i stopped offering purees with lumps.  she basically went from purees to purees and some finger foods to all finger foods.  by age 12 mo she was on all finger foods.

[Evgenia]

I used Anabel Karmel meal planner for solids with dd, and her stage two recipes did not have lumps, its all mashed, grated and very finely chopped stuff. Basically still purees but not as runny iykwim.

I would also hold off on pieces of ripe banana as at this age they are a choking hazard, I would think. Stage 2 foods are designed to teach los how to chew. So maybe start with coarse purees and mashed banana and see how she gets on?

[First Time Mom]

Babies really need to try a food approximately 15x to determine if they really don't like the food. Often in the beginning they might be questioning the taste, texture, or they might not care for it but I would keep trying it every few days. I even find my 4 year old DD loves oatmeal one day and says she is allergic the next!

If you are making your own it's handy to freeze cubes of food, that way you have it on hand to keep trying every so often and you are not wasting too much of it when lo refuses it.

All los are different in terms of texture- purees/finger foods/texture, but I would say that by 8 months all los should be exposed to more solid food (non puree) to get used to the textures otherwise after that it might be harder as they may refuse texture. Don't worry if your lo has a preference for only a few select foods, just keep trying new ones all the time and don't get stressed. At this age it needs to be a fun and exciting experience for los! You can go ahead and try more texture or lumps, you'll know if your lo is ready yet.

Ripe banana is rather soft, so if it's offered in small pieces for baby to mush into his/her hands and eat the chances of choking are small. I would consider it a good early texture food. True choking foods are solid foods that are round and can block the passage (ie. solid grapes). Though with that said a friend of mine had her dd really choke up on a huge piece of banana that she shoved into her mouth. Thus the need to always be with lo when they have food at hand!