6 mths old refuses solid food.. no interest??

[sun_shines]

my 6 mths old son tried already rice and oat cereal and some veggies and fruit, but locks his lips every time i'm trying to feed him. doctor said to give him cereal 2x day and fruit/veg at lunch. he won't take any, not even fruit.. if i sneak the spoon in he spits it out.. i am breastfeeding and tried to supplement with formula with iron and calcium, but he won't take any kind of formula either. i can barely squeeze 5 oz of b milk when engorged. he wakes up 4-5 times at night to eat. i am exhausted and have a 3 1/2 yr old at home as well.. what can i do? i want to wean him off  completely..

[weaver]

Hugs! Sounds like a tough situation, but it also sounds to me like you've a couple of different issues.

First, for solid food.  Well, 'food is fun until one'. His main source of nutrients and calories at this age needs to be milk.  If he doesn't like being spoon-fed, have you tried Baby Led Weaning?  This means giving him finger foods from the go and letting him help himself.  Realise, however, that solid food is not going to replace milk any time soon for him and, also, that eating is an independent function. There is very little you can do to *make* him eat solids.   Have a look here:

What if my baby just isn't interested in solid food?
Baby-Led Weaning
Spoon Refusal and Finger Food Tips

If he doesn't like bottles, have you tried him with a sippy cup? Or even an open cup?  He may enjoy that more, and be more willing to take it.  This may also help:
Breastfed babies and bottles

If you have questions about BFing that you'd like to discuss, have a look at the BF board.  I would say that there is a huge difference between what a baby can get from a breast and what we can extract with pumps or hand-expressing.  What you can express is not a good guide to what he's getting.  There is also a Bottle-Feeding board.  I know lots of women here also do mixed feeding. 

It strikes me that you really need help with the NWs.  Feeding 4-5 times a night must be exhausting you. If you want to try to change that habit, have a look at the NW board, and at this post here:
How we stopped the night feeds with a 9 month old

HTH!

[sun_shines]

he's very different than his brother who did so well on EASY, solids, bottle, mixed feedings, etc.. i am learning how to proceed with a baby that is not such easy going with anything..
i am not pushing it with the solids, i will give him the time.. but i keep trying every now and then..what worries me is the need for iron at this age.. no cereal, no iron formula, maybe we'll need an iron supplement.
i have just bought a sippy cup to try that as well.. it seems like he doesn't like the taste of any formulas, but breastmilk.. i am worried that i don't produce enough, as i am barely ever engorged..
i was willing to do mixed feeding, especially to give me a break at night, but unsuccessful so far..
the hardest part is that he is very clingy..  i can't do anything without him crying... he wants to be held all the time and this is not something i am willing to encourage..
thanks for the links

[weaver]

Well. I'm not sure you need to worry about supplementing with iron. I EBF my two, no baby cereals either, and no probs with iron.

At 6 mos you shouldn't be getting that engorged feeling so that may be something else not to worry about.

Do you think there's any special reason he wants you so close? Does he have any pain or discomfort? Strangely, you might find that responding to his need for contact actually reduces his needs, over time, as he becomes confident that these needs will be met when they arise.

You sound really stressed hugs

[sun_shines]

the pediatrician said he needs iron at this age.. to prevent anemia..
i can tell when he's in pain/discomfort, for he won't stop crying even if picked up/hugged. He just doesn't want to be by himself for a short period of time. You should see his smug smile when we pick him up. They are smarter than we think. I also tried to carry him in a Snugly, but he gets all uncomfortable after a bit. I try many things just to see him happy.. even his brother tries to make him smile and be funny.. I can hold him only so much every day. I am very stressed and i wish i would have some help at least to give me a break once in a while...

[weaver]

Ok, well, with all due respect to your paed, no supplements and no issues with anemia here. I hope his (maybe her?) recommendations are not causing you more stress.  It's well known that the iron in BM is very easily absorbed and processed

Is there any way you can get some practical help? Or, even, over the weekend just get out to house on your own for an hour?  I find it can make the world of difference to have time for a coffee on my own (or with friends).

FWIW, I think maybe you have a touchy baby on your hands. There's nothing "wrong" with him per se, it's just that he has a certain personality that needs to be worked with. It would explain a lot.  If you've time, do the quiz first and then have a look at the second one and see if it makes sense to you.  There are lots of mamas here with tons of experience of touchy babas so we can help.  If you think that would be a good thing, I'd suggest starting a new thread on the 'activity time' board asking for tips for touchy babies.
The BW "Know Your Baby Quiz"
The Five Types - Everyday Moments

Please come back and let me know what you think.  Touchy and grumpy babies can be hard work.  Hugs!

[creations]

Hi there.
I agree with pp that solid food is for exploring at this age and milk is the primary food right up until 12 months old. Also some 6 month olds just aren't ready for solids, some take to solids instantly whilst others don't really show an interest for a few more months yet, all depends on the individual baby.
I think the recommendation is to offer iron rich foods rather than *needing* baby to eat solids.  I've read articles about the iron in breast milk being far more easily absorbed than iron in solids so I wouldn't think a supplement was needed unless a blood test has been taken to see what LO's levels actually are. (I personally wouldn't go the route of a blood test if my baby was taking milk well as that's all they need)

With the breast feeding, you say you want to wean him off completely. Do you mean that you would like to stop breast feeding altogether?  (Is that because you worry about the iron levels in your breast milk or is it because you would prefer to bottle feed now?)
Is the problem that he won't accept a bottle or that he won't accept the formula?

By the way - respect to you for bf this long, 4-5 night feeds would be totally beyond my ability!  I'm not at all surprised you are exhausted! xx
I think there are people here with experience with either/both of those difficulties if you want to explain a bit more where the problem lies?

[~*Nicole*~]

Just wanted to support the pps. Breastmilk is an excellent source of iron and your ped, with all due respect, should not be so concerned over adding any extra. Iron fortified formulas and cereals are for those babies who are not breastfed as they have no other sources, but all the iron you take in with your diet should be contributing to an amount of iron in your breastmilk and passing to your LO with no need for supplements. My DS did not take foods well until near 7 months because of reflux and food sensitivity issues so I understand  how frustrating it can be. Plus, all the NWs are very stressful and you must be so exhausted!

I hope you can destress a bit and get some YOU time. That is always helpful.

[*Ali*]

As pp says you wouldn't expect to be engorged at this stage of your BFing relationship.  Engorgement only happens when supply exceeds demand either in the early days before your supply had settled or because you miss a feed. 5oz is actually loads to pump.  Many women can only pump 1 or 2oz (some none) but that is more how their body responds to the pump than how much they can produce.  Baby is much more efficient than a pump.  Plus milk is produced more while baby is feeding rather than being made and stored ahead of time like in the earlier months.

This link may put your mind at rest over the iron issue. http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron/

[AlanaCYK]

First of all [[[hugs]]] and know that you're not alone!
We have a 6 month old DD and she too refuses solids...sticks out her little tongue and pushes out the spoon. We're not worried about feeding her solids as we know it's the exporing stage and it's not a necessity. She was EBF for 3 months then I switched to pumping and bottle-feeding. I will say that it took some doing and trying a few different nipples, but she went from flat out refusing the bottle to happily sucking back 7 oz of breastmilk via the bottle. I even struggled with low supply while pumping and blessed thistle + fenegreek helped. I also found with pumping she got lots more of the fatty hind milk which filled her moreso than when she was BF.
When it was getting close to back to work for me and DH to take over (us lucky Canucks get one year leave which my DH and I split) we slowly mixed in formula to the breastmilk 1 oz at a time. She had absolutely no trouble adjusting since it was gradual.
I have never heard that EBF babies need extra iron, but they do need the extra vitamin D (especially here in Canada where we see the sun like NEVER through the winter lol).
I can empathize with your situation of needing a break and having little help. We are a miltary family and we move around away from family and friends. We're pretty much on our own when it comes to caring for our LOs (we also have a 4yr old DS) and it can get exhausting being "on call" to tend to everyone's needs 24/7.
Maybe when Spring actually arrives and the weather gets warmer, he'd enjoy getting out for walks? That might give you a break from the crying and having to hold him all the time.
Cheers and hang in there! :-)