9 mos. will not eat solids...advice anyone??

[carlarosames]

it's me again...i can't figure if it's teething, hunger or what...as she has been waking at 4am, 4:30am 4:45am...anywhere b/w there for the last couple of weeks.  can't figure if it's habit??..  she takes in about 28 oz. of formula w/ 3 solids.  but just in the last week or so, she doesn't take in much solids ...maybe a 1/2 #1 jar (i think a 2oz jar), and some fruit...but she will not open her mouth.  she tilts head back, screams (i was giving about  1 1/2 hours earlier a 7-8oz formula)..so the past 2 days, i tried solids first, and also tried solids w/ formula, so as to not fill her up...and she still won't take.  the past week i have placed table food...and she goes to town picking up, watching us. etc.  she has been eyeing us for a long time now.  so what do ya'll think...do you think she just doesn't want baby food?  i feel bad..but i try and shovel it in while she is picking up her table food.  then i wonder is she hungry at 4am.  she does take a 7oz bottle.  i have been diluting it, so as to not mess up her day feedings.  last night, though, she would not really take it...so maybe she wasn't hungry last night..so that's when i thought it was teething...her top tooth coming in.  she had her 9mos. appt.  my doctor is very easy going, conservative...he believes a no teething..they have no pain, just give them a teething ring (i beg to differ).  he also thinks she is not hungry...just keep diluting until i get to water.  he feels calories and waking up due to hunger doesn't mix.  she is getting alot of formula, so i would think she is full..but then again, she is 9mos and needs more than formula...help, any advice helpful!!

[dbj]

So... you're saying that she does eat finger foods?  If she's really been interested in the table foods over the baby purees I would follow her cue and continue with that.  My DD is 9 months as well, and she self feeds nearly all of her intake, including fruit, veggies, meat, rice, crackers, etc...  We still feed her a bit of cereal and some applesauce once in awhile, but she is also learning to take the spoon.  As soon as she showed interest in finger foods we encouraged it, and she started around 7 months.  At first, while I was transitioning, I did try to feed her more purees while she was distracted by the finger foods, but she caught on really quickly.  Self feeding is really your ultimate goal, so if she's more interested in table foods, I would go with it.

Good luck! 

[Freya'sMum]

I'd second dbj's suggestion to offer fingerfoods if that's what your lo will eat, there is a FAQ on spoon refusal:

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=70142.0

and another on baby-led weaning:

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=92560.0

and one in Recipes about first finger foods for less experienced parents and los:

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=95978.0

which might give you some reassurance that what your lo is doing is less worrying than you think, and how to progress with the situation - babies don't tend to starve themselves, it goes against their natural survival instinct - and remember the BW way is to listen to your baby's cues, even with food (I know it's hard with all the pressure to get them to eat) because as long as dd is still getting her milk, solid food is still mainly for practice rather then nutrition, so a food strike won't significantly harm her!

I also disagree with whoever informed you that teething doesn't hurt - try telling that to my dd when her little bottom is blistered from her acidic poos everytime she cuts a tooth, and her gums are all swollen for a good week before it arrives ! She definitely has a significant reluctance to eat solid foods at these times, and just wants to chew and chew on anything cool and hard to get some relief (carrot or celery sticks and apple slices are good for this!).

Hope this helps?

Ax

[carlarosames]

yes, thanks so much for the advice.  i have just been giving her table food and try a solid every now and then while she is eating.  thanks so much, relieves alot of wondering.  yes, and i think teething does bother them!  (my ped doesn't....)

[carlarosames]

oh, another question...about how much formula should she still be taking in a day?(9 mos. old).  thanks!