7 mo refuses ALL solids...

[joylight]

Hi- I have posted elsewhere recently about my 7 mo little girl (PUPD, getting back on track)...

I thought I'd post here for your opinions/experience with a baby that simply refuses all solids.

I started solids with her right before the 5 month mark.  Started with cereal- mixed with BM (she has been exclusively BF).  Tried some fruits and vegies. Tried jars and home made- and she simply refuses everything.  At first she'd just screw up her face in disgust- almost like she didn't like the taste.  Then she started to clamp her lips shut and shake her head back and forth like "no no!".  Lately, she has begun to gag with all food.

Her doc said to try cheerios- since "noone has ever choked on a Cheerio"- well, my lo was the first- I was ready to do the Heimlich!

Today he has advised me to see a speech therapist for a swallow evalution and therapy.  i will just say that she is pretty healthy in general- neurologically and developmentally fine and is in the 95% tile for weight (no concern with calories).  He is worried that it will worsen with time with no intervention.  Problem is I can' get an appt with a speech therapist for another month and a half- yikes!  This is so stressful for us!

So, can anyone give me pointers, tips?  I also want to say that she stopped taking a pacifier right when we started feeding her- almost like she has a total aversion to anything in her mouth (except for teething purposes)- when I put the food on the tray for her to play with and hopefully get in her mouth- it goes everywhere but there!

Thanks in advance for your help- Joy

[SaraTh]

Joylight, you could be talking about my daughter right now. She's almost 8 months old and her total intake of solids would probably add up to a tablespoonful so far. She started off reasonably well at 6 months and while she wasn't keen on most things, she would gum a banana and get a fair bit into her. Slowly, she stopped accepting the banana and refused to taste all other food, so now she eats nothing. She seems to gag and choke very easily too. Her doctor wasn't too worried and prescribed an iron supplement to improve her appetite. I started that three days ago and she actually seems to like the taste and ate a bit of cereal mixed with it. No other food has gone in yet though. She's totally BF, won't take bottles, though recently she's started drinking a bit of water from a sippy cup. She can't handle the flow though and spits half out, though my son was able to drink quite easily at the same age. Since reading your post I'm wondering if I should ask my doctor about a speech therapist. She's growing fine, but I've never come across an 8 month old not eating before.... worried now...

[Freya'sMum]

Hello ladies

I'm sorry that you are both feeling under pressure with the process of introducing solid foods right now... I hope that I can offer some reassurance and guidance...

...babies do not really need solid food for nutrition until 12 months old, their primary source of all those essential fats and calories and other nutrients is babymilk, and it should remain at it's pre-solids quantity until at least 9-10 months. Any solid foods that babies swallow supplement the milk, but don't have enough nutrients to replace it until after 1 year old.

So, as long as your los are still getting plenty of babymilk (breast or formula) the fact that they are not swallowing vast quantities of solid foods is not that important yet. What I would recommend you do is try to relax about the whole process and take the pressure of yourselves and your los to eat solid foods by letting food be fun!

If babies can see that their parents are anxious at their mealtime, they begin to associate eating with anxiety, which takes the fun and pleasure out of it, and can create food aversions. If you relax and enjoy the experience with them (eating together as a family is so beneficial), it makes the whole thing so much more normal, and they can watch you and learn how to do it. Can you imagine how intimidating it would be if someone 4 times your size stood over you fretting whilst you tried to eat a bowl of weetabix? I think you'd lose your appetite fairly quickly

Altho, Joy, you may have had a frightening experience with a cheerio, I would encourage you not to let that 1 time put you off introducing foods as finger foods altogether. Are you certain that dd actually choked, or did she gag? Gagging is a really common thing for babies to do, it's a 'good' reflex that helps to prevent choking, and is part of babies learning how to manipulate food in their mouths.

Cheerios are tricky little things, especially for young, inexperienced babies without teeth! There are far better finger foods to try as starter foods, I'll post some links...

...so I guess my suggestion would be to opt for the Baby-Led Weaning approach (FAQ here), join our BLW Support Thread here (don't worry about reading the whole thing!) and check out the Finger Foods For Young Babies thread for ideas.

This approach allows babies and you to learn about food and eating in a relaxed way, and has been a hugely positive experience for those bw parents who have tried it! Plus, if you remain anxious about the choking risk, why not be proactive about it, and get yourself on a local childhood first aid course so that you'd feel confident about what to do if your lo did need help?

HTH?

Ax

[tylersmommy]

I second everything Alison said...

I highly recommend giving BLW a shot. Neither of my kids were into baby food. I hadn't heard of BLW with #1 so he didn't eat much until he got proficient with finger foods at 9 mo. #2 hated every single thing I tried to feed her so I started BLW around 7 or 8 mo. It made a world of difference. I got into the habit of stripping her to her diaper at each mealtime and giving her a quick rinse in the sink afterward. She was free to eat her food however she pleased and she LOVED having that independence! Sometimes she didn't eat a single bite, but she was enjoying the experience and still bfing well, so I didn't worry too much about it. The result was that we pretty much skipped purees altogether. Now, at almost 16 mo, she's a great eater, as long as it isn't something I try to feed her with a spoon (she insists on doing it herself now).

I hope that everything turns out okay with the speech therapist. Some babies are just slow to come around with solids and purees just don't do the trick for some of them. Relax and try to see it as a learning experience until your appt with the therapist. HTH!

[joylight]

Wow- thanks gals!I haven't yet read the BLW link yet but it's interesting to note that as of last week I have been stripping her down to her diaper during meal time (which is always together with dad, bro and me) and actually letting her try to finger her food herself.  Not much has gotten in  her mouth but maybe she just doesnt like the purees like your daughter.  I will check in the finger foods link and see what else I can offer her safely.

As far as the CPR course- I actually am certified in Neonatal Life Support (as well as pediatric) since I work as a Physician Assistant in a nursery- that's why I joked about the Heimlich.  To tell the truth, I don't think she was not getting air yet- but she was turning red and her tongue was hanging out  ... I guess it was just maternal instinct to yank her out of the chair and try to help... I do recommend all parents being certified in infant CPR though...

I am anxious to find out what kind of solids I can offer her- she definitely seems to try and pince maybe she'll be ready b4 my son was- we shall see

I have not yet found a peds speech therapist with an opening near me- maybe by the time I get an appt the problem will have improved- thanks to y'all!

Will keep u posted- Joy

[lilmonkey]

I totally agree with Alison and Melissa.  DD totally refused anything that is considered baby food.  We had tests done, had appts with OT at the feeding clinic even at the advice of OT, withheld milk so she would eat.  I haven't heard of BLW but at the advice of another OT, I just let her eat/play with finger food while I eat.  At around 10 mos she got very good with feeding herself and was having real meals along with us.  DD is now a great eater (slow but would eat anything ).  I guess some babies just prefers the real thing!