dd wont eat solids she spits it out really worried..

[nenee]

hi there

my dear daughter is nearly 6 mths old and under the advice of my HV i was told i could wean her earlier than 6 mths as she was born 9 lb 1 oz and very hungry baby..

when i give her the solids she spits it out and puts her tongue there so i cant give her anymore,, she will then eat all her bottle, im worried cause i want her to eat solids..

i havent forced her and iv took it slow with simple things like rice cereal then progressed to veggies etc..

iv been given her the solids first then she has 7 to 8 oz bottle after, i feel if i give her the bottle first she defiantely wont have any solids as full up.

any advice please as i dont want her to turn into a fussy eater..

cheers

nenee

[Lolly]

From what you say it sounds like she still has the tongue thrust reflex or she just isn't ready for solids yet. I would leave it for a couple of weeks and try again. She may be a baby that suits Baby Led Weaning - so straight to finger foods rather than purees too.

Is she going 4 hours on her milk feeds? If she is content between feeds and she is lasting 4 hours then the milk is enough for her at the moment. How are your nights, is she waking more for feeds?

There is no need to worry though, milk is her main source of nutrients and calories until closer to 1 year. Early solids are for tastes and textures they really don't get much from them for a good while. She has plenty of time to get used to it.

Laura

[nenee]

hi ya

maybe im stressing to much and need to offer her food and just make sure she has her milk so to speak..

she took it ok at the begining then started the sticking the tongue out when i try an give it to her and spitting it out..

so hard to know what to do at times.. as they say if u delay weaning too late also they can become picky eaters

nenee

[~inbalance~]

Hey hon.    I think you have lots of time still.  Maybe stop for now and try again in a few weeks.  As long as she's getting her milk she is still getting all she needs.  As for becoming picky if you wait too late, like I said you still have lots of time, and I think you have more of a chance of her becoming picky if you're trying to get her to eat them when she's not ready.  The baby led weaning might be a good option too as Laura suggested, here is some more info if you're interested. 
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=92560.0

[nenee]

i think i will slow it all down and not stress about it as i dont want to put her off either.

cheers

nenee

[*Ali*]

I would say your baby is giving you a big sign that she is not ready to eat solid foods yet. Here is an extract from the NHS website about knowing when your baby is ready.
"When is the right time to introduce solid foods?
Starting solid food at the right time is vital for your baby’s health. Experts advise you to wait until your baby is around 6 months. At Start4Life we recognise the importance of treating every baby as an individual, so here are three key signs that when present together mean your baby is ready for solid food:
• They can stay in a sitting position whilst holding their head steady
• They can co-ordinate their eyes, hands and mouth (ie look at food, grab it and put it in their mouths themselves)
• They can swallow their food (if they are not ready most of it will be pushed back out)
A good test is the banana challenge - if your baby is able to sit up and hold its head steady, reach out and grab half a peeled, ripe, banana and eat some of it all by themselves, they are ready!"
I'm not sure why your health visitor thinks your baby would be ready for solids early just b/c she is big. Babies are ready for solids when their digestive system is mature enough (typically 6mo) it has nothing to do with their size. If baby is hungry s/he will take more milk. I tend to take HV's advice with a pinch of salt as they generally give the advice they have always given which is now out of date in light of the new research re giving solids too early and gut infections.
I'm not aware of any research that shows a baby will be a fussy eater unless they are fed solids early. If you give your baby a variety of healthy foods once she is ready and avoid too many salty, fatty or sweet foods she should be happy to continue eating this way.
Like PPs say I would wait a while longer and try her again.

[nenee]

Hi ya

Thanks for the great advice, the HV said put her on solids cause she wanted more than 8 oz form her milk feeds and hungry every 2 hrs or so and waking early at 4 to 5 am when she didnt use to etc..

will see how she is cause i dont want to put her off or cause any issues..

i must say i know a few mums who have been giving solids since their lo's were 4 mths and even rusks so i have no idea how their lo's digestive tract will fair after that, iv only been giving mine plain rice then some veg etc.

cheers

nenee

[Goldmum]

Hi there
If you're worried about continuing with the solids but are also worried about having a hungry baby, have you tried the hungry baby formula? This helped us for a few weeks when we were trying to hold out on weaning DS1. We still ended up weaning him early, but it bought us a couple of weeks extra just on milk.

[nenee]

hi ya

i would do that but shes on comfort milk which is low in lactose cause she has a problen with normal milk etc so i dont really want to jump to a heavy whey/casein type milk as i think that would upset her tummy..

im only just weaning her of the colief too, this is why i have only been giving her rice and basic veggies etc no milk or yoghurt type cereals etc.

im sure it wll all sort itself out if i dont rush in and let her guide me,,

cheers

nenee