Is this normal for babies starting on solids?

[chickinlickin]

DS is a week short of six months, and have been offering him baby porridge most days for a couple of weeks now, but he isn't really getting it. He doesn't really open his mouth in anticipation which I would have thought he'd do by now. I just pop the spoon in his mouth when he either occasionally does (when I first show him the food and spoon) or pop it in when he just opens his mouth to smile or whatever. Sometimes he swallows it but usually he spits most of it out.

Should I stop for a while and try again in a couple of weeks do you think? I don;t want to be force feeding him like this really. Or should I persevere?

I usually try it at about 11am, in between two morning milk feeds. I'm exclusively breast feeding and DS is a normal healthy weight. I've tried mixing in a bit of pear puree and mashed bananas and usually add a bit of expressed breastmilk. The fruit hasn't really resulted in any more enthusiasm though.

Any tips appreciated!

I'd leave it a few weeks, it sounds as though he's just not ready for solids yet.

Can he grab things and get them to his mouth? Maybe you could try offering sticks of soft steamed veg, he might have more enthusiasm if he's handling the food himself.

Yes he puts everything in his mouth and is quite cordinated with it. But he's got a very strong gag reflex and on the couple of occasions he's had a lump of anything in his mouth he was sick. So I don't think the carrot stick idea would work, just yet anyway. Think I'll stop trying for now and see if he's keener in a couple of weeks.

Google baby led weaning. i've offered this with my last two and a far more enjoyable way off feeding children. Basically involves feeding them finger food, and i hear what you say about gagging but if you go read up on it you may be swayed.
It discusses spoon feeding as force feeding, whereas giving them the independance to feed themselves has the opposite reaction.

I'm not explaining very well, but there is an entire website relating to it - i believe started by an mner.

I found ds gagged a lot at first, but I think this is just them working out how big a piece they can bite off/swallow. Apparently a baby's gag reflex is a lot further forward in the mouth than an adults, to stop them choking while they learn to eat.

Oh, and I found broccoli florets were great at first as they can hold the stem and nibble the top, so they don't bite off a solid chunk.

If you hand him a spoon with stuff on it would he put it in his mouth?