Six month old solids refusenik

[Cocobear]

My six month old DD is refusing all offers of purees, mushes and finger foods. It doesn't make her sick, though even purees make her gag a bit. I'm not all that concerned at the moment, but know others (family, HVs, etc) will be. So... what's the facts? How long can she go before I should worry? She's a big healthy girl and obviously fine on BM at the moment!

Oh, and how best to proceed. Just stop offering for a while, or offer once a day in case she's picked up interest?

Lucky you! They say there's no need to offer solids until the baby is trying to sneak a bite of your sandwich, or suddenly starts waking much more often for night feeds. I wouldn't offer until she gives you some sign that bm isn't enough any more.

i wouldn't worry too much- had similar experience with ds. tried offering baby cereal & tried a few different ones before finding one he liked (milupa).

right now your DD is getting all the nutrients she needs from BM and any solids she eats are just for practice/experience.

i'd cut back to offering solids once a day, whenever she's most receptive to the idea. don't push too hard, & make a big fuss of her if she does eat something.

hey, like mine! (see my similar thread).

How's her sleeping?

I would stop offering for a few days and then try again. My dd (My third) was like this at the start, and I didn't push her, and now she has started she is my best eater by far, I am sure becuase I respected her cues.

I agree with the others, give it a break for a few days. I had the opposite. Having read AK front to back I prepared a nice bowl of baby rice (OK it was 2 teaspoons in a bottle top!) and DP offered her a spoon of it, she ate that then grabbed the "bowl" and drank the rest

She still loves her food but does have days where she won't eat a bite. I have taken the "chill out" BLW route and don't regret it a bit.

Thanks all.

Ah, Naturopath, have now seen your thread! Ha, yes, very similar. Little buggers, huh?

Shoulda - I haven't made any attempt to offer more than once a day!! Lazy, lazy mummy.

Her brother tries to help by clapping for her if she swallows something. But then she giggles it all back up. Not as helpful as it could be.

Anyway, no urgent nutrition crisis is at hand, I take it?

Naturopath, should add that DD is a pretty good sleeper. She wakes for feeds but only a couple times a night. Not overly burdensome. That would make the whole thing a bit more urgent!

Having started the other three on solids at about 5 to 5 1/2 months, I held out to about 7 months with the fourth, partly because he didn't seem nearly ready, and partly because it is so much faff.

But he is my worst eater by far, won't take anything but purees (is now almost 11 months), nothing savoury, no finger food, gags really easily, nothing home-made. He is a total nightmare and I am trying to give up BM but he won't drink anything else except a bit of water. Am now wondering if he would have been more adaptable if I had started earlier or whether he would have been a pain no matter when.

PP - I know what you mean. I started DS on purees at 4 and a half months, and by six months he was having 3 little meals a day. He's a great eater.

I think it's too early to know which was DD is going, but I do wonder if she would have taken to it more easily earlier on. Maybe not.

I'm sure you've tried everything, but... my SIL had a little one who wouldn't take anything (of her homemade food), then on holiday her husband snuck him a jar of chocolate pudding when she wasn't looking. He's eaten everything he came into contact with ever since, possibly just in case it's pudding again.

Love the story about chocolate pudding! Will try it instantly!

To be fair he is now much better at having fruit purees, and last night he actually ate pureed broccoli - with fruit puree mixed in, naturally. And of course, fruit yoghurts with all their shed-loads of sugar go down a treat...

But I do wish I had started him a little earlier, maybe on the dot of 6 months, and been a little more regular at trying, even if I found it frustrating.

All the best with your DD. If it's any consolation, when DS was 9 months and still not eating anything, he was very fat and happy, so I guess they can do without solid food for quite a while. Except then he started waking in the night again...

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Danae - that's comforting! DD still not having any of it. I offer once a day. She likes playing with the spoon, at any rate. Oh well, she'll eat when she's hungry, I guess.

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it seems to be the consensus on the BLW forum that bf babies take to solids a bit later if it's left up to them... i wonder why? [delicious BM icon]

No window, imo. Would be pretty barmy of nature to design people with such a small window of opportunity for acquiring such an important skill as eating, no?

DS2 was nearer 8mo before he ate anything much - he chewed a banana or two, he had some cucumber, he demolished a peach and begged for my orange when he was 7mo, but not much actual food passed his lips.

Now he eats everything in sight, then asks for more. If he ate more fruit, I'd think he was a chimp.