Posted by
didy
18 yrs ago
My baby is six months and two weeks. He has been breastfed since birth and developing well. Starting a couple months ago he begun putting everything in his mouth (toys and whatever other objects that he gets hold of) so I thought to myself "great he would have no problem starting solids".
We started feeding him rice cereal when he was nearly six months. Much to my surprise, he does not seem to enjoy solids at all. He tends to push the food out with his tongue, and does not seem to be able to swallow food.
We've tried rice cereal and a few types of oureed root vege and fruits. Not very successful so far.
His weigh gain on breastmilk has been very good so I am not too worried about his nutritional intake.
Any suggestions? We will keep offering him opportunities to experiment with solids, but what else?
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My suggestion is to take a break for 2 weeks, then try again. Some kids are just ready later. If you take a break, he'll forget all about his resistance and it'll be all new to him. And if that doesn't work, take another 2 week break.
This approach works with many things btw. For example when our #1 didn't want Mommy to bathe her. We simply had me or helper bathe her for a week, then mommy came back and all was well.
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Some babies have a gag reflex. maybe he cant swallow food well just yet. how about really watering down the solids to see if can swallow?
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Hi there. I just wanted to tell you not to worry too much. My 1st child was the same. He was also exclusively breastfed and refused solids until 11months!! I think he just didn't like the mushy taste of the baby "solid" food. He went from breastfeeding exclusively to cheese on toast for his first meal at 11 months. To this day he doesn't like anything mushy like soup, gravy etc. and prefers something he can sink his teeth into. He is now a healthy, thriving 4-year old who eats like a horse. Of course, you can keep trying solids every couple of weeks (that is what I did) but please don't get too stressed if your little one doesn't take to it. All in good time.
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This response is called the extrusion reflex or the tongue-thrust reflex and it usually disappears when baby is around 6 months of age. The first time you feed him with a spoon, it may seem that he is spitting out the food and closing his mouth at the wrong time. But his tongue movement is simply the result of the not-yet-unlearned extrusion reflex and not because he doesn't want the food. Be relaxed, feed the baby at your mealtimes, and as he becomes a more accomplished eater of solid foods, offer a greater variety of foods at any one time.Maybe try making the food more pureed by adding additional breastmilk.
Respect your baby’s likes and dislikes. There is no essential food (except breastmilk). If your baby does not like a certain food, do not push it on him. If you think it important for him, wait a few weeks and offer it again.
At about eight months of age, babies become somewhat assertive in displaying their individuality. Your baby may not want you to put a spoon into his mouth. He very likely will take it out of your hand and put it into his mouth himself, often upside down, so that the food falls on his lap. Respect his attempts at self-sufficiency and encourage his learning.
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yes sorry, i meant tongue-thrust reflex, not gag reflex.
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My son's tongue thrust reflex didn't disappear until around 7 to 7 1/2 months. We would try to give him something every few days and if it came right back out, we continued waiting. He's 14 now and eats everything in sight!
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why dont you try to give him something that tastes nice, not baby rice, something like sweet potato and pear or carrott puree? and very small amount on a spoon at a time? make it quite liquid. Good luck!
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Try to dip your clean finger in the pree and let your child suck the food from your finger a couple of times. If he likes the taste, he will make extra effort to eat it and the you can feed with the spoon. Like ldsllvn suggested, try something that tastes nice. You can try the heinz vanilla custard. My 7 month old loves that.
Also, if you want to give cereal, try by making it a little more thin and then feed him through the bottle, using the teats for thicker liquids. Once he develops the taste, he will try to eat with the spoon also
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