help! total rejection of solids!!

[Anonymous]

i have tried decreasing the oatmeal per bottle a few weeks ago and it resulted in a relapse of the classic reflux symptoms. i suppose i can try again. i’ve tried to feed her (purees) at several different times in a day with no good results. finger foods get better results but the servings she takes are TINY! i see other babies her age eating away. it’s very frustrating for all of us!

[Anonymous]

Maybe try decreasing the overall volume of some of her bottles, say 4-5 ounces instead of 6, but keep the ratio of oatmeal the same if she needs it to control her reflux.

Try not to stress over it. Some babies are just later than others in accepting solids. And, try not to push her because that will only cause her to become more resistant. Just offer and be as non-reactive as you can if she refuses.

Maybe give her some special toys to play with when you are feeding her solids. (Keep these toys hidden until meal times so she doesn’t get bored with them) This worked very well for Myles when he was less than enthusiastic about eating. Now he loves his purees, but he didn’t for a very long time. Special toys made meal time enjoyable for him. He still likes to play with toys in his high chair while eating. It’s messy but I don’t mind because he’s happy and he’s eating.

[Anonymous]

Try not to worry too much b/c they can tell when you are stressed and it stresses them. Some babies just hate baby food and go straight to table food. I agree with the toy idea also b/c distraction is so easy at that age! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much… I will try the toy idea as well as decreasing the bottle amount. Thanks for helping me put things into perspective.

[Anonymous]

Toys are great, we have so many at her high chair. Since many of them end up in her lap or on the floor. When she opens her mouth to put a toy in I sneak in a spoonful of food, and she has to swallow before she puts the toy in so it seems to work out fine. Give it a shot.

[Anonymous]

Let us know how you go and have been a bit worried. I can imagine you would be by 81/2 months.

I am just starting with solid foods, with variable success. I have tried to follow the “rules” and do only stage one, but in the spirit of frustration or is that exploration, we tried mashed mango yesterday and she loved it. She actually swallowed without gagging (unlike cereal, pumpkin, sweet potato, pear etc). I also added the toy into the mix after reading the beginnings of this forum and I think that helped a little.

[Anonymous]

I would also agree not to worry too much about it at this point. She might just be full from all of the calories that she’s getting in her bottles. If she’s taking 24-30 ounces a day with 1tbsp of cereal per ounce, it like she’s getting the calories of 48-60 ounces of formula a day!! So she’s probably not hungry. There are ways to thicken that don’t add calories to the same extent. There’s a product called simply thick that has worked well for many moms. I’ve never tried it personally b/c we can’t get it in Canada, but I’ve heard that a lot of feeding clinics use it to thicken when there are swallowing problems or when thickened feeds are needed because you don’t need to deal with all the calories and it’s a more uniform texture. They have a website that gives more information. There’s also Enfamil with rice that supposedly thickens in the stomach if the baby isn’t on a PPI or H2 blocker and that has the same number of calories per ounce.

You can wait a bit, and then if you’re still having trouble on your own, you can try to get help from a feeding therapist or a dietician to help you deal with caloric intake. Good luck.

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