Can you advise on weaning an infant?

Question

Our 9-mo old baby boy almost always refuses solids served by us on spoon, and the only spoon-fed solid he'll sometimes eat is oatmeal. He just wants his formula, or if offered a solid like bread he might take it & nibble a little if he can grab it & feed it to himself but no way will he let you stick a spoon in his mouth. Give him a solid on spoon & he'll scream, cry, spit it out. It's no use. Sometimes he cries when just sees his bowl. I say just mix some oatmeal in with his formula & he'll one day be ready for solids on his own - the torture of being shown solids right now can't be good for him either. I know all the books say a baby should be eating this by that date, etc., but I tell my wife you don't see unweaned 20-yr olds walking around w/giant bottles, so one day our boy will be ready too. Am I right in saying don't worry & don't push the solids? (I'm kind of the same way in that I don't like new foods & am content eating the same thing every day, and I'm healthy)

Answer 1

Each baby is unique so "the books" that recommend things are just guidelines. It is quite common for babies to have adversions to textures when learning how to eat solids. Formula is no longer able to meet all of his nutritional needs, so you may have to try a variety of things to find what he'll tolerate. He is old enough that skipping prepared baby food and going with table foods is an option. Since he likes to feed himself, Cheerios, sliced banana cut into 1/4's, soft cooked carrots cut into small pieces, baked sweet potato cut into small pieces, cooked green beans, toast, and canned fruit such as pears or peaches are all things he may like. If the spoon and bowl send him into hysterics, skip them and just put the little pieces of food on his clean high chair tray or on a plate. I agree you don't want to push the solids, but I would suggest that you offer them to him at a regular schedule during the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner). You may also try giving him his formula in a cup during meal time. It may be that he is filling up first on formula and is not hungry for solids. If that may be possible, give him a bottle with 2 less ounces in it. When he is done, put him in his high chair, offer him some Cheerios and the rest of his formula in a cup (sippy cups can be hard for some babies to use, so try a cup with a lid that is not the spill-proof kind or the small water bottle type containers that come with a built in straw). Sit at the table and eat with him or at least interact with him while he eats. Let him eat what he wants and if he doesn't, try again 1-2 hours later. He won't starve himself, so offer it, let him choose to eat, and if not, try again later. He will still need his bottle or at least formula in a cup until he is 1 year old when most doctors give the OK to make the switch to cow's milk. Resist putting his oatmeal in his bottle. It is not recommended. Do not ever beg, plead, offer special treats, or threaten him to eat. This sets the scene for a lengthy battle over meal time. Offer him healthy choices and let him choose what and how much he eats.

Answer 2

lol what kind of food u eat every day? my husband doesnt have a problem with it too if it is pizza :)

I totally agree with u, dont push him, he is too young, ages and numbers in books just give u a general idea, the average, it is not the age a child should do this, we are not programmed! ... yet lol

If the child has reached the point he sees the bowl and starts crying things are already too bad for him. Forget about it for a while, return to your older habits and try again in a couple of months but when u do so try to use different methods or objects or foods, nothing that will remind him of this bad experience he already had. give him time. try some creams and smashed fruits in the beginning, and very well smashed meals. My niece started eating solid foods (smashed) around 9 months, and then pretty soon started eating regular meals. My neview is 2 years and 3 months and still cant eat anything that is not completely smashed.

Spend more time with each other than trying to feed him :)

Answer 3

By nine months finger foods are a good option, they help the baby in many ways. Try cutting up small cooked carrots and small bits of pear, maybe some Cheerios and cooked pasta. Start putting the formula in a sippy cup during the day.
When you feed the baby from a spoon don't forget to give him a spoon to. this will help with his fine motor skills and may distract him from being angry. Don't push your child to eat, you don't want to upset him and turn him away from food, but keep trying, babies this age are learning fundamental skills, I had a child in my car that could not swallow anything that was not smooth and he was 18 months when I got him. I had him for 3 months and he was eating everything by the time he left...but his mother would have never tried if I hadn't suggested it, she just thought he had a large gag reflex, but the truth was she didn't introduce solids when he was ready for them and didn't keep trying when she did introduce them.

Answer 4

I had the same problem with my now 2 yr old, only I was nursing! The key is to continue to offer differint things but never force the issue or it will become a battle of wills and I can tell you, you can't reason (or win) a battle with someone who doesn't understand. Books serve as guidelines bur everyone knows there is "more than one way to skin a cat". Patience is your way. He'll go for new tastes and textures when he's ready!

Answer 5

Your baby should be on formula until he is 1 years old. Formula, along with oatmeal is fine for the time being. Have you tried introducing fruit and let him pick things up with his fingers instead of just using the spoon? He needs to master that skill of feeding himself.

Answer 6

my daughter never liked the baby cereals, she liked some of the jarred baby foods but was very picky about which she would eat. You should be introducing solid foods to him, but as long as he is growing well and the doc says he is healthy then i wouldn't worry too much about him not eating much solids at this point. You can also go to the baby food aisle in your local store and get some of those snacks they make for babies. He might like some of those. I wouldn't push it, but I also wouldn't stop completely, you should still introduce different things.

Answer 7

Stop trying to spoon feed him and let him feed himself. It'll be messy, but he'll probably be more intested in eating if he can do it himself at this age. All three of my kids were eating table food at this age.

slices of bananas
crackers
hunks of bagel
cut up waffles
cut up spaghetti
chunks of baked potatoes
slices of baked apples
mushy peas
well-cooked diced carrots
Cheerios
Rice Chex
stuffing

Answer 8

Your child could be experiencing difficulties in eating but formula does not provide enough calories or nutrients for him any longer. And just eating one type of food will lead to problems with vitamin deficiencies down the road. You and your wife are the grown-ups and it is time to act like one. Your baby is running your life. He is old enough to finger feed himself and seems to enjoy it so let him. Put his fruit in his bowl on the high chair tray and give him his own little spoon and let him eat. Of coarse, you must sit there with your own spoon and also feed him. You can also give him cheerios to eat on his own. There are many items on the baby food aisle that are meant to be finger foods. Just remember anything you give him should be in pieces small enough that he will not choke on them. Just remember you are running things not the little tyrant.

Answer 9

Yes, you are right. Forcing food will mess up a child in several ways - the crushing of their autonomy, the turning off of their ability to regulate appetite, and the hurting of their trust for you.

Our children had nothing but human milk for 9 months and then tried the foods they wanted. We didn't force any foods on them. It's ridiculous to do so, in my opinion. It's like expression about teaching pigs to dance - it just wastes your time and annoys the pigs, or something like that.

Answer 10

Our daughters never really took to baby foods, so we let them eat regular food at an early age. Our first daughter took an early liking to pasta (w/ butter and parmesan) and now, at 8, that continues to be her favorite food. Our second daughter was a big fan of veggie sausages (Morningside Farms). So let him explore different foods to find something he likes. However, I should mention that both of our daughters continued to breastfeed until at least 20 months, mostly just at bedtime or for comfort by that time. I'm with you, no need to force it and they'll stop eventually. Good luck!