i have problems feeding solid to 6 month old?

Question

my baby turned 6 month and 6 days old. i have introduced solid (cereal), he refuses to eat. its been 6 days now, im getting worried. and he gets hungry more frequently now.i dont know how to get him to eat.please advise.

Answer 1

First of all, ask any doctor and they will tell you that a baby can only drink milk, either breast milk or formula, up until a year and be JUST FINE.

That said, most people seem to be in a big rush to feed food to their babies. So, cereal is a good start. Please do not put it in a bottle and try that. Sure, your baby might take it this way but you are setting poor eating habits. He needs to learn to eat cereal with a spoon. Believe it or not, he probably just doesn't know what to do with his tongue (doesn't seem complicated to us, but for babies it's a new thing). His tummy will probably only take a little anyways, so just try a spoonful each morning. He'll get the hang of it. I've been told that you might have to try one food twenty times before baby decides he likes it! Don't put a bunch of sugar and junk in it, he'll like that without your help.

If I may suggest, next, start with pureed vegetables. Introduce one a week to check for allergies. After you've gone through the vegetables, go through the fruits. Do veg first or he might get stuck on the sweet fruit and not want to eat veg. By that time you'll be up to a year probably and into meats, cheeses, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 2

What is he doing when you give him the cereal?
Is he making a funny face?
Turning his head?
Crying?

1. When your son is hungry give him a little breastmilk or formula
2. Set him to eat, sitting up or supported sitting.
3. Wait until he opens his mouth before you give him the spoon.
4. Make sure you are using a baby spoon, keep the spoon a little in his mouth so he sucks on it and learns how to swallow the cereal.
5. Make sure the cereal is very watery, have you tried using water or breastmilk/formula mixed in? You could experiement with both.
6. If he makes a funny face it is perfectly normal, he might even turn his head to the side and spit the cereal out, as long as he keeps opening his mouth keep trying or you can bring the spoon to his lips and see if he wil open his mouth.
7. If he cries it's time to stop or try another time.
8. If the problem is he is too hungry to try the cereal feed him normally then wait an hour before he usually eats to try the cereal again, make sure there are no distractions.

My daughter loves cereal when I give her a new fruit or vegetable she gives me the same funny face and moves her head away but then after a while she loves the new food and gets excited everytime the spoon comes close, be careful not to drop your bowl of cereal or spoon, babies love to grab these things. My daughter cried before when I gave her bananas, the next day I tried again and she loved them.
Try all this and if it doesn't work maybe is he is not quite ready or talk to your doctor. Also when you eat try to make it so he watches you bring the spoon or fork to your motuh, my daughter watches me and I see her making mouth movements, sometimes she even cries and wants the spoon!
My daughter is 6 months!

Answer 3

Aside from 6 month advice solid food advice everyone has given you, you have to remember that babies sleeping patterns change throughout the first couple of years. Just because he used to sleep through the night without a feed doesn't mean that it will continue that way for forever. All babies go through growth spurts, there is a very large one around 6 months - my daughter is still in the middle of this spurt - she has been waking more often to eat for the past few weeks (she is 6 months old). Previously she had "slept through the night". Now she will wake anywhere from 2-6 times a night and eats the majority of them. Has his formula intake gone down during the day? I know Elyse goes through periods where eating in the daytime isn't very interesting - would rather play during the day and eat at night. Your babies formula has more calories than any solid food, up his formula amount and wait on the solids, in my opinion.

Answer 4

Let me try:-
1. Out of experience I have found that babies don't like small chucks of food in their mouths;
2. Cereal's like Purity Brand is good but try and make your own Oat Meal - sift it and put a very little bit of flavored yogurt with;
3. If I were you I will boil my own midday food (13h00) like, boil together some potato, carrot and squash and a little mince meat. Soft together and add a little butter and not to much salt;
4. In the morning before your Oats, mash a ripe banana and give that to your baby you will see the baby will like that. However you can not give this at night meals;
5. During the lunch (13h00) after the vegetables you can also give a little custard or the fruits like apple, pear that you get in the bottles (I think Purity) is the best;
6. After each meal you can either give some formula but don't expect your baby to drink it all. If the baby wakes up between meals then you can give a tittle boiled flavored water.
7. You must remember that as we grown ups differs so baby's also differs.
8. After your the cereal or oats in the mornings you can also add a soft boiled egg with a little salt, baby's enjoy that as well.
9. How is the baby's stomach, is it constipated or has it got a running stomach?
10. The baby could also be teething, so check the gums?

So I hope that this could have helped you.
Take care
Suz of SA

Answer 5

Wait a few days and try again then. Some babies are not ready for solids at six months. Give bub time to adjust to such a big change. Also, rice cereal is pretty bland and some babies don't like it. Maybe give mashed banana a go. If bub is not keen on solids yet and still seems hungry, offer more breast/formula until bub is ready for food.

Answer 6

Well, first up - only offer your baby pureed veggies, fruit and fortified baby cereal. If you offer anything else (like yogurt, egg, meat, etc) you can seriously compromise his gut. (Not to mention you'll probably give him the worst tummyache of his life!)
I find that different baby cereals have different taste. Try the Milupa kind, or the Nestle kind rather than the Heinz pablum (which actually tastes like wallpaper paste, in my opinion!).
Start him out on some beginner veggies - sweet potato, squash, peas (his poo will be green, just a heads up), carrots (thsy stain though - watch out!), green beans.
Also, he may not be ready yet. Just play it by ear, and I know that you will find the right answer.
I wish you all the best!

Answer 7

What is the cereal you have introduced ?
Anyway try to feed your bady in a more liquified form, add some more extra milk and try to feed like a drink. Within few days the baby will accept the taste and start eating . No of feeds you fix as five , if you are giving less than that.

Answer 8

Solids are not nutrionally necessary this early on. They are offered for fun, and for your baby to develop a taste for them.

So whatever you do, don't force him. You'll only convince him that eating is unpleasant and stressful.

Try offering other foods besides cereal. You might want to try a different cereal, or a little bit of mashed banana, or mashed vegetables. In my part of the world we usually start with the yellow ones, squash, sweet potato and carrots (least likely to cause allergies), but really anything will do, as long as it's well mashed.

Also depends on what you are adding to the cereal. If you mix it with whatever he's drinking now (formula or breast milk) he might accept it.

Answer 9

my son now is 7month. Since i been feeding him cereal mix with breast milk or 1stage food as in veg and fruit. i give him something to chew like Rice cracker (mum mum) or Biscuit baby cracker. If your son able to grab it. also baby can feel environment if you in hurry or stress or too many people around you. The best to quite area as in dinning room and if he comfortable highchair. I bought Fisher price booster from infant to 3 year old. my son feel so comfortable. however i look up website what food shld feed and shldnt feed.
now my son eat everyday morning ceral and breastfeeding then snack cracker then breastfeeding then lunch cereal with Veg then breastfeed. not need to follow my way but if you find a schedule regulalry then will be great. i work full time my son and i successful schedule it. smile! if need more information can always email me. Am glad to help out as i am teacher at preschool daycare with new born to 5year old toddler.

Answer 10

If you do not wean now you miss the optimum time to do so, this does not mean you can't leave it longer, although most midwifes will advise wean now!!! Try giving him apple puree, something with a little flavour, my son never ate baby rice, but he certainly likes his food now (8months) also, whetabix or oatabix are really easy to give, but you may find he wont like this, be persistant, he will eat eventually, don't leave it until he's hungry try to feed him a bit before then, touch his lips with the spoon so he can taste it, try it evey day he will take to eventually!!

God luck!