My baby is 6 months almost 7 months old & I've tried giving her rice cereal for past 2 weeks, but she hates it

Question

So since she absolutely won't eat the baby rice cereal (I tried giving her some for past 2 weeks already), I made her some pureed carrots (I boiled some organic carrots till tender and then pureed them really well in the blender) and she loved them. Also, hubby and I had some instant mashed potatoes yesterday with our dinner and I gave her a tiny taste and I could tell she really liked them becuz she didn't spit them out like she does with baby rice cereal. Is it ok to give her a little bit of prepared instant mashed potatoes once or twice a week followed by her bottle of formula or is this not a good idea? The potatoes did have a little bit of butter and milk in them but no salt. Also, since she loved the pureed carrots I want to continue giving that to her occasionally, so how much should I be giving her a day / week? I'm pretty sure at least the carrots are ok for her to eat since they are just plain organic pureed cooked carrots and nothing else. Can anyone advise please?

Answer 1

My son started solids about 7 months..

He never got baby cereal, but he did get oatmeal (old-fashioned cook on the stove kind). He loved it. Then we gave him little bite-size chunks of bananas. And then sweet potatoes, and avocados. And peaches... Well-done brown rice... Real mashed potatoes, or even just bite-size chunks of cooked plain potato. Steamed carrots are great, steamed squash, zuchinni, etc. Plain tofu is good too.

I'm not sure how it works for the formula/solids ratio, my son is breastfed, but when he eats solids, I let him feed himself and when he starts JUST playing with it (usually about 20-30 minutes) and not eating it, that's when he's done. Sometimes he eats a WHOLE BUNCH and other times he won't eat but a few bites. (save it for later!)

I didn't wait weeks and weeks between introducing solids. I stuck with the "safest" most "non-allergenic" foods and let him sample them off my plate until he was about 8 months, then he wanted to EAT and not just nibble. By then he'd already tried everything for a month or so and is content to eat whatever is placed in front of him.

EDIT TO ADD:
O I gave my son ONE BITE of baby cereal (the oatmeal kind) the other day, first time ever. That was also the first time he ever spit any kind of food out in disgust and refused to eat it. He'll eat PLAIN TOFU which apparently tastes better than that crap (after his face I had to taste it, it's GROSS... lol) I wouldn't even bother with the baby cereals. Plain old oatmeal and rice is fine, just cook it thouroughly.

Answer 2

One trick to feeding cereal is mix it in with a jar of baby food fruit . This will give it some flavor and might help. Also keep trying it because they say it can take a long time for them to get used to the texture also as well as the taste. At her age a little bit on mashed potatoes is fine. At her age you should probably be going through about 2 level one jars of baby food. One thing though. When introducing new foods only do one at a time. Like giver her carrots and not try anything new for 2 or 3 days so if she has a food allergy you know what it is. If you gave carrots and peas you'd not know which one was the problem. As for how much at a time when she wont eat anymore stop. Some times this will be more at others less. A good day might be offer some cereal/with fruit for breakfast offer some carrots for lunch and some more at dinner. Once she has a vareity of food offer one at lunch and one at dinner. Also in the next couple of months start offering sippy cup with meal and once she learns how to use it instead of giving her a bottle of formula give it to her in the sippy. Start off slow say maybe only a sippy at lunch then gradually sub for more meals and you will have easily weaned her from the bottle at a year.

Answer 3

Every baby truly is different. My youngest was exclusively breast fed until just before she turned 7 months. For her, she was happy with nursing and showed no interest in starting solids and was happy, healthy and growing. We tried some commercially prepared baby foods with her. She generally ate it, but it was easier to simply puree what we ate for meals. We did do the traditional pattern of begin with infant rice cereal, but we also tried barley and oatmeal which she much preferred over rice. Because of breast feeding, her doctor recommended continuing the infant cereal until a year old as it had an adequate amount of iron in it. You could try mixing the carrots with some of the infant cereal. It may be more of a texture issue as opposed to a taste issue with the cereal. I am mom to 4 plus I have been a licensed child care provider in my home for 20 years. The babies I have cared for have varied a great deal in their likes and dislikes of food. Instant mashed potatoes are not harmful for your baby but they really do not contain much in the way of healthy nutrients. When beginning solids, it is helpful to stick with one single ingredient food for a few days before adding another. This helps determine which food may be the culprit if your baby has a reaction such as vomitting, rash, or diarrhea. A food reaction simply indicates your baby isn't quite ready for that particular food and it would be best to wait a few weeks and try that food again. Commercially prepared baby food is a convenience, but your baby can eat many foods you eat. Mashed banana is generally a favorite. Cooked, mashed/pureed sweet potatoes (much healthier than white potatoes), squash, and carrots are all good first foods. Canned apricots, peaches, and pears pureed are good as well. Cooked, mashed/pureed peas and beans are good to try. About 8-9 months try plain whole milk yogurt. Most adults find plain yogurt disgusting, but many babies love it just that way and don't need the sweet, flavored yogurts with a high sugar content. Gradually add cooked whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain toast, and Cheerios. Most anything that can be mashed or cut up small is suitable to try. Initially, solids are given in addition to the formula and/or breast milk a baby is drinking. Think of it more as a supplement rather than a substitution. Start by giving her solids once a day for a few weeks than do twice a day for awhile. About 9 months many babies are on an eating schedule that includes 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Several foods are recommended for over 1 year such as honey.

Answer 4

Dont push the cereal..if she doesnt like it dont feed it to her! Baby cereal is about useless anyways. Your baby can eat pretty much any veggie baby food (or purreed veggies if thats your thing) Potatoes are fine too! Once she gets the hang of veggies (taste wise) move on to fruits. Dont be scared about giving her things. She is almost to the point where she can start feeding herself too! Give her some gerber puffs (they disolve in the mouth) and see if she will feed herself. If she feeds herself start giving her really really soft cooked veggies all cut up. They love feeding themselves. But Yeah go ahead and toss out the rice cereal!

Edit---your baby does NOT need meat now! They get their protein from the formula/breastmilk! Dont start that until around 8 months...and even then you only need to give them a TINY bit!

Answer 5

My 6 month old napped twice a day. More than that and she wasn't tired at night. I know some babies do 3 naps but it depends on many factors and each individual baby. Personally I think she is napping too much. Or keep the naps and put her to bed at 9.

Answer 6

At 6 months, they should be eating veggies, fruit, and cereal. If she doesn't eat the rice cereal try the oatmeal cereal with fruit in the jar. My daughter likes the Gerber. They should also be eating meat atleast once a day by 6 months. She needs to be eating much more than she is. They need more calories at this age, because they are more mobile. If you don't give them more calories then they won't have the energy to work on scooting and crawling, etc.

Answer 7

Mashed potatoes are just fine. Try adding a lil applesauce in with the baby cereal. My son didn't like it much either until I started adding sweeter things like applesauce and bananas.

Answer 8

Consult her physician. Do what you think is best, and what you are comfortable with. There are different flavored rice cereal for babies baby oatmeal rice cereal oatmeal mixed just look down the baby isle

Answer 9

I wouldn't give her mashed potatoes and especially not instant ones. BUT that being said you are great to give her veggies, fruits and cereals. You can try oatmeal since she doesn't like rice cereal. My son didn't like rice either...ewww who would? Its yucky! haha We actually started him on orange/yellow veggies first. Then fruit and we mixed oatmeal cereal in with them. Good luck!

***********OH and at her age...I just looked back and saw it...you should start giving her meats now or soon.***************