My 9 1/2 Month Old Not Wanting to Eat Solid Food Help

Let her feed herself. My oldest let me feed him once. After that I had to let him have the spoon. His youngest brother is the same way. Wants to do it himself.

We had this problem with our granddaughter... ended up just letting her feed herself, she made a mess but after a while, she got used to the spoon and then we could feed her with it. Just give her the spoon and a bowl and maybe some different kinds of finger foods. She'll eat when she's hungry, don't worry. Happy Holidays

Hi There,

If your baby is being breast fed, she does not need solid food until around 1 year. I know docs routinely recommend solids much sooner (@ 2 months with my son! yikes!), but it is really a matter of convenience (sleeping through the night, preparing early for solids, etc.) rather than nutritional need.

I don't know about bottle fed babies.... If you really want to get her started on solids now, I would suggest simple, fresh, nutritious foods like chopped avocado or banana. Some children do better with new things when they 'think' it's their idea. You can try putting banana pieces on a plate in front of you and go sit on the floor or near her high chair where she sits (the key is to be at her eye level & have her in a position where she's not terribly distracted with something else like TV or a bottle) & eat in front of her, pretending to ignore her. Sometimes babies will ask for things that others have out of curiosity when they won't take it if you offer. You might do this several times before she picks up on it. Another trick is to recruit other kids....siblings, cousins, etc. to eat snacks (things she can eat too) in front of her. Babies love to mimic other children & find their activities very interesting. Don't get too discouraged if she's not ready for solids right now---especially if she's breast fed. She'll come around soon enough.

About the Gerber foods......I wouldn't want to eat those either. Try a bite sometime. If we won't eat it, they are justified in rejecting it too. Yuck.

B.

Maybe she is not ready for solids or maybe she has sensory issues. Google sensory Processing disorder.
L.

hi iam a grandmother of 2 one is about 16mo and she is haveing the same problems i have found ahe wants to use her hands for foods she can pick up even at 9 mo she was soine this kids to day are more pickey than we all were .. and i think some foods dont give them a good tast so just hang intheir and try to let your child try using her hands on small things like veg in a jar or mac cheese or apples bits and u know gurber makes some things called puffed veg at walmart their about 2.25 and are like a snack but can be used a replacement foods just give the child some time whenthey are realy hungry they will eat... beleave me i know... T.

Maybe she's not ready yet. I wouldn't stress over it...she will let you know when she's interested. All she really needs the first year is breast milk or formula.

We moms tend to be so excited with our firstborn that we want everything to go according to some "schedule" and we're so excited about the next milestone that we miss out on enjoying the present. There's a Japanese expression called "Satori" that means "be here now". It's sometimes hard to live just in the present without dwelling on the past or trying to rush into the future. With practice, though, it can be very fulfilling.

Just enjoy your daughter, wherever she's at. Make sure she's in her high chair at the table when you are eating and maybe give her some finger foods to play with but don't force the issue of solid foods. When the pressure is off, she'll probably start grabbing your spoon out of your hand!

Good luck and blessings to you,

M.
"My son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones."
Visit my Mamasource profile to find out how we did it!

My daughter was the same way. She was 9 months before she even had a slight interest in solids. I had to force spoons of gerber food into her mouth. She finally gave in. My pediatrician wasn't worried as long as she still got the full amount of formula (I wasn't breastfeeding anymore at 9 months). My daughter slowly got the hang of it and now is 2 1/2 yrs old and eats like a champ. I think she will realize once she actually tastes the food, she may actually like it. I started with rice cereal, then veggies...sweet potatoes, peas, carrots. My pediatrician told me to start with just one food at a time and give it 3 days before adding a second flavor. don't start with fruits...she will love the sweet taste and turn down veggies later. Good luck. Be patient. As long as she is still growing, she will catch up. If she is loosing weight, then I would talk to your pediatrician.

My boys were breastfed and didn't even show interest in solids until about 91/2 - 10 months of age. I tried the Gerber foods, but they hated it so I ended up grinding/cutting up whatever I would cook for my and my husband's meals. Worked out great. Now, at ages 4 and 6, they eat everything in sight! As long as your child is getting some nutrition and growing, don't worry.

Maybe it is time to let her feed herself. Try small, soft pieces that she can feed herself.

She may have a textile disorder its really nothing major children grow out of it, it’s where they simply have a thing about textures and are very picky eaters because of it. My 5 yr old was born completely blind and she has this which is typical with most blind children, ask your doctor or nurse what they think. I would also try giving her something with more flavor and see if it is just that she doesn’t like the way the baby food tastes. You can make your own baby food and it may be appealing to her with a little extra TLC in the cooking. Don’t freak out it should pass. God Bless you and your little one!

Hello E.,
My kids are a lot older (20 and 17), so I may not be up to the minute with current trends, but I'll tell you what we did.

We gave them their own spoon and/or fork right away.

We would use a different spoon to sneak food in while they were distracted with their own spoon.

We made our own baby food - I didn't add spices or salt to the items I was going to feed them. We used an inexpensive baby food grinder to grind food for them. You can also use a blender to make batches of food and freeze it in "plops" or in ice cube trays and have a variety of food available at any time. We saved TONS of money this way.

We mixed the food in with cereal when we were first introducing it and changed the ratio as they became accustomed to the new item. (And did the one food at a time, and the three days, etc.)

The kids loved eating frozen peas off the tray of the high chair. Why? I don't know!

"Nuff said! Good luck!

A.