DD hates table food

jen_and_tom · October 2008

We started table foods about two weeks ago. We've tried avocados, applesauce, butternut squash, and rice cereal. She just isn't interested in any of it. If she does take a bite, she gets a terrible look on her face and starts gagging. We try to keep it social and let her play a really active role in meal time. We feed her when we eat, she gets her own spoon (which she just chews on the end) and sippy cup. And, if she turns her head away, we never force her to eat. Consequently, she's probably only taken a dozen bites ever. Anybody else have a reluctant eater? Any suggestions?

pixelvixen · October 2008

Have you tried oatmeal? We got DD the Gerber oatmeal with bananas in it. Rice cereal was nasty and it plugged her up something fierce. Your DD just might not be ready either... you can try taking a break for a couple of weeks and starting back slow. I continued with oatmeal until I thought Payton was comfortable actually eating it before I started other foods. We were on oatmeal for almost 6 weeks!

Hang in there, she'll eat soon enough.

BriAndSean · October 2008

I agree with Pixel... maybe try oatmeal. Our pedi recommended starting solids around 5 months at our 4 month appointment. I started "feeding" her BM from a spoon just so she would get the hang of it at 4.5 months. Then, we started with oatmeal thinned way down with BM. The first day she was making faces and mostly just playing with the spoon. Starting the 2nd day, she chowed down! I gradually decreased the amount of milk so that it was thicker and then we moved to sweet potatoe this last week-end. She is a really good eater. It took her a week eating the oatmeal before she started to understand how to do it efficiently. I make my own food so I can control the consistency and I've noticed she does better when it is smooth, but a little thicker than the store bought kind.

Seattle_JiLLn · October 2008

It's no big deal this early on if she really gets anything. Just let her play with it. If you're brave, let her just finger paint on her tray with it. The first few months it's jsut about getting used to food and learning how to eat. If she's still gagging on everything, she also might just not be ready yet.

If it's causing you stress, stop for 2 weeks and try again later.

jodynjames2005 · October 2008

Charlotte took to solids like a fish takes to water, but it took Alice awhile to like them at all. I'd just offer it, give her as much as she wanted, and then stop when she was done. Sometimes that was only a couple of bites. Around 8 mo old, she suddenly started eating nearly as much as Charlotte. She still doesn't care whether she has her solids, whereas Charlotte eats a TON and cries for them if we try to delay them for some reason. I think some babies are just more into it than others. No big deal at this age.

jen_and_tom · October 2008

Thanks ladies.

I know she still needs the majority of her nutrients from milk at this age. I was just starting to panic a little bit that if she's still gagging that she might have trouble learning how to eat. Just a nagging feeling that perhaps I had done the wrong thing by delaying solids until 6.5 months. It's great to hear that there are some other babies that are now successful eaters that didn't take to it right away. I think I will give it a break for a couple of days and then try again.

Seattle_JiLLn · October 2008

6.5 months is not a "delay"... dont' worry!! and it's a developmental milestone for them to stop the gagging.. it's not something that works better if you start earlier... you didn't do anything wrong!

tfarabians · October 2008

Cruz is STILL not a great eater! It takes time and patience! I'm sure she will pick up on it, just keep trying. Also what time of day are you feeding her? That seemed to make a big difference with us at first.

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