8-mo-old not interested in solids

[@llli*lolaminis]

Hi all!
My little guy is almost 8 months and shows no interest in solids. He actually seems to dislike them. I've been trying on and off for over a month but haven't had much luck. He cries when I put a spoon near his face. If I manage to get anything in there, he cries and gags and has even made himself throw up. He has taken a little bit off my finger now and then, but pretty much it's still EBF. His weight gain has been fine and he's actually quite a chunker... is this anything to be concerned about? How long can they go on milk alone?

I've heard great things about baby-led solids and think that may be the way to go in this case. I've tried putting banana and avocado in front of him but pretty much he just gets it everywhere except for in his mouth.

[@llli*garsmum]

Hi! I was going to say, have you tried the BLS method? I wish I had done it. Well, I essentially switched to it. I found it was easier for my DS when he started to get more teeth as well. I offered a variety of what was on my plate, chopped up in baby bite sized pieces. To this day he wants what is on my plate

[@llli*garsmum]

I've tried putting banana and avocado in front of him but pretty much he just gets it everywhere except for in his mouth.

Just now read this...and that is perfectly normal! "Solids before 1 are just for fun". There isn't a lot of need for the nutrient yet, although avos and bananas are awesome nutritiously if he does actually get some in. But really, it's all about exploring and learning to eat. So don't worry if it ends up everywhere. My toddler's food ends up everywhere still and I've had to let that go. Babies and toddlers can really self regulate their eating and they won't purposely starve themselves.

[@llli*mommal]

Until one, just for fun! According to my pediatrician, until your baby turns one, breastmilk or formula alone can meet all his nutritional needs, and are better for him than solids because breastmilk or formula provides complete and balanced nutrition, unlike any solid you can offer. After the first birthday. solids become an increasingly important part of a baby's diet, but the transition from needing only mama's milk to needing a lot of solids is a gradual one, with many babies still mostly breastfed until well into their second year.

I also had a baby who hated the spoon. Hated. It. We ended up letting her self-feed. It was messy, yes- a lot of food ended up dropped on the floor or down a crack in her high-chair or smeared on her face and clothes- but she had a great time and ended up a very enthusiastic eater.

[@llli*lolaminis]

Thank you both!!
I hadn't heard about "Until one, just for fun," but it's very reassuring. Supposedly we started solids 2 pedi appts. ago, and at the most recent appt. I was told to do cereal+fruit at bkfst, fruit+veg at lunch, and cereal+fruit+veg at dinner, and we are just no way NEAR any of that! On a good day he'll take two swallows of something throughout the whole day, but most days it's just milk.
I know my first son wasn't crazy about solids for a while, but I don't remember him feeling this strongly about it.

My other concern was that if my supply doesn't keep up, I'm going to be in trouble because he doesn't take a bottle. (I wonder if that's related to hating the spoon, too? )
But I guess as long as I still have milk and his growth is good, I'll not worry and just keep offering the solids.
Thanks again!!

[@llli*mommal]

I was told to do cereal+fruit at bkfst, fruit+veg at lunch, and cereal+fruit+veg at dinner

Completely outdated advice, based on the assumption that all motherswean at or before a year, and that they are eager to make the weaning process happen as quickly as possible by upping the quantity of solid food their baby consumes and really forcing the transition to solids. In addition, the foods you're being told to offer, and the order in which you're being told to offer them- there is absolutely no scientific backup for any of that.

My other concern was that if my supply doesn't keep up, I'm going to be in trouble because he doesn't take a bottle. (I wonder if that's related to hating the spoon, too? )

As long as you continue to nurse on demand, your supply will remain adequate to your baby's needs. And as he gets older, those needs will actually decrease. A lot of moms think that their milk supply has to keep increasing as their babies grow. After all, look at formula-fed babies- they take more and bigger bottles as they grow, right? Well, that's not how it works! Breastfed babies have the most milk intake in early infancy, and then hold steady until around 6 months or so, and then drop down incrementally as they start to eat some solids. If you can nurse a baby to 6 months, there's no reason to think you're not going to have enough milk when he's 12 months.

But I guess as long as I still have milk and his growth is good, I'll not worry and just keep offering the solids.

My pediatrician told me that until a year "solids are only for fun with new tastes, textures, and motor skills." So all the stuff your child does with solids- picking them up, squishing them with his hands, dropping them on the floor, licking them, chewing them, swallowing them' spitting them out- all that stuff is more important than the nutrition he gets from them.

[@llli*lolaminis]

Thanks, MommaL!!
Btw - I like your pediatrician.
And yes there are SO many things they can do with those solids! I love the family dog even more these days

[@llli*maddieb]

For these kinds of concerns I think the book my child won't eat by Carlos Gonzalez can be very helpful. Certainly I found it extremely helpful. One thing he really takes to task are these recommendations of start with food A and then food B etc. Basically what he explains is that almost all of these recommendations are based on current fashion and not research into what is actually normal or healthy.
My first child started eating solids before six months started with purees and never seem to have any issues. My second baby hated purees and really never ate anything much until he was well past one year old. With my third baby we started with baby led solids at about seven months. She did not eat much of anything until about 10 months and then she started eating more. But by then I had also seriously adjusted my thinking about how much was normal for a baby to be eating.

[@llli*dara]

my DD didn't start eating till about 10 months, my baby now likes to self feed, but JUST getting into it and he is 10 months. My Pedi at his 9 month apt told me not to worry, as he is getting all he needs from my milk for the first year (I knew that lol) but it was nice to hear from a pedi!

[@llli*lolaminis]

Great to know his lack of interest is not a reason for concern at this stage. Thanks, everyone!