I feel ridiculous, but ... ? about feeding baby

[migirl]

You'd think that by the time we got to Kid #3, I'd have things all figured out...!

DD is 6.5 months old now, I started solids with her when she was 5 months. We've done the usual ... rice cereal, oatmeal, banana, sweet potato. But she has this weird reaction when I put the spoon in her mouth! She'll kind of roll the food around in her mouth, gag and choke a little bit, and then - after much drama, some crying, etc. - eventually spit it all out. My boys never did this, so I'm a little unsure about what to do.

Our pediatrician said that it could be a texture thing with her and she might just be one of those babies who doesn't like the mushy baby food and skips right to table foods. For those of you who had babies like this, I assume I should keep offering her the "baby" food until she's actually ready for table foods in a month or two? Or can I just start giving her soft, mushy things now? She doesn't have any teeth yet, and is still exclusively nursing.

Like I said, I never went through this with my boys so I have no idea what to do!

[SuzySunshine]

R never liked baby food, yogurt was the ONLY thing I could get him to let me feed him. So he got A LOT of cheerios and puffs until he could pick up small diced fruits and vegetables and then that is all he ate while he progressed to table food. It was actually kind of nice to not have to feed him and now he's a great eater with a fork and a spoon at only 17 months.

[diggitydot]

Maybe try one of those things that you put food into that has a mesh-like pouch. They can gum the item and get a taste, but the mesh holds in pieces big enough to choke. No idea what they're called -- sorry.

[spotty_dog]

The tongue thrust reflex diminishes on average around age 6 months, but sometimes as late as 9 months. The gag reflex just takes desensitization to get less sensitive; babies trigger a gag much farther forward on the tongue than adults do, for safety's sake. We did pretty much baby-led weaning with Natalie -- table food from the start at 5.5 months -- and it worked well for us. Goodl luck, solids under one are just for fun (and practice) so try not to stress it too much.

[HouseofWool]

If it is a texture thing, I would try diced veggies like sweet potato or squash, bananas, really anything that will mash easily.

[alison]

Scrambled eggs? Avocado? Zucchini? Mango?

We thought it was a texture issue for M, so I tried the above. She really loved avocados when she was your daughter's age. You can take a baby spoon a scoop some of the "meat" out.

[TigerLily]

Maybe she's just not ready for solid foods yet. She doesn't need the nutrients from the food yet right? Maybe you should just try again in a few weeks?

[ides]

Maybe she's just not ready for solid foods yet. She doesn't need the nutrients from the food yet right? Maybe you should just try again in a few weeks?

Agree. O wasn't ready for solids until 9 months. Then he ate soft finger foods & yogurt.

[houseelf]

No ideas, I just wanted to give hugs and commiserate that they are each so vastly different it is like a whole new endeavor with each child. There is very little transfer of knowledge because the issues are soooo different!

[peggyfromwastate]

ITA Kelly!!!!

[migirl]

DH thought maybe she isn't ready yet, either. I'm afraid to try finger foods w/ her bc of all the choking and gagging, maybe I'll just give it a rest for now and try again in a few weeks.

This just threw me for a loop bc it's so different than what I went through with the older kids. Thanks, everyone!!

[Urowife]

Yeah, I'd probably hold off for now. My DD hated pureed baby foods, and she didn't really warm up to solids until 9-12 months. One thing you could try, especially if she wants to participate at mealtimes, is puffed rice cereal. Just sprinkle a few on her tray, and let her try to pick them up and eat them. If she isn't able to get them to her mouth yet, she probably isn't quite ready for solids. But, as long as it doesn't frustrate her, she can practice that way! I liked the rice puffs for my DD because they melted in her mouth right away, so I didn't have to worry about choking. Also, the only ingredient is rice, so it's not allergenic, etc.