Problems getting baby to eat baby food?

Question

My daughter is 10 months old and I've been giving her baby food since she was 3 months. Within the past couple of months, I can't get her to eat any food. All she wants is a bottle. When I try to feed her she screams. I've tried letting her scream, setting her in different places, different foods, everything. She doesn't even want her favorite foods. It's embarrassing when I see my friend's baby (8 months old) eating off the table, and all my baby wants is a bottle. Also, the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to introduce the chunkier foods. Every time I do manage to get her to eat some, she chokes terribly. How can I help her want to eat, and get the food down safely?? Please help!!!

Answer 1

It's hard not to, but don't feel any concern or embarrassment that your baby is not doing what other babies are doing.  Each baby is different and will grow and develop at the rate that is best for him/her so it is not helpful to compare.  You started solids with your daughter considerably earlier than the recommended 6 months.  But, since every baby is different, it may have been that your baby showed all the signs of being ready to begin the adventure of consuming something other than breast milk or formula.  At this stage, I think your daughter is associating conflict with meal times and it has become a battle ground for you.  I would suggest that you begin by simply offering her only her bottles for a couple weeks and taking solids out of the picture for a bit.  If your daughter is drinking formula or breast milk than she is going to receive the vitamins and nutrients she needs for now and will not be undernourished.  Let your daughter call the shots when she seems to be re-interested in food.  If you seat her at the table with you during meals and snacks it shouldn't take too long for her to begin to show some interest in what you are eating.  She may very well be interested in giving feeding herself a try and doesn't want you to feed her.  At 10 months she can eat most table foods.  Some babies like the chunkier commercially prepared baby foods (such as stage 3), but many more gag on them, but love to eat pieces of food off their high chair tray.  Eating issues are commonly high on the list of parenting difficulties and most parents go through some type of problem at some point with their kids.  I think if you took the battle out of meal times and let her have her bottle, but didn't offer her any solids for a few days (may take longer) that she will develop her own interest in food.  Just about any food that is soft or can be cooked soft can be fed to your baby.  If she reaches for what you are eating or opens her mouth when you put something in your mouth, then give her a small piece of what you are eating.  Try just putting it on her tray for her to pick up if she won't eat it off a spoon or fork.  Some babies just don't have a keen interest in solid foods until they are 12 months or even older.  Unless she is showing signs of marked weight loss or begins to be sickly, she will be fine just drinking a bottle for awhile.  If she hasn't begun to show interest in solids again by her 12 month well-baby check up you will certainly want to discuss this with her doctor or before that if she begins to loose weight or get sick.

Answer 2

My son acted similar to this, so I decided to take his bottle away during the day.  Since babies should be off the bottle by 1 it is a good time to start the transition.  Also I decided that clearly he was becoming too attatched to the bottle and delaying a transition to a cup would just make it harder in the future.  I put his milk in a cup, he still got the formula that he needed, but he got frustrated with the cup and would eat the food that was being offered.  Eventually, withing a couple of weeks, he would eat well and drink from a cup.  I did still give him a bottle before bed, for a little while longer.  Keep in mind that your child will eventually get so hungary that she will give in.  You are not starving her, and she knows that

Good luck, this is a tough transition.