6 Month Old Hates Baby Food!

Nothing like going to the effort of feeding a baby and cleaning up after feeding a baby without getting the baby to eat anything.

Neither of my boys wanted baby food at 6 months. I would just relax about solid food and give your baby a chance to play and learn about different tastes and textures. We ended up kind of doing things backwards, giving solid, self fed food before spoon fed stuff, since that's what worked. The first foods my now 12 month old willingly ate were hamburger and Cheerios. It took him a while to branch out, but within a month or two he became a good eater. My first kid didn't eat more than a taste off a fingertip or a few Cheerios or puffs until he was around 8 months old. Now a preschooler, he repeatedly gets comments on how good a eater he is. So I would keep offering food, but at a level that doesn't add to mommy stress!
Maybe give her a whole carrot to gnaw on, a little nibble of what you are eating, etc..

My son did the same thing. My doctor said not to worry, food isn't necessary at this age. Keep trying but don't force the issue. Eating should always be a positive experience. Try making your own baby food. It is much cheaper, tastes a lot better and really easy to make, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is a wonderful book that teaches you how to make the food and all about the nutrition side of feeding a baby/toddler. Remember it may take up to 20 introductions of one food to see if your baby likes it.

My son didn't actually eat solids until he was 11 1/2 months. He just prefered my milk but is a great eater now. I offered organic rice puffs from Whole Foods to my second son at 7 months as his first food. He loved them!! They dissolve almost instantly, unlike cheerios and they are nothing but organic rice, puffed. I always supervised him when eating and he never came close to choking on them, then I offered avacado. Avacado is so healthy for their growing little body. I cut it into small pieces and he shoveled them in as fast as he could. It may be a consistancy thing. Try steaming your veggies, cut them up really small and put them on her tray when you sit down to eat dinner. Help her put a piece in her mouth with her own hand and then just eat your dinner. Eventually she will eat but remember it is not necessary now for her to eat and always make eating a positive experience.

Don't worry!

My daughter flatly refused baby food of any sort. She would not eat ANYTHING mushy (and this included the 5 brands of cereal I tried.) She had an extreme interest in the table food we were eating, and at 6 months managed to grab a handful of spaghetti with meat sauce out of a bowl and stuff it into her mouth.

I decided to just go with the flow, and would put extra food on my plate. I'd chop it up real fine, use a quick pulse with a food processor, or pre-chew it (like they do in places where there is no where to plug a food processor in).

For extra vitamins, you can usually sneak in a few spoons full of the store bought baby food or cereal in with the table food if you put it in the bowl before your daughter sees you put the table food in it to chop it up. Just don't make it too mushy.

Good Luck,
K.

S H,

I totally relate. I suggest buying a baby food maker(grinder) etc. Do fresh fruit, veggies, etc. I tried tasting the food from the jars and its horrible. I know its more time consuming, but giving the food to her fresh will make all the difference. Also, it takes at least a dozen times for a baby to try a food to decide if they like it or not-- so start with one thing at a time and do that for a few weeks to see what she likes and tolerates. Also, it will be easier for you to see any potential allergies. Good luck and hang in there!!

Molly

You can try making your own food - I highly recommend the Beaba baby food maker. I tried other ones, but this one was the best! It's a little pricey, but it makes it really easy, fast and safe. For recipes, I saved money there by going to the library and checking out a baby food books. My baby liked the foods that tasted most like adult food with a mix of proteins and veggies (like stews). Using the Beaba, you can control the texture of the food - to have it as smooth or as chunky as you want it.

Mine also gagged, did the twisty-face, one eye closed, tounge out, pretty funny, actually! Just kept at it, and finally she took to it, and eats all kinds of baby food like a little piggy. What she does do, is suck her thumb after every bite. I figured this out when I stopped trying to keep her hands away from her mouth and just let her do what she wanted. I figure it makes sense that she needs to use the sucking to swallow because that's what she is used to. Keep at it, I never thought mine would take to it, but she loves it now!

Your daughter may not "not like the food" but may not like the texture of it. Have you tried adding just a dab to the rice cereal and take weeks adding more and more? I wouldn't worry too much at this point if I were you. At the beginning baby food is for the experience, not the nutrition. Just keep offering it to her and eventually she has to like something =O)
Best of luck!
C.