Here’s a post I never thought I’d write. I’ve heard the saying “Food before one is just for fun,” lots of times, but I kind of snickered. Really? They obviously haven’t met my babies….
It’s true. My older three kids all ate a significant amount before they were one. My oldest (when I was still eating SAD) was given solids from 4 months and ate a decent amount by 6 months, and was eating more food than nursing by a year. My second and third began eating around 7 – 8 months using baby-led weaning, and by 9 months were eating quite a lot (and also nursing quite a lot). I did not understand how anybody’s baby could be eating little to nothing at these ages!
And then I had my fourth.
The six-month mark came and went. We offered him tiny tastes of what we were eating. He invariably made faces and refused it all. He hit seven months…eight months…nine months. More of the same.
Does he eat anything? Yes. He eventually found a few things that he liked. He will eat small amounts of these foods now and then. In general, he is not impressed.
It’s also true that from 6 – (almost) 10 months, he would often gag on certain textures. And it was weirdly unpredictable. He could find a sheet of seaweed that the other kids were eating and do fine with it, but mashed potatoes would cause him to choke. Mostly it was the thick foods that didn’t dissolve easily that he didn’t like. He was a kid who would have needed purees for sure if we had wanted to push solids earlier. But we didn’t. Now, at 11 months, he doesn’t gag on food much at all.
He’s grown well. At 11 months, he weighs 19 lbs. and is 29” long. He wears 12 month clothing (some of which is getting small!). My oldest two, who were the same size as he was at birth (longer, actually, but about the same weight) were 29” and 18 lbs. at a year. So he’s as big or bigger than my other babies, despite not getting solids.
He’s happy and meeting milestones – crawling, pulling to stand, cruising, waving, saying a couple words. He’s a very happy baby who loves his siblings and loves to play. If he wants the “good” toys, he’s hearned he has to wait until the other kids aren’t watching, then quickly grab. Ha! The beauty of being the fourth.
The point? He’s healthy and happy just on breast milk.
He does, now, eat a bit here and there. We put small bits of cheese on his tray. He finds food the other kids have (recently) dropped and starts taking bites out of it. He even enjoys it sometimes. But when he’s truly hungry, he goes looking for me, and milk.
The thing is, all babies truly are different. Some are honestly hungry and want to eat a fair amount at 6 months. Some really aren’t that interested even past a year. It’s okay, however it works out.
I would encourage each mom to pay close attention to what her baby needs. The recommendations that you “must” start solids by 6 months, or you “shouldn’t” push them until 12 months don’t matter a bit. Every baby has different needs, and it’s up to you to know what your baby is telling you. There’s enough research and enough opinions out there to find the one that agrees with you, but why bother? Go with your gut.
I say this because it’s easy to get caught up in recommendations and feel like your baby “has” to eat in a certain way. But that’s not true. I have heard mothers tell me that they started their baby on solids at 6 months, and that the baby would turn his or her face away and spit the food out and seem unhappy, and how they “needed to make them eat” because it was time. Why? They’ll get there when they’re ready.
Raising kids just isn’t about one right way. It’s about knowing what your kids need, and making sure they get it.
So, that’s why my 11-month-old is (mostly) exclusively breastfed.
What It Looks Like
For those who are curious, here’s what it looks like in my home.
We still co-sleep. He spends about half the night in a pack-n-play next to our bed, and about half in it. Before bed, he nurses twice – once, sleeps for a short time, and nurses down again, then sleeps for a couple hours (usually until I come to bed). He nurses anywhere from 3 – 8 times throughout the night. He nurses more at night than during the day, and yes, he’s truly hungry each time (he “finishes” both sides each time, sometimes even goes back and forth a few times trying to get more once the milk has slowed down).
During the day, he nurses every 1.5 – 3 hours. He does not go longer than 3 hours (and if he ever does, I pay for it – he finishes both sides and acts fitful and still hungry for the next couple feedings). He nurses to sleep usually for naps and sleeps 2 – 3 hours on his own (I get up after he falls asleep). When my husband is around, he sometimes falls asleep on his own, sitting on the bed with Daddy in the room.
Some nights, if we are having something for dinner that he can have (we keep it mostly grain-free for him), I offer him a small amount. We don’t do this every night and he rarely takes much.a
My instincts have told me to wait and go slow with him, whereas I felt very free in giving the other kids most anything by 8 – 9 months. And he’s healthy, happy, and growing well so it must have worked.
Thanks so much for this article, Kate! My son didn’t start eating solids until he was 13 months. He made faces as well, and just wasn’t interested. I got so many comments from people, saying that it wasn’t healthy, that he needed “rice cereal” (!), etc. But he was so happy and healthy and well-adjusted, and thankfully our pediatrician reassured me that he was totally fine and thriving, and that he would eat when he was good and ready. And he did. From one day to the next when he was 13 months, he grabbed food and started eating almost as much as us! We try to put them on a timeline, but they really have their own, don’t they? There is more than one way to be healthy, and listening to the body is always best. Thank you for the great article!
Thank you for this post. My daughter is 17 months old and still in the same boat as your son. I get the most pressure from my mother to encourage my daughter to eat and she essentially tells me that I messed up by not giving my daughter puréed food as a baby. We did BLW and my daughter gagged a lot, and now doesn’t put very many new foods in her mouth. She just loves to breastfeed still. I have heard from other moms that their children all preferred to nurse predominantly until they were two so maybe my daughter is similar. My local La Leche League suggested maybe she has a tongue tie, and that’s why she isn’t interested in solids (she will spit food out and not swallow it even if she seems to like it). It was a huge stress to me to think she may have had a problem all along that I didn’t help her with. After chiropractic care and bowen therapy she talks more and moves her tongue more, but the dentist we saw said her ties are not an issue. Now I’m just going to relax and continue to go at her pace. Thanks again for sharing this story!
I can totally relate, only my first, (and only so far,) didn’t willingly eat ANYTHING until he was 19 months. He would gag and vomit every time I tried. So much so that just the sight of food on the table had him gagging. Being a first time mom and seeing all the other babies around us eating had me so torn. I started pushing pureed avocado and pear at 12 months as I thought he needed food. One morning at 19 months he woke up and all of a sudden would eat anything! I wish I had not been so worried about his eating. He has always been a healthy, happy, chubby guy.
So agree with this Kate! I had so many people start asking me “When are you going to start feeding her solids??” when she was still so, so young (2-3 months!). At 4 mos, when many people start their babies on rice cereal I was a little horrified…she can’t even sit up on her own, much less eat! We JUST started her on solids this week, a little before 6mos because she was interested. Baby-led weaning and I honestly don’t think she gets much (if any) food in her belly. But she is loving exploring the textures with her tongue and hands. I had hoped we would wait even later, but my mama instinct told me she was ready. Not necessarily to eat (or replace breast milk) but for the exploration/learning portion. Great post!
I thought it might be the end of the world when my 12 month old was still not interested at all in solids. We tried many times, nothing. FINALLY at 18 months she was ready. Crazy but she is totally fine, she weaned at about 22 months when I got pregnant and my milk dried up, now at 27 months she is a great eater! All that stress as a new mom for nothing. I actually hope baby #2 does similar. Nursing is so much more convenient! 🙂
My daughter is 15 mos and still is almost exclusively bf. She eats some things like cheese, eggs, finely chopped spaghetti, etc. But generally.she isnt interested and prefers bf-ing. I decided this time (she’s number 4) that I wouldnt worry about it. She was 22 lbs at one year. Healthy as can be. Great article.
When my first baby was six months old, I sat frustrated trying to get tiny spoonfulls of carefully pureed food into her little mouth, when she was completely uninterested. I felt like a failure. Then I thought about how healthy, pudgy and content she was, so I decided to wait. She was well past her first birthday before she became interested in foods. My 6th baby is now eight months old, and exclusively breastfed. That makes six babies exclusively breastfed till on or past their first birthday. And they are all healthy and happy.
Even in the “crunchy” and super health-conscious communities, it’s rare to read an article about this. Thanks for sharing.
Great post, Kate! My first was not at all interested in solids till 8 months and she would never let us feed her with a spoon. I was a bit confused, because it was my first and I knew little about BLW and more alternative ways. We definitely moved too fast with her and she has several allergies at 2 1/2. With my son, I decided to take things much slower. He’s a year now and has just the last month or so started eating avocado, egg yolks, gelatin broth and some cooked meat and veggies. He feeds himself well but is very happy nursing for most of his calories. He nurses every 2-4 hours during the day and still a couple times at night. We, too, eat mostly grain-free, so most meals I just offer him a bit of what we have. I’m glad to know in not alone! I’ve felt it was what he needed, though have felt some pressure from other people to introduce solids. I had several friend that had babies around the same time as me and many of their little ones have been eating solids for the majority of the last year! My little one is happy and healthy – 20lbs at a year. Bigger than my first was on solids 🙂
Thank you so much for this post!! My son is 10 months and also doesn’t eat many solids. Sometimes you feel all alone but this definitely tells me I’m not!
This is great for me to read. Mine was the exact same way at 11 months and, now, at 17 months she still nurses throughout the night and day. She will eat a little bit of a variety of things, but definitely prefers nursing. I’m okay with letting her set the pace:).
I have 4 as well. My first two I followed the “schedule” and started on baby food at 4 months. They were mostly on table foods by a year, nursing 2-3 times a day. My third nursed every 1-2 hours around the clock until he was one and he fully (and abruptly) weaned at 15-months. We did baby-led weaning with him at about 8-months and he slowly progressed to eating all table food by the time he was weaned, but was still nursing 6 times a day at that point. Now, my fourth is turning 1 next week. We started foods with her at 8 months and she is fairly interested in them and eats a lot when offered. However, I am pretty lazy at this point 🙂 She gets one, sometimes two “meals” of table foods a day but is mainly nursing 8-9 times a day, including twice in the night still. I am just starting to think about maybe getting more serious with foods, but I did cut myself some slack with her. I finally realized that breast milk is good enough and she is doing great! Thanks for sharing your typical day, it makes me feel normal 🙂
Love this, Kate! I am all for paying attention to what works best for your child rather than following someone else’s plan. You are the only expert on your baby! I was in the opposite boat with my daughter…didn’t plan on giving her anything other than breastmilk until she was AT LEAST 6 months. But from when she was 3 months old she’d sit in a booster and literally watch our forks going from plate to mouth at dinner. When I did offer her food at 4 months, she knew exactly what to do with it, to the extent that she was probably the tidiest baby I’ve ever seen eat (I joke that it’s because she didn’t want to waste anything). Baby knows best!
Yes, it’s so true that eating is a very individual thing for babies! Thanks for sharing how different your kids have been from each other. Fascinating!
I was so excited to have our first try solid foods that we gave him a piece of avocado around 6-7 months. He woke up all night with all kinds of stomach pain, gas, burps, etc. When it happened again, I wondered if it was related to the food–and sure enough, food gave him stomach aches (although he loved it!). When he started crawling around on the floor putting stuff into his mouth on his own, I tried again (around 8-9 months). THAT’s when he was ready, and he did great. We didn’t do BLW because he still needed soft foods (applesauce, oatmeal, rice, avocado, soft fruits, etc.) until he got his molars–chunks of food that he couldn’t gum down still bothered his stomach. But as soon as the molars came in (probably 14 months or so), he was ready for everything and that’s when he really started weaning (and sleeping through the night, because he finally got enough food during the day!). He totally weaned around 18 months. We’ll see how the next baby goes, but I am glad to have learned with my first that you can’t force babies to fit anyone’s expectations of how he/she should eat. 🙂
Does when kids want solids have anything to do with their weight and height? My kids were 18 lbs. by three months and 30 lbs. or more by one year, so 18 lbs. at almost a year sounds really tiny to me!
All of them were/are very tall, and my husband and I are way above average in height too. They were, and still are, skinny kids. They were interested in solid food by 6 months even though I continued to breastfeed until they no longer wished to do so. Maybe they were hungry? Maybe they needed to sustain their weight and height? Maybe tiny kids breastfeed exclusively longer? What does research indicate?
My first son was really big like your kids and he didn’t show much interest in solids until after he was a year old. I think it just depends on the child. He certainly didn’t eat anything resembling a “meal” of solids until after he was 18 months old.
There should be no set standard for what age children should eat what. Every child is different (not just with eating… my 3 1/2 yo is about as big as my 5yo)! My children have all eaten differently. The first, I tried following “the rules” with feeding him (food at 6mo). He weaned at 12 1/2 mo. The second, I let him lead more and he was a hungry boy with both food (6mo) and bf! He weaned at 17 mo. The third, has been the “strangest”, so far. She didn’t want any food until 7+ months, then bf until 20mo (and ate food). Our fourth is due in June. It will be interesting to see how this baby leads in the food/ bf department! =)
Awesome post! WIsh I had seen it about a year ago when I was freaking out about my baby not eating food. My third did the same thing 🙂 Thanks
Thank you for this insightful & timely post! My baby boy is 7.5 months old (just 6 months from his due date because he was born almost 7 weeks early) & we are planning to try solids for the first time tomorrow because he seems “ready.” We are planning to give him avocado & see what happens. He has never had anything other than breast milk & is a little over 20 lbs, so he is growing well, but he just acts hungry (wakes frequently, wants to nurse frequently, grabs for our food, watches us chew, etc.) and he has started teething & sitting unassisted. I am interested to see how tomorrow goes. If he isn’t ready, we won’t push it. I know EBM is the best thing for him and is plenty nutritious! Lord willing, I hope to still be breastfeeding him at least until 2 years, if not even longer. Kudos to you for being able to co-sleep and nurse so frequently throughout the night. We did it for a few months, but my boy is a loud eater/sleeper and neither my husband nor I were getting any sleep with baby in the bed with us. 🙂
Great post! My third is 10 months old and has taken longer to take to solid foods than my other two kids. He gags randomly at foods and prefers purees. I’m glad he is my third or I would have been more stressed about it.
I do have a question that is sort of off the topic. I also nurse my son to sleep for nap and bedtime. Just wondering how you occupy your other three little ones during that time? I nursed my first two to sleep as well but feel more pressure this time to get him to go down awake because of my other two being up. Also, since there seems to be a whole lot more to do around the house with three now, and since I usually fall asleep from exhaustion while nursing at bedtime : ), it leaves me little time to get things done. I feel like I just can’t keep up with housework etc. at this point. Just wondering if you have any tricks or tips to juggle it all while still nursing a little one to sleep? Thanks so much!
I’ve had a very similar experience. Each kid really is so different! My first was textbook perfect, eating food just like “you should” and weaned exactly like “they say.” My second was a rapidly growing boy who ate lots more food. My third started solids later, around 7-8 mos and ate purées well past one. And my fourth was breast fed exclusively until 10 mos when he finally started to become interested in food. But really didn’t eat much until one yr and he hated purées and went straight to real food. They’re all happy and healthy and growing. I’ve learned to read a lot, take it all with a grain of salt, use info as loose guidelines, and listen to my baby’s cues.
Kate, do you think your son’s ability to thrive on a just breastmilk has anything to do with the quality of your milk? You said you’re eating more nourishingly than you were with your first. Do you think there’s a link?
Great post. Appreciate your voice.
Yep my first son was the same way ! Wouldn’t eat solids much at all without gagging until 10-11 months. I was so nervous and worried that he’d be a picky eater … That was my biggest concern … I knew he was getting enough nutrients from breastmilk.
Now i have a two month old and i have a feeling he will be a polar opposite ..:)
Watch your baby, not a calendar !!
Thanks for this post. My experience with my first child has been almost identical. She has been in the 90th percentile or above despite eating very little. Since she turned one, she has started to eat more but still nurses a lot, especially at night.
I just love this post….thank you so much for sharing! As a first time mom, and the only person in my circle of friends who practices baby-led solids, I’m always wondering if we’re “normal”. At 10 months, I would say my baby gets 5% or less of her calories from solids. She definitely wants to nurse when she’s hungry, but does enjoy having food in front of her when we’re eating….but I think it’s definitely more for fun. The only thing I give her on a consistent basis is plain, whole milk yogurt in the morning, which she completely feeds herself. Otherwise, I give her small bits of what we’re eating if it’s appropriate (I’m holding off on grains for sure). If I don’t have anything to offer her, then she just sits at the table with us, as she doesn’t yet insist on eating if she sees other people with food.
Thank you for sharing what a day of breastfeeding looks like for you….our day (and night) is very similar and I find that really reassuring. While I wholeheartedly believe in co sleeping, nursing to sleep and on demand, I hear the voices of my “baby training” friends in my head and worry if I’ve created bad habits…will she ever be able to fall asleep on her own? Why won’t she stay asleep longer after we put her to bed? Why does she sometimes sleep several hours in a row and only nurse 3 times a night, and other nights she’s waking up every 2 hours? Then I read a post like this and I know we’re just fine!
Megan,
Our situations sound so similar! Right down to the baby training friends! I wish I had more friends like you nearby for support. 🙂
Wow, your kids are so little! Only 19 pounds by a year? They must have been small when they were born too!
My son was 7.3 at birth and 20 lbs at a year. He’s tall and lean. Every baby just grows differently.
My son is basically ebf too… eating solids when we are eating… hes 21.2 lbs at 13 months…. my husband its 6’6 and lean, and I am average height… he was 8 lbs at birth… I think he’s perfect.. and yes all babies are different!! my son is so active running around, he burns so many calories
I’m currently expecting our fourth child, and my youngest recently weaned at three years old (December 2013). He didn’t eat much of anything until 13 months old. My oldest hated textures as well but did eat earlier, at around 9 months of age. My oldest is seven and we were using BLW without actually knowing it had a teem or philosophy! So funny how much has changed in seven years. I don’t really formally introduce solids anyway; we take a pretty laid-back attitude with solids in that we allow them to dictate how and when it begins. The ages between my babies can attest to that: we don’t have ours closer than three years apart due to our biological/full-term breastfeeding. All of us, including my seven-year old, sleep in the family bed. My point is, you do what works for each child and for your familial unit as a whole.
Thank you for this. My 14 mo old likes food, but very little actually gets down. I was starting to get pretty worried b/c I had also heard the ole’ food before 1 is just for fun, but my thought was, “what about after one? How do I know if he’s getting enough?” he’s pretty lean, and I was just concerned. He LOVES pureed veggies, and yogurt and bananas, but things with textures he will spit out, and if I try to give him any meat, even hidden in other things, he will spit it out. He’ll even suck sauces off and spit out the meat. I’m glad to know other babies are doing similar things. So in short, thanks for this.
I have a 23lb one year old boy that is 90% breast feed. The only reason I would want to push more foods on him is to make sure he is getting plenty of iron. I did start him on egg yolks at 6 months but he was not impressed. His iron levels were fine when tested though. My 3 year old girl nursed mostly until about 18 months and is an excellent eater now.
Great post! I wish more parents would calm down and let babies be babies.
Thanks for posting this! My daughter is 4.5 months now (first child) and my sister recently asked if my daughter would be eating solids at 6 months. I replied and said I am hoping to exclusive breastfeed as closely as I could to 1 year before introducing solids. She replied with “Oh my, she might get really hungry. We started supplementing with solids @ 6 months.” I’ve asked my sister for a lot of advice with our baby and I felt like her response wasn’t appropriate, like she was somehow putting me down for my decision. I was a little upset! Your article really helped me realize that each baby is an individual and they will let you know when they’re ready! There’s no hard-and-fast rule about solids!! Great article, thanks so much for sharing!!
I think I love you. I found your site while looking for more info on measles and vaccinating, and I started poking around after that.
I love the way you present information so well, explaining why you do things a certain way yourself, without getting all alarmist and trying to shove your opinions down anyone’s throats.
I love the way you base your decisions on science but aren’t afraid to turn to your own mother’s intuition when you reach a gray area.
Did I mention I love the way you offer us facts without being alarmist? I hate the vaccination debate because both sides tend to scream at each other that their kids will die if they don’t do it their way. I just want the damn facts so I can make a decision which will be the lesser of two evils!
Now, about your question – with my first I was firmly planning to wait until at LEAST six months, because that’s the right thing to do, right? She had other plans, though! She exhibited all the signs of readiness very early, and by 4.5 months I finally gave in and let her try some banana. She gobbled that thing up and never looked back. Steamed zucchini? Just try and hold her back. She would eat anything.
My second is a whole different story! When he hit six months he had all the signs of readiness, so we introduced him to banana, BLW style. Not interested! He just wanted to play with it. Over the weeks we’ve given him steamed carrots, papaya, and avocado, just in case he just didn’t like bananas. Welp, he’s seven months now and still not eating, even though he smacks his lips when I have food. He’ll get to it when he gets to it. In the meantime, he gets lots of mommy’s milk, so we’re all good. 🙂
This couldn’t have come at a better time! My 3rd will be 1 yr on Friday and still nurses every 1-3 hours round the clock and hardly eats any table food. He was eating purees for a while, but now he just spits everything back out. He loves to put things in his mouth, but won’t swallow anything anymore. I have been getting very frustrated. I was hoping to finally have him eating some regular food and stretch out the nursing sessions, but no such luck. It’s comforting to know that my child is not the only one who doesn’t want to eat and that one day it will get better. Thanks for writing this post and for those that have commented with their stories too!
As the mom of a now 18 year old who had this same issue (she didn’t eat solid food until 13 months) I can say that it is good to listen to your baby and don’t feel pressured to start solids until they are good and ready. My daughter had a strong gag reflex so not everything was easy to eat. We even joked about the faces, but learned that she was the best indicator for what worked and didn’t. Her brother (now 17 and was 10 lbs at birth) didn’t eat solids until 8 or 9 months. Both are healthy and active. Both are doing very well in school, and both nursed for an extended time (daughter 20 months and son until 3 1/2 years. I had a doctor telling me at the 8 month well baby that she looked happy and healthy at the beginning of the appointment and then saying she was starved and underweight once he found out she was not eating solids. That unnerved me, but it was not until a dentist appointment at age 4 that we were told of her gag reflex. As for puréed and processed food. My kids wanted what we were eating and not something special. Just trust yourself and your babies. They will grow up just fine.
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Thanks so much for this post, Kate. Like so many others said, its hard to find information like this. My 10.5 month old does not eat any solids. He like kefir and sometimes I can sneak and egg yolk in it, but that’s it. He is 24lbs now so after reading this I feel better about him not eating solids yet. He nurses every 4 hours during the day and 1-2 times at night. I do worry about his iron level so I try to feed him and egg yolk every once in awhile. Thanks again!
I totally agree with following your baby’s lead however some of what you are describing as far as gagging/choking on thick textures foods could be indicative of a tongue tie, has his oral anatomy ever been evaluated?
Hi Jillian,
I’m fairly certain he doesn’t have a tongue tie. Gagging disappeared mostly by 10 months and now, at 15 months, he’ll eat almost anything with no issues. 🙂
I love this so much! My son is *almost* 1 and refuses all food. He’s a very healthy 25 lbs 🙂 and I don’t worry about it all, but I get a lot of negative feedback from others.
Do you have any information about iron defency in babies? Did you worry about it with your son? I’ve been trying to find information on it, but it’s difficult to find.
Hi Hannelle,
I don’t have information about iron deficiency immediately available. I didn’t even get my last two tested. They seemed quite healthy and robust so I didn’t worry about it. (If they’d shown any symptoms of an issue I might have done it differently.) Anemia isn’t uncommon in babies who are mostly breastfed (or on some type of milk) at 9 – 12 months but that turns around pretty quick if they are offered meat as an early first food, which we do.
This afternoon I googled “10 month old exclusively breastfed” and your post popped up. I’m so glad I’m not the only one with a baby that isn’t that interested in solid foods. Motherhood creates a lonely comradey at times ands it’s refreshing to find honest reports like yours. Thank you!
Thanx a million for this post. I was going mad since last week. My boys ten months and hates solids. No matter what i give him. And me seeing other ppls children eating well got soo upset i couldnt sleep properly. Thanx once again. Just one concern how do u manage these constant feedings? I mean dont you get tired? I do nm drowsy the whole day. Besides i feel m getting weak. Di share your part . take care
So glad to find this article! My baby is similar in that he gags a lot, especially on textured foods like mashed potatoes, bits of fruit, etc. I thought I was doing something wrong since he so often and is truly hungry each time.
Thanks for the post!
Didn’t read the other comments, but have you considered having him evaluated for a (especially posterior) tongue tie by an expert? Not that there’s anything wrong with what you’re currently doing, but the textures thing especially jumps out at me as often symptomatic of ties. Way to go on giving your little guy optimal nutrition!
My 11 month old prefers breastfeeding and eats only tiny amounts of solids, a few teaspoons a day. He’s nearly 21lbs and seems healthy but the issue is I have lost 19lbs off my pre pregnancy weight and am exhausted feeding and looking after him myself. And I don’t know how I’ll manage to go back to work in 6 weeks, but at least this article has reassured me that my baby is ok x
I noticed the majority of people mentioned they nurse at night. I wonder if nursing at night makes them feel full, so they aren’t hungry for breakfast and lunch (solids). I noticed my BF baby will eat a 4 oz jar of solids at night when he’s the most hungry.
Hello Kate. Thank you so much for this article. I’m sure this will keep me worry-free for atleast 2 days and whenever I’m sane. I live in a join family and my baby is exclusively breastfeeding (mostly). I started on solids but without proper guide I forced fed him as my doctor told me to make him eat properly. She used the word “properly” so much that I made my little baby eat so much. He was shown a toy and I put so much in his mouth. Then I saw in a video that how seven month old are given only two-three teaspoons. This makes me cry till date. My milk production became almost nil. I couldn’t understand. He started to lose weight. Infact even now he is not gaining weight properly. Though he is gaining. So now I’m fine. Ours is a very social family and everyone comes and taunts/guides me as I did not start a bottle. They ask me to give him cows milk. He just completed his 10th month. Many times I find him hungry. I feel I’m not producing much. And he is also not eating much. I don’t force him at all now. I give him only what he likes. Rice/pulses/veggies/fruits/butter/pureed nuts.
My baby breastfeeds all night. Every 1.5 to 2.5 hours and very hungry. He used to ask for both the sides but I made him drink one side.. i dont know what have I done. I read on a site that babies should not be co-sleeping as it hinders their sleep. Before reading your article I thought I have done only wrong to my baby. And even after reading I understand that i have done wrong.
Today I have sterlised a bottle for him and I was planning to give him formula. I’m not sure what wil be my decision. My husband thinks that I should give him formula as breastfeeding him always doesn’t seem possible. And I’m becoming very tired and weak. I wish there was a book to perfectly raise our children.
I’m not ashamed as I know I only want best for my little baby.
Also, my baby weighs 18.96lbs and is 75cm tall.
My baby is 8 months old and is EBF. He’s growing like crazy and is very happy . He weighs 22 lbs . My other 3 kids also were EBF at this age and did so until they were a year old. Everyone keeps asking me when I’m going to give him food . Lol they’re always trying to give him French fries
My son who is ten months now loved eating solids until just in the last month. He nurses at night every two hours and every three to four hours during the day and finishes both sides. He used to eat three jars of baby food a day but now he will barely eat a whole one.
Does he happen to be teething? That can affect how interested a little one might be in solid foods. Some babies will even go on nursing strike while teething since it bothers their already irritated gums.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. I have been concerned about my ten month old hardly caring about solids and I finally have some peace of mind! He is 21 pounds so clearly breast milk is enough but my family members are always telling me he needs solids. Grateful for your site!
Thank you very much for your article. My 8mo daughter is very interested in foods, so I give her tiny pieces which she loves. However, not long after starting solids she became sick for the first time. I have lots of food allergies, mainly gluten, tapioca and beans. We are very careful to eat vegetables, fruit and meats but no grains. A couple of days after getting sick she has started shrieking and arching her back and poops infrequently. My gut instinct is to return to entirely breastfeeding for a few days. However, my relatives think she’s starving and needs more food. I felt encouraged by your articles to continue to breastfeed exclusively for a bit and see if it helps her tummy troubles. Hopefully it will resolve the back arching regardless of if the issue is due to illness or food allergies.
[…] continued to breastfeed exclusively until he was around 11 months old. He started to become interested in food around 10 months, but only tiny amounts, sometimes. By […]
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Am really happy I saw this post because my daughter is almost 12months and have felt like I didn’t do well with her because she has refused everything but she isn’t losing weight and getting chubby everyday but I was just so worried she refused to eat and not even take water in a sippy cup. But after reading all this am at peace to let her go on her own
This is awesome! Exactly what I needed to read. Many thanks! My baby is 9 months and I tried BLW which wasn’t successful, so I started purees rather late. I feel like I’m “ruining” him somehow because he isn’t eating as much as others! But he likes my homemade pumpkin purée and I’ll make him a bit of oatmeal with banana and coconut oil, among other things. He doesn’t eat a whole lot still mainly breastfeeding which is wonderful, it’s great knowing others are out there! And he’s healthy, he weighs about 26 pounds 🙂 thanks for the reassurance and article!
Thanks for this article. My daughter is currently 11 months and almost ebf. I have been pushing to try to get her to eat following pressure from family and child and youth health nurses but it doesn’t feel right to me. She is uninterested in food and gags at the slightest texture. She is healthy, albeit small, but she was iugr and only 5lbs at birth. She has nearly tripled her birth weight but still seems like a much younger baby than her actual 11 months of age. I am keen to let her just set the pace for everything and i have always just fed on demand. I co-sleep with her and feed many times per night (which again everyone seems to have an opinion on) but i do feel she is my baby and i think i am pretty in tune with her so i know what she needs better than anyone else. I just wish that people would realise that each baby is different and they don’t fit into standardised schedules and boxes like many would lead you to believe.
Thank you for posting this article. It really make me feel at ease to know that my 10 months baby is ‘normal’. I’m a GP and in my country, mother’s are really encouraged to give complementary food after baby turn 6 months olds. They highlight the fact that breastfeed can’t fully supply your baby nutritional needs after 6 months..the notion food is for fun before 1, is not familiar here..When I find out AAP said food is for fun before 1, actually it really put my heart at ease..I also practise attachment parenting, so I feel quite in tune with him, responding to his needs..hopefully he eats more soon after he turn 1..but nonetheless I’ll just follow his pace..