Monday, January 10, 2011

Is he supposed to be eating baby food?

When we first tried Jay eating some rice cereal at a little over 4 months he seemed to be receptive and to be getting some of it in his belly. We were feeding him rice cereal and a vegetable once or twice a week until Christmas (between 4-6 months). Then we stopped for a week. This last week we have been feeding him every other night and it has gone horribly. We usually give him rice cereal (which he doesn't really like) and carrots or sweet potatoes. He usually eats the first few bites- and prefers carrots over everything else, but then he gets fussy and closes his mouth, spits the food or squirms away. We feed him when he should be hungry (although most of the time it is between 5-7pm). I tried baby oatmeal today and he didn't seem to like that either. He is almost 6 1/2 months old. Should I give up and come back to it later? Should I keep trying even though he doesn't really eat much? What do you guys think?

He thinks his high chair is pretty cool though:

4 comments:

Nicole said...

Hey Angie, I would call your pediatrician's office and get their advice. Or the book, what to expect the first year is amazing for things like this. From what I remember they say never make eating a big deal. At this age it's more about learning how to chew, keep food in his mouth, stuff like that. It's not supposed to be a main source of nutrition. So don't stress too much about it. As long as he's still nursing or drinking from a bottle, just have fun with it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Angie, this is Leslee, Lori's daughter. I just wanted to say don't give up! Eating food is a big adjustment for babies and they just have to get used to it. I would try to feed him daily, even if it is only a few bites. If you stick with it, he will get the hang of it. Don't really worry about the amount he is eating, just focus on him eating daily. Hope that helps!!

Lori said...

Ditto to those ladies! I remember getting frustrated with how little my boys were eating until 8 1/2 months. Never fear, it'll come. :)

Ruby said...

One tip: don't offer him food when he's hungry - it's all about exploring, so often offering when they're hungry makes them frustrated, they don't understand food is a way to fill their belly.

And you could offer some finger foods as well, as he might enjoy the exploration and control better than having purees. For more info about that, check out Baby-led weaning (just google it :-))