Changing from formula to "real" food

I am posting anonymous because I dont want to be bashed.

my daughter is almost a year and she still will not take any food. we are going to be going shortly to a eating specialist for babies, but I wanted to know if anyone else ever had this.

she outright refuses to take the spoon in her mouth or even my finger.

I have tried everything from sweet potato to apple to rice cereal to yogurt. nothing works. she will not open her mouth for me and turns her head away.

anyone have any experience with this with their own baby?

Diamond Member Joined: May 24 2007 Posts: 4621

my first was like this - he totally nursed till about 14 months.
once I got pregnant he started going to the high chair that I so often tried to sit him in.
I didn't know what made the change till a few weeks later. (he didn't like the taste of my milk anymore obviously.)

Posted: Thu, Apr 30 2009, 7:34 am Post subject:

Have you tried giving her an empty, clean spoon to play with? Some kids need to experiment with the in-and-out before they let you do it. And for how long have you been trying?

I'm not a big fan of the "daysa in the bottle" phenomenon that I see so much here, but it might be a good place to start. You can put highly thinned rice cereal into a bottle with a large hole; she might take it that way. If she takes a sippy cup you could also try the yogurt drinks that way.
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Posted: Thu, Apr 30 2009, 7:38 am Post subject:

Does she have sensory issues? Does she let you wash/wipe her mouth area? Does she put toys in her mouth?
What would happen if you refused to give her a bottle? We've had a few times where one of the kids refused to eat more than a bite or two . We didn't push or force the issue and by the 2nd or 3rd day, they started eating normally cuz they were hungry. I refuse to become one of those parents you see chasing after their kid with foiod.

My baby is a little younger than yours but having similar issues.. she does put evertything in her mouth EXCEPT food.

My questions for you is - is your baby gaining weight and has been steadily? If so I wouldn't be as concerned but would definetly still get the specialist to come in and talk to your doctor about it.

Posted: Thu, Apr 30 2009, 8:06 pm Post subject:

Have you tried letting her eat by herself-putting food on her tray?

Perhaps she has oral sensory issues and therefor won't eat.
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Diamond Member Joined: Jan 19 2006 Posts: 4427

If I recall correctly, Your baby was a preemie. You need to keep in mind that developmentally,m she is younger then her real age. So say she is at the 10 month mark rather then the 12 month mark. Many babies that are ten months are still eating very little.

One of my kids pretty much refused solids till 9-10 months. He would take a spoon here an there, but the bulk of his calories came from Breast Milk/formula.

Its definitely a good idea to see a specialist, but don't panic yet. She is not as far behind as you think.