[ShannonMVT]

We started up solids abouta week ago (we did just a tiny bit at 6 months and then stopped because of the GI issues). I was trying to skip the puree stage and go straight to finger foods. Matthew started to get the hang of holding onto a chunk of banana and sucking/gnawing on it, once I helped him put his fingers around it. I also held avocado slices in my hand for him to bite little pieces off.
Then today I tried peas and that was a disaster. I tried banana tonight and also a disastor. Banana chunks all over the floor because he wouldn't let me help him hold them and wouldn't eat them with me holding them and he just wanted to smear it around. He turned his head each time I tried to put food in or near his mouth.

I thought maybe I just need to do more smushed up food with a spoon but when I try that he turns his head and clamps his mouth shut and cries if I try to get him to eat.
Or he will try to grab for the spoon himself but he just plays with it.
I tried giving him a spoon to play with while I fed him but he takes his spoon and sticks the handle in his mouth so I can't get any food in his mouth.

I feel like solids is already becoming a power struggle! I don't know why he doesn't want to eat anything. Could it be b/c he is teething? He was really wailing this afternoon about his teeth.

I don't know what to do. Even on the days he was eating he wasn't really that interested in it. On one hand, I read that they will eat solids when they are ready and you can't force it.

On the other hand, I feel like at 9 months he should be eating some solids. And plus, I personally really want him to eat them for a couple reasons. First being that he wakes up a lot to eat at night and I am tired. Co-sleeping doens't work for us, I wish it did, but anyway I have to keep getting up at night and I just want to start getting good night's sleep. I feel like solids would help him sleep longer at night. Second thing is he had his 9 month well check and he fell from 75th percentile in height and weight to 60th percentile. His pedi wasn't worried about it, but I can't help but feel like the reason he dropped is b/c he's on BM only.

[Resi]

Welcome to the world of stressy over solids! Bah.. It was so much easier when Oliver only breastfed. I would not worry too much about dropping on the percentile charts. Oliver has dropped at each appointment but my doc has never been worried about it. I think it's more normal for BF babies.

What about getting one of t hose mesh feeders to put bananas or avocados in? I never got one but it might be worth trying.

[sara~b]

I would put the solids on the tray of his highchair or exersaucer or whatever. Don't try to encourage him to eat. Let him smash the banana or play with a spoon. Eventually he will put his banana-covered fingers in his mouth and if he likes the taste/texture/etc then he may try more. Maybe the few foods you've tried aren't his thing and you need to try some others. I agree with Resi that maybe the mesh feeders are a good try to. It sounds like he wants to do this on his terms and the mesh teether/feeders would allow him that control. Good luck!

[ShannonMVT]

I tried to use a mesh feeder a few days ago and he just wanted to chew on the handle and ignored the meshy food part. It was a PITA to clean it too!

[Frozendesire]

I would also suggest the same as Sara and Resi. I really think he just wants to play and experience his food and there isn't anything wrong with that! Let him play and figure it all out. Soon he'll realize that it not only feels good but tastes good too. Give him some different things to try and see how it goes. Try not to stress and just go with the flow. That way you create a healthy eating experience for him.

[ShannonMVT]

If I let him play with it and smash it all around, what consistency should the food be? Like say I want to serve him sweet potato, peas, apple, pears (things that need to be cooked)? How am I going to get that smushy enough that he can eat it but not so smushy that he can pick it up?

I'm trying to introduce one new food at a time and do it for 3 days before anything else new (b/c of possible allergies) but I dunno how that works if he doesn't actually eat any of it.

[sara~b]

I think banana slices would be fine. He will mash them himself by playing with them. Any kind of food pureed would probably be okay too. He doesn't have to be able to pick it up. If he gets it on his fingers he will rub it into his mouth. I know you wanted to do more solids than purees but he might like the texture of the puree better. It's worth a try. You could do banana puree one day, banana chunks the next and then banana in the mesh teether the next to get an idea of what he likes. Then repeat the pattern for the next food until you get an idea of what works for you! I really hope you figure it out soon!

[ShannonMVT]

That's a good idea to do a few different textures and maybe he'll like one better than the other. I'm thinking maybe I'll just dump it all on his highchair tray b/c I know he will just fling it if I put it in a bowl.

How do you keep their clothes from getting horribly gunked up though? I mean, I put a bib on him (a large one too) but he still seems to get food on his clothes. Or do you just say oh well, and let their clothes be dirty? He hates to get dressed so I avoid changing his clothes unless I have to!

[~*sierra*~]

i have no experience in this at all but maybe you could boil things like apples, sweet potato etc in large enough peices that he could hang onto them, but dont cook to the point of being super mushy. At least then if he threw them it wouldnt splatter everywhere too, and he could hang on to them easier if they were larger and firmer chunks, like maybe quarter and seed an apple and just cook to take the crispness off?

[soImarriedAnerd]

boys take longer than girls, and what he is doing is so normal. just put it in front of him....he will get it one day. Your BM is SUPPOSE to be the main food till 1 yr, so your just fine there. Solids are only meant to be used a "dessert". The drop in wt is also VERY common at this age where they activity really picks up and they have more important things to do than eat LOL.
I would just put him in nothing but a diaper, put him in his chair with plastic on the floor, stick some food in front of him and let him do his thing. I promise he will get it! Also FYI its not usually a fix to them sleeping more at night when you introduce solids...its more common for them to have some extra issues at first because then their bodies are trying to filter/clean out/and absorb more things so its in over drive! More GI issues are common at first. Its "recommended" to start solids more in the morning to prevent this. But under 1 yr you give BM (or formula) first then top it off with solids. Sounds like your doing a wonderful job ....and what boy doesn't like to play with his food first....just think of all the beatings our boobs take! LOL

Hey double treat---naked time AND play food! LOL

[sara~b]

I would suggest having him in a diaper only as well. I did that with Gem alot. She would eat and then I'd just wipe her down or bath her if it was really bad. She started figuring out how to use a spoon by a year old though so the neatness improved quickly. She actually wouldn't eat her first birthday cake until we gave her a spoon to use! Just have fun with it and let him lead! I'm sure he'll do what's right for him!

[Resi]

You can always let him eat w/o a top on. I always let Oliver get messy and wipe him up or change his clothes if it's bad enough. I was a big scardy cat when it came to giving Oliver finger foods. I always fed him super pureed stuff.

[ScottishBrit]

Cambria REFUSED solids till she was 1! I swear! It drove me NUT'S!!!! She maybe ate them 3 times before then. No matter what I did, I seriously tried everything in the book and still she would LOCK her mouth shut. It was funny now that I look back at it. I started putting Ice in those mesh feeders and she kinda got the idea but still food she wanted nothing to do with. Im such a freak about it still and cut her food up small cause Im afraid she'll choke...since It took her so long to get used to food!

Maybe the solids will help him sleep. Jack is sleeping better since starting solids (and going into his own crib - SWADDLE FREE! I did it! I am growing up, lmao). It was like your house and the night wake ups were getting ridiculous and he was ravenous since BM is digested quickly. I just try and stay away from binding foods and give sips of water during meal times, and BM after meal time. I tried nursing him before eating, but he eats much better and nurses much better if I give him BM after. I usually nurse him, wait an hour or two, give food, and then offer more fatty boob milk after. I HOPE Jack continues to stay in the sleep better category with solids and that Matthew does too. You never know since every baby is different and all. Plus, you know how once you say something it totally changes

I also agree to let him smush it up, and I am gonna try feeding Jack practically naked too. I also tried the mesh feeders and they were awful. I agree that it can be hard to cook things al dente so it isn't a food disaster. I was going to share a video of Jack eating broccoli tonight that exemplifies this My only suggestion is to give him a variety of foods at once. I read somewhere that the risk of allergies is pretty low, and that babies like variety in one meal so they can pick and choose. Maybe try that? I dunno though, I am in the same boat with starting the solids recently. Plus my child has green poo! But that was before I even started the solids. Go figure.

[ShannonMVT]

So you think at this age it is okay to offer just once a day or more than that? I could give him naked time (well with diaper on) in the morning after I take his jammies off but before I get him dressed and let him go for it.

I just don't really want to go through the hassle and mess 3X a day unless it is necessary. Seems like it's not since he's not really eating anyway. I just know most of the babies in my PR are eating solids 3x a day.

On the choking...I read this "babies weaned using the baby-led method are actually less likely to choke on their food, as they are not capable of moving food from the front of the mouth to the back until they have learnt to chew."

Oh an dI almost forgot - DH fed Jack some oatmeal tonight with a spoon, and did helicopter and plane noises. Jack slurped it up like a pro! HE ate it all very easily without grabbing the spoon and acting crazy like he does with me. So there is always that. Misdirection, I guess

[Frozendesire]

I think I would suggest offering him breakfast and dinner. Those might be the times he is most likely to be hungry and interested in solids

[SandKmommy]

Kieran is a picky eater. She wants solids badly screams(never seen a baby this age throw a fit like she does) when we eat and she isn't. At around 6.5mo we tried the pureeds went threw them all in about a 3week peroid (I'd try one, she would take 1-3 bites then refuse any more so a few days later I'd try a different one, same thing), so we gave up and she was ok for about a month. Then around 9mo she started gettng mad that she wasn't eating.
What I do is offer her either lunch or dinner, and strip her down(all naked though) and let her have at it, for instance tonight I gave her spaghetti o's and some green beans, she ate the green beans, but threw the spaghetti o's all around. I just give her food and let her try. She usually doesn't eat enough to be an actual meal though. I also offer he a couple snacks of Puffs and for breakfast today I gave her some rice krispies(cereal not treats) and she ate a couple of them. She's very picky and hard to find things she will eat. We tried yogurt, got a parfait at McDonalds and she ate all the yogurt but when I bought some at home she hated it. She also turns her head when I try to feed her, she wants to do it her self.
Kieran also dropped a little at her 9mo appt, about 5%, which worried me since she is on the smaller side as it is, now only being 20-25% for weight.
Is Matthew rolling/crawling around yet? Once they become mobile they will loose weight too because they burn it off faster.

I know how worrisome/troublesome it can be. Seamus was a great eater, but Kieran is the complete opposite

I just thought of something else! I remember a video of Matthew banging the crud out of some blocks. Well, Jack doesn't really do that. He just throws things or puts it directly in his mouth. And that is how Jack eats too! So it sounds like babies eat how they play, so throwing and mushing his food may be how Matthew does it for awhile, and after a bit or several days, he will actually get to eating it.

[Angelaosaurus-rex]

Its completely normal. Landen will still do it at times. What I do after at least 5 minuets of him playing with it is I take the tray off and set it on the floor next to where he plays. It makes a big mess but he will go and snack on it while he plays. And sometimes he will eat really good for 2 weeks and then the next 3 not at all. Its annoying lol but very normal!