{"id":2004,"date":"2014-05-31T19:50:36","date_gmt":"2014-05-31T19:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebadassbreastfeeder.com\/?p=2004"},"modified":"2015-01-28T00:32:07","modified_gmt":"2015-01-28T00:32:07","slug":"ask-an-expert-when-baby-is-not-interested-in-solids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebadassbreastfeeder.com\/?p=2004","title":{"rendered":"Ask an Expert: When Baby is Not Interested in Solids"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Wendy Wisner, IBCLC<\/p>\n

Fan Question:<\/p>\n

“My 7 month old is not interested in starting baby foods at all, she just wants the breast. I am okay with that but her doctor tells me that she wouldn\u2019t be getting enough nutrition. The internet searches I do are divided on the issue. What are your opinions or experiences with this? I don\u2019t want to force her to eat but I also want her to be healthy.”<\/p>\n

This is the kind of question I have gotten very frequently over the years, and I will tell you that I have never met a baby who didn\u2019t eventually take to eating food!<\/p>\n

Yes, there is a lot of division about this on the internet, and among health professionals.\u00a0 While some doctors say babies can start solids as early as 4 months, both the Academy of American Pediatrics<\/a> and The World Health Organization<\/a> recommend babies exclusively breastfeed for at least six months.\u00a0 Still, it is common for some babies to start solids as late as 9-12 months, and continue to thrive.\u00a0 The main nutritional reason that babies need solid food after the first six months is because the iron stores they are born with start to deplete sometime between 6-12 months (click here<\/a> for more details on iron in breastmilk).\u00a0 Still, the iron available is breastmilk is absorbed easily, and most babies have enough iron to last them several months past the six month mark.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s push all those numbers aside.\u00a0 Babies don\u2019t have a calendar in their bodies!\u00a0 They are ready for solid foods\u00a0when they are developmentally ready<\/em>, and this is something all babies do on their own timetables\u2014just\u00a0like sitting up, walking, and talking.\u00a0 There are signs you can look for to see if your baby is ready, including the baby\u2019s ability to sit up on her own, the development of a pincer grasp (picking up food between thumb and forefinger), and the loss of a tongue thrust (i.e., the baby doesn\u2019t instinctively push food out of her mouth, and sweeps it in and swallows easily).\u00a0 Here<\/a> is a good list of readiness signs.<\/p>\n

Basically, when your baby can sit, grab the food, and swallow it easily, she is ready!\u00a0 And some babies really wish to do it themselves!\u00a0 Once your baby is developmentally ready, you can skip purees if you wish.\u00a0 You can offer her soft finger foods (avocado, bananas, softened sweet potatoes, etc.), and let her feed herself.\u00a0 Some babies just prefer the independence and the varied textures of such foods.<\/p>\n

So, if you baby isn\u2019t interested yet, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 It\u2019s very common, and your breastmilk will keep her healthy until she\u2019s ready.\u00a0 Keep offering in a relaxed, fun way.\u00a0 Let her explore the food with all her senses.\u00a0 Keep in mind that breastmilk will continue to be her primary food for the first 12 months, so there is really no pressure to prepare full meals for her yet.\u00a0 Follow her lead, and enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"unnamed\"<\/a>Wendy Wisner is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), writer, and mother of two amazing boys.\u00a0 In addition to her work with breastfeeding moms, she has published two books of poems, and a handful of articles about mothering and breastfeeding.\u00a0 She blogs at www.nursememama.com<\/a>.
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