My 9 month old doesn't like solid food...

[moosemama]

Well, I guess that's not entirely true. DD will eat cereal and pureed fruit, veggies etc. but she has absolutely no interest in finger foods and gags on anything with texture. Our older DS ate everything and anything at that age (still does), so this is new for us. She breastfeeds frequently (day and night). I know every baby is different, but she's so much smaller than DS was (she's the size he was at 5 months and he was a pound smaller at birth). I guess I just need some reassurance that this is OK - that not every 9 month old is eating table/finger food and that breast milk is still enough for her.

[wendibird22]

It's ok. It's ok. It's ok. DD2, who is 18mo, was eating mostly jarred foods until gosh 15mo at least. I've posted about it here before. It's only been the past month or two that she's really consistently eating regular table foods. Just keep trying different things, don't stress when she turns her face or spits it out, and keep offering the things you know she'll eat. It'll all work out and breast milk will giver her what she needs.

[rin]

My 13.5-month old didn't start eating a significant amount of solid food until she was about 11.5/12 months old. Up until then, she was essentially exclusively breastfed. We started introducing solids at about 6 months, and she just wasn't interested. She'd play with it, but it pretty much all ended up on the floor or in her hair, etc. Right around the 1 year mark she started being more interested in food, and while I wouldn't say she's an eating machine, she's definitely eating more these days. (Her diapers tell me that she must be eating something, even when it doesn't look like it at dinner time.) I always feel amazed/a little envious when other parents talk about how their kids consume adult-sized portions of food. Our DD eats maybe 10 blueberries and a quarter cup of pasta for a good meal, but she's about 75% for height & 50th for weight, and her pediatrician doesn't seem concerned, so I;m trying not to worry myself.

ETA: She probably still gets at least 50% of her nutrition from breastmilk.

[daisymommy]

It's absolutely okay!

With my first baby I started him on solids at 4 months (cereal, then purees), because that's what the Ped. said to do. I followed all those little Gerber baby food handout guidelines, and shoveled food into his mouth even though he didn't like it, because I thought that's what you do to keep your baby fed and healthy . Yeah, I was a first time mom!

When it came to baby #2 and #3 I waited till they were 6 months old to start any solids (as that is what the latest literature supports), and they were not interested at all. So, I backed off and tried again in a month. Still no interest, lots of shoving it away. At 8 months they both were willing to try. So really, it was months after that before either one of them wanted any kind of table food. Maybe not until around 10-11 months. They were still being breastfed on demand, totally healthy and growing at their own rate. They both enjoyed purees after the age of 1 as well.

Solids are for PRACTICE during the first year. They do not need it! Breastmilk or formula should be their primary source of nutrition. So don't sweat it. Just follow your baby's lead!

[moosemama]

Thank you everyone, I feel a lot better now!

DD is between the 25th and 50th percentiles for weight and 75th percentile for height and she is exclusively breastfeed on demand (and she demands it a lot!). Logically, I know that she's getting what she needs but I worry when I hear about other babies her age who are eating adult-sized portions of table food and she won't even eat a Cheerio! I'm going to try to stop worrying and just be thankful for and enjoy all of our breastfeeding time together (because I know I'll miss it when she weans - though that's hopefully not for a long time).