When your baby won’t eat solids, it can be stressful. Learn why your baby is refusing food and how to get them to eat solid foods with 7 simple steps!
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The spoon hits the floor.
Your baby makes a nasty face.
They might even shudder or gag.
All from a bite, or an attempt to feed your baby solid foods. It’s totally unexpected when babies respond with such disdain for baby food or table food. As parents, we’re often excited about this new milestone and it’s shocking when your baby won’t eat solids.
In real life though, it’s quite common for babies to gag on solids, seem uninterested, and outright refuse food.
While knowing it’s “normal” for babies to not seem interested in solid foods, even though everyone else’s baby seems to be gulping it down by the jar full, it still leaves the question, “How do you get a baby to eat solids?”
Well, I happen to know a thing or two about that. First, because I’ve personally helped a lot of families get their babies eating solids as a pediatric occupational therapist with over a decade of experience, but also because I’ve been there with my own son…
Going through it as a mom was a whole different ball game.
Of course, I knew that it was normal for babies to refuse baby food when it was first introduced, and I also knew that some babies didn’t much prefer baby food, but my Momma heart was worried. The worrying got worse when I watched my son act like he could’ve cared less about the delicious homemade sweet potatoes that I whipped up, as he turned his face away and threw the spoon across the room.
Meal after meal.
Day after day.
And, week after week.
With each passing day that he refused to eat solids, I got more worried, and more frustrated as I’d watch the food I’d prepared literally go down the drain. There came a point when I knew I needed to do more, to put some of my OT skills to use in my home, and that’s what I’m going to share with you here, because I know how stressful it is when your sweet adorable little baby won’t eat solids.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know :
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- Why your baby is refusing solids
- Why they used to eat solids, but don’t anymore
- How to get them to eat solids and table foods
- Ways to get them more help (if you need it)
We have specific guides as well for toddlers that refuse to eat and preschoolers and school aged kids that refuse to eat.
Why Your Baby Won’t Eat Solids
There are a lot of factors that can actually play a role in any baby’s refusal to eat solid food. We’re going to walk through each of them below, but know that the reason your baby isn’t eating solids could be any one or combination of them. With a little detective work, you’ll figure it out!
Also, age has a little do with it, and will help you hone in on what’s going on.
6 or 7 Month Olds That Refuse Solids:
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- Baby isn’t ready yet – 6 months of age is the perfect time to introduce baby to solid foods, but sometimes the baby isn’t ready. Actually, this is really common when the baby is closer to 4 and 5 months old if you’re starting a little earlier, but is still totally normal at 6 months of age.
Babies are still learning how to move their tongue and bring toys to their mouth, which helps them get used to having foreign objects in there. Each baby is unique and yours may just need some practice if they are in this age range.
They also may still be developing good trunk and head control, without it, eating is difficult!
Check out the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for introducing food and make sure your baby is ready for solids. You can also find my guide to Introducing Solids with more details on milestones to look for when 6 months old.
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- A strong tongue thrust reflex – Most babies usually lose this reflex that helps them not choke if something accidentally gets into their mouth around 4-6 months, but it may linger for some.
If you notice that your baby still thrusts their tongue out every time you touch the spoon to their lips, they may need a little more time. It’s really hard for them to eat when they keep shoving their tongue out of their mouth!
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- Doesn’t like the way food feels – Solid food is something so new and unfamiliar to babies, it can take a while for them to get used to the new texture in their mouth. Many babies do in fact get used to the feeling of solids, but some don’t.
Read more about that below under sensory.
8, 9, or 10 Month Olds That Refuse Solids:
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- Sensory – By 8 months of age, most babies are ready from a developmental standpoint, and at this age, it’s definitely time to get the ball rolling, but some babies (like my son) still refuse. One of the most common reasons why older babies still won’t eat solids is because they don’t like the texture.
This boils down to the way their brains are thinking about (or processing) the sensory input they feel (aka the food in their mouth).
This isn’t a bad thing and doesn’t necessarily mean they have any kind of diagnosis, but it does mean we need to take some extra steps to help them tolerate the texture of food better. You can head to sensory issues with food to learn more.
Babies that are sensitive to different textures usually gag immediately at the sight, touch, or taste of food.
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- Coordination – Eating actually requires a lot of muscle coordination from opening the mouth, pulling food off of a spoon, closing the mouth, and effectively swallowing.
We take this for granted and don’t even think about it, but for some babies, it just isn’t coming natural.
Babies that are having difficulty with coordination, or oral motor skills (find exercises with that link,) usually gag when trying to swallow or after getting the food into their mouth.
Or, the food may fall out frequently, and babies won’t eat solids because they just don’t know how. When they don’t know how to eat, it isn’t that fun, and there isn’t a lot of interest.
If gagging is something you’re concerned about or is happening often, read more in guide on baby gagging.
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- Food allergies – Believe it or not, sometimes babies will avoid certain types of foods because they’ve associated an upset tummy with the yogurt or cheese for example. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s something to consider, especially when it’s very specific allergenic food.
The most common types of food allergens are dairy, egg, soy, wheat, tree nut, peanut, fish, and shellfish. Severe eczema is another indicator that food allergies might be present.
Sometimes, signs become more obvious when cow’s milk is introduced.
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- Not into baby food – While this is probably the least likely reason your baby is refusing solids, it is possible.
If you’ve consistently offered baby food or infant cereal with no interest from your baby and you don’t see any of the sensory or coordination signs we talked about above, then you might just might want to move on to table and finger foods.
One way to do that is using a Baby Led Weaning approach, before you do that though read my BLW pros and cons.
Why Baby Won’t Eat Solids Anymore (They Used to?)
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- Some teething babies won’t eat – While it’s not as common, some babies start off eating baby food and then suddenly stop. A frequent cause of this is teething, and some babies teethe for a very. long. time. If your baby’s teeth are swollen, red, and seem to hurt, then this is likely the cause.
Try putting some teething gel on their gums 15-20 minutes before a meal. If you see an improvement, this is likely the culprit. Here’s a natural teething gel I like, but check with your doctor first.
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- Going through a phase – Babies may get a little bug or slight cold that we aren’t even aware of or have some negative experience with food that seemed too minor to us as the parent, but makes them leery of eating.
If it’s the latter, some sensory sensitivities can develop if a baby goes for a while without eating any food. If this is the case for your baby, you’ll want to follow the steps below and focus on not pressuring your baby to eat. It’s really important that mealtimes are a positive experience.
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- They’ve outgrown baby food – If your baby is later in their 7th month or older, they may just be sick of solid baby food and ready for the real deal table and finger foods. That may mean it’s time to change up baby’s diet!
I know that seems scary and makes some parents nervous. Don’t worry though, if you think this is why your baby suddenly won’t eat solids anymore, then head to how to transition to table foods.
How to Get Your Baby to Eat Solids
1. The absolute first thing I do with a baby not eating solids is to put a scoop of baby food or some other pureed food like yogurt onto the tray of their high chair.
I know, the mess. It’s soooo important for babies to get messy though! If you’re skeptical, you’ve got to read: Why Babies Should Get Messy Eating. It will totally change your perspective and give you the inspiration to embrace the mess.
2. Encourage your baby to touch the food, but don’t force. Be silly and keep it light. Demonstrate.
If they refuse, try and try again. In fact, at every single meal, put a dollop of that food on their tray or even in a bowl that they can play with and touch. If they won’t touch after a few attempts, offer a spoon for them to stick into the food too.
This is one of my favorite beginner spoons that makes it really easy for baby to get some food onto it.
3. Once your child touches the solid food, you’re on your way! Allow them to touch, spread, and put it all over the tray and themselves. This is wonderful for their sensory processing and will make a huge difference in helping them get used to the texture of solids.
If they get upset once they’ve touched the food, or that they are now all messy, be very calm and reassuring.
Have a wet washcloth ready and quickly wipe them down. And, if this is how they respond, it’s a sign that you need to practice playing with these foods a lot! The more they touch and interact with the food, the closer they’ll be to eating it.
4. When baby has the food on their hand and they’re at least tolerating it, show them how to take their hand to their mouth, so they can taste it. You may need to demonstrate if baby won’t let you guide their hand.
Repeat this several times. After they eat from their hands several times, offer them some solid foods from a spoon.
5. You can also give them a large whole raw carrot or celery stalk at meals. I mean the whole darn thing. The point isn’t for them eat it (and if they can get pieces of it off, take it away), but for them to put it into their mouth.
When they do this, it helps desensitize their gag reflex and they get to practice biting, chewing, and moving their tongue around. It’s amazingly powerful and can make a big impact in a baby accepting solid foods. Make sure you demonstrate and keep offering at every meal.
6. Be consistent and patient. I can’t stress this enough, even though it’s often easier said than done! Have regular meals and follow the above steps 1-3 times a day for every meal. You can find sample schedules for babies ages 6 – 7 months, 8 – 10 months, and 11 -14 months if you’d like a guideline to follow.
7. Focus on meals being positive experiences for the baby, even if they aren’t eating anything. As parents, we can bring a lot of stress with us to meals, which can be hard to hide. But, this is definitely a “fake it til you make it” kind of situation.
Take a deep breath, put on a happy face, and work on the above steps. Going into the meal with no expectations of them eating anything will also help keep your frustration level down.
I highly recommend grabbing a seat in my free online workshop to help learn more…
In it, you’ll learn 5 Easy changes parents can make to help babies and toddlers eat table food well! It’s an eye opener and will help you take steps to give them the best start with eating table foods well (even if it already isn’t going well):
Strategies to Use Outside of Meals for Baby’s Refusing Solids
There are a few really powerful strategies you can use away from the highchair that will directly impact your baby eating solids during meals. Might seem strange, but if you suspect your baby is refusing because of sensory or coordination difficulties, doing these activities can be total game changers:
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- Brush their teeth – If you haven’t started yet, brush their teeth, and when you do, make sure you’re getting all over their gums and the sides, as well as the top of their tongue.
It only takes a few seconds, but it helps to both desensitize their mouth and improve coordination because the tongue gets practice moving in different directions. If your baby doesn’t like it, take it slow, and try often.
The more often you brush, the bigger the effect. Try for one to three times a day, and consider a vibrating toothbrush (yes, even for babies) for more powerful input in their mouth.
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- Play in sensory bins – That may be a new term to you or you might be wondering what the heck that has to do with eating, but playing in different textures is super powerful and helps the sensory system understand different textures better.
This correlates directly to eating. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a kiddo that plays in sensory bins frequently, suddenly start eating more foods (my son included). Head to Sensory Bin Ideas to learn how to set one up.
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- Chew on toys – So many babies that won’t eat solids never put toys or teethers in their mouth, which is really easy to overlook. If this is your baby, pull out a bunch of different teethers and have them around the house.
Demonstrate. Dip them in food or juice. Play with them in the bath. The more often they get teethers and toys into their mouths, the more it will help improve the coordination their mouth muscles need to eat and desensitize their gag reflex and sensory system.
I really love this teether because it gets in the back of the mouth and this one vibrates (all my friends get it from me at their baby shower).
Help for the Baby Not Eating Food
I’m not just talking about solid baby food or purees. You may have a baby that won’t eat any type of food, like puffs, cut up fruit, or toast. They’re getting older and older. You’re getting worried.
Following the above steps will be incredibly important for your babies too, especially the strategies for outside of a meal. But, you’ll also want to use the steps I outline in getting your baby to eat table foods.
That’s a whole different animal all within itself, and there are some targeting tips that can make all the difference in your baby eating food.
You’ll want to focus on small pieces, and by 9 months of life be attempting table or finger foods.
While I don’t want you to worry, I know it’s tempting to keep waiting it out, and unfortunately, some doctors advise this quite often. This often does not help your baby to learn to eat wide variety of foods.
Babies instinctively learn to chew between roughly 8 and 11 months of age, when they move past that, it can be much harder for them to accept foods. It’s not impossible, and the same steps apply for older children, but it’s much better to be proactive then taking a “wait and see” approach.
Puffs, lil cheese curls, and baby mum mum’s are all great for baby’s first foods.
When to Get More Help for a Baby Not Eating Solids
If your baby doesn’t like solid baby food and won’t accept any table foods of finger foods by 9 months old, it’s a good idea to get an evaluation either from the free early intervention program in your state or from a feeding therapist.
You can also read more about typical feeding milestones for babies just to have a reference point. As I said earlier, all babies develop at a different pace and needing a little more help is very common.
Get My Free Printable: Learn to Eat Table Foods Cheat Sheet
There seem to be more questions than answers when you’re under the daily stress of your baby or toddler not eating table foods. Not to mention all of the well-intentioned bad advice that’s often given. Let’s clear that up.
I’ve created a free 4 page guide that clearly lists the steps to teach your baby or toddler to eat table or finger foods, plus a FAQ guide for parents to ease their worries when their babies won’t eat!
More on My Baby Won’t Eat Solids
How to Teach Your Baby to Self-Feed
How to Teach Your Baby to Drink from a Straw
The Best Mealtime Utensils and Tools for Babies
Click here to Pin This! (You’ll have as a quick reference)
Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
When I first introduced solids to my youngest he wouldn’t eat them – I figured it was too soon (he started solids at 7mo.) He’s 18mo now and he still will not eat anything beyond milk and maybe two or three yogurt puffs. He doesn’t let me feed him if he sees baby food on my spoon, but I can’t give him anything else because he doesn’t seem to know how to chew food (he dissolves the puffs in his mouth.) He went from the 70th percentile as an infant to the 5th as a toddler and I’m at my wit’s end.
Hey Maryam,
It can be really stressful when toddlers don’t learn how to chew! You’re not alone. If you’re already giving him puffs, you can try taking a bite of one yourself and really over exaggerating a chew with your mouth open to help him see what to do. I’d also suggest our free table foods workshop. I think it would be a really helpful place for you to start! You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
My almost 10 month old is barely eating anything solid at all. He hated purees (started around 4m), so we moved to BLW at 6m. He can pick up the food and get it into his mouth without issue, chews on anything and everything other than food, but won’t actually consume much of anything. He can’t live off just yogurt, bananas, and graham crackers forever, right?
We offer him a variety of fruits, veggies, protein, and grains several times a day, but we’re lucky if he takes 3 actual bites of food (and by bite, I mean the tiniest nibble). He will eat yogurt like a champ, but anything else is very hit or miss whether he will actually eat it. He’s not afraid to touch the food and play in it, he just won’t eat it.
What more can we do to encourage, but not force, him to eat more substance so he’s taking in enough calories to be able to start weaning bottles soon?
Hi Lindsey,
This can be a tricky stage for so many parents! You’re not alone! It can be helpful to model eating the foods and overexaggerate everything in a playful way. Using a mirror during mealtimes can also be helpful for little ones. We have a free table foods workshop filled with more ideas that would be helpful. You can save your seat HERE. Reach out if you have anymore questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hello, my almost 9 month old seems to not like me feeding her with a spoon anymore. She’ll eat puffs, teether wafers and out of pouches. She seems to want to feed herself but I’m nervous about finger foods. Any advice?
Thank you!
Hey Melissa,
Thanks for reaching out! 9 months is right around the perfect age to start self feeding! It’s about the time they want to try doing things themselves:) We suggest breaking the foods up into manageable sizes and always staying nearby your little one to be sure she’s safe while she’s eating. Our self-feeding guide is a great read to give you some more ideas on how to make this transition! Reach out if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
My 13 month old will eat (some) purées but I have to force the first few spoons in. She refuses most ans if she doesn’t like it she will cry nonstop for a half hour. If we attempt any sort of solid food she immediately gags or vomits. She has never like eating and would just rather breastfeed… is this normal? She’s in the 1% for her weight and it makes me nervous!
Hey Sean,
Thanks for reaching out! We usually like to see toddlers regularly eating table food at around 13 months. Starting to align nursing sessions with mealtimes can sometimes be helpful. If she’s resistant to being fed purees or any food, you might start by giving her a pre-dipped spoon and model feeding herself. Our free table foods workshop would be a great fit for you guys to give you more ideas. You can save your seat HERE. Reach out with any questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hi first time mom to a one year old bby boy. He started eating purées at about 7 months, it’s now going on a about month that he will not want to eat anything other than milk. Blamed it on teething at first but figured it’s been too long to be just teething. Also, only eats purées never brings toys or any finger foods (puffs, melts, fruit etc.) even close to his mouth, any time I try to bring anything close to his mouth he will have a meltdown. Desperate at this point, I feel like I’m doing something wrong. Any help is appreciated! Thank you
Hi Bea,
We’re so glad you reached out! It can be really stressful when our little one’s don’t advance in types of food they eat. One of the things that can make the biggest difference is to start brushing your baby’s teeth or gums 2x/day. This can help them get used to the idea of something in their mouth and also help desensitize it. We have an article with more suggestions for babies who struggle with putting toys and food in their mouths. You can check it out HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hi,
I have a 3 year old baby boy and he’s not into solid foods unless biscuits, pasta, bread, chicken, and Filipino Pansit cooked noodles not the instant friend noodles, pizza in between and cereals without milk.
From 4 months to a year almost, my son is eating well with rice and fruits and almost all kinds of veggies since I am the one preparing and feeding him. I started working and at the latter, I knew that my babysitter is not feeding my son solids, only a bottle of milk. From then onwards, we are having difficulty forcing him to eat up to this date even water is quite difficult.
How can I let him eat again?
Hi Mary Ann,
I’m so sorry that you’re having these challenges. You might work with your son’s babysitter on consistently feeding him table foods while you’re not around. Consistently being offered table foods can be really helpful! We have a picky eating workshop that would be a great place to start. You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
My 8 month old twin granddaughters won’t eat baby food and when we eat they both want what’s in our mouths like their starving, that worrys me, but they have cereal in just about every bottle, so is it possible they are just full off the cereal?
Hi Tonia,
Thanks for reaching out. It sounds like it could be a frustrating situation for everyone! That can be so tough. It is possible that their tummies are full if there is cereal in their bottles. Since they aren’t eating table foods yet, I wanted to share this baby routine with you. It gives great hints at how to introduce foods. Please reach out with any questions at all!
Best,
Andrea
Hi Andrea. My baby is 8 months old and he eats only fruit popsicles and plain yogurt. Ive tried making pancakes, biscuits, porridge with no salt, no sugar but he just wont eat. He loves to play with his food and likes to chew on everything except his baby food. Ive tried BLW but baby wont even touch it. But when we eat “our food” he will open his mouth like asking for it, and he eat it. Our food is filled with sugar and salt, I cant just give it to him. Does my son prefer to eat “tasty” food? How to encourage baby to eat natural food?
Hey Nisa,
It is definitely possible that your baby just wants to feel more in tune with you and wants what you have. Putting some of the food you’re serving your little one on your plate and modeling eating it can be really helpful. If you still notice that he prefers a bit of flavor, then adding a small bit of seasoning into his food might be helpful.
Best,
Andrea
Hi
I am not sure if you will check this but it’s a distressed ftm here.
MY LO is 15 months now(14 corrected). We started feeding him at almost 7 month. We started with soups and then started some texture foods but he stopped gaining any weight so we moved completely to cereals to monitor his calorie intake.
All this while he has force fed with spoon been twisted and forced in his mouth by his caregiver. I hate myself for not stopping this earlier.
But now when I have, he just doesn’t open his mouth for spoon feeding.
He is always interested in what is in our plate and has started showing interest in picking food like rice, cheese, chips, biscuits, bread etc and trying to eat but he just bites, tastes and spits it out. I want to completely stop forcing the spoon into his mouth, so now he is mainly having milk and whatever few spoons he eats.
I am completely lost and feel a failure. How to make him open his mouth for fo. He can drink milk and water by spoon opening his mouth.
Please guide.
Hi, my nephew who is already more than a year old and still cannot eat any type of food except his mother’s breast milk. What can we do about it if he vomits every single time we try to make him eat? We already tried cerelac, porridge, any type of solid and still vomits. should we consider check up with a pedia?
Hi Carol,
Thanks for reaching out! Checking in with the pediatrician is a great time to double check nothing else is going on! Some sensory play with purees would be a great option in the meantime. We have an article full of sensory play ideas. I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
My baby stopped eating solid food. Yes , he is teething but he just stopped eating solids all together ..he is 9 ono the ils.. he literally eats two baby spoons and refuses to open his mouth..
I have tried many things ..I need help 😞
I don’t know what I am doing worng. He has dropped from 50th percentile to 25th percentile in the weight.
My baby stopped eating solid food. Yes , he is teething but he just stopped eating solids all together ..he is 9 ono the ils.. he literally eats two baby spoons and refuses to open his mouth..
I have tried many things ..I need help 😞
I don’t know what I am doing worng. He has dropped from 50th percentile to 25th percentile in the weight.
I am
Having same problem with my baby. I am very frustrated
Hi Anisa,
We know it can be so frustrating to teach a baby to eat table foods. We have a free workshop geared towards teaching little ones to eat table foods. It might be helpful to you. You can save your seat HERE. We hope to see you there!
Best,
Andrea
Hi,
I am also struggling with this same concern. It is as if you have copied my concern and put it don as it is. Please tell if your child could overcome this phase or not. I also need help.
Hi Neeti,
Thanks for reaching out! It can be really stressful when our kiddos aren’t interested in table foods. We’d suggest checking out our free table foods workshop. It gives you some ideas that you can put into practice with your little one right away! You can save your seat HERE. Reach out to us if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hi. My baby is almost 11 months old. He eats solids but my problem is only puree. He doesn’t eat any finger food or any that more chunkier than puree. I don’t know but i keep on trying offering something but he doesn’t want it. He will just gag and cry and that’s eat. He likes puree only. He’s almost 1 year old soon and Im worried that he’s not getting more nutrition that he needs to get. Thank you.
Hi Joy,
When your toddler doesn’t eat table foods, that can be really stressful. Chunky purees are often very more difficult for a new toddler to figure out how to eat. You may want to try a dissolvable solid food (such as a cheese curl or baby puff) those often are less overwhelming and give a good crunch. The crunch helps a child can feel where the food is in their mouth, which can make it easier on them. We have a free workshop dedicated to transitioning to table foods! It might be a good fit for you. You can save your seat HERE. Hope that helps get you started!
Best,
Andrea
I’m having this same problem my son is almost 1 years old and he won’t eat anything besides purées we need help!!
Hi Erica,
This is a really common challenge! Dissolvable foods like cheese curls or puffs are a great place to start. We have a free table foods workshop that would be a great place to start for you! It is full of ideas of how to transition to table foods. You can save your seat HERE. I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
Hi there my 1 year old will not eat solid foods I have been trying since she was 8 month old. I get her to take a bite and then she makes a face that’s it’s nasty and spits it out and she does it with everything I’ve tryed everything … the only thing she eats is regular baby food . She loves the banana one and I try to give her a real banana and she won’t take it …
Hi Jess,
Having a little one who isn’t interested in transitioning to table food can be so difficult! You might try offering a meltable solid such as a baby puff (these are the easiest solids to start with). Sometimes softer table foods can get lost in the mouth when first learning to eat. We have also have a free workshop to help you transition your toddler to table foods! You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Andrea
Hey, hope all is well! My 3yr old nephew will not eat solids, I have to purée all his food which is a lot of work and he doesn’t get full. His mother and I always try to give him solids, which he wants absolutely no part of.. he also has 3 therapists which have us do these techniques with him, also wants no part.. he won’t eat yogurt, ice cream, applesauce, just nothing unless it’s puréed.. please help! I don’t want him like this for the rest of his life.. he would eat his Gerber food after he got off his formula, I don’t know what happened
Hey Stefanie,
So sorry to hear the difficulties your nephew is having. The first step I would try to do is get him playing/touching of foods. I would try meltable puffs, so if he does put it in his mouth, they melt with just saliva, so he can get used to the feeling of it. I’d also make sure to be brushing teeth and gums with toothbrush this can help move through the textures!
Best,
Desiree
Hi mam..
My son 6.5 months old.. we started solid but he refused to eat.. I tried preoaded soon also but he don’t like it.. we are trying for 2 weeks now.. everyone in the family having meals at same time and he watched it also.. he can sit for few minutes without any support.. if we give any toys means he can open his mouth and bite it play with it.. but for food he didn’t open his mouth.. don’t know what to do.. feeling worried please help me
Hey Mona,
We understand how you feel and it’s hard to not feel worried sometimes, but he is still young yet, so you have some time to work it out! I’d first start by getting him engaged in play with the food, touching is the first step to eating. So getting his hands in the puree can be really helpful. Also providing a spoon for him to hold while you are utilizing another spoon to help feed, can be great. We do have a free workshop that walks you through some tips as well. You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hi,
My 14 month won’t eat chunky food, I have tried eggs, chicken, fries and other things he won’t put it in his mouth and when he does get alittle chuck he just holds it in his mouth… he will eat homemade puréed food and the cereal puffs, I managed to get him to eat Mac and cheese by himself, I wonder if it’s my fault cause I have always been scared of him choking… any ideas please
Hey Diana,
He may be having a harder time chewing the other foods as they are more difficult. I would first try to get him touching and playing the foods, as this is the first step towards eating. We do have a free workshop that walks you through the progression of which foods to offer as you are making this transition. You can feel free to save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
My 10 month old barely eats solids! She eats animal protein (and loves it) if I cut up in cubes. She grabs the pieces and feeds herself. Besides pears and puffs, that’s all she eats, and even then, she eats soooo little! I’m lucky if I get her to eat more than 1oz of food/day! Still drinks her bottles like usual… I’m so stressed out!!!!! I don’t think it’s a sensory thing. She plays with the food, puts in her mouth but then spits everything out!
It’s great that she’s touching and engaging with all the foods, that is a really good step! I’d try providing some drink for her after she is chewing, before she spits out, this may help with her swallowing of the foods, as long as she is chewing them well!
Best,
Desiree
Hello,my 14 months old baby gal isn’t willing to take foods.
She don’t want to eat even one type of foods. What must I do ?
Hey Maria,
We know how hard this can be! We do have a free workshop that helps you walk through which foods to be offering and other steps to help make the transition to foods. You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hello, my daughter just turned 1 refuses anything going near her mouth, she doesnt chew toys, nothing, she only has her first 2 teeth coming in now. She refuses bottles, and all food except for milk straight from my partners breast. Wont even take expressed milk in bottle. Have tried numerous things. Also believe her to have some sort of milk allergy as as little as 5ml of formula squirted into her mouth while crying had her throwing up for hours, yogurt on her skin and she goes red. She has just started declining on her weight and height gain which we figure is due to fact she isnt getting enough food. The nurse said if we cant get her eating/drinking she may need a feeding tube!?!? Do you have any ideas as all the dr and nurses, people we speak to noone has experienced this which is so frustrating as we feel so alone. Surely someone has had this issue before??
Hey Jason,
So sorry you are dealing with this situation, we can understand how hard this must be for you! As for any of the allergies, I’d make sure to bring that up to your pediatrician so they can help with determining what foods are good for her. I’d check out this post Conquer Your Child’s Oral Aversion with a Powerful Plan. It will help with ideas for getting things in her mouth which is a first step in getting her towards eating. We do also have a workshop for what kinds of foods to offer first that may be helpful as well. You can check it out here
Best,
Desiree
Thanks! Will check it out
My daughter is 8months and I am facing exactly same feeding issues with her other than my milk she takes nothing completely given up on top food even water.. am going mad and worried a lot what must be wrong.
Thanks for sharing! If your daughter isn’t drinking milk or water I’d reach out to your pediatrician to help determine a cause. For the feeding side of things, I’d first just start to work on getting her to touch and play with the new foods. We do have a free workshop that can help with some strategies and suggestions as well. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
Hi my daughter is 11 months old and still doesn’t like to eat. Everytime when I put the spoon in her mouth she refuses. I tried so many ways to prepare her meal, I even put her food on her high chair but still doesn’t like the idea.
Hey Ruth,
We understand how hard this can be to work through. I would do a lot of modeling and play in the foods to engage her to be touching and interacting with them. Touching is the first step to eating. You can also provide her a spoon so she can be in control while you have one as well. We do also have a free workshop that walks you through some other strategies to help as well! You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
My daughter is almost 18 months old and she absolutely refuses to put anything in her mouth. The only things she’ll take is her milk bottle and baby food stage 2. If it’s too thick, she’ll gag and throw up. I tried the tooth brush thing and I can’t even get her mouth open. She’s the only baby I’ve ever known where I didn’t have to worry about small objects around her, bcus all she’ll do is poke them. If it’s liquid, she won’t touch it. Lately, she’s even been refusing the baby food and I have to put it in her milk. Idk what to do, her therapist isn’t helping her at all. Nothing works and I can’t keep her weight up.
Hey Diana,
Thanks for reaching out to us. so sorry you are dealing with this, we understand how hard it can be. I’d try working on getting her to play and be able to touch and get messy with the food. This is a really good first step towards eating. If you haven’t yet seen our free workshop, it’s full of strategies as well. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
Hi Jason! I have the same situation with my son! How is your daughter? Is she eating now?
My daughter was doing amazing with solids, we started baby purees at 5 months and then quickly switched over to BLW right before 6 months. She was doing amazing, eating everything and trying new things.
Now she’s 10 months is refusing EVERYTHING. I’ve tried switching it up, making different things, I even tried spoon feeding her (she loved to feed herself before) but it’s still a no. It’s been about a month of struggle. There will be the occasional good day but it’s a struggle 90% of the time.
ʍʏ ɮaɮʏ ɨs 2 ʏɛaʀs օʟɖ ɦɛ ʀɛʄʊsɛs ɛʋɛʀʏtɦɨռɢ աɦat ċaռ ɨ ɖօ ɨ ռɛɛɖ ɦɛʟք քʟɛasɛ ɨ aʍ ɖɛsքɛʀatɛ ɨ ɖօռt ҡռօա աɦat ɛʟsɛ tօ ɖօ
Hey Samantha,
We understand how hard this can be! I’d first start to work on some playing with foods, so that he can get used to touching of foods, you can do this outside of mealtimes. Touching can be really helpful in the first step of eating. We do also have a free workshop that is helpful for transitioning to table foods. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
My toddler at the age of now don’t want to eat any solid food when i giving it to her. All she keep saying is no and keep asking for her bottle with milk. She use eat puree food when she was at 6 months and now she refusing to eat. What can i do. I really want to stop her drinking her milk all the time.
Hey Renelda,
We do recommend providing milk with the meal, so I’d try to start making the transition of milk into a straw or open cup. A lot of times, kids find the straw cups fun and exciting. You can provide some milk with the meal. If she is drinking all the milk at the beginning, you can decrease the amount in hopes that she will engage with her food as well! We know how hard this can be!
Best,
Desiree