My 9-month old hates solids, help!

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cns

New member
Hiya everyone! I have a 9-month old daughter who eats very little solids throughout the day ( like half a small bowl of porridge and half slice bread in the whole day). We have tried giving her finger foods, introducing variety (fruits, veggies, cereals, dals etc). But nothing has helped. Now a days we keep trying to feed her the whole day and she nibbles at the food for hours. It’s pretty exhausting to be honest. Has anyone else faced this issue? Suggestions are welcome.

More info :
  1. she is better with milk and has 20-25 ounces of formula per day, I always offer milk as the last resort when she won’t eat solids.
  2. We are now not on any routine because whenever she is awake we try to offer different foods every half an hour or so, since she barely eats.
  3. Her weight is within the normal range, but on the lower side (7.5kgs), she has been on the lower side of the weight spectrum since birth.
  4. We were initially against distraction-feeding and force-feeding, but at this point we have tried everything. This is how she eats whatever she does.
  5. We give her finger foods, of which she only takes a couple of bites. Then starts playing with the food.
  6. Apart from the not eating, she is a happy, active child for the most part.
Edit: Thank you so much for the replies! It is honestly a big relief and confirms some of my instinctive thoughts.

For some context, I am in India and our paediatrician (at a very reputed hospital) suggested that 70% of her nutrition at this point should come from solids. I was also told that the only way child will gain weight is if I focus more on solids. She went so far as to suggest that the baby will only be 8 kgs by the time she is 1 year old if we don’t somehow give her solid food. I’d appreciate links to journals/studies etc that suggest this not to be the case.
 
@cns I would try going back to a schedule, instead of having her graze all day, so she gets hungry between tries. Make yourself a little snack or food when she eats too so you can show her / eat together. I read once on another post that someone’s kid didn’t eat solids unless it was “seasoned” like grown up food.
 
@cns Registered dietitian here. This is not uncommon and please don’t stress about it! You’re doing great.

You mentioned your daughter is on the smaller end of the growth curve. It’s not uncommon for small babies to need to eat less than bigger babies. Portions of about 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) are age appropriate. (If she likes the food and wants more then certainly give her more)

As others have suggested, go back to a schedule and continue to offer a variety of foods. Do offer solids before milk. Iron is a nutrient of concern especially if you are vegetarian so be sure to offer iron fortified porridge and dal daily.

Your instincts are correct that force feeding and distraction are not a good idea. They can work in the short term but in the long term they promote a poor relationship with food and eating. Avoid pressuring your child to eat. Avoid screens at the table.

I apologize that I don’t have any Indian resources to share. I do recommend Ellyn Satter Institute. Ellyn Satter is an American dietitian and feeding therapist who specializes in healthy relationships with food. Her work has formed the backbone for pediatric nutrition guidelines in Canada (my country) and the United States. There are lots of free readings on her website.

Best wishes!
 
@thomasw59 This is helpful! My daughter is just naturally lean and at 8 months eats very little solids and at the low end of the range for formula ounces per day. She’s growing and milestones are spot-on, even advanced. No one tells you it’s ok for your small or slender baby to eat less. It’s so stressful always thinking they are not eating enough.
 
@cns I think your last point explains it all: she is a happy little baby. I feel you when it comes to getting concerned she may not be getting enough nutrients.
As some pointed out, solids are not her main source of nutrition. I think just allowing her to explore the food should be enough for now. I say between feeds, let her try different foods such as fruit, veggies, baby cracker snacks, etc. Exploration, familiarity, and interest should help her when she actually needs to move on to solids.
 
@cns She sounds like a healthy child!

How kids take to solids varies a lot. We as parents should def be OFFERING a variety by 9mo but they can choose consumption.

A couple things stand out from your post:
  • if you are restricting milk (“offering as a last resort”) that would make some children drink more milk (GOTTA GET IT WHILE I CAN!)
  • if you are pushing solids hard that could have the opposite effect of what you want.
Solids 3/4 of the way through the baby year is the beginning of transition to toddler parenting, from baby parenting.. you’re getting to experience your daughter’s personality more! She may not be a pliable person—and that can definitely benefit her in the long run.

Please look into the Division Of Responsibility for feeding (ideally read Ellyn Satter’s book, since she gets misquoted a lot)

Please look into Respectful parenting (with firm limits, so not Permissive parenting).

My baby son was a lot like you describe your daughter to be and those 2 things have been lifesaving for us!!!
 
Like maybe it sounds hokey but things outside of feeding might help, like making EVEN MORE sure your child “feels heard” & feels in control of herself sometimes. They helped us.

For respectful parenting I’ve liked Visible Child and @mrchazz but there are a lot of resources. Janet Lansbury etc.
 
@cns Honestly, 18mo - 3yr have been great for me. I like hanging out w my funny, fun toddler. I let him make choices when he can, and when he can’t make a choice I acknowledge that it’s tough.

I feel OK when he cries because I don’t think it reflects badly on me. He feels OK crying and expressing his emotions because he knows that I can take it.

You can do this! It’s fun.
 
@cns At 9 months I would feed her 2-3 times a day max. If she is really hungry, it’ll be difficult and frustrating for her to try and get filled from something she doesn’t know how to do. Try solids an hour after she gets milk. It’s normal for most of their calories to still come from milk.

If she doesn’t eat anything, then be OK with it. All the pressure you are putting around mealtimes is probably causing part of her refusal. If you don’t lay off the pressure her pickiness will just get worse.

Feel free to check out the Ellyn Satter Institute or Feeding Littles.
 
@cns My LO didn’t take to solids until after 10 months, I had a ton of anxiety over it but he turned out to be a toddler who survives off air some days just like every other kid who was devouring solids at 6 months. Does your LO have a tongue tie, it can cause difficulties with solids. We did an in home OT feeding assessment to ensure his tie wasn’t impacting his ability to eat, she gave us tones of tips to help set him up for success.

I did distraction and pressure too, but it can cause more issues in the future and more added anxiety for you.
 
@mrseme Very relieved to know this. She does not have a tongue tie (imo, because I haven’t taken a professional assessment yet). I’ll look more into this. Thank you
 
@cns I do think you’re overthinking this. 9 month old won’t be eating full meals yet generally. Offering foods every half hour probably helps maintain her lack of interest. She’s definitely not hungry every 30 minutes! I would try offering food at mealtimes or snacks in between if you want. Force feeding will also not help but will only cause her to have an aversion to food
 
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