Confused by his responses to food

[Shandelion]

My ebf six month old son has met all the requirements for introducing solids. I started giving him a taste or two per week starting around 4.5 months (literally just a taste). He is very interested in what I am eating. I've let him taste all manners of baby food, plus suck on bananas and melons as I held them. I use spoons, or let him grab a bowl and suck on it with food on the rim. But no matter what, he thinks anything with a flavor is awful. Toys, paper and fingers are perfectly edible, but he is absolutely revolted by anything with a flavor.

I'm confused. Is he not ready? Is this the absolute norm for introducing solids? Is he a supertaster? Am I doing something wrong? Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with continuing to be ebf, but I'm trying to do something new and it's failing and I'd like to know why.

 

[Wannabe Mommy]

I read a weaning book which said to drink milk the baby has to push their tongue out but to eat food they have to pull it in with their tongue so the first few tries they will push it out until they learn to pull it in, if that makes sense.

 

[Shandelion]

He can and will pull it in, he just looks like I poisoned him. He hates flavor. He looks revolted by it. I've tried fruit, vegetables, meat, all flavors. He thinks they're awful. My mom says I need to add salt lol.

 

[Kanichen34]

Have you been offering things you normally eat? Ebf babies normally have a slight advantage at weaning as they are used to flavour from your milk. It does take about 20 times of tasting something for a baby to decide if they like it or not so I'd just keep persisting.

 

[chicky160]

Try things with as little flavour as possible to start with. It's to get him used to the actual eating rather than flavour at first. We did everything as plain as poss then added very mild flavours after a while. It was normal for us, especially if it was anything green in colour.

 

[BigAl]

Lol at your mum! Babies have a lot more taste buds than adults I think. I wouldn't worry, just keep offering him food he can explore. The experience and variety is more important than the eating at this stage. My lo was 7m before he ate any solids, and I worried myself sick over it. But really it didn't matter, milk has a lot more calories anyway. But it is important for them to have a variety of tastes and textures, so when they do start eating they should be used to anything.

 

[pa2k84]

Does he actually eat though? Oliver will often makes a face like I poisoned him when I give him new foods yet still eats it all!

 

[Lindsay109]

Mine is like this too!! Although we just started - tried several different purees and they were all a no go. Made awful faces, gagged, and then refused the spoon. I spoke to our public health nurse and she has suggested giving him finger foods instead. We have had a bit more success with this (I've started with foods with less flavour like egg and avocado). He still makes faces, but will keep trying I was really surprised by his reaction to food because absolutely EVERYTHING else goes in his mouth no problem.

 

[Shandelion]

Mine is like this too!! Although we just started - tried several different purees and they were all a no go. Made awful faces, gagged, and then refused the spoon. I spoke to our public health nurse and she has suggested giving him finger foods instead. We have had a bit more success with this (I've started with foods with less flavour like egg and avocado). He still makes faces, but will keep trying I was really surprised by his reaction to food because absolutely EVERYTHING else goes in his mouth no problem.

Exactly this. Only thing he ever responded well to was cantaloupe slices (hated watermelon though). He refuses the baby food once he knows what it is. And he loooves ice cold water by drips from my finger. Guess we might be starting on fingerfoods then. He has plenty of teeth, anyway, and can lick water off my fingers.

 

[Lady_Bee]

I think trying finger foods is a great idea! Benji likes finger foods much more than purees. I have been giving him bits of whatever I'm eating and it's going really well. He has tried and loved so many foods this way.

Some of it is just down to your child's personality though. My first didn't take to solids too well (and is still an EXTREMELY picky eater today, much to my dismay!).

 

[Shandelion]

Can you guys suggest more finger foods?

 

[Wannabe Mommy]

There is a great thread in the weaning section here - https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/weaning-nutrition/235747-finger-foods-list-10.html#post33387741

Loads and loads of finger food ideas.

 

[Lindsay109]

Mine is like this too!! Although we just started - tried several different purees and they were all a no go. Made awful faces, gagged, and then refused the spoon. I spoke to our public health nurse and she has suggested giving him finger foods instead. We have had a bit more success with this (I've started with foods with less flavour like egg and avocado). He still makes faces, but will keep trying I was really surprised by his reaction to food because absolutely EVERYTHING else goes in his mouth no problem.

Exactly this. Only thing he ever responded well to was cantaloupe slices (hated watermelon though). He refuses the baby food once he knows what it is. And he loooves ice cold water by drips from my finger. Guess we might be starting on fingerfoods then. He has plenty of teeth, anyway, and can lick water off my fingers.

Haha, my LO loves water too! Especially from an open cup - he likes to lap it up with his tongue, lol.

As for finger foods, we were going to try some steamed veggies next (carrots, broccoli, squash, etc)

 

[MindUtopia]

Just keep offering the usual things you eat (personally, I'd recommend as finger foods a la baby-led weaning rather than pureed) and give it time. It will take weeks and probably months before he's eating for the sake of eating. You just sorta need to sit back and let him explore and don't worry about whether he spits it all back out or chucks it on the floor. He won't always, but it won't happen overnight. We started with BLW at 6 months and though our daughter was definitely eating from the start (because it came out the other end), she wasn't really eating for the sake of it or because she enjoyed it until about 9-10 months. Give it time. It will happen.

 

[Shandelion]

Sooo....I gave him a slice of apple to gnaw on. He loved it, was going to town on it. Then he started gagging and threw up all the contents of his very milk-full belly. I never saw a large chunk, whether missing from the apple or thrown up. I washed all the bedding, my clothes, him, and me. He's never thrown up before. Wth???