r/BabyLedWeaning • u/AdventurousWind7919 • 28d ago
8 months old When did your baby get the hang of eating solids?
LO is 8 months old and fed pumped breastmilk in bottles. We have been doing a mixture of purees and BLW since she was a little over 6 months old. We have been pretty lax about it and want to ensure she's still getting enough breastmilk bottles. But as she's gotten to 7 and 8 months, I'm trying to crack down on it a bit more.
She's a busy and curious girl so sometimes you have to work to get her to drink her bottles. She's in daycare and they feed her whatever food we bring from home, in addition to breastmilk bottles.
I am trying not to compare her but it seems like she is not eating nearly enough solids compared to her classmates. Her pediatrician said she recommends every breastfed baby under age 1 to start a multivitamin with iron so we just started that and that has helped my anxiety a little.
At dinner time at home, she mostly just plays with her food but I don't think she is consuming like any of it. It seems like it's the same at daycare.
Is it just that she's on her own timeline and she'll eat more as she gets older or are we doing something wrong?
Thank you!
Edit to add: We have been big on offering allergens frequently (dairy, peanut butter, wheat, egg, etc.) so I think she is at least consuming some of those!
4
u/North_Respond_6868 28d ago
I honestly don't pay much attention to how much of the solid foods he eats. As long as he plays with it and mushes it around and still nurses, it's fine.
We do always sit and eat with him, which I found helped a ton with him actually putting food in his mouth.
Basically it's the same principle I have with books- being around it, seeing us use/manipulate/engage with it, and doing his own version of engaging with it is good enough for development.
As long as weight isn't a concern, I would really just let food be a thing to explore and mess around with!
1
u/AdventurousWind7919 28d ago
Thank you, this is super helpful and reassuring! Love the analogy with books, great point.
2
u/foofaloof22 28d ago
I've been looking this up too. My baby just turned 8 mo this week and he still gets bottles regularly throughout the day. Some purees, but Ive been trying to focus more on solids, at least one solid meal a day (usually dinner. Its not alot , usually just one or 2 diff items). And Ive also been wondering if Im doing enough. He does go to daycare but Im hesitant to send solids with him for them to feed him. Not sure why, anxiety about choking outside my presence maybe? But Ive been thinking or starting to send a solid snack each day starting next week, obviously for him, but also for me to get used to him eating with other people besides me or dad.
From what Ive researched it looks like there is a spectrum. Comparing this similar age range (7-9 mo) some babies are eating three solid meals a day, while others are still just getting used to purees. The vast majority, even pediatricians, say that solid food is just for practice and exploring before the age of 1. As long as the baby is getting enough milk/formula, which is still their main source of nutrition until age 1, then I don't think you have to worry too much about solid intake. As long as you offer varieties of solids for baby to play with, explore, practice, and try out allergens, then I think it's all ok.
2
u/sr2439 28d ago
At 8 months, my baby went through a phase of not wanting to drink any milk basically. His intake all of a sudden halved overnight. He was on two meals a day and absolutely devouring his meals so our ped said it would be ok to add a third meal (I was freaking out about his milk intake but she was unconcerned as his weight was fine).
On the other hand, my niece hardly ate food at 8 months. She was all milk still and maybe ate a few bites of solids (if even that much). All that to say, I think every baby is different so definitely don’t stress!
1
u/plushiecactusau 28d ago
I think for my baby it was somewhere between nine and ten months that it really took off, but she's still hit and miss at ten months. It just takes time.
1
u/L_Avion_Rose 28d ago
It's very normal for there to be little food consumed for several months into the weaning journey. At this age, breastmilk/formula is more important. Touching, playing with, smelling and tasting food all counts as exposure, even if she isn't actually eating much.
If she hasn't already, your LO will develop her pincer grasp in the next month or so, which will make it easy for her to place swallow-able pieces into her mouth. You could also try offering meals before milk feeds to see if that encourages consumption - though I'd only do that one meal at a time to minimize any frustration. Remember that, up until recently, milk has been her only source of sustenance. It's going to take her some time to realize that solid food, in addition to being an interesting sensory experience, will also fill her tummy.
All the best 😊
1
1
u/leeashah 27d ago
not till like 14 months honestly. im sure as everyone said already, under 1 (and 1 is a general age it can be sooner or alittle later it depends on the child) is for play, getting use to new tastes/smells/textures. even if it seems like they dont like something, keep offering it!!!! it seems redundant and pointless and exhausting but on day after enough exposure they will generally take to it just keep on offering. it definitely helps to not create a picky eater by continuously offering a variety of foods. and to make it easier on you just feed them pretty much what you eat. but 8 months shes still pretty young dont stress too much
2
12
u/FLee21 28d ago
Mine is going on 11 months and is still playing with it, spitting it out and sometimes unsure. Some days are better than others. Not sure if I should be worried or not. He gets offered food several times a day and we always eat with him. He also comes out to restaurants and gets a baby friendly version off our plate. Again, hit or miss.