how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

My daughter is about 7.5 months. She is on alimentum and was really difficult with formula even with the alimentum, only the ready to feed worked, we dont know if it was an allergy or what though.

So i took it really slow with the solids because i didnt want any extra sleepless nights and any pain and discomfort for her.

So now at 7 months she doesnt eat solids daily, sometimes she does, but sometimes it is just formula. If she eats them it is at most 1 jar of stage 3 stuff split for 3 times during the day.

I do give her puffs and table food to try whenever i have something bland. She eats the puffs but those are more for that pincer grasp.

I dont know if i am somehow harming her or something by not being super gunho with table food, sometimes she goes a whole week or more on formula and i just dont bother.

I mean, i thought that up until about age 1 it is just for experience of texture and flavor rather than nutrition so if i wasnt pushing it on her it was no biggie but everyone else seems to really push the solids so i dont know.
I dont give any cereals either, just fruits, veggies, the puffs and some proteins.

Message edited 2/15/2009 1:10:48 PM.

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

We started at 4 months and DS didn't have much interest and I started again at about 5 months and at 7 months it's still hit or miss, although now I blame his teeth coming in. I just had DS's 7 month well visit and the doctor said to start stage 2's. I said sure but there are times he won't even finish a stage one. He said it's fine - but to keep offering it and eventually they want it.

The last few days he is gobbling up the food. Other days most ends up on his face!

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

The first year all they NEED is breastmilk/formula.

We skipped baby food and went straight to soft table foods. My oldest DD was 7 months old and my youngest DD was 8 months old when they started solids.

We took it slow and never forced it.

My girls are now 2 1/2 and 16 months old. They are great non picky eaters.

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

Yeah I agree with the others.....no need to force it.......

When she is ready, she WILL let you know!!

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

i should clarify that she gobbles up the food, if it tastes good, she has no issues with eating it.

she doesnt like those weird combos of turkey and rice and veggies but i tried those and they are nasty so i dont blame her.

The issue is more of me having time to sit and feed her .

sometimes i am just too tired to deal with the mess and a bottle is easier ... i am pregnant and just so so so so so so so sleepy .

thats what i mean moreso, that i just do it when i do it, its not a super routine. she herself loves it for the most part

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

At this point, solids are more for practice than nutrition. My only hesitation on the not pushing the solids thing is we didn't introduce solids until 8 months & then had to deal with gagging issues.

He couldn't get used to texture for long awhile. Eventually they get it down but I feel that our delay was the direct cause.

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

I am very guilty of this. Some days I just don't have the time, DS went 2 days with no solids, he just turned 5 months old. I asked my mom the same question, she told me that babies need consistency and either feed him twice a day or not at all

Re: how gun-ho do i need to be with solids at 7months?

I would skip days here and there and even go up to a week without soilds up untill my kids were off forumla at 1 year old. Once they were off formula I made sure they always had 3 meals a day with 2-3 snacks in between.

My girls have never been picky eaters and feeding them whenever I had time never affectted them in a bad way. So don't stress about it