Every mother wants her baby to follow a healthy food diet. The initial days are manageable with milk and other liquid foods. However, as the baby grows, the mother need to prepare him/her for eating solid foods and developing a stronger digestive system. Also, it is important to start consuming solids so that the infant can be given more nutrients, which breastmilk or liquid foods usually do not possess. Some toddlers may quickly begin following a solid food diet, while others require efforts to develop this habit. If your baby is avoiding consuming solid food, then this could be due to one of the following reasons.
• He or She is already full
Due to a small stomach, a baby needs food in every 1.5-2 hours. Thus, mothers keep feeding the baby with breastmilk or bottle feed to keep the nutritional intake stable. It becomes habitual for moms, so it becomes hard for the baby to consume solid food as he/she has already consumed plenty of liquid food. Many parents follow the method where they bottle or breastfeed the baby first and then offer them solid food. However, the baby is unable to eat at that time due to a full stomach.
• The toddler is tired
You may not realize this, but when you bring your toddler to the table for food, he/she may not be filling utterly active at that time. It might be time for his/her nap, and feeding the baby with food at that moment may result in his/her disinterest in the food. Thus, ensure that you feed solid foods to the baby when he/she is active and does not need to sleep.
• Preference of food texture
Infants may not necessarily like the solid food you are feeding them. Try to experiment with different kinds of foods and make a note of the ones that he/she enjoys eating without any problems of texture or taste. You may often need to use various methods to feed them, for instance, by mixing two foods to suit their liking.
• Maybe the baby is being distracted
Babies often avoid eating food when their focus is upon some other object present in the surrounding. It may become a troubling situation for you as the baby grows. Thus, make sure that the baby is just focused on the food he/she is about to it without any possible distractions in the area.
• Feeling discomfort
You need to check the way your baby is sitting, dressing, etc., as an uncomfortable baby is going to feel fussy about performing any activity, even eating food. Hence, make sure that the baby is wearing loose clothes, sitting correctly, is not feeling sick, and does not require anything other than food. If you still do not understand the problem, try consulting a pediatrician. You can learn about How Much Does A Pediatrician Earn Per Hour by visiting this page.
Babies are innocent and do not understand the environment around them at such a young age. Thus, it is necessary that you guide them with love and affection to eat solid food and follow a healthy diet.
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These are such good practical tips!! I wish I would’ve come across this when my son was refusing to eat solids.
Thanks
These are all great things to check for if baby isn’t eating solids. Thanks for sharing!
Good suggestions. I always say if they are hungry they will eat. And if they don’t eat what I lay out I leave it for later when they do get hungry!
That’s right.