Why is a seven-month-old not interested in eating food?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have a 7.5-month-old baby girl who has trouble eating. She drinks formula but is a problematic feeder. She swallows two to ten sips, stops, and pushes the bottle out. She keeps doing that with every feed. I barely managed to get her to drink around three cups per day. She does not eat solids. She either gags, shivers, or pushes out of her mouth. After two tries, she stops opening her mouth.

I tried finger foods as well (soft sweet potatoes, carrots, banana pieces, etc.). She would not even touch them. At most, she managed to suck on a banana from my hand but would spit out tiny pieces. She does seem to smack her lips like chewing, but will not swallow or chew food. Maybe I should take a break as she starts hating food and closes her mouth when she sees it. I do not know how normal this is. She does not seem to have a problem swallowing when I distract her with a toy or she is tired. She drinks milk without any issues. She does not seem hungry enough to eat normally.

Each meal lasts until the start of the next one. She has 2 to 4 tablespoons every 30 minutes, crying in hunger and only eating small amounts. She seems bored and distracted while drinking. She is still gaining weight (currently weighs 17.2 lbs). Last month she gained 0.4 to 0.6 lbs. What should I do? How normal is this? Her doctor is not concerned, but I am. It is difficult to feed her.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com

The weight of the child is appropriate for the age, so no worries. Food fussiness is very common in this age group. But as long as the weight is good, and you keep on trying, you need not worry.

Here are some points that should help you:

1. Buy a nibbler and put soft foods like banana, mango, papaya, etc., into it and give the child to munch on it and get a taste of it. You get colorful ones and ones with different patterns which children like.

2. Forceful feeding should be avoided.

3. Spend as much time with the child as possible.

4. Reduce screen time to less than two hours per day (if at all exposed to mobile, television, and computer).

5. Tender-loving care and gradual introduction of one food at a time should help in the long run.

6. Find what the child likes to eat and combine it with other foods to develop a liking to all kinds of feeds.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you need any help.

Thank you.