What To Do When Baby Hates Purees

my baby hates purees

One common worry of all mothers is when baby refuses to eat. From day one, we look forward to feeding baby solids and we get worried when it’s finally time and baby just wont eat.

Why baby hates purees

There are a few reasons why your baby will refuse pureed food. Your baby could be distracted, sick or teething, or just being a picky eater. And then there is the case where the baby refuses food because he/she just doesn’t want to be spoonfed and that was my case.

When my baby girl was around 5 months and could sit up, she started showing interest in food and would try to reach for food from my plate when I’m eating. So I always thought when it was finally time for her to eat, she will be so happy to eat and it will be so easy.

Imagine my disappointment when she turned 6 months old and I tried feeding her and she just won’t eat. This wasn’t the case with her big sister. For her first meal she ate almost everything and I thought it would be the same with the little one.

When she refused to eat I thought may be she didn’t like oats so I decided to try something else later in the day. I tried pureed bananas and she wouldn’t eat it. I kept trying different meals but she wouldn’t just eat.

Yet every time I was eating she tried to eat my food but when I try feeding her what I’m eating, she would reject it. That was when I realised that my baby didn’t want to be fed. She wanted to feed herself. She was ready for solids. She was ready to eat. She just didn’t want to be fed.

Sometimes, when baby refuses purees, it could be because they don’t like the particular meal they are being fed. But if you’ve tried different meals and your baby is neither sick nor teething, then there’s the higher possibility that your baby just want to feed him/herself.

But when you think of the fact that baby wouldn’t eat much and would rather feed the floor, it makes you want to feed them yourself to make sure they actually eat.

To help you do that, make sure to eliminate distractions during mealtime so you can feed them one-on-one. Also, try to be persistent in feeding them no matter how difficult and unpleasant it is for you and your little one. What’s important is that they get the nutrients they need as they grow up. 

What to do when baby hates purees

So what do you do when baby hates purees and doesn’t want to be spoonfed?

When baby hates purees and doesn’t want to be spoonfed no need to worry. It’s time to introduce them to finger foods. It’s called baby led weaning. At 6 months old, baby is ready to eat whatever you eat, so long as it is healthy.

I know many parents are worried about baby choking on finger foods but baby won’t choke on food. However, if you want to ensure your little one eats finger foods properly and safely, there are some tips you need to consider.

For example, giving them small pieces of finger foods is essential to facilitate much easier chewing. Even if your baby has teeth that allow them to consume finger foods, these teeth, on the other hand, are front or biting teeth and not the back or chewing teeth.  

Also, always look after your little one during their mealtime, regardless of how soft and small their finger foods are. Lastly, you can even give your baby finger foods alongside the pureed food if your baby like purees. 

After all, you can incorporate many puree recipe options with finger foods. For instance, you can make homemade purees out of carrots which are root vegetables rich in vitamins C and K, fiber, and protein. These nutrients can help boost the immune system, build strong bones, and improve digestion and gut health.  

Besides purees, there are other carrot baby food ideas you can try for your baby. You can have puffs which are small snacks specifically made for babies. They’re perfect on-the-go snacks without compromising both confidence and nutrition.  

However, if you’re planning to make homemade baby foods for the first time, you can check out reliable online resources to get more information about healthy baby food recipes. 

What if baby just plays with the food?

Don’t worry about baby not eating much. Don’t worry about baby playing with food and all the food that are going to end up on the floor.

Babies actually know when they are hungry and they know when they are full. So trust that when your baby stops eating and starts playing with the food, then your baby is full. It doesn’t matter if she didn’t eat much.

Don’t force your baby to eat purees if she hates them, just because you want to make sure baby eats enough.

With my first baby, she ate pureed food until she was around 8 months old and started refusing it. If I knew then what I know now, I would have immediately started her with finger foods and let her feed herself.

I did try but watching her play with the food, some end up in the high chair, on the floor and in her hair. That bothered me that she wasn’t eating much. So I forced her to feed her. And guess what, she didn’t learn to feed herself.

She’s almost two now and for her to actually eat, I have to feed her. If you give her a plate of food to eat by herself, she won’t eat at all and would still cry for food. So I feed her all the time. I’m still trying to get her to eat by herself but the truth is I took so long to let her eat by herself.

baby led weaning

It’s okay to let baby eat by herself

So when my second baby was 6 months old and ready for solids, I tried pureed food and for her she didn’t like it at all. She would cry the whole time and scream on top of her lungs like you are hurting her.

And when you force it into her mouth as she’s crying, she wont even swallow the food. She will spit it out and keep crying. She wants to feed herself. And she’s happy when she is feeding herself.

So I decided to let her be. Stop with the purees and let her feed herself. And she actually eats until she’s full and then she will start playing with it.

What I learnt was that, babies don’t really need food until they are 1 year old. Everything you feed your baby alongside the breastmilk or formula is meant to be a supplement. So it’s okay if she doesn’t eat much.

With this, she is going to learn how to feed herself. She’s going to learn different textures of food. And as she grows, she will learn to eat more and play with less amount of food. This will also help her to improve her motor skills.

I was worried that because she was no longer a newborn, the breastmilk wouldn’t be enough for her. If this is your worry, then try out some lactation meals and smoothies. Eat right. And your milk supply will be enough for your baby.

As you keep letting her feed herself, eventually, you will realize which meal she likes best. And you can give her more of that.

Baby will eat, eventually. So don’t worry. Just let them be. Let them feed themselves. Let them play. Let them be babies.

Some finger foods you can give to baby as young as 6 months old include banana, apple, avocado and also vegetables like broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes. You can also give them teething biscuits.

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1 Comment

  1. Charlotte
    October 1, 2020 / 3:55 am

    Thank you for sharing your experience. I am going through the same with my daughter. She is 8 and a half months old and she refused to eat purées a couple months ago. She is now transitioned to BLW and freaked out at first because she wasn’t eating as much or at all in the beginning and found that she was losing a little weight. But she’s also teething which also play a role with her refusing to eat. Sometimes we just need to breathe and know that eventually they will eat if you follow their lead.

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