Help! My baby won't eat solid food!

If your baby doesn't like food, it's natural to be worried. You wonder if they're going to be malnourished or if there's going to be health issues... how it will effect them, what other people will think, how they'll deal with babysitters...

That's what I thought when my little girl decided she didn't like food. Fortunately I found out some interesting things that calmed me down and made me realize it's not a problem - in fact more than half of babies don't take to food for at least 2-4 weeks after their parents begin trying it on them and about 20% don't really become interested in eating till at least 8 months.

If your baby is 4-6 months they may be ready to eat solid food, although some nutritionists recommend waiting till at least 6 months to start feeding baby solids. However this guide is for when it's time for baby to eat - not to tell you if or when baby should eat. If you're not sure if your baby is ready to start solids you need to check with your paediatrician or doctor.

Here are some tips that helped me when getting my little girl to eat...

• For the first year, milk is the main food source for babies.
• Food during the first year is more about experimentation for baby than nutritional benefit.
• Some babies love food from the minute they try it.
• Some babies hate food for quite awhile and may not really eat much till 8-9 months.
• Babies have very bland tastes - they aren't used to the varied tastes of food so they may react in a variety of ways.
• Babies prefer to chew hard items instead of eat soft purees making it a very new experience.

• Stop stressing - baby can tell when you are stressed and will get upset, making them less likely to eat.
• Eat with them - make enough so you can eat some food as well, showing how it's done and how much you like it.
• Set enough time - don't feed baby unless you have the time to spend on working with them - the hurry can leave you both stressed.
• Play games - make faces, sounds, play hide and seek, anything to make the experience something they'll enjoy.
• Don't push it - if baby starts getting upset, stop. If they associate high chairs and feed time with force and being uncomfortable then it'll turn into a vicious circle.
• Don't force feed - this will lead to crankiness and hate of food. Do you really want your baby to react the same way to a spoon as they do to a needle?
• Keep trying - don't confuse baby by offering a different food each day. If you give them the same type of food each day, sometimes it can take 10-20 tries before they accept it.
• Try a different spoon - some spoons can be hard on baby's gums. Trying a softer, smaller spoon can sometimes help.
• Let baby feed themselves - yes this can get messy but if baby wants to grab the spoon, let them. Most babies like to put new items straight in their mouth and letting them do this allows them the freedom to experiment with the food in their own time.

The most important part of eating for the first few months is learning to chew and eat food correctly. If you really think your baby just isn't interested, you could try the following:

• Give them a rusk or zwieback toast to chew on.
• Let them lick and suck plain food from your finger to get used to different tastes.