I have seen the post from Michelle, but not the one from Linda (I was NOMAIL for a while). Yes, many babies don't want solids. I was surprised by Dr. Newman's comment in JHL (March-96, page 10): "...there is the problem that some babies who do not start eating at the appropiate time go on to refuse solid altogether for a long time... If the baby wants to eat fod, we should encourage mothers to let them have it...The problem of babies who refuse to eat is not a minor one, neither where I work, nor in several African countries..." 
   I completely agree you should let your baby eat if he wants; but I often see babies that doesn't want. I would like to know the opinions and experience of Lactnetters about these points:
- Do you really believe that late introduction of solids cause refusal? I believe that the oposite is true: solids are introduced later because the baby refuses them.
- Do you really think that food refusal is a health problem? Refusal caused by recurrent infections in Africa and leading to malnutrition can be; but in Western countries babies that refuse to eat look usually quite healthy.
- In your experience, is there any difference in breast vs bottlefed babies? I see in my patients (no hard data, only a feeling), that bottlefed babies accept eagerly and early solid foods, while breastfed babies often refuse them for 8, 10 or 12 months (sometimes even more). It is my hypothesis that formula lacks several important and unknown nutrients, so bottlefed babies are looking for them in other sources; while breastfed babies can rely for longer on a perfect food.
- Any reference to research on these topics?

   Refusal to eat in a toddler can be a different "problem", more frequent in bottlefed babies, and caused by a conflict between the diminishing caloric needs of the baby (growth of 5-8 kg in the first year, and only of 1-2 kg in the second year) and the seemingly "logical" belief of the mother: "1 year eats x, two years eats 2x, three years eats 3x..." Force feeding leads to self-protection refusal. I always explain to every mother in the 9-mo visit: "In the next few months, your child will stop eating. It is normal. A 18-month toddler needs far less food than a growing 6-month baby. Some toddlers can have only a banana in a full day. Never, never, force him, or he will eat still less." This prevents many problems; and many mothers return duly impressed some months later: "It happened exactly as you had said, Doctor" :-)
Yours faithfully,               Carlos Gonzalez
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