MSE Parent Club

cha97michelle

Hi bailey

My lad is 71/2 months, and has been having chicken in his dishes for about 2 months, and i have just started giving him beef.

• I have made us a roast chicken, and then pulled off some of the breast meat for him, and mixed it with sweet potato, carrot and leek to make a chicken casserole with a bit of stock. It then had the roast chicken taste, and also the sweetness of the veg.
• For the beef, i made a stew for us in the slow cooker, and didn't use any stock cubes or anything, and then blended it before i added gravy for us.
• i also give him cod with sweetcorn, carrot and peas blended with a cheese sauce.
• you can also do lentils for them for the protein, which i made red lentil with sauted onion and butternut squash
• if you aren't wanting to go on to meat just yet, you could try sweet potato blended with spinach and peas.

Charlie has also not been as keen on the chunkier purees, but he is much better now he is doing some finger foods too. He has been less good at eating over the past couple of weeks,so i have been giving him something in his hand like a cube of cheese to nibble on so i can sneak in some of the main dish, and if he gives up then i don't get too fussed about it.


If you are worried about iron absorption, i've read that you should give them diluted fruit juice along with their protein meal as the vitamin C helps the iron absorb better.


Do you need to move onto stage 2 milk? I didn't think you had to, but then again, all the babies in our family were on the stage 2 milk from early doors to to being hungry monkeys, and then were fussy about eating. One nephew still is now.

Michelle, x

Becles

Hi Bailey

Have you tried mixing odd combinations of food he does like with new tastes?

My eldest son would happily eat stewed apple, but refused to eat green veg. I used to mix lots of apple with a tiny bit of green veg. Then over the days I'd gradually reduce the apple and add more green veg, until I got rid of the apple all together. It worked with him so it might be worth a try.

Don't get upset about it. All babies and children go through daft food fads. My son had friends round for tea and one boy cut the ends of his sausages and left them as he only eats the middles

Charlotte is doing well weight wise. She was 7lb 3oz born, but had dropped to 6lb 1oz at 10 days old. She's 4 weeks old now and is up to a whopping 8lb 4oz. Must be good stuff in these boobies

SusanCarter

Deleted_User wrote: »

One question i do have he is still on first stage milk and I guess I will move him onto second stage soon due to the iron. But when do I introduce meat and how, assuming he does decide to ever open his mouth.

I am also wondering about other proteins too, I have heard low iron levels can seriously affect their development and sleep.

I can't say for sure as I'm not bottle feeding but I think I read somewhere that 2nd stage milk is for if your baby does not seem satisfied with 1st stage otherwise you can just stick with 1st stage. I think also that you don't need to worry so much about iron if you are using bottle milk as it is fortified with iron.

andycarmi

Hi guys, LO is now 9months and had been waking at 5am every morning for the last week. *YAWN* She is cruzzing and crawling very fast. The I seem to be saying "NO" all day. Balancing it out tho with lots of "Yes" and prasie.
The only thing LO doesn't like to eat is fish.
Bailey, you can move on to 2nd stage milk.

[Deleted User]

Today was another food disaster, he refused everything except his banana again. Even his milk was hard to get down him, he seems to enjoy getting into game of I don't want it, yes I do. So I just put him on the floor to play for a bit then try again 15 mins later, when he seems to have forgotten that he didn't want it. Mr Pickle Chops!
I will use up the milk we have and then move onto second stage. Thanks all.
I still feel down today but I guess he won't let himself starve, I just worry about his fluid and iron intake.

cha97michelle

I read my tin of milk today cos i wondered if i had not done something that i shoudl have.
basically, you can move on if you want, but don't have to, as the 1st stage one is suitable to up to 12 months.
bailey try to keep your chin up love. I know it's easy to say, but we all have these weeks. I had one last week where he just whinged and wanted holding all day, then wriggled to be back down when i had him. I put it down to teething, but then noticed on Saturday that his gum was bleeding, and a small blister/ulcer thing had popped, and he is back to normal again now.
my point being, keep saying to yourself it is just a phase. Remember at this age, they still get a lot of what they need from the milk, and the food is to get them used to using the facial muscles that are needed to talk later. (without being too crude - how much of what they eat comes out looking very similar in the nappy? So how much nutrition do they get from it at this age?)
Keep trying different finger foods.
the organix stuff is really good for little fingers. Charlie loves the carrot flavoured stix, which are like giant wotsits, and the apple flavoured rice cakes. They also do orange rice cakes and sweetcorn flavoured rings. Perhaps he is the sort of kid who prefers to eat whatever it is that you are eating. Have you tried giving him a bit of bread to chew on, or toasted tea cake or similar?
does he lunge for anything that he has seen you eating?
hope it all seems a bit better tomorrow
susan carter can't believe you are here too now. I can remember you being on the TTC list when i was pregnant, and boy hasn't the time flown. Lovely photo

Michelle, x

heather38

hi, i'm feeling sad today. Kennedy has self weaned herself off the breast i must abmit that i didn't like it at first but i got used to it, then i tried to give it up 6 weeks ago when i went back to work but i missed it, and started again. but the last 2 days she's totally uninterested in feeding. she was only having a morning and bedtime feed, my baby is growing up!

[Deleted User]

Hi Heather,

Are you feeling any better now and got used to your baby growing up that little bit more?

I am feeling quite down this evening too, in fact i feel like crying but I am not going to.

Jack is 7 months in 3 days time and i've discontinued weaning again. He just isn't interested and his ecxema was flaring up majorly and i didn't know what was triggering it. Since Sunday we've been back on milk only and even that is hard to get down him. Its not that he doesn't want it, but he gets so easily distracted or drinks some and decides the immediate need has been met and i'm ok for now thanks. Only I can't stop at 2-3 ozs as he will be hungry in a few hours and i'm feeding all day. Therefore I have to put him down otherwise we get into a battle of me forcing the bottle in and him forcing it out with his tongue. After about 5 mins of him doing something else I can get another 1-2 ozs down him before he stops again. Another play session and so on until the bottle is finished. He just doesn't drain them like he used to in about 10 mins. He is a fidget too and can knock the bottlee out accidentally which can often lead to him not having it back. Therefore I have to hold him in a position where he can't move his arms and I feel like I am pinning him down.

This evening I lost my temper with him and he was sucking well, then wriggled, did an arm thing and wouldn't take it back. One lot of time out on the floor and we tried again, he wriggled and cried in my arms and was arching his back. This I knew to be temper/bottle refusal on principle nothing more. I ended up shouting loudly at him. I've read in babies his age this can make them cry, his bottom lip when down and he made a sad noise, but in a few seconds was smiling at me again!!!!!! Not that I wanted to make him cry but as you can see he is strong willed. Eventually he did take the bottle and we did it in 3 stages, he has the room and does want his milk but he makes it so frustrating.

I feel guilty and bad for shouting at him, he is only 6 months old after all. I am hormonal and that's not his fault, but honestly this feeding thing is enough to try the patience of anyone at the moment. Even my mother who absolutely loved feeding her grandson says I had better do it as i'm likely to get more down him that her. I feel I am being cruel to be kind.

I also think he is just not that hungry at the moment. With persuasion he has 3 x 7oz bottles and 1 x 8 oz at night. He doesn't always drain his bottles but with some effort on my part if he does leave some its only 1-2oz. He isn't waking at night hungry. He is still imitating us with his chewing action and reaches out for our food/drink. But when offered a spoon and his food on its a big no thanks.

I am speaking with my HV tomorrow, its just a phase I am telling myself. But no-one I know of has heard of a baby whose done this.

I feel bad for shouting at him before bedtime, we did have a cuddle and I apologised (I know he doesn't understand me but it made me feel better). Never go to bed on a cross word.........I'm on my own with him this week so we've had each other 24/7.

Sorry for the big whinge, I should be grateful I have my son, there are others who would love to be in my position, his life guardians for a start.

Night night.

Bay

Becles

Don't know what to suggest, but wanted to send a *big hugs*.

Is he in bed now? If so, why not go and run a nice deep bubble bath and soak all your worries away. That always makes me feel calmer and relaxed.

[Deleted User]

Thanks becles for your support. Yes he is in bed now. I try to get him in bed by 7pm but it can be nearer half past depending on how long the bottle take us!

I was thinking of a bath tbh and try to get my head in bed by 10pm!