Baby won't eat! 22 September 2013 at 4:19PM in MoneySaving mums 36 replies 2.9K views

babymonster2

Hi guys,
Have a seven and a half month old baby who just won't eat solids!
Tried initially with pur!ed veg / fruit around the six month mark but then he started to refuse to be spoon fed anything but also if you give him food he won't put it in his mouth either!
He just wants milk!
Any suggestions please as at my wits end now with what to do with him as whenever you go to see health visitor etc their response seems to be "that's not good he should be eating by now" :mad:
At help gratefully received.

chunkychocky

I did baby led weaning and would recommend that you try that. Just anything that you are eating (as long as it isn't very salty) pop a bit on a plate for your baby and let them pick it up. They will eventually start to eat some of it. Good early foods that are easy for them to hold are banana, broccoli, 'soldiers' of toast. It doesn't matter whether they have teeth or not as their gums can actually chew the food.

jackomdj

Do you eat together as a family or feed him separately? If it were me I would start eating together, put food on his tray and make lots of noise as you enjoy eating the same food. At the same time reduce his milk intake.

babymonster2

It's mostly just me and him (OH doesn't get in until several hours after he's gone to bed ), I've been trying to do that but he mostly won't even put things in his mouth
Not sure how to reduce his milk intake as he's breastfeeding and if he misses a feed he just seems to have more the next time.

jackomdj

Trickier, and as neither of mine breast fed (a whole different thread!) I am sure someone will help. But if he is getting all he needs from your milk then he has no incentive to change.

yellowbear

Milk should be the main source of nutrition up to a year.

Any other foods should be given as a taster to get them used to different textures and tastes.

You trust your baby when he's breastfeeding to know when he's hungry/had enough. Trust your baby with regards to solids too.
Don't make food a battle.

Try the baby led weaning route. Let him take his time and you'll be surprised.

babymonster2

Well he's growing exactly how he should be on the centiles, and perfectly alert etc so guess he must be getting what he needs for now?
I don't think health visitor knew much about breastfeeding either as she just said to reduce his milk.

babymonster2

yellowbear wrote: »

Milk should be the main source of nutrition up to a year.

Any other foods should be given as a taster to get them used to different textures and tastes.

You trust your baby when he's breastfeeding to know when he's hungry/had enough. Trust your baby with regards to solids too.
Don't make food a battle.

Try the baby led weaning route. Let him take his time and you'll be surprised.

Thanks yellowbear it's just so difficult to trust you're doing ok when everyone says your baby should be on three meals a day, and also my daughter was so they're totally different in that respect.

Have suggested to OH that I should plan lots of lunches out to let him eat in a more social setting

mrcow

Children don't do everything by the book. Any health visitor who implies or makes you feel that they do/should is an idiot. Your baby isn't ready for solids yet.

Lay off for a couple of weeks and try again next month. It's not worth getting yourself stressed about. Trust yourself and your own judgement on it. If the child is not ready, then they are not ready.

mrcow

Thinking back actually, I don't think my youngest was ready for solids when i first tried her at about 7 months or so. You wouldn't know it to see her eat now!

babymonster2

mrcow wrote: »

Children don't do everything by the book. Any health visitor who implies or makes you feel that they do/should is an idiot. Your baby isn't ready for solids yet.

Lay off for a couple of weeks and try again next month. It's not worth getting yourself stressed about. Trust yourself and your own judgement on it. If the child is not ready, then they are not ready.

On this basis all Hv in my area are idiots (a sentiment I tend to share!) he does just really like milk, OH reckons its the pretty packaging it comes in :rotfl: