Seven month old feeding /development problem

[squinny101]

I have three children ds (5), dd (2.5) and another dd (7 mths). The baby has had reflux since birth and while this has now settled down I am finding weaning her really difficult.

She is a very small baby and seems to be still very much a 'baby'. I know she is one etc. but she almost seems like a 3 month old. She still wears tiny clothes (not improtant), does not sleep through the night etc. etc. I have been trying to wean her from about five months as I was told that this might help her reflux however if I put anything in her mouth that is moer than a puree she gags and throws up. Which is fine when its milk but when its proper sick gets quite hard to deal with. I have tried everything the health visitor is puytting me under quite a lot of pressure to get her weaned and keeps going on about how I'm missing a window of opportunity etc.

To me it seems like she is too small to take it. Has anyone else experienced similar problems.

Looking at pics of my older dd she was sitting up (dd3 does nto do this yet) and feeding herself. When I give dd3 finger food she has no idea what to do with it.

DOes anyone have any tips?

[Lulumama]

there is no window of opportunity for weaning...

if she seems too small to take food, then maybe she is!

if she is not sitting and has not lost her tongue thrust reflex and cannot cope with anything other than puree, then maybe she just is not ready for food? especially if she has no idea of what to do with finger food

you could just perservere with that, leaving food on her highchair tray, and let her nibble or touch as she is ready to

offer puree by all means, but don't worry if she does not eat a lot, she might well still have a tiny tummy if she is a small baby!

if she has lots of milk, which is the main source of nutrition for the first year, then i don;t thikn it is an issue

[TotalChaos]

I would just keep offering puree for the moment, and try not to worry. DS didn't get the point of finger food till he was about a year. Maybe gradually introduce the odd bit of texture into the puree, see how she manages it. I think your HV sounds a bit erm overenthusiastic - it's not as if you've not started weaning her at all, it's just moving her gradually off purees that's the issue.

[Again]

I think the hvs are told to have their babies weaned at 6 months. Mine put a lot of pressure on me too. My nearly 8 month old has the hang of it now, but most still goes on the floor. He did get tummy pains at the start, just like the colic he had when he was smaller. The doc said that those who have tummy troubles when they are born can get them back when they are weaning.

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

My main tip is to ignore your HV in terms of "window of opportunity".

No two babies are identical, and she may just not be ready for solids. As long as she is getting plenty of milk down her, then I'd say she is fine up to a year old. After that, it might be worth a trip to the GP if she still can't keep any form of solids down.

Have you considered BLW? She can take it at her own pace then.

Check out www.babyledweaning.co.uk

[Snippety]

Are you BF ? My HV started wittering on about weaning at four and a half months, starting every sentence with "I'm not supposed to say this as the guidelines have changed, but....." My La Leche League leader reassured me that some children don't wean until 7 or 8 months - depending on the pincer movement, teeth, the gag reflex, sitting up etc. She also said not to expect him to eat huge amounts right away. Someone else told me the mantra "food's for fun until they're one" for those aggravating moments when they reject the lovingly prepared organic lentil casserole

I've done a mixture of BLW and spooning since 7 months - mainly because I couldn't put up with the mess and my longer than waist length hair being full of stale weetabix I even tried feeding him in a shower cap So I spoon in anything that's really messy (letting him hold his own spoon at the same time) as long as he's leaning forward and opening his mouth for it. I let him just handle everything else and eat what he wants to. He seems to eat loads, although a recent ear infection seems to have led him back to more breastfeeding at the moment.

[GerrardWinstanley]

I would call the HVs bluff, tell her if she is really that concerned to refer you to a paediatrician. Otherwise she should take her unhelpful comments, out of date attitudes and inappropriate pressure elsewhere.

It sounds like you feel you are forcing your DD onto solids more quickly than you or she would like. If it feels wrong, stop doing it.

[yurt1]

Give her lots of things (toys etc) to chew. As a baby develops (and partly by chewing) the gag reflex moves back - if it's still too far forwards they can't swallow. Ds3 was like this. He did get there eventually but it took a while- he didn;'t really mouth stuff which was why I think he had problems.

[squinny101]

I'm not breastfeeding her was told to stop after two weeks by paediatrician because of her reflux (thought she might have some kind of allergy).

I gave her some fruit puree tonight and also tiny slithers of banana (which she threw up). I'm trying not to get stressed over it though. Half the problem is the fact that she is so tiny I kind of forgot to press on with it because I kept thinking she was younger than she was. Well when you've got three you become forgetful

[Lulumama]

at being told to stop breastfeeding!

keep going with the puree, and lots of milk and in time she will be chewing with the best of tehm!

[blackrock]

My friend and I had Ds and DD within a month. My DS weaned at 7mths, and friends DD weaned at 10 - 12 mths. Friends DD not interested in solids at all, which caused her worry at the time. Now 1.5 yrs and both eating all sorts!

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

at your paediatricians 'advice'.

As long as she is doing well and continuiing to gain weight, I'd just ease off for a few weeks.

[Shitemum]

It's hard not to compare siblings. My DD2 is much slimmer than DD1 and tho I know she's just taken after me instead of well-built DP it's still hard not to see her as undernourished or small-looking!
I would say slow down with the weaning. Take the cue from your baby, she doesnt seem ready from what you say. It's a shame you were given such advice.