Did anyone's bf baby only start eating food properly after 12months?

[bumbleweed]

I need reassurance please.

Dd is 11 months and is not much interested in food, but still bf's every 3 hours at least day and night.

I have read kellymom which says some babies dont take to solids until after 12 months and just keep offering.

She is healthy and happy but I would obviously prefer if she didnt feed quite as much at night.

I asked HV for advice and she told me I am breastfeeding too much and that there is no nutritional value in breastmilk for her anymore and I am hindering her development if I dont night-wean her.

Has anyone else had baby who was late taking to solids but got there in the end?

[kiskidee]

my dd did not start eating solids properly till she was just over 13 months old. one day she just started to literally grab stuff off my plate and went straight to 3 meals.

before that she would gag on everything, even the tiniest bit of ham hidden in mash.

she would eat yoghurt, mash(quite moist) ready brek and leek and potato soup with lots of potato all mashed in. that was it.

she went from eating nothing to eating just about everything we eat.

your hv is talking bollocks. of course there is nutrition in bm. my dd still night feeds the same amounts as before - a lot but eats quite well in the day and only has about 3 oz of ebm at nursery in 8 hrs.

i am happy to continue to night feed as i think it has done no end of good for her immune system. worth it imo as she is at nursery f/t and has never had a cold that lingered or a rattly chest and neither in her life has she had a course of antibiotics, or d&v.

[foundintranslation]

normal normal normal.

ds was really only eating bits and bobs untl nearly a year. We were gradually introducing more foods all the time and then around a year his appetite just took off. He is capable of eating quite a lot now. (& he night fed for a long time too, and still does now about 50% of the time - at 16 months).

Hang in there, keep offering foods, and ignore your HV ('no nutritional value in bm any more' - what a load of cobblers).

[bumbleweed]

thanks kiskidee and foundintranslation

I am sure it is appetite - as I offer so many different things and she rejects things one day she has liked another day

agree HV is talking rubbish that bm has nil value - if that was true dd would not be thriving at all - its just so confusing and I keep thinking I am doing something wrong or offering the wrong foods or have already encouraged some kind of psychological aversion the likes of which I have seen on house of tiny tearaways

[Ellbell]

Yes! My dd1 was still eating 7-month baby food at nearly 2 . I got so stressed about it at the time, I can tell you. She gagged and choked on anything which was lumpier than 7-month pre-prepared food. I ended up giving her those foul powdered "meals" (shepherds pie and such like) because she just wouldn't touch anything else. Please don't all jump on me at once. I felt like such a failure . But I had persisted and persisted with lovingly home-prepared fruit and veggies and she just screamed and spat it out over me (or sicked it back up, which - as a fully paid-up member of the emetophobes club - was not good). I can't remember now exactly what happened. It was a very slow process, introducing one or two bits of 'real food' that she'd eat, and then leaving it for a few months and then trying with something else and so on. I think it was from about 3 that she started to make real progress. But she is now 6 and has a really good diet, including lots of fresh fruit and veg, and she will try pretty much anything. So there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Oh, and your hv is talking cr@p. Of course there is nutritional value in your breastmilk. I'd have felt much better about my dd's rubbish food intake if I'd been breastfeeding her.

Good luck. Be patient, and try not to stress about it. I am certain that I made the situation worse by getting in such a state....

[HTandB]

Don't worry. My B was late at eating as well. Still BF at 15 months, healthy and happy.
I just keep offering a variety of food, three meals and two snacks a day. He either eats it or throws it on the floor (another issue!). Then whenever he asks for milk he gets it. I do offer him a beaker regularly as well so that he is used to it for when I'm not around.

HV's seem to give out lots of bad advice. Try kellymom.com for some helpful stuff on BF/weaning.

There's no right way, we just muddle through....Good luck.

[kiskidee]

my dd loves sitting on my lap and helping herself to what is on my plate. even if they are not willing to eat, sitting there, looking and occasionally touching is the best way for them to learn imo. the look on so intently and then they start copying, copying, copying.

it is what you eat that they will want to eat, for better or worse. that's just the way it is.

it is funny to remember when dd was offered toast she would just touch it and drop it with disdain. untoasted bread was just ripped to crumbs and scattered. that went on for months.

[emkana]

Both my dd's were like this, both fantastic eaters now (five and three years old).

HV talking bolleaux, as they so often do.

[hunkermunker]

Your HV needs some bf training

PLENTY of babies aren't interested in food till after they're one. DS2 is one, I think - he's 8mo and still bfeeds loads, more than DS1 did at this age.

If there's no nutritional value in your milk, why is she thriving? God, HVs like this make me SO cross! (Er...not that that's a shock to anyone on here!)

[emkana]

When dd2 was a year old I took her to see a paediatrician in Germany and he said that I should let her starve to force her to eat solid food.

So it's not just HV's who talk rubbish...

[bumbleweed]

ellbell - sounds like you had a tough time, but great to hear your dd eating well now

aviatrix, HTandB, emkana - thats exactly what I needed to hear - I've read the theory that lots of babies dont take to their food till over one, but I needed to hear real life examples

thats really what the HV was suggesting - that I starve her all night and let her scream and scream for milk for 12 hours and then offer her solid food the next day - wtf?

okay so my strategy - keep offering what I'm eating (hmmm may need some changes in whats on my plate tho), keep bf as much as she wants, keep offering variety in food, dont stress and just wait a few more months

thank you to all who have replied

[belgo]

Neither of my dds became established on solids until 11 or 12 months. I tried everything puree, finger foods etc. Baby led weaning has worked better. They are both healthy and now both resonably good eaters. BF has a huge amount of value whatever the age.

[bumbleweed]

thanks for posting belgo, thats good to know

[Spidermama]

One of my sons was like this. 11-12 months. I've heard of babies going even longer than this.

[CurlyJones]

Hi,
I am new here, as of yesterday! I can't believe there are so many people out there just like me!

I am still bf my DS2 at 19 months and he is showing absolutely no sign of losing interest, but we love it so I am not worried. He is a monkey when it comes to solids though. He is 29lbs at 19 months so I think he is healthy enough. He would not touch anything pureed or jar food at all, loves to eat with his fingers, sweetcorn is his all time fave.

I am going to carry on carrying on until he no longer wants it.

Keep it up bumbleweed.
Take care,
Curly.

[bumbleweed]

hi curly and welcome

it is great to hear of other people still bf over 12 months as I know of only one other person in RL and our virtually everyone you meet is obsessed with how much solid food your child is eating eh?

bm must be ok if your ds is 29lb!

[Toady]

already been said but had to say it, your hv is talking a load of old bollocks.

Your DD will eat when she wants to, the longer the better I would say with your milk.

[Toady]

it always makes me wonder how long babys breastfed for 100s/1000s of years ago.

[princessmel]

Hi, My dd is not that interested in solid food and only eats a few meals that I ccok her. I've recently beem thinking that her food is like a 8 month old babies food. She's 13 months. She will eat baked sweet potato and cod cooked in milk all mashed up together and chicken and cheesy soft mash. Does cheesy scrambled egg too.
Just licks spread (butter,jam,dairylea) off top of toast and chucks lots of other bits on floor. She's good with fruit. Strawberrys, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches etc. Can eat raisins, biscuits, breadsticks. Likes cheese,grated or in cubes.
Its real food that she's not keen on. If I tried giving her proper peices of chicken and potato not mashed up she doesn't eat any of it.
She bf 3 times a day and in night when she wakes. Usually once when she's not poorly/teething.

[eclipse]

Don't know if this is reassuring or not but my ds was a competent eater as soon as he started solids (around 6 months, babyled weaning) but still has a tiny appetite at 17 months. He preferred breastfeeding for a long time and introducing then increasing solids certainly didn't stop the night feeds. He is still breastfeeding morning, night and at least once in the day and still has a small appetite for solids compared to other kids his age. Mind you, when he's at the childminder and doesn't get breast fed (as far as I know!) she says he's a complete gannet. And he only stopped the night feeds a few months ago when he just started sleeping through, not because of anything I did.
Your dd doesn't sound that unusual, from my own experience and from what I've seen of my friends babies.

[all4girlz]

I agree just keep trying lo with different things
my b/f dd4 is almost 17m -dont know what she weighs as not been for ages (hv saying should eat more etc )
she dd4 has just started to feed herself off a spoon eats the soft bit only of toast likes baked potato skins and wahatever you put a pizza but not the base!!
she tries to help herself to my bf during the day but drinks water when offered
she is thriving though still feeds at least twice in the night

[Londoner]

Hi,

Just came on here to post something similar about my bf 11 month old. Feel at end of tether with feeding every few hours day and night. Thanks bumbleweed and everyone else who's posted, this has been a really helpful thread to read. This is my 4th bf child but have always given up at this stage, but want to try and make it to at least 12 months this time. Was worrying that this was not normal but now I see it is, thank you all. With last baby had similar exp with hv who put panic up me saying baby was starving and losing weight so promptly went down to Boots and and bought bottle and formula and switched over... subsequently dd developed eczema. Was feeling perhaps I should do this again, mad I know but when you're desperate... until I saw this thread.

[bumbleweed]

all of these stories are very reassuring - thank you so much. its more common than I thought - especially as all your babies are thriving and healthy too, and I am offering the same types of food as most other people it seems



Londoner - dont give up the bf if you dont want to - it is draining at times isnt it? but think of all those immunities and other fabulous nutrients

[lilymolly]

I have same problem but dd is on formula. was bf until 17 weeks.
I tear my hair out every meal time, do you think I should just chill and go with the flow? she will eat anything finger food wise, and anything we have but has such a small appetite and only really wants milk (4 x6ox bottles), but sleeps all night and is very active crawlig etc she is 9 months and weighs about 16lbs.

[Londoner]

Thanks bumbleweed, that's really helpful.

Lillymolly, very interesting to hear your now ff baby is only into her milk too. She must be contented to have so much energy and sleep through the night.

Right, think I will persevere then, thanks for the info and support everyone!