6.5 months and DD will only eat baby rice and apple...

[KarenT]

Hi, I started weaning my DD at 5mths on Baby Rice then gradually moved on to puree carrots, butternut etc at 6mths I decided to introduce protien - Chicken, Fish etc all was going really well, in fact DD was droping her lunch time milk. But all of a sudden (for over a week now) she is refusing to take any solids except for baby cerial in the morning which I mix with her formula (she eats this well) and baby rice with a cube of apple! I don't understand what has happened she was doing so well and now she gets in a right state if I go anywhere near her with my homemade puree reciepies from dear Annabel Karmel - DD cries and gaggs. I have also tried jars and she will not eat these, she even refuses Petit Fleus (I thought all babies loved these??!!). She is on the following routine (approx):

7am - Breakfast

11am - lunch (was doing just solids, but now have resorted back to milk and baby rice with apple)

3pm - milk

5pm - tea - was doing some but she now will not take anything.

6.30pm - last milk feed


Any advise would be helpful, I not sure how to move forward?

[Jessajam]

Could she be teething and feeling out of sorts?
Could she be thirsty? DS refuses to eat if he is thirsty so he has water at every meal. Took us a while to 'spot' that one....

[morningpaper]

Sore throat? Tonsilitis? Teething?

Try not to worry too much, just up her milk intake.

[PanicPants]

My ds did this in fits and starts, keep offering the food at the same times, and remeber they get most of their nutritional needs from milk at the moment.

Try offering finger food, although it's a bit early maybe for that but you could try it.
Or try offering the food on your finger instead of a spoon (dr told me this when ds wouldn't eat and it worked, with 2 days we were back to using the spoon)
If she's teething try putting teething gel on 15mins before feeding.
How much milk is she having a day? Maybe too much so she's not hungry? nAlthough I think it's quite hard to give too much milk.

If she doesn't take food, stay calm and just take it away and try later.

I worried myself to death over food for months, but now I'm inclined to think, well if he's hungry he'll eat it, if not then he won't.

Remember babies won't starve themselves!

[intergalacticwalrus]

I agree with the others. It's probably nothing to worry about. She may be just feeling a little under the weather. Children have an uncanny knack of knowing when you are fretting about something (and it's usually food!!) Keep her milk intake up, as this is the most important thing at this age, and above all, don't panic! DS wouldn't eat a thing until he was nearly 9 months old (by which time I was on the verge of a breakdown!) but we got there in the end,. He eats most things, but is currently going through a bit of a phase where he won't eat anything all day. I just keep offering him things, and I'm of the opinion that he won't starve if he misses the odd meal. These phases usually just have to be ridden out, and if you don't make a big thing of them, they usually pass in the blink of an eye. I think at this age, it is usually caused by teething, so I think the suggestion of applying some teething gel to her gums before meals may help.

[kiskidee]

i have one like yours. a few weeks after weaning started she just said nope, no thank you.

finally at over 12 months she is entertaining lumps and more than weetabix and yoghurt (try plain yog and add your own fruit purees or like do high fruit jam gotta be healthier and cheaper than petit filous.)

like the cliché goes, your baby will eat when she is ready.

[Socci]

Don't worry - she's still really young at 6.5 months. I expect it's a phase (possibly caused by teething or something). My dd (2) wasn't really bothered about food until she was nearly 1 and now she eats whatever we give her and appears to love food

[KarenT]

Thank you so much for all your advise - it is all so helpful - you know, I think DD could be teething - I need to try hard to keep calm and also try your tips.

One thing I didn't mention is that we did some sleep training with DD last week using the controled crying technique and it has worked DD no longer needs feeding or wakes during the night. I think one of my fears about her refusal to not take solids is that DD will start waking in the night hugry, but she has not done so yet (fingers crossed.

I have to say, I got myself all upset today as I talked to the HV and she said that she should not be having so much milk and I should be moving onto solids... I know that, but HV would not answer my questions about refusal (not very helpful!).

[intergalacticwalrus]

Karen, I have to say that I have taken everything my HV has said with a massive pinch of salt. (she told me DS wouls starve if I didn't start weaning at 4 months ) Yes, you should be moving onto solids at this age, but from an experience pov rather than a nutritional one. Your DD will be getting everything she needs from milk still and solids play an important part later on. I think the most importnat thing you can do is to keep offering nher things and nto keep calm (easier said than done, I know) Don't worry too much about her waking in the night through hunger. DS (who is 17 months, btw) often doesn't eat any dinner, and will still sleep as normal.

[kiskidee]

your hv is crap. milk, whether formula or breastmilk should be a baby's primary source of nutrition till one year. go to \link{www.kellymom.com\this really good website} and search for 'weaning' to learn more for yourself.

[kiskidee]

oh, and within a couple weeks of my dd deciding she wanted lumps, she will sample anything off our plate that we offer.

[Piggiesmum]

Hi Karen. I'm glad you started this thread. It's been very reassuring. We are having a similar problem with ds (7.5 months), a few weeks of doing really well but now suddenly only interested in his pears/apple/baby rice in the morning.

I spoke to my hv about weaning because I thought it was making him was constipated too and she basically said if i didn't offer lots of textures and tastes in the "6-8 month window" I would end up with a fussy eater.! Cue lots of panic from me. Funnily enough that's just when he started being fussy.

I suspect he's teething too so I'm just hoping it's just a phase and it'll pass.

[kiskidee]

no it doesn't make them fussy eaters.
ask her to show you the research where she found that no eating at 6-8months equals fussy eater.

too many hv's out there spouting myths because they are too bloody lazy to read some decent literature.

[ponto]

I'm having the same experience with my 7 month old dd2. She started off eating baby rice, carrot and sweet potato purees, but then I offered her fromage frais and fruit purees and she wouldn't take any savoury after that. She will pick up bread and marmite and sticks of vegetables but most of that goes on the floor so she won't be getting much nutrition from it. Don't know how I can introduce protein if she won't take savoury stuff from a spoon. She appears to be so hungry at mealtimes too, but as soon as she tastes something that's not fruit or fromage frais she begins screaming!

I have tried 'being tough' and only offering one thing and taking it away if not eaten but I'm getting upset by her distress. She reaches out towards her sister to beg for yogurt!

Anyway, feeling a little better for having read this thread so will try not to get stressed about it.

[kiskidee]

wait for your baby. offering sweet stuff will not put them off savoury. breastmilk is sweet. for eons, that is what babies had. doesn't stop them from eating other things. one day, possibly when they are over a year old, they start eating just about anything. i am just really surprised how quickly people want to put children on 3 course meals.

[kiskidee]

from 7 - 10 months, all my dd ate WAS yoghurt. then one day, she decided on weetabix too. for another 2 months that is all the solids she ate.

[KarenT]

I am soooo glad I started this conversation it has been really interesting to hear everyone's experiences, it is so reasuring to know I'm not alone with this problem. After hearing everyones advice and issues I have decided to be much more relaxed. DD will now take Banana, Advocado and Yought so I suppose that's progress for apple and baby rice!? At the end of the day DD will not be eatting only this for the rest of her life! I keep trying different things everyday but it is all going in the bin... And as for the HV... I've also decided to but her in the bin !!

[ponto]

Kiskidee, that's so funny, as today after posting on here last night, dd2 ate a whole weetabix for breakfast, with no screaming! Think I will just relax and hang in there. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Joburgmum]

Hurrah! I've just joined Mumsnet in despair ... looking for advise about my DS (7 months)who will only eat yoghurt and porridge. I already feel so much better from reading all of your comments. Thanks!

[DizzyBint]

joburgmum- may i point you in the direction of babyledweaning.com

have a look, it's fab.

[Plibble]

They're funny, aren't they. My DD only really eats fruit. She will eat chicken or some (sweet) vegetables if I mix them with a lot of fruit. This put the MIL in a spin who says "she must eat her vegetables", but IMO this is a load of crap. I don't especially like vegetables (you couldn;t pay me to eat butternut squash) and ate nothing but fruit until I was about 5. It's no surprise that my DD is no different!