Weening - she wont eat

[Deadkeni]

First of all, she's a really happy healthy baby, but she won't eat solids. It said online that I HAVE to feed her, well I'm trying but she won't eat, all she wants is milk.

I don't know what to do. I don't have any mum friends or family. My friends all stopped talking to me when I got pregnant. I'm 31 and this is my first (and last) child. She's 7 months old and she just cries if I give her anything but milk.

Just now she seemed to be heaving, with banana but didn't cry and kept showing interest in it so I kept on trying little bits and she just threw up EVERY WHERE, because she was heaving. I felt like I should stop. I felt like that weeks ago but I know I seen as a bad mother for "keeping her" on a liquid diet. I'm not forcing her to stay on milk she is literally repulsed by food I'm not a fucking magician. I have no hope. No support.
Weening class said "just give them what you eat". That's no help at all. She burst into inconsolable tears when I gave her a strawberry.

[UpTheWoodenHill123]

Have you checked out baby led weaning? It’s just encouraging the babes to hold solid food almost as a toy. As they tend to put everything in their mouths, the first place that bit of cucumber will go is in the mouth. You will have food thrown at you occasionally but just know she is getting all the nutrition she needs from your milk and at this point any food she eats is just for practice.

Don’t worry, don’t be forceful, but do encourage gently with gradual exposure - first touch, then sight, then smell, then taste etc.

[crazychemist]

It is not essential for all babies to have solid food at 6 months. My DD eat virtually nothing at that age, and what she did eat came out the other end exactly the same, so I don’t think she got any benefit from it! I don’t think she really ate much at all until she was over a year old. Don't force it! She’ll just feel under pressure.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Firstly, there's a really helpful Weaning Section in MN where you can talk to other MNers going through the same stage.

Does she get upset if you put food on her high chair tray and just let her play with it?

My DD liked to feed herself and point blank refused anything we tried to give her. Sitting her on my knee whilst I are helped too as she sometimes picked things up from my plate.

At this age you are right you can't force her to eat though so try not to worry too much.

[FortheloveofJames]

OP, please please stop stressing about this so much.

As PP have said you cannot force a baby to eat at this age.

After 6 months it’s advised that you introduce solids alongside milk but milk should be main form of nutrition untill one. Before then it’s just about exploring new flavours and textures. As with literally everything when it comes to children/babies, some pick it up better And quicker than others.

My DS would never been spoon fed. We did baby led weaning and it was the best thing we ever did with him, however he didn’t really start eating properly untill about 10 months.

Relax and remove the stress, make it fun for both of you. If she eats it’s a bonus, if not try again next time. It’s really very normal

[Babs5693]

My daughter was exactly like this, I spoke to a paediatrician about it as we see one for reflux and she told me she had not got the hand of her tongue reflex which needs to help move food around. To start off with a gave baby rice once a day, I also gave Ella’s carrot crisps (the long ones) so she could hold it in her hand and put it to mouth, once she got a hang on if I started mixing a little veg in with rice and then started to increase the amount of veg and lower the rice. I now realise some of my daughters gagging was from the taste and it was so different to her milk, which I think it why baby ric for us was a good start. Babies need milk at this age not food and STOP bring hard on yourself xx

[ACJD]

My son is 9mo and has no interest in solids whatsoever. Hes been assessed by a feeding clinic that say theres nothing physical to stop him eating and that hes lazy and will eat when he wants. I was told to stop spoon feeding and to try BLW, but as yet he hasnt touched a thing just stares and plays with his hands. I'm very stressed with it all