Baby has no interest in food!

[cordiality]

Started trying to wean my dd when she was about 22 weeks, decided it was too early from the faces that she was making any time a spoon came near here! Tried again at 24 weeks and have tried every few days since, working up to every day now she is 6.5 months.

She just doesn't want it. We've tried pureed apple, pureed pear, baby rice, baby porridge, ella's pouches, the lot. Tried each one for a few days each so she can get used to them, but no. Mouth firmly shut.

She'll occasionally lick some off her lips. Sometimes eat some that happens to be in her mouth. But no progress whatsoever really.

I've tried feeding her when she's really hungry, just a bit hungry, and not at all hungry. I've tried different spoons. I've tried letting her hold the spoon.

Is she just still not ready?! Will she still be drinking only milk when she's 17?!

I could try baby led weaning I suppose? She does seem to put everything else in her mouth apart from a spoon! Has anyone else experienced this?

[EPPP]

dc3 didn't start eating until she was 10m, now 13m and vast. She was and to a certain extent still is a spoon refuser. I did what I cal BLBLW with her. I wasn't going to do BLW but she led the way.

[cantmakecarrotcake]

DD is 7 months and she's only really just taken to food - and even then it's not spectacular (spectacularly messy though).

Try BLW for a bit (with low expectations and no pressure). Then occasionally try again with a spoon (DD is mostly accepting one now, although she'd rather do it herself). DD has also decided that slurping food straight from the pouch works too (not sure if this is a good thing...).

Some babies wean beautifully at 4 or 5 months and are on 3 family meals a day at 6 months. If you assume this works on a normal distribution there will be an equal proportion that aren't ready until 7+ months.

Keep giving her opportunities to eat and let her try what you're eating (DD has munched on my panini in the coffee shop once in a while).

You might not want to go there (I still can't decide if it's a good thing or not, but they don't have sugar), but DD LOVES those Goodies gingerbread men (they're from 12mo, but I figured it's no different to BLW). It seemed to spark a bit of an interest in food.

[hazchem]

another vote for a BLW approach. DS seamed intrested in food but would just shut his mouth any time a spoon came near it. after spending hours making purees and a telling off by a HV. i thought right I'll have a go at BLW.
It's totally taken the presure off me. i just give DS either something I'm eating or a slight variation.
It's made a diffrence to my sanity levels and DS seams really happy. It's a bit more fun then i thought too because you sort of have to go right well a six month old feeding himself porrage is just going to be stupidly messy and relax and giggle a bit.

[cordiality]

Thanks so much for these replies, it's very reassuring that I can just chill out about this, I've been getting so many horror stories about babies not getting enough nutrition only from milk after six months, I was starting to panic.

I'm going to buy a BLW book, buy something for her to gnaw on, stop trying to shove a spoon in her face and generally make it all a bit nicer for her.

Interestingly, I gave her an Ella's pouch to suck this morning and she was really keen, if a little shocked!

Will report back on any progress

[cantmakecarrotcake]

It seems lots of babies like to eat straight from the pouch. My latest discovery is if DD is going for the pouch I can slip a spoonful in without her noticing. Sneaky, but it works! :-)