7 month old not eating much

[Dolallytats]

I have been weaning my 7 month old dd since 6 months. She will happily eat a whole yogurt (small pot), but anything else I am lucky to get half a teaspoon down her. Is this ok?
I have been mashing whatever veg we have (broc, pots, carrot, parsnip, swede etc) and she has been offered weetabix and baby cereal as well as dinner jars if we aren't having a 'mashable' dinner.
What am I doing wrong?
Thank you!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

You're doing nothing wrong, it really doesn't matter if she doesn't eat much at this age. How is she with finger food?

[ExBrightonBell]

I would echo JJJs comments. You are doing nothing wrong, just keep giving lots of different tastes and flavours. If you aren't aleady, start giving finger foods and let her have a good play and explore of them.

[JRmumma]

My almost 7 month old is similar. At 24 weeks when we started weaning he couldn't get enough, so much so that i introduced a second meal after a week. A couple of weeks later and he was completely uninterested in food. I kept offering but it all went into the bin for about 2 weeks. Now he is really enjoying breakfast again and will take a small amount if pure in the afternoon.

Its so disheartening when it feels like you are taking a step backwards but just persevere and don't fight it. If she doesn't want it just take it away and try again the next day.

I was worrying that he wasn't going fast enough and wouldn't be eating how he was supposed to by 1 year, but ive decided to chill out now and just make sure his food experience is enjoyable. Even if that means none of it goes in his mouth and all up the walls!

[rootypig]

The only goal you need at this age is for food to be varied (tastes, colours, textures!) and fun - for both of you. I found it helpful to start seeing it as messy play, where you don't need to worry about what goes in the mouth......

[JuniperTisane]

Lots and lots and lots of babies don't really get round to eating much til somewhere between 9 and 10 months (including my older son). Its fine and normal. Have you tried him with finger foods yet? Sometimes they get on better playing with holdable stuff that may or may not go anywhere near the mouth. Just practicing.

Messy play is right!

[Dolallytats]

Thanks for helping me feel more relaxed everyone. You wouldn't believe this is my third child! They have such large gaps between their ages that everything seems to change by the time I have to wean again.

I'm a little nervous of finger food, any suggestions? She does suck on bits of toast but that's it for food she holds herself.

Much appreciated!

[soupmaker]

I'm busy weaning DD2 with a 5 year gap between her and DD1.

I've given her well streamed veg as finger food - carrot batons, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc - a well as bread sticks, banana sticks (use the split the banana in 3 method to get bits perfect for wee hands), ripe pear, ripe melon, eggy toast fingers, cucumber sticks and halved cherry tomatoes. Also gave her clementine segments to suck until they gave her a red face - oops.

Very little gets eaten, but at 7 months that really doesn't matter.

[rootypig]

Finger food - at this age, definitely fruit, sticks of very soft ripe pear, melon, mango, whole strawberries. But really, pretty much anything. chunks of nice soft bread and butter, bits of fresh fish, a stalk of cooked broccoli.... Spaghetti to mess around with for fun, strips of omelette to try egg, go for it!

Stay relaxed if she coughs and splutters a bit, a baby's gag reflex can seem alarmingly like choking but is very effective. (Would recommend looking at online info about how normal gagging is and what to do if you suspect they're choking, for peace of mind!)

[Dolallytats]

Thanks for the ideas. This evening dd has eaten (played with!) a boiled potato, a stalk of asparagus, a strip of banana, piece of apple and a strawberry!

Not sure if anything went in, but she had fun! Now, how do I get strawberry juice out of a babygro?........

[RoadToTuapeka]

Glad to see it's all still fun and going a bit better. With my first son I stressed hugely about how much (or little more to the point) he was eating. Completely needless worrying. With the second I did a mix of much more BLW/finger foods and much less spoon feeding although still did some - porridge, yoghurt etc plus pouches if we were out.

So my much less stress and a lot more fun. My second sometimes ate loads and sometimes very little. He wasn't interested in breakfast probably til 10 months or so but he always joined in at morning and afternoon tea with mini muffins, pikelets, sticks of fruit etc, and picnic type lunches meant he could help himself to bits and pieces.

Hope it all goes well!

[RoadToTuapeka]

Glad to see it's all still fun and going a bit better. With my first son I stressed hugely about how much (or little more to the point) he was eating. Completely needless worrying. With the second I did a mix of much more BLW/finger foods and much less spoon feeding although still did some - porridge, yoghurt etc plus pouches if we were out.

So my much less stress and a lot more fun. My second sometimes ate loads and sometimes very little. He wasn't interested in breakfast probably til 10 months or so but he always joined in at morning and afternoon tea with mini muffins, pikelets, sticks of fruit etc, and picnic type lunches meant he could help himself to bits and pieces.

Hope it all goes well!