7 month old - weaning not going well

[carolinexiao]

Hello! My LO is just 7 months - we started weaning about 6 weeks ago and it just doesn't seem to be going very well. I started on purees and diligently pureed and froze a load of veg and fruit pots, but she keeps her mouth clamped shut whenever a spoon goes anyway near it. Have also tried Ella's kitchen pouches - sometimes she'll slurp a bit off a spoon or off my finger; other days nothing. She'll have a bit of banana, hates baby porridge, baby rice. The only food she seems happy to open her mouth for is when we pick a teeny bit of something from our own plates and pop it straight into her mouth. I started to look at BLW but DH flatly refuses to give her larger bits of food to feed herself with because he's scared of choking. But isn't it a 'sin' to pop chunks of food straight into your baby's mouth? Scared of doing it wrong!! I should mention that I'm back at work soon and DH will be staying at home with her. He's keen to just offer her lots of small bits of food straight in her mouth and give up purees completely.
We're currently only trying her on food once or twice a day (despite the HV having a freak out about how little she's getting and telling me I should have weaned her before 6 months!!).
Sorry for long post. Thank you! :)

[TeaBelle]

Big peices of food are far less likely to cause choking than finely diced food as that can slip down the throat. If he's anxious he could have a look online about the difference between gagging and choking and what to do.ineqch instance

[tinytoucan]

My LO did choke when we started weaning. It was scary but I was calm as I knew what to do and everything was fine. We're still doing the finger food (I do purée some food but like to give him a bit of a mixture of things) I just watch and make sure he doesn't cram too much in his mouth as he is a little piggy! Like the pp said they are much less likely to choke on big finger sized peices- the reason my ds choked I think was because it was broccoli and I think I'd over cooked it a bit so he was able to squish a lot in. If anything I slightly undercook his veg now and he seems to get on better. Good luck with it, it's daunting but you will find a solution that works for you.

[carolinexiao]

Thank you! We've done a baby first aid course but it's really scary! Good tip about undercooking things a bit -I was wondering what happens if they accidentally bite off a big bit x

[Cranb0rne]

As others have said, try not to worry about choking. I have never met a baby who liked baby rice either! Just offer finger food and let her play around with it, it really doesn't matter if she hardly eats at first. Strips of cooked carrot, ripe melon, banana, breadsticks, potato are great for kids at 7 months. My first hardly touched food until he was a year old, my second ate everything in sight from the word go. They are all different!

[carolinexiao]

Thanks cranb0rne, really helpful and good to know that she's not alone in her lack of interest in food! Just have to convince the hubby that finger foods can be introduced before she's a teenager....

[dementedpixie]

Even if you're doing purée weaning, you're supposed to introduce finger foods too from 6 months. We had a few gagging incidents but that's how they learn how to deal with food.

[Introvertedbuthappy]

Avocado, kiwi and cucumber sticks are are great finger food too. DS2 is now almost 9 months and loves food - he had cous cous for lunch along with avocado, veg sticks and hummus for a snack and pesto pasta (homemade pesto) for dinner with some Greek yoghurt and banana for pudding. He also had crumpets and porridge for breakfast! I honestly think if she's showing interest then finger foods are the way to go.

Sorry, reading it back I sound a bit goady...DS1 on the other hand was a terrible eater, gagged on anything but pure puree until aged 2 and was underweight and had delayed speech because of it. Now he's an extremely bright and articulate 7.5 year old who eats anything (although has chosen for ethical reasons to be vegetarian).

In other words I have 2 boys, both very different weaning styles and attitudes to food, but are both healthy and happy wee boys. Best of luck

[SpeakNoWords]

I would be very wary of putting small bits of food directly to a baby's mouth. Larger pieces of food are definitely better, and better picked up by the baby too. They will probably gag, which can be alarming, but it's normal and it's actually a protective mechanism. Their gag reflex is further forward than an adults, and so they'll gag on a piece of food rather than choke.

[Penguina]

definitely don't interfere with your baby and start putting things in!

They are incredibly clever when left to it. DS is also 7 months and I find it amazing watching him eat an avocado but leave the skin on as he knows not to eat it. sadly the same didn't apply to Christmas wrapping paper...

Don't get too worked up by it. She's only 7 months

[carolinexiao]

Thanks all! That's amazing about the avocado Penguina!

[Sparrowlegs248]

I did blw with ds. You should give finger sized food so she can pick it up herself. She will gum and such and learn to chew before she swallows. Gagging and choking can be scary. I did avoid anything too hard - I disagree re undercooked as if something breaks off and is hard, it can be more of a choking hazard and painful if they do swallow. Softer things are more easily swallowed. So I avoided normal toast after a couple of scary episodes, and gave French toast, softer and 'wetter'

I didn't give things like apple or melon until much later.

[LittleSausageFingers]

OP i could have written your post word for word (except the DH bit ). My DD was exactly the same with purees and anything off a spoon, and I too filled my freezer with purees, lovingly cooked and now in the bin

I echo PP who say give larger, finger sized pieces of food, and don't put it in her mouth! I was scared of my DD choking at first, but she just gagged a few times and then got the hang of it. In the unlikely case that she did choke then you'd know what to do, you've done a first aid course (we also did one, I think it's an excellent thing to do).

We offered finger food three times a day from around 6.5 months, but she barely ate a thing until she was 8 months. Weaning is a gradual process, HVs would have you think that they should be having three full meals with starters and desert from the word go she'll get there. My DD is 11mo now and it's a joy to watch her feed herself. Good luck!

[carolinexiao]

Thanks everyone! I feel inspired to get going with the finger foods now ! Saw the HV this morning and she said I was giving DD too much milk, needed to restrict her feeds and get her on three adult food meals a day (i.e. no more purée..)
Thanks again X

[Timetogrowup2016]

Your hv is talking utter shite. I fucking hate hv they all give out different advice and half the time it's shit and scare mongering.
Food before one is just for fun.
Just keep offering. She'll eat when she's Ready.
Her formula or breast milk provides everything she needs right now.

[LittleSausageFingers]

Absolutely agree with time, my HV also told me I was giving too much milk, etc etc. Your DD will drop the milk feeds as she gets more into her solid foods, as i said above it's a gradual process. You don't go from exclusive milk to three adult meals overnight! Good luck

[Derlei]

Sorry to hijack your thread op, but have been reading with interest.

DS was puree weaned to begin with at 6 months, I now want to try him on finger foods.
I can see posters' recommend not to put the food into the baby's mouth and let him pick it up himself and that he'll eventually get the hang of it, but the problem I have is that DS went off his milk massively when his first teeth came through at 6 months and he's never really liked it since.

Since weaning him, I've been able to get the recommended 18-20oz in to him, some via dreamfeeds just before his naps/sleep, the rest mixed into his food.

So my concern is that if I try and teach him about finger foods now and he takes time to adjust to it, he won't be getting sufficient nutrients from his milk particularly in the absence of purees.

Should I supplement the 2 side by side, e.g. Offer some finger food first, and if he doesn't eat it then give him some purée until the point he starts enjoying the finger food?

Hope that all makes sense!

[dementedpixie]

I gave the finger foods alongside purees so they could have a chew at the finger foods and I could feed with the spoon. No need to do just one or the other as a mix works too

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

HV is talking out of her backside. Your baby's appetite will gradually increase. She's not suddenly going to want three meals a day when she's used to milk alone. My youngest DD is 8 months old and has 2 solid meals a day (even then, she won't eat much at lunchtime and tends to have a better meal for tea) but I'm not worried. She's a proper little chunk and Dr is happy with her progress. Solid foods should be in addition to milk feeds to begin with, not instead of them. Milk should still be the main source of your baby's nutrition until the age of 1.

That said, I don't subscribe to the "food before 1 is for fun" thing because there are some nutrients that they need which they cannot get enough of from milk alone after 6 months (have a look at WHO and UNICEF advice).

I also definitely agree with others about giving finger foods. It's far safer to give a finger shaped piece of something for your baby to have a go at than it is to put things in their mouth for them. That is much more of a choking hazard. I totally get your DH's anxiety because I'm a worrier too and always found it difficult to start giving finger foods, but he needs to have some confidence in her ability. Gagging looks scary, but it's just how babies move food around their mouths. Chewing and feeding themselves is very important for speech development and coordination.

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

YY to giving a mix of purées and finger foods. Every baby is different but we've had massive success with this. DD is too much of a pain in the neck headstrong and independent to be totally spoon-fed, she just won't accept it. But if I give her a piece of fruit or crumpet or whatever to play with then she will let me feed her with the spoon while she does that and has a bit of a nibble.

[SnugglySnerd]

Sorry but that's terrible advice from HV. Milk should be main source of nutrition until they are 1 if I remember correctly. The old saying is "food before one is just for fun".

DD liked to try lots of foods but didn't eat much until she was about 11 months when she suddenly started to eat "properly".

If you don't want to waste all those purees could you spread them onto little pieces of toast or use them as sandwich fillings?

[carolinexiao]

Thanks all. She's doing a bit better now - will have the odd purée if she's in the mood but much prefers holding stuff herself. I made some cheese and broccoli muffins which she quite liked, although with everything she has a tendency to chew off a big bit which then glues itself to the roof of her mouth... 🙄 She then gags a bit but I've definitely got more used to seeing it happen x