after 5 weeks of starting solids ds still not interested. help please

[zwiggy]

Ds is almost 7 months, at 5 months was showing all the signs of wanting to start solids. Waited till about 5 1/2 mths, he is EBF and very poor sleeper. did all that it said in all the books re bit of this , trying diff times after feed/before feed etc, took account of teething/out of routine etc etc. He's just never taken more than a couple of spoons of anything, have progressed to lumpier, then he doesn't like it go back to smoother, fruit, sweet, veg yogurts, bananas (all babies like bananas, right?) He doesn't like anything except BF.

Help me please. I don't think I make enough milk anymore, he wants to bf ALL night. I'm skinnier than amy winehouse and I think he is lactose intolerant as displaying v. allergic reactions to formula. doctor won't give me LF formula as he says it will prevent him eating solids.

Any ideas? (scared of BLW and choking/ all advice seems to be give them what you have, but I'm lucky to get time and energy to make a cup of tea and a kitkat )

[zwiggy]

bump

[MrsJamin]

To be honest, my advice would be to BLW - your DS is getting quite independent now he's 7 months and especially if you have BF he may just want to feed himself - he probably doesn't want you to feed him.

Choking is a problem for all methods of weaning, so yes you do have to look out for it, but I have never heard of a BLW baby choking - i.e. stop breathing. Gagging is completely different - he would do this but his gag reflex would calm down after a few weeks and he'd be able to swallow well.

Sorry I feel like I have said things you don't want to hear but I don't have any other ideas that might help! I have BLWed DS since 6 months and he loves his food aged 8 months.

[zwiggy]

Thanks Mrs Jamin, Its not that I am against BLW its just I don't know how to. Is there a guide of what foods first, how big, mashed or none mashed, how much , how often etc

[zwiggy]

I think the thing that has put me off is that my mum told me my little sister almost choked on a banana and it was really scary for her. am going to read up about it now

[MrsJamin]

hi zwiggy, it's totally natural to worry about choking, I can understand if your mum said your sister choked on a banana it would worry you too. But of all the people I've known about do BLW, I have never heard of a baby choke. As long as your DS is sitting upright, in charge of what he puts in his own mouth, etc, it is much less likely to happen. Just make sure you know what you'd do if they did choke, for your own peace of mind if anything.

I found this explanation very useful to start off with, and then Aitch's blog www.babyledweaning.com as supplementary information about baby-led weaning. there's also lots of people on mumsnet that help you out along the way. As a starter, you could roast some vegetable sticks (carrot, sweet potato, parsnip, courgette for e.g.) and put them in front of your DS, to see how he handles them.

[zwiggy]

I just went round to my friend's and she gave him some steamed carrots which he did okay with although not sure if much was ingested, and then some of those organix corn carrot snacks which of course he loved, so feel a bit braver now and will try some cauliflower tomorrow. Thanks MrsJamin.

BTW do you use any oil when roasting the veg?

[MrsJamin]

That sounds like a great start, it doesn't really matter if anything's going down to begin with, they get to learn about feeling the texture, picking up food, chewing it etc before they swallow it. Fab that you feel braver - go at a pace you feel comfortable with as there's no rush to get to 3 full meals - although you can if you like!

I use olive oil when roasting, also I sprinkle some rosemary on the veg too to make it extra tasty!

Do let me know how you're getting on

[zwiggy]

getting on rubbish. ds is less and less interested in food. Is this normal? should I step it up oool it off?

HV reckons he is iron deficient cos he wakes up every 45 mins in the night. daren't introduce any new foods now cos worried i'll put him off completely. done purees, BLW, yoghurts, organix corn snax (which of course he likes best!)

Is this normal? At watch age should I be worried if he doesn't get with the programme?

[MrsJamin]

Oh I empathise. Sorry I missed your message until now. Is your DS ill or teething? That can really affect their hunger with solids. Not sure what else to suggest. Is he putting food in his mouth? Chewing? Swallowing? Are you noticing any solids in his nappy?

You definitely need to keep calm when offering him food otherwise he will pick up on your angst. A lot of the time I find DS will eat a lot more when I'm not looking in his direction at all e.g. putting the washing out (inside of course), doing a puzzle book etc. At 8 MO my DS still isn't eating a huge amount, it is feeling weird but I'm sure it's ok, as I know things are getting slightly quicker as we go on.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

My dd was only interested in bf until 11 months, and ate almost nothing until then. She wouldn't let me feed her after 7 months, so did blw from then. They don't actually need anything except milk until a year though, so try not to stress too much.

If you think he's cows milk protein intolerant (much more likely than lactose intolerance in a baby) then do push your GP for a referral to someone who knows what they are talking about, as he clearly doesn't . (My dd was milk intolerant too).

[primigravida]

Ds was very similar and it was only when I cut out the night feeds (easier said than done) that he started to eat well and is now on three meals a day at ten months after eating one or less for months. My jeans were all falling down as he was taking so much milk from me but after only two weeks of cutting out the nigh feeds they're fitting better again which is great. Try and get your dh to help as much as possible, i.e feeding you up with nutritious meals and taking it in turns to attempt to feed your ds. Porridge, crackers, and pumpkin puree are my sons favourites. Feed your son what he loves and keep trying bits of other things as it can take several attempt before they realise that you're not feeding them poison. We do a mix of blw and purees.

I completely understand how stressful this is for you especially as you have a ds like mine who won't take formula. Hth. Best of luck Zwiggy.

[FinalFurlong]

sounds much like my dd (nearly 7 months) i wasnt keen to BLW at first, but ended up giving it a go, and its the only way she will eat anything at all. I present her with a variety of foods 3 times a day, and i am lucky if she eats one mouthful. the rest goes on the floor/walls/her hair (quite fun really)
try not to worry about choking, DD has not gagged once yet! I was told on here that it is incredibly rare for babies at this age to choke.
DD is EBF and still feeds all night and day (every 1-2 hours at night, sometimes more) she also has a dairy intolerance so you have my sympathy.
We have the most luck when we put her in her high chair with a variety of foods whilst we eat our dinner, she seems to copy!
she has had both bottom teeth through and the week they appeared she ate nothing whatsoever!
DDs faves seem to be floretts of broccoli (very soft), carrots (even softer), kewcumber, and pears..hates bananas and wont go near a spoon...
hope things pick up

[tori32]

If he is teething you could try medicine/powders/gel 20 mins before feeding. This helps with dd2 and did with dd1. I didn't do BLW but it makes sense that if you have toothache you won't want food.

[tori32]

I will get stoned for saying this but neither of my dds would take pureed veg well by themselves but were much happier to do so once it was a full blended meal.

[zwiggy]

thanks for your help everybody, have had some success recently with porridge and avocado mixed with yoghurt. He did have an upset stomach which i think might be the yoghurt, but am hoping he'll grow out of milk intolerance - that happens doesn't it?

I think he is just used to snacking like his mum so i have been trying to bump up his milk feeds in the day and it seems to be working, he is now going two hours in the night without a feed and eating more solids too, so hopefully he is increasing his appetite.

Toast ? he always wants mine, is he ready for it (7months) how do i do it? (i know I sound a complete div, I'm married to a chef too! but how toasted? what on it? is bread better? what type of bread? [complete ninky nonk]

[NicknameAlreadyTaken]

Same here. DD is 7.5 months old and shows no interest in eating from spoon - won't open her mouth to take it, etc.
EBF and we started her on solids shortly after she was 6 months old.
She's at the breast every hour during the day and every two-three hours (and often every hour ) at night, and it's been like that since she was around 2-3 months old, only the feeds became a bit more frequent at night in the last couple of months compared to earlier months.
Am now starting BLW, because she only seems to become interested in food when she can grab it and mouth it herself, so hope to see some results soon.
Unfortunately can't give you any advice as i'm as new to BLW and babies in general , but take our sympathy and we'll keep our fingers crossed for you and hope to hear about your success soon!

[beansprout]

Same here!!

[zwiggy]

nicknametaken, my situ sounds the same as yours, successes have been with pureed apricot ( especially a make called babynat - fruit and cereal - available in health food shops) organix banana porridge, butternut squash and avocado. Also Organix corn snacks finger foods carrot sticks are a good start for the nervous , nay neurotic, BLW-er.

I have really started to increase BF in the daytime so that his appetite increases in the day, and this has had a knock on effect for solids, although still feeding loads at night!

hi Beanie, I was on your ante natal club but I name changed (cosima)

[NicknameAlreadyTaken]

Organix corn rings were a success with us too!
So were pieces of fresh ripe peach (although pretty messy!) and pieces of steamed cauliflower.
I think she liked the taste of butternut squash too although was refusing to take it as a puree from a spoon, so will try giving it to her as steamed chunks.
She also was fine eating a rice cake dipped in a fruit puree (don't remember what it was, something she refused to take from a spoon), so i'll probably try using the remainder of purees I have as dips if she still is not taking them from a spoon.