To think i'm making a hash of weaning DD

[Rollonbedtime7pm]

DD2 is my 3rd baby so I ought to have half a clue!

She's nearly 7 months - never had a massive appetite for milk but started to get interested in us eating at around 6 months. I started off with BLW but had little success in getting her to actually swallow anything. She seemed to still have quite a strong tongue thrust as anything we did spoon in was immediately pushed out.

So carried on just giving her bits of our dinner and she enjoyed sitting with us all and having a chew. A week or so ago she started to swallow bits so have since started doing a spoon-fed breakfast (eg porridge) which was going OK.

She's been poorly for nearly a week and has gone right off everything - milk included so hasn't really had many solids during this time.

I'm hoping to get going again as she feels better but I suddenly feel like she is nearly 7 months and it's all been a bit halfhearted until now!

Am I making a crap job of this? I do find weaning a total headache tbh and have discovered I am too funny about mess really for BLW!

You're putting way too much pressure on yourself. Every baby is different and I thought one of the benefits of BLW was them joining in with the family which is what it sounds like was happening before she was ill.

She's still really young. Fair enough if it isn't for you but you don't sound crap at all.

No, not at all, sounds totally normal to me. Up to age 1 a baby needs very little in the way of solids - just keep offering her things and she'll find things she really wants, don't worry. Meanwhile she'll get everything she needs from milk.

That sounds fine to me

Ds didn't wean until he was nearly 10 months and he loves his food now

He had undiagnosed CMPA and reflux which made things painful. When it all died down, his appetite picked up

Sounds fine to me. It's a shame your LO has been poorly but you'll all get back in to the swing of things soon.

DS1 was very reluctant to wean and even worse if he was having an off day/feeling poorly, DS2 on the other hand was a bottomless pit. Even now DS1 is a fussy eater who picks at his meals while DS2 devours anything that stays still long enough. Your DD's only just started and is under the weather, so don't feel bad.

Don't they say that food under one is only for fun? My son refused all solid food until he was 8 months, and then ate very little. My daughter was food obsessed from about 5 months. I guess they're all different!

DS was a 'big' boy. I was encouraged to wean him early as I couldn't possibly sustain him'...

He eat barely a morsel of solid food before he was 1... don't worry yourself at all. I'll be holding off weaning DD for as long as possible!

Honestly she sounds fine, just keep giving her bits and she'll just do her own thing.

They eat when they want, my excellent eater for 6 months has spent the past two months on and off eating, hardly anything for a few days, purees are the one thing she'll have. I think it is teething and eventually eats. I still sit her with us at dinner time to keep routine

Don't panic. I only have my one DS but he didn't do what I'd hoped, or what all my friends kids seemed to be doing!

He just wasn't particularly interested in food. He'd play with it and lick it, but I don't think he really swallowed anything of any significance till about 9 months!

I got very wound up by it and tried everything. I had intended to do BLW, but he wasn't interested. Tried purees, not interested. He'd eat yoghurt, but that was about it. It didn't help that all my friends and mum try and offer 'helpful' advice. Like all the stories how 'all I need to do was...' But that just made me more stressed.
I did stress about his eating until he was gone 1. I eventually gave up slaving over preparing food he wasn't going to eat and just gave him whatever was to hand and vaguely healthy.

He's now 3 and I think he's just not really got a big appetite. He doesn't eat as much as his little friends or cousins. He is fairly fussy, but is very average weight and height and still eats a variety of healthy food so I've given up worrying!
You're DD will figure it out in the end OP. While still having milk still getting all the nutrients so no hurry x

I didn't even start weaning my DS until he was 7 months. We were traveling and then he was ill so I just held off. He took to it well and is a great eater at 17 months.

Totally fine.

One of mine was barely interested in solids until 10-ish months. Another was mimicking eating gestures and leaning for our food at 4 months.

Under 12 months, I've always been under the impression that it's just for experience/fun but not necessary.

Sounds like you're doing just fine! Ds took to food really well at 6 months then it just went downhill and mealtimes felt like battles. I was looking forward to blw and enjoyed it initially but soon got stressed when he wouldn't seem to eat much of anything! He started at the childminder at 9 months and it was rocky there too but now at 10 months he eats pretty much everything she gives him. Breakfast is still a struggle though and when he's home with me he'll still have days when he refuses loads or just wants to bf. Until they're 1 I don't think it really matters and I've stopped beating myself up over the odd missed meal.

"Food is for fun until they're one". Even if it doesn't feel like fun! You're doing fine and you know how quickly they can pick stuff up when they feel like it. By the time she's 5, will you be able to tell if she started eating loads of solids at 7 months or 12 months? Of course not :)