My 10 month old does not eat solid food - has anyone else got the same problem?

[helsbells82]

My little boy is 10 months old and has always refused to be spoon fed. We started BLW at about 7 months and at about 8 months he started to take food to his mouth. He does suck/chew on the odd thing - briefly - but does not really eat anything. We have offered EVERYTHING! Our health visitor is 'baffled' but says we are doing everything we can and as there is some progress she is not too concerned. I have friends with younger babies that eat so much more than him (which to be fair is not difficult). I have not come across anyone with the same problem and would love to talk to someone that has experienced/is experiencing this. I am trying not to get too stressed about it but is does worry me :(

My DS is the same age and he also refuses to be spoon fed (except yoghurt, which I started by giving to him on my finger) He loves grabbing handfuls of food and sucking on the bits he manages to get in his mouth... and then spitting the majority of it out!

He had his 10 month check today and the nurse said there was nothing to worry about so long as he's gaining weight from his milk, he may well have gone past the puree and spoon stage and just wants to feed himself. She suggested trying to get a spoonful in between mouthfuls (or letting him hold the spoon) and just to keep an eye on his weight

Hope this is reassuring! See threads on baby led weaning for ideas for finger food- or just try giving him a bit of what you're eating if it's suitable?
Dont worry about what other babies are eating, he obviously just has his own ideas!

My ds didn't eat any solid food properly til about 11mths, the only thing he would eat before then was a bit of mango/melon. He was still bf every couple of hours. Once he started at nursery at 12mths he suddenly started eating well as I think seeing all the other babies eating showed him what he was missing out on

I was v worried about it at the time, the HV's only advice was just stop bfing him - not likely given it was his main source of nutrition! Now at 2 he will eat a wide range of things and try lots of different stuff.

As long as your ds is healthy and well then I would just carry on offering him a range of food and when he's ready he'll eat - with my ds it was almost like switching a switch - one day he wouldn't eat and then the next he would...! I did find the ella's kitchen veg/fruit pouches useful though as one of the few things he would eat.

Good luck!

My son refused just about everything until he was 14 months, then he started picking stuff from our plates (I remember the date as we were on holiday at the time). I just kept on giving him milk, and as long as he was a healthy weight tried not to worry about it too much (although I did worry - I remember sitting there at the table crying because he wouldn't eat anything - feeling so very guilty that it must be my fault). After that it was a huge struggle to try and get him off pureed food onto real food - it took months to do that.

This may sound silly but I do think that he just liked his milk/pureed stuff - couldn't see why he had to eat this other food he didn't really like. The best advice I read at the time was that they know when they are ready and they will do it when they are ready - and that was certainly true with my DS. Keep offering him different things (I would say don't be led into the trap of always giving him the one or two things he will eat) and eventually it will happen -but when HE is ready - not you. I used to try and comfort myself by thinking that he won't still be drinking milk/eating puree at 20 - and if he is then what he eats would be the least of his problems.

My DS is now 6 and for the last couple of years will eat just about anything, and try anything new, apart from spinach which is the food of the devil in his opinion

Keep trying and don't worry - it will happen and in a few years you will be wondering what all the worry was about. That said you really do have my sympathy because it is awful at the time.

Thank you all! This is so reassuring. I just wanted to know that there are others like him out there because i haven't come across ANY.

Lindsell, sounds so familiar! My DS is also breastfed He has always refused a bottle and is hopeless with a cup so its still all down to me and its hard to cut back on the bf when as you say, its his only source of nutrition.

Its just so exhausting! We sit and have our evening meal with him and I have tried loads of recipes out of the BLW cookbook but he just makes a mess and if I'm lucky he will suck on something briefly. I spend so much time clearing up uneaten food and breastfeeding!

He is starting nursery when he is just over a year old and I am praying it is fixed before then so going back to work is less stressful because I know he will eat and drink.

If not hopefully nursery will help, would just prefer not to have the added pressure.

Thank you again.

Don't worry, the nursery would have seen it before and may be the place where your DS manages to overcome it. I went through exactly the same with my oldest who is now a very healthy 13 year old who eats absolutely anything and everything! He wouldn't eat anything that was not pureed to an inch of its life until he was about 14 months too. He didn't eat meat until he over two and is now a major carnivore!!

As with all things, BLW does not suit every child and should not be seen as the only way to wean a child.

My DD is 11m and very similar - she loves playing with food and trying new tastes but eats very little (and hates being helped, apart from with yoghurts or fruitpots).

She eats loads at nursery though and we can see it in her nappies! There's a big "monkey see monkey do" element at this age I think.

As long as he is growing as expected he should be fine - remember their tummies are only about the size of their fists so they don't need a lot.

My dd was similar and I was tearing my hair out about it. But now she is three and is the least fussy eater you can imagine; she enjoys her food and makes me proud with her willingness to try new foods. In retrospect I wish I hadn't worried so much. Easy to say when it feels like every other baby us on three meals a day, but have faith, he will get there!