7mo is suddenly impossible to feed

[ThePerfectFather]

Mealtimes used to be easy - I'd spoonfeed her food, she'd eat it. She's 7 months old, and I've started moving her onto finger foods to try to enlarge the range of things she'll eat instead of just goop from a pot.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, she hardly eats and fusses constantly at mealtimes. It is driving me mental. Most of the time that she's in her chair, on my lap, in her bouncy chair she seems to be straining to get away, trying to fling herself away from the food or spitting it everywhere. SOMETIMES she'll eat everything and wants seconds and I think "OK great, we've turned a corner or something" but then, next mealtime or the next day, it's back to this awful grind of trying to get her to eat.

I can't remember if my first was like this, but I do remember my first had a gag-reflex on a hair-trigger, and would bring up entire meals at the drop of a hat. Am I just cursed to have babies who make mealtimes a fucking soul-destroying nightmare? If I had hair I would be pulling it out at the root.

Do you have the same ritual each mealtime? What about just sticking to one chair, rather than giving options (lap, bouncer etc). It sounds -though I'm no expert- that her behaviour is a bit attention-seeking.
If it is a finger-food meal and she's making a fuss, why not just leave her with the plate, turn your back and load the dishwasher and let her get on with it. Allow 20 minutes and if she hasn't eaten, just clear everything up quietly, lift her out of her chair and move onto the next activity. If she gets not reaction to her fuss, then she might stop. And even better, be really hungry at the next meal because she deprived herself.
I've had entire 7-day stretches where DS just DID NOT EAT and I worried he'd wake up in the night. Usually he was coming down with something and you do hear that they have amazing reserves so can survive on quite little.
Also, cut out any snacks so she's really hungry at mealtimes. Maybe go back to pots? Maybe she doesn't want to always feed herself. Mine was quite slow at taking to finger food but we got there.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give all those a try.

Don't try to get her to eat.

Your job is to make the food available to her so she can have it if she wants it. If she chooses not to take any on that occasion respect that choice and take it away.

She is giving you a very strong message when she's spitting out the food and trying to fling herself away. Please do her (and yourself) a favour and listen to her.

I know it goes against the grain but you're just storing up trouble for yourself by trying to persuade her.

Don't jump through endless hoops preparing delightful delicacies for her because that will just upset you more when she refuses them. If she'll still eat the potted gloop go back to that for a bit and give both of you a rest.

Sometimes at this age children just need to play with the food. If she's willing to do that then let her. She is learning about the texture and smell before she experiences the taste which is fine.

Another trick is to allow her to eat off your plate. If that works you can then gradually move it to a separate plate and then onto the high chair.

Could it be teething?