9 month old not weaning and other concerns

[Gladice]

Hello,

First time posting on here, hoping to get some advice or support from others who maybe are having or have had the same issues!! I’m seeing my HV and specialist paediatricians for these issues but I just wanted to find others to talk to as all my friends with babies haven’t have these issues and it feels a bit lonely!!

The main issue is with weaning, my baby is 9 months and a week and has never eaten anything solid, she’s only taking formula milk (only from a bottle). She has tasted food as I’ve touched purée to her lips, but she has never opened her mouth for a spoonful and never put any food in her mouth. She also has never put toys or hands or anything else in her mouth! I’ve been referred to a speech and language therapist who thought she may have a sensory aversion, but over the weeks I’ve seen her we’ve concluded this is not the case. She is happy to touch and put her hands on any food, fabric, texture etc. I can brush her hair, kiss her on the lips, tickle her, she doesn’t mind any of that. She just refuses to have anything in her mouth, and even the specialists are confused! We try every day with food, she plays with her food and I let her take whatever I’m eating from my plate. She watches me eat. I put her toys in my mouth. She takes them out and puts them back in my mouth! I just can’t get her to put anything in her mouth! FYI she has no teeth yet and doesn’t have regular teething signs.

Secondly, something I’m not so worried about but may as well mention as we’re going to review this with a therapist anyway, is that she won’t go on her tummy so she isn’t anywhere near crawling or moving around in any way. She has rolled off her tummy when I place her on it, but has never rolled onto her tummy. Her weight bearing on her arms isn’t good as she sort of slowly sinks down over a couple of minutes, and obviously gets distressed and cries. She can bear weight on her legs but we have to put her in the standing position, she can’t pull herself up on anything. She can sit beautifully and play with her toys, but when she has had to really reach for an object she has sometimes fallen onto her side or front and can’t even seem to roll herself onto her back, depending what position she has fallen in.

If anyone is going though the same please feel free to comment any advice you have that may help our progress!!! TIA

I haven’t got any advice sorry and it does sound like your concerns are being taken seriously by the Professions.

I just wanted to say that my DS didn’t pull himself us for a long time. Some do by 9 months but others don’t.

It also sounds good that she has the ability to sit and play and can put things in your mouth [smike]

Hopefully someone will be along soon with some experience

Thank you so much, I am so lucky that I’m getting great support from my HV and local hospital.

Can I ask how old your DS was when he started pulling himself up? She makes a bit of an effort to pull her upper body up when standing peering over the back of the sofa when we play peek a boo!! It’s more the supporting of her weight when she is on her tummy. Did your DS go on his tummy?

No my DS hated tummy time too. If I remember rightly he was about a year, possibly more before he pulled himself up.

He’s now a strapping and athletic teen

This may sound silly but have you tried baby led weaning. Where baby takes the lead and no purée. As this is more sensory for baby and they get to feel different textures rather than purée where they do not get their opportunity. We also do all meals together as a family include babe in your meal time monkey see monkey Dona's they say. my son hates tummy time and is walking now at 16 months and he barely rolled ever.

I don't tummy time by putting him on my tummy for 5-10 minutes at a time each day 4 X that helped me. Not for everyone i know it's an idea though.

Hey, thanks for your post and the advice. Yep we’ve been baby led weaning, mainly at her meal times I chop up some food/veg or put yogurt or purée in a bowl for her to do whatever she wants with. She’ll pick the food up, squeeze it, smoosh it, wave it around etc and when she’s had enough she’ll throw it on the floor. On the advice of the speech and language therapist I’ve stopped trying to feed with the spoon, but to try to get her to taste the food by putting some to her lips with my finger, which she doesn’t seem to mind, but won’t open her mouth. She won’t put any of the food to her lips when BLW. I always eat with her when we do this, mainly the same food. I also encourage her to feed me the food, which she will do!! Been trying this method for a while now but no progress.

Thanks for the advice on the tummy time. I probably should do a bit more tummy time like you suggest, 4x a day. It helps to know that your son was walking by 16 months even though he hated it! My girl is really enjoying opportunities to stand at the moment. I’m just worried about her arm strength really and not making any effort to scoot around on the floor. 😊

Baby led sometimes takes a while for them to put food to thier mouths but j find it's a better alternative to traditional weaning. Our rule is we let them fees themselves it's has worked for our son and he was premature oh and he plays with his food for a bit then tastes and eats at frost which is good tasting is still eating. Do you do milk/bf half an hour to an hour before meal times as this helps baby not to be hungry before meal time. When she's feeding you maybe see if she will take from your mouth. Laugh at her and if sagetti is an option both play with them like ppm pom then put to your mouth and she may copy as it's making it more interactive.

No problem i know how frustrating tummy time can get. If your worried about arm strength does she like balls encourage her to pass them to you or just hold them this really helped my little one 😙
Sorry saying alot i know just trying to help. 😀

Agree baby led seems to be lots better for her, the way she interacts with food. I can tell she gets excited by some foods but won’t do any more than just play with it at the moment. Trouble is that the issue is that she won’t put anything in her mouth - toys, food or her hands, none of those are ever in her mouth. We have no idea why, it doesn’t make sense as she doesn’t have a sensory aversion. Plus she doesn’t seem to mind me touching her mouth when I have purée on my fingers or she doesn’t mind me kissing her on the lips. Hoping one day she’ll realise what she has been missing and start by putting some food in there!!

The spaghetti tip is a good one, thanks I’ll give that a go.

Loves playing with balls so we will try more passing when them. I think she is trying to lunge forward now if she sees something in the distance she wants to get to, so I’m trying to encourage lots of that.

I just read another thread on what ages their babies crawled and walked and there are such differences so it’s reassured me a lot!!

@Gladice I know this post is really old now but any chance you have an update on your little one? I could have wrote the Same thing about my 9 month old except he puts his hands in his mouth but nothing else no food or no toys and weaning has been so stressful