My 7 month old isn't interested in solids.

[JOK]

hi, i started weaning my DD when she was 5 1/2 months. Within month she was eating 3 ice cubes of vege for lunch and 2 of fruit with baby rice for dinner. she wasn't overly interested but ate it all. She then had a bad tummy for a week and half and since has been thoroughly disinterested in food. she clamps her mouth shut, moves her head to avoid it and every meal time is a real struggle. we can get some in but she doesn't want any. she also has a tooth coming through so i don't know if its all connected. i've tried rice cakes that she won't put in her mouth -though she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. it's exhausting and i really want her to eat and then hopefully she'll go bakc to sleeping through the night again.
any suggestions? please...

have you tried some finger foods with her? half grapes, steamed carrot, toast. It might help get her back into the habit of eating, and i've found chewing also helps with sore gums

I would second the finger-food idea. Try not to worry too much though - at 7 months solids aren't very important for nutrition.

Every time ds (2.2) has a cold or teeth coming through he goes off his food. I've learned it's pointless to try to persuade him. If he's hungry, he'll eat it; if not, he won't, simple as that. It is so tempting to try to push food into their mouths but it only ever makes things worse! Bear in mind the non-sleeping may be linked to her feeling poorly rather than her suddenly feeling hungry in the night.

I would lay off the solids for a week or two and just give milk. Then reintroduce it slowly. My DD has only just started taking an interest in food and she's nearly 8 months. Some days she can take it or leave it. As long as your DD is getting milk she'll be fine.

My DD is just 7 months and I have struggled with getting her to eat solids. She cries when I come at her with a spoon! I have now stopped bothering with that and give her anything that she can do herself - toast, carrot sticks, soft pear etc. If shes in a good mood she'll spend a good hour munching away making a real mess...but she at least she eats something. I'll leave her to it and then try her on some puree again later.
Sometimes I get a bit worried as some days she will eat next to nothing but I just try to keep in mind how new this is to her and one day she'll come round!!!

I had almost exactly the same situation. My daughter was never that interested in solids, but then got a tummy bug and lost interest altogether (this was probably around the seven or eight month point). To be honest, though, I think it all had more to do with the fact that she wasn't that interested prior to the bug. It was difficult/hit and miss to get her to eat anything up until she was around eleven or so months, when she suddenly started to get hungry. She's fourteen months now and eats almost anything I put in front of her. I really regret having stressed over it all (and I really did) because I think she was fine - she had occasional tastes of stuff, and explored a bit, but she was still getting enough nutrition from her breastmilk. In short, I don't think you should worry. I know how exhausting it feels, I really do, but just let it go. Put some finger food in front of her, if she doesn't go for it, take it away, and try at the next meal. She'll probably start eating when she's ready.

hi everyone. thank you for your messages. very helpful and supportive. a couple more questions...how soft do the carrots or other foods have to be? how long should we cook them for?
also. we're a bit worried about her choking on some food. should we?

they need to be pretty soft to start with - veggies cooked to the texture of ripe fruit, i would say. cook for maybe 7 minutes for carrot sticks

Your DD may well gag on food for a week or 2, but this will get less and although seems terrifying to begin with, once you realise it is just gagging and then whatever it was dislodges, it becomes much less worrying.

another thing my DD loves is having ripe fruit peeled (eg. pear, peach etc) and then me holding it for her and her sucking and biting it