7 Month Old uninterested in food

[Nattywatty]

Hi all,

I started my boy on solids when he turned 6 months old, he rejected everything and hated my getting near him with a spoon - his face screwed up at any tastes, even petit filous (bad I know) just wanted to see what he would do.

At the advise of HV I stopped feeding for a few days and tried BLW but bub hasn't taken anything apart from today he actually ate some toast!! He usually touches the food sticks and then throws them on the floor.

I was hoping for advise, do I give toast again tomorrow? Could it be the dry consistency he approves of?

Are there any other first foods to try he may take to? I've tried melon, carrot, broccoli, pear and low sugar rusk (he did go for the rusk)

I'm concerned he's going to reject all things healthy!

Please help...

There's a weaning topic that you might find useful, also in the Feed the World section.

Anyway, don't be put off by the faces he makes or if he seems uninterested with certain foods. Just keep offering a wide variety of things, it could take many many times before things get eaten.

You can offer just normal food (no added salt, no honey) and let him at it. Spaghetti is always entertaining! You can steam vegetables (green beans, parsnip, cauliflower, etc), any ripe fruit is also good - nectarines, banana etc. Also you can do things like sweet potato wedges (roast them in the oven), or butternut squash.

I would keep giving him a wide range of suitable foods and then just leave him to get on with it. Don't put any pressure on him to eat and don't worry if he just plays with it or makes a mess with it - early weaning is all about exploring foods and not necessarily about eating them. As long as he is still drinking his milk he is getting the nutrients he needs so don't panic if he's being very picky at the moment.

When you've spent your whole life just drinking milk most foods will probably seem very strange and the new tastes and textures might be over-whelming. The more you offer foods the less unusual they will seem and, over time, your son is likely to be more interested in actually tasting them. Once you have found some foods he likes then I would definitely keep offering them along with additional new foods.

One thing you can do to widen the foods he will like is offer new foods that are similar in texture/consistency to the ones he has tried and likes, so if at the moment he is going for foods like toast/rusks offer more dry crunchy foods suitable for his age and stage - oatcakes, rice cakes, crackers, ryvita, biscuits, crisps etc. The organix baby range is good for this kind of thing and they are relatively healthy to offer now and again (although can be a bit pricey but look out for supermarket offers).

It is still very early days so don't worry too much about what he is and isn't eating yet - just keep doing what you're doing by offering a good range of foods with a variety of tastes and textures for him to explore.

Thank you both for your response - this is most helpful.

He actually helped himself to banana this afternoon too - both times it was on my lap in the living room so I guess he felt more comfortable than in his highchair!

Really super paranoid about choking - I guess if I stick to really soft food at first he may be less like to bite off more than he can chew?

Like someone said to me, it can't be as simple as reaching the 6 month mark and suddenly wanting food as all babies / people are different.

The health visitors do make things more stressful then they need to at times, that wasn't good that they made you feel pressured.

Hi natty, I'm on my second spoon refuser so know exactly what you're going through! Some great advice here up thread. I've also found DD likes toast - I think because it dissolves in the mouth, unlike sticks of vegetables etc. Try spreading different things on toast - hummus, cream cheese, avocado are good. We have also found pancakes, oatcakes, parsnip, tenderstem broccoli and sweet potato wedges have gone down well as they turn mushy quite easily but don't get too slippery for LO to hold (unlike banana and pear!). Once your DS gets the hang of it, try mini burgers (chicken, pork, beef, chickpea).
Harder said than done, but try not to worry about choking. You will get a LOT of gagging, this is a normal part of the process though it can be alarming! Good luck and hope it goes well.

Don't worry too much - remember that mantra 'food before 1 is just for fun'. I had to cheer myself up with that a lot, because my DS basically wasn't interested in food at all until he was about 1! 7 months is still very young. He'll get there when he's ready.

Thank you all - this makes me feel much much better.

I've found it hard watching babies the same age happily sat eating their purée like there's no tomorrow!

It's nice to know it's not just my baby who isn't keen on the spoon. Being a first time mom I've have not point of reference.

He will be ready when he's ready and I must remember to stay calm and let him find it for himself. He's such a fiercely independent boy bless him.

I had never heard of spoon refusing before DS, and remember feeling very alone. All my friends spoon fed and my family seemed to think I has totally lost the plot when they saw me giving DS 'normal' food. They soon became real advocates though! I found the weaning board really helpful as well as the excellent babyledweaning website. And yes, I think it's a sign of independence... I certainly have two stubborn ones on my hands!

One month into weaning is still very early days.

I started at 5.5 months and mine didn't really take to food or cut down his milk until about 9 months.

Just offer food for exploration and keep giving milk. He will get there!!