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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

6.5 month old will NOT eat solids!

30 replies

NuttyCasey · 08/02/2018 09:35

I hope someone has some ideas for me please!

My dd is ebf, starting weaning her around 2 months ago but she is NOT having it! She’s so ready for it, shows all the signs and is willing to try things, but either can’t swallow/chew them or just doesn’t like them full stop.
Hv wasn’t much help, but I’ve been persistent with dd and keep (attempting!) giving her meals!
But it’s breakfast I’m struggling with most, I have tried all of the following more than several times: baby rice, flavoured baby rice, baby porridge, flavoured baby porridge, baby porridge with fruit purée, readybrek, readybrek with fruit purée, weetabix, scrambled egg...... nothing! She won’t eat ANY of them?!? And I have tried all of them with breaskmilk, formula and most recently cows milk!!!! Also tried different temperatures and consistencies.

What do I do??? Please help me! Thank you x

OP posts:
pastabest · 08/02/2018 09:38

Well you said it yourself... she's not ready. What's the rush?

If she's not ready now at 6.5 months why on earth did you start trying at 4.5 months well before when it is recommended?

Perhaps sop for a few weeks and then try again. Sounds like it's stressing both of you out.

Food is just for fun until they are 1.

FlibbertyGiblets · 08/02/2018 09:40

Have you tried letting her do it herself? Not with spoons,just fingers...

pastabest · 08/02/2018 09:42

Sorry I read that as she's not ready for it (must put my glasses on!)

The advice is largely the same though. She will eat when she is ready. Just keep putting things in front of her and some of it will eventually go in. My DD is only reliably eating 3 full meals a day now at 1 and in the 6 months leading up to that some days she would hardly eat a thing.

It's a learning and development process for them and one of the few things they have complete control over at this age.

wilts09 · 08/02/2018 09:48

DD the same- was so uninterested at six months. Now at 7 months she slightly more into it but we have given up with purée and mostly doing finger food/baby led weaning which she enjoys a lot more! No need to rush though x

shakeyourcaboose · 08/02/2018 09:48

Don't stress, my ebf tank did not show much interest in solids till after 10months, still stayed on 95 centile and now at 19 months is a gannet!

WeeCheekyBird · 08/02/2018 09:49

Don't worry about getting her to eat much. At this point she still gets her nutrients from milk and you just want her to explore flavours and textures.

When I started weaning dd she would only have a mouth full here and there and it wasn't until recently she started eating full portions (at 8 months). Some days she still won't eat much.

Also try just giving her what you are eating. Mine hated "baby" foods. Theyre flavourless and so unlike "proper" adult food. Mince and tatties are good or a bit of spag bol or...anything at that age really. She is more likely to eat it if you have it together - in my experience.

Dont put too much pressure on both of you. She will get there eventually :)

Original poster
NuttyCasey · 08/02/2018 09:49

That’s okay, no she’s definitely ready, she stares at us eating and if you have her on your lap eating something she’ll try and take it off you etc. She seems to love trying food, and I was recommended by the hv to give her everything! So I give her plenty of finger foods which we seem to be making progress with, doesn’t necessarily eat them, but she likes to play.
But breakfast is a no go? And I don’t know what to give her for finger food for breakfast Confused I know like fruit? But surely that’s not filling enough? And plus I’m yet to find a fruit that she actually likes! Thanks again x

OP posts:
wilts09 · 08/02/2018 09:51

She doesn't need to be 'filled' - just keep up with milk feeds. Said time and time again but food is for fun until one. It's about exploring textures, tastes, learning. You don't need to fill her up on food. My DD barely digests anything but she is still having the same amount of breastmilk and enjoys exploring her meal times x

TittyGolightly · 08/02/2018 09:53

Sounds like she just has good taste. Have a read up on baby led weaning. Baby rice/baby porridge is nutritionally void anyway. Empty calories.

Toast fingers, croissants, crumpets, muffins, scrambled eggs, boiled egg and soldiers, yogurt, berries, apple slices, banana - all great breakfast foods. You can make really thick porridge and cut it into fingers.

Original poster
NuttyCasey · 08/02/2018 09:54

I agree WeeCheekyBird! I gave up on purées, she wasn’t interested at all! I give her everything we eat and we all sit at the table for breakfast and dinner, she won’t eat breakfast and nibbles bits at dinner. My main concern is that I return to work in 3 weeks and currently she’s still drinking milk every 3 hours or less! And she won’t take a bottle?

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 08/02/2018 09:55

I used to feed mine while eating my food. They would help themselves to little tastes off my plate.
6 months is just about the right age to start tiny tastes and some finger foods. The most important food is milk.

Original poster
NuttyCasey · 08/02/2018 09:55

Thank you for the suggestions TittyGolightly, I will give them a try! Fingers crossed x

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 08/02/2018 09:57

Have you tried a sippy cup?
None of mine would take a bottle but managed a sippy cup ok.
I can understand your worry if you have to go back to work.
She might take a bottle from someone else.
Will you be expressing?

wilts09 · 08/02/2018 09:58

If it's any help regarding bottles Dd finally took mam anti colic ones after months of trying... and refused taking in our arms as she associated that position with breastfeeding. So now she lies on sofa or floor with some blankets and pillows and takes it that way. I'd try and persevere with a bottle because she's not gonna suddenly take on three meals a day in three weeks xxxxxx

WeeCheekyBird · 08/02/2018 10:02

Fwiw I still can't get dd to eat much at breakfast. For example today she had scrambled egg and only ate about 3 spoonfuls before feeding the rest to the dog!

Maybe she's just not a massive breakfast lover? Also it will depend on how much milk she has beforehand. I try to leave 2 hours between her first milk (about 6am) and her breakfast (8/9) or she won't eat anything. Its all trial and error!

Thunderthunderthundercatshooo · 08/02/2018 10:02

If you started at 4 1/2 months she probably wasn't ready back then, I don't really see the benefits of starting so young? I have a 7 month old, we started weaning about 3 weeks ago. We are having similar problems, he's been ebf and wouldn't even accept my milk from a bottle prior to weaning. He doesn't seem to like the texture of the food in his mouth and is sick 9 times out of 10 from gagging. I was going to write a post on here about it too but I realised he'll eat when he's ready. I offer him food a couple of times a day anyway and just let him taste/play, he often doesn't swallow any.

I think I only worried as we did baby lean weaning with his older sister and she took straight to it, I always just let her feed herself. We are doing a bit of both this time as he gags so much even with small amounts of mushed veg.

I think just keep offering a variety of things and eventually she'll start to eat more. Babies can get all their nutritional needs from just milk up until 12 months old, 6-12 months is just getting them used to food really.

FlipflopFifi · 08/02/2018 10:02

My ebf dd wasn't hugely interested in food until well past one. I really wanted to do blw but she wasn't interested, much preferred to be spoon fed but would only have two or three mouthfuls. It was concerning in some respects, I remember getting quite upset when she was around 16 months and friend's dcs of similar ages were tucking into chicken nuggets and Dd was still struggling to chew properly, but she's coming up to 3 now and eats a much wider variety of food than friends kids and it turns out that she just doesn't like chicken nuggets Grin

TittyGolightly · 08/02/2018 10:04

DD has never been a fan of breakfast either.

Original poster
NuttyCasey · 08/02/2018 10:04

She has a munchkin sippy cup and kind of bites it? Well, I have tried giving her both - expressed milk and formula. Not sure what she thinks of the formula or ebm actually... she pulls the same face with either!!
We have the mam ones (amongst many others!) but it’s the only one she’s kind of sucked from a couple of times! We’ve tried giving her and a bottle of milk to mil (and oh has tried too) but it makes no difference. And tried different positions, but it appears she’s very stubborn!
I know Sad I do keep trying the bottle with her and I will continue to!

Thank you all for all your help and suggestions!x

OP posts:
sportyfool · 08/02/2018 10:06

Dont stress, just out some toast fingers on her tray when you have your breakfast .. she will gradually eat more and drink less .

jaimelannistersgoldenhand · 08/02/2018 10:11

Milk has more calories than solids. Solids at 6 months isn't about filling them up- even hungry babies are only eating a few mouthfuls as their stomachs are the size of their fists.

Finger food breakfasts- dry cereal (with milk in a sippy cup), fruit, toast, pieces of scrambled egg/omelette

Whippetmamma · 08/02/2018 10:12

Have you tried milk from a sippy cup or doidy cup? My 9mo DS refuses bottles but really enjoys drinking from a cup.
He also has never really taken much at breakfast but will take some fruit or plain yoghurt as a mid morning snack. As PPs have said, it’s all about exploration at this stage so try not to worry too much 🙂

gamerpigeon · 08/02/2018 10:14

Just let her steal food off your plate. My Dd always thinks my food is way more interesting...even when it's exactly the same thing as what's in her bowl!

BoredOnMatLeave · 08/02/2018 10:33

Hi don't have any advice re weaning other than it doesn't really matter just keep letting her try bits and worry about it in 6 months.

The bottles though, have you tried minbie (spelling?) Bottles? I haven't tried myself but I've heard great things about them for ebf babies. Or try the normal tommee tippee sippy cups. Maybe I'm an idiot but I struggle getting anything out of those 360 cups myself, let alone as a baby.

soberexpat · 08/02/2018 10:34

Mine had almost zero interest until 7 months despite showing signs.

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