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Infant feeding

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

7 month old only eating solids?

20 replies

pumpkin2022 · 29/09/2022 22:24

My baby was born at 34 weeks and has always been fussy with his formula (for cows milk allergy) (never managed to breastfeed) it got to the point we had to start forcing him because he was on 9th percentile and wasn’t drinking enough or at all. It has got harder to do this as he’s got older and he’s now 7 months old and has basically weaned himself off the bottle as he eats a lot of solids but will not drink his formula. I have tried everything. Yes I offer it before his solids. I had tried adding things to the formula to make it taste nice etc etc.
Will it harm my 7 month old if he only ate solids and not having formula?

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pumpkin2022 · 29/09/2022 22:27

I should mention, he has always been gaining weight/never lost it, (still following 9th percentile tho, but he’s a preemie) and despite him only consuming small amounts of formula his entire life, it doesn’t seem to effect him and he still seems really happy, I’ve taken him to hospital many times and his observations and all have been good too.

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Cm078 · 29/09/2022 22:38

I would contact your HV on this. Its my understanding they need it until at least 1 year old. My boy wasn't a fan but not of solids either. I can't remember now what they advised but it's definitely worth speaking with them about

RandomMess · 29/09/2022 22:41

2 of my 4 ditched milk for solids quite quickly after weaning at 6 months.

If he has allergies it's quite possible that the formula still bothers him/associates it with pain and discomfort.

Just focus on a balanced meal that provides him the nutrients he needs at that age. You can't force feed him formula.

LovingLifesHurdles · 29/09/2022 22:49

Have you tried hiding some formula in his solids? Like in his mash or in a smoothie? Wouldn't be huge amounts but some at least.

Definitely would discuss this with a GP before giving up completely though.

pumpkin2022 · 30/09/2022 02:22

Hi! Yes I did I add a few scoops of formula to his solid food but enough so he couldn’t taste it’s in there I try anything possible to get him to have the nutrients from the formula but it’s a tricky one, however, he prefers sucking from the pouches so I can’t add scoops to that😢 but thank you for your advice I will contact my HV and GP

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Pizzaandsushi · 30/09/2022 20:27

A lot of cmpa babies aren’t that fussed about milk. My little boy is exactly the same and honestly I don’t know what he lived off the first 6 months of his life because I swear it wasn’t formula! My stress and anxiety probably 😂 and he somehow always put on weight.
when we started weaning he took to it like he’s been eating his whole life.
The whole food before one is JUST for fun is not quite true and the infant feeding team at my hospital hate that saying. They prefer food before one SHOULD be fun and if he is enjoying his food then great.
At 6 months a baby’s iron stores are nearly depleted and formula/breast milk does not have enough, so as long as you feed him a balanced, nutritious diet you should be fine. The only thing I would check is whether you need to give him a multi-vitamin. I think it’s recommended for all babies that when they get below a certain number of ounces (15 a day I think) they need a multivitamin.
we put his formula in things like mash, even fruit puree for ready brek/weetabix all made with neocate so he keeps his ounces up without having to drink too much from the bottle.
Have you tried giving formula in a cup instead btw? It may be the bottle he’s not keen on.

addler · 30/09/2022 20:32

In the majority of babies milk is more important than food because they don't often eat enough solids to get enough calories to grow.

This isn't always the case, if he's not drinking enough milk no matter what you do, and is actually taking to solids quite well then there's not really much else you can do.

It would be a good idea to keep a track of his weight and as long as he's following his curve that's the most important thing.

The blue Oatly milk is often the recommended follow on milk for CMPA babies after formula, you could try that. Also multivitamins to make sure he's getting what he needs.

pumpkin2022 · 30/09/2022 23:38

Hi, thank you for your reply it has been so much help! He is only receiving around 5/6 ounces a day IF we are lucky but there’s been days he’s had none just solid food. He’s always drank the bare minimum but nobody (health professionals) I have spoken to have ever mentioned about multi-vitamins if drinking under 15 ounces a day because if that’s the case he should have been having them a long time ago, and I feel like they have been neglectful then In not telling me about this information to help me help my son the best I can. Im not very familiar with Mumsnet. Is this just a UK thing or US also? If so I’m from the UK and I don’t know if the information would be different here? Any how, I also add is formula to his food where I can! But lately he’s been so into the pouches (sucking right from it) and I can’t add the formula to that😢 I truly feel defeated

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pumpkin2022 · 30/09/2022 23:39

pumpkin2022 · 30/09/2022 23:38

Hi, thank you for your reply it has been so much help! He is only receiving around 5/6 ounces a day IF we are lucky but there’s been days he’s had none just solid food. He’s always drank the bare minimum but nobody (health professionals) I have spoken to have ever mentioned about multi-vitamins if drinking under 15 ounces a day because if that’s the case he should have been having them a long time ago, and I feel like they have been neglectful then In not telling me about this information to help me help my son the best I can. Im not very familiar with Mumsnet. Is this just a UK thing or US also? If so I’m from the UK and I don’t know if the information would be different here? Any how, I also add is formula to his food where I can! But lately he’s been so into the pouches (sucking right from it) and I can’t add the formula to that😢 I truly feel defeated

@Pizzaandsushi

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Pizzaandsushi · 01/10/2022 03:09

I just checked and although it’s only a recommendation, it’s a UK thing and mentioned a couple of times on the NHS website (photos attached) that if your baby drinks less than 500 ml (16-17 ounces) a multivitamin of A, C and D is recommended. Especially vitamin D with the winter months coming up and less sunlight.
I believe Superdrug sell the specific NHS Healthy Start vitamins but I’m sure supermarkets and other places will sell their own version.
I’m sorry no healthcare professional has told you this!
Regarding the pouches, is that the only way he’ll eat them or will he eat them from a spoon? Again be careful as if your baby has teeth, eating straight from the pouch may cause tooth decay. Also although it’s not a huge problem atm, eating straight from the pouch is preventing him from practicing appropriate oral skills and learning how to close his mouth around a utensil or learn how to chew etc.
If he will eat from a spoon, could you try 50/50 pouch and say mashed potato/squash/sweet potato made with formula and gradually decrease pouch content? If he doesn’t like being spoon fed you could try putting it on a plate and letting him stick his hands in it and then in his mouth. He may not eat much but the sensory experience of feeling food is also important (although messy 😩) or you could try weaning spoons like NumNum weaning spoons as they’re designed so baby holds them themselves, learns to use a utensil and can control what they’re putting in their mouth if they don’t like being spoon fed. You do have to put food on them but then hand the spoon to them and that allows them to decide if they want it or not. An effort I know but worth it in the long run to help them self feed.

7 month old only eating solids?
7 month old only eating solids?
pumpkin2022 · 01/10/2022 04:15

@Pizzaandsushi Thank you again for the advice! He does take food from a spoon but at the moment just taken quite a fancy to the pouches but he will take it off a spoon but I didn’t realise about the tooth decay😦 he has two front teeth I definitely don’t want them decaying! Thank you so much for this information 😭 and I’m going to make more of a effort for him to take it off a spoon more often then. I’m going to ring my dr tomorrow and ask if they think I should give my baby multi vitamins then and see what they have to say

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Pizzaandsushi · 01/10/2022 05:24

No problem! I really wouldn’t worry too much though. It sounds like he’s a happy baby that’s taken to food well and really enjoying it which is great! It was such a relief for us when our baby started weaning and we didn’t have to rely on formula anymore.

RandomMess · 01/10/2022 09:37

Try and give him protein and calorie dense food.

Those special formulas are particularly rank and he will associate it with tummy pain and "force" feeding so I'm not surprised he's embracing solids.

Keep on, you are doing a great job it's so hard when there has been feeding issues since birth Flowers

Twizbe · 01/10/2022 09:44

Do you have a dietician?

My son has CMPA and was a skinny thing (still is) we weaned early because of his weight and allergies.

We did baby rice made with his formula with some jam or fruit purée mixed in for breakfast. It was basically another formula feed. He was ok with his bottles but only had 2 a day (was breastfed the rest of the time)

By 7 months he'd dropped 1 milk feed in favour of food and by 10 months he was down to 2 milk feeds.

Some ideas - swap the bottle for a sippy cup with formula in. He might prefer it.

Use foods like avocado and peanut butter to get high good fat foods into him.

Add a multi vitamin into his pudding. Give coconut yoghurt with fruit purée mixed in as well.

Cm078 · 01/10/2022 11:16

pumpkin2022 · 30/09/2022 23:38

Hi, thank you for your reply it has been so much help! He is only receiving around 5/6 ounces a day IF we are lucky but there’s been days he’s had none just solid food. He’s always drank the bare minimum but nobody (health professionals) I have spoken to have ever mentioned about multi-vitamins if drinking under 15 ounces a day because if that’s the case he should have been having them a long time ago, and I feel like they have been neglectful then In not telling me about this information to help me help my son the best I can. Im not very familiar with Mumsnet. Is this just a UK thing or US also? If so I’m from the UK and I don’t know if the information would be different here? Any how, I also add is formula to his food where I can! But lately he’s been so into the pouches (sucking right from it) and I can’t add the formula to that😢 I truly feel defeated

Hey, yes there are lots of multi vitamins you can buy so look for the age appropriate ones. My HV told me they should take it until around 5 years old. My DS doesn't eat vegetables and not much meat etc so i use well baby. It has 14 different vitamins, you can get them from the chemist or supermarkets. Lots of choice! 😊

pumpkin2022 · 03/10/2022 23:35

@Twizbe hi thank you for your reply it means a lot. I’ve tried adding scoops of formula into his food wherever possible and try to give him foods with a balanced diet each day.
he drinks very well from a sippy cup but drinks water very well from it, as soon as I’ve put milk in it he takes one sip and then it’s the same “
he refuses it and fights once again😭
since this post I have bought some multi vitamins as I didn’t know I could give it to him before. Do you have any other foods that you recommend in particular? He is veryyy skinny and slim and I want him to gain more weight x

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RandomMess · 04/10/2022 07:48

My youngest was very slim despite starting out at 90+ centile for weight she dropped steadily and by 11 months had self weaned from breastfeeding completely and was 75th centile for height and 20th for weight. It's is just her build she's still very slim at 17.

Focus on whether he is thriving - wet and dirty nappies, bright & alert, interested in his environment/toys (very limited at that age), communicates with you by crying, sleeping within normal parameters.

Have you tried him with oat milk?

Will he eat blended chicken?

Twizbe · 04/10/2022 09:13

Best foods for healthy weight gain we used were;

Avocado
Peanut butter
Coconut yoghurt
Eggs
And our dietician told us to mix a tea spoon of olive oil into any pouches he had (he didn't like this though.

Try the baby rice with formula for breakfast or use his formula on weetabix. That will count as another milk feed

Cm078 · 04/10/2022 11:34

I second formula on weetabix/porridge. You can get a fair bit into weetabix if you leave it to soak and keep topping it up.
Did you contact hv? I'd be interested to know what they said as you can't force them to have formula but they stress they need it.

ComebackQueen · 05/10/2022 16:04

My son was on allergy milk then reflux milk.

Loved his milk until he was 8 weeks old then suddenly stopped feeding.

Hospital believed it to be cows milk allergy, we paid for a private paediatric assessment and it was ‘severe reflux’.

once we started weaning, the son never took milk again unless it was in his food.

both HV and GP said it was fine as long as we added in a good multivitamin that contained vitamin D.

my son was born below the 10th percentile, dropped to 7th and now on 10th again since weaning.

make sure you include dairy in the diet.

i was mixing his formula into his porridge and eggs.

sometimes I could get a bottle into him after a bath when he would guzzle 9oz but not every time he was bathed would he play ball.

I made sure I included egg and yogurt as the HV advised and offer the bottle upon waking and bed as advised but told not to stress if he didn’t take it.

weirdly, my son refuses cows milk and just turned one years old.

he will never say no to yogurt though!

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