Nearly nine months and not eating alot

[LauM93]

My baby boy is nearly nine months.
He has refused a spoon every since we have tried feeding him solids.
He will however hold a spoon and sometimes put it in his mouth and take whatever is on the spoon.
When his front teeth came through he started to accept the spoon! But two weeks later he now refuses the spoon and is eating very little.

He does have a hyper sensitive gag reflex, but this has improved loads and I feel now isn't an issue.

The feeding specialist has said by nine months he should be eating 3 meals and on 3 bottles a day.
He is way of that! He has around 5 bottles a day (including night feed) but I always make sure he has solids at least 2 hours after a bottle.

We have done BLW with him due to his refusal of the spoon, or anything we try to put in his mouth for that matter.

I've told the feeding specialist that I feel he needs more time to adjust to solids, but she is wanting me to cut his milk right down to make him hungry for food. But if he refuses a spoon surely he is slightly limited on what solids he can chew and swallow 🤷. My gut tells me keep going, as much as it is very demoralizing, he is only small and will adjust when his need for food outweighs his need for milk.

Just wondered if anyone has gone through this and really for someone to say don't worry this is normal!

I will also add he had a tongue tie as a baby, and we had a terrible start to feeding milk. But after 3 weeks we got into formula and really started to get going.
He's a happy healthy big baby. He has never been a baby that cries for milk.

Thanks for reading.

Yeah, my dd was a terrible eater at that age. She just wasn't interested, and she only ever wanted milk, not food. I worried about it so much, but she did eventually start eating more as she grew bigger.

She's now a young adult and positively thriving. Still not massively interested in food if I'm totally honest - she eats for fuel rather than for enjoyment - but she is the picture of health and has bags of energy!

Hopefully your little boy will find his appetite for solids when he is ready!

I would carry on as you are, but try to slightly reduce the milk if that's what your being advised. Does he eat much finger food? With my first two weaning was at 3-4 months with second two it was 6 months. Mine all learnt to eat, the first 2 were quicker and the second 2 I struggled to get milk into them at 9 months.
With the first 2 I remember giving them bits of broccoli, carrots or potato to keep them quiet whilst I was dishing up, my 2nd two would of struggled with it, and needed more support. All babies are different, my boys were also alot lazier and would take the easy life, unless it benefited them.
Your doing a great job

Finger foods and sit-down meals together as a family where ever possible. It's important he sees you all eating and enjoying it. He doesn't have to have exactly the same as you all but if what you are rating is safe then give him cooled small pieces.

Cut the milk down as suggested and up the finger food variety sit-down with your own meal and enjoy time with him.

My daughter didn't eat her first meal until 13 months and was 20 months before she ate enough to drop bottles. At 10 months she might have 3 or 4 spoonfuls of food over the day. Equally uninterested in spoons and baby led feeding. Her weight gain stopped and she only gained 200g between 7 and 13 months! She needed food and formula to gain weight again.
She has food allergies and reflux so we were under paeds and dieticians and they weren't worried. She got there in the end. She's 4 now and still goes off her food for the slightest reason.

Thought I'd update you all!
So after the NHS feeding specialist refused to listen to my concerns that there is something stopping him from eating, I decided to go privately and thank God I did!

It turns out he had a large anterior tongue tie (he had it snipped at 3 weeks but it had reformed) which means his tongue cannot move and function very well at all. He couldn't move the food around to chew explaining everything that was going on with meal times.

We have had the tongue tie cut, and are now under a London feeding specialist who is amazing, and we are making huge improvements very quickly.

Just wanted to give you an update, and also to make sure mum's trust their gut and don't back down if they feel they are being fobbed off and not listened to.
I repeatedly asked them to examine his mouth, and I kept asking for a tongue tie referral because I thought that was what was causing the issues. Time and time again I was told I'm just a first time mum and he will be ok, and to half the formula intake and cut out the night feed.
I'm so glad I stuck to my guns and trusted my gut, as the poor boy didn't have a chance with the tongue tie and if I had halved his formula he would have been so hungry and unhappy.

I have written and made a formal complaint to the NHS as well.

I have written and made a formal complaint to the NHS as well. goid I'm glad you did if only for the Women and babies to follow.

I was told time and time again that I was being a FTM but mine too had a TT.

There needs to be more Tonge Tie Practitioners within the NHS and those HCP who aren't trained need to listen and refer.

I'm so glad you got it resolved! My baby had a tongue tie that we didn't get sorted because she could feed from a bottle well just not a breast. She is a year old and still not very interested in food, and doesn't eat a lot. I eat with her and she has finger food, I will offer a spoon every now and again. She has 4 or 5 7oz bottles in 24hrs. Ia it the bottles (and effects on mouth) or the milk that is the concern? Nursery remark on how little she eats, the drinks 8-12oz there depending on the day. Apparently I drank milk all day and all night until I was 5!! Is there any harm in baby being more into milk?