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Original poster

Does ANYONE out there have a baby that won't eat solids AT ALL ?!

14 replies

madgirl · 14/03/2005 21:31

please can someone, anyone, reassure me on this? ds2 is 8 months and since he was 6 months has only really eaten sth other than milk for around 2 weeks (around 3/4 weeks ago). HV said cut down milk to make him hungry for solids (like i hadn't really thought of that so i tried it but he just gets beside himself and it doesn't make any difference. short of prising his mouth open, i can't see what to do about it. i have tired virtually every food group and consistency possible (including finger food and dodgy petit filou - bad mummy) and nothing, but nothing gets passed his lips. he just wants milk. part of me thinks, he'll do it in his own time, every child is different etc etc but i can't help worrying...........HELP!

OP posts:

dinny · 14/03/2005 21:50

Hi, Madgirl . Sorry, nothing constructive to say except I don't think you should worry too much. After all, their main source of nutrition for the first 12 months is milk (I think I read on Mumsnet!)

newyearmum · 14/03/2005 22:01

I have no personal experience of this but I can't help thinking that as long as he's getting the nutrients he needs (which he is from milk) then getting involved in constant highchair battles will only cause problems in the long run (and stress you out no end).

If it were me, I think I'd make sure he's given his bottles while you/dp/other family sit round the table and eat your food, so he can watch you. Continue to make the food available to him but don't make an issue out of it.

I imagine curiosity will eventually get the better of him if he is constantly brought to a table where other people are eating. Good luck!

lockets · 14/03/2005 22:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

HUNKERMUNKER · 14/03/2005 22:07

He's old enough to 'join in' family mealtimes - offer him bits of food each time you eat, but don't battle with a spoon with him.

Good things to offer are toast, steamed veg, pieces of fruit, pasta (rigatoni and penne are good), pretty much anything 'chip-shaped' to begin with - he'll munch what's sticking out of his fist to begin with as he's unlikely to have developed the skill of opening his palm to get at what's inside (DS only accomplished this at 10 months).

DS has always had lots of finger food - he has his morning porridge from a spoon, but only because he won't put his hands in it

Also sandwiches are good - cream cheese, houmous and grated carrot, Sunwheel pear and apple spread (from health food shops, made from concentrate with no added sugar), grated cheese and finely-chopped cucumber, banana.

Just skip the puree/lumpy mush stage - much easier for you and more fun for him!

dinny · 15/03/2005 07:45

HM, tell me what your ds was having at 6.5 months?

Original poster

madgirl · 15/03/2005 10:26

hunkermunker, have tried all of those things (tho thx for suggestions) with same result i don't believe it's got anything to do with consistency or self feeding. tbh i reckon the only time he gets going on some finger food it's when he can chew on it to relieve the teething pain. i have tried to just go straight onto finger food but hasn't worked. i can't bear to post regularly on my post natal group as am too that is reassuring tho what you guys say about the milk giving them what they need for the first year.
lockets

OP posts:

TracyK · 15/03/2005 10:31

I'd agree - I'm sure in some other countries weaning is suggested to start at 12 mo. He should get all he needs from milk anyway and not worth stressing yourself over it. As NYM says, always feed him his milk at the table as you are all eating too and pop some bits in front of him and see if his curiosity gets the better of him.

Gem13 · 15/03/2005 11:01

Are you breastfeeding? I started DD on solids at 6 months but she only started to eat well at about 11 months. She was only interested in milk although I made food for her every mealtime. Sometimes she would eat something - hurrah! - but then when offered the same magic food the next day wouldn't even try it!

She is now 13 months and eats pretty much everything.

I only realised recently that she lost a pound in a month when she 10/11 months (although they were different scales!). Good thing I didn't realise it at the time or I would have been very worried.

It worked out in the end and even though now she stuffs her face she is going to be a skinny one.

I would keep going with offering food, try not to get stressed and worry again at a year if he still isn't interested.

chocfreeclary · 15/03/2005 11:31

madgirl don?t get stressed about this. Nowadays the advice is to wait until 6 months which many of us have found really hard (including me with DS2); but the other side of the coin is as shown by the following example:
A friend of mine whose dd is now 5.5 thought she had to wean her at 4mths (as that was the advice then); dd was having none of it, they tried and tried and got really stressed, till finally she got going on finger food and bits of grown-up food at about 8-9mth iirc.
Their second DD was weanedmuch later, ie nothign at all till 6 mth and then only what she would take.
what I am trying to say is that babies are different and Iwd takethe good advice on here re offering him food/eating with all of you etc. I am sure he will get the hang of it.
BTW why is petit filou dodgy? Is it the sugar?

TracyK · 15/03/2005 11:35

yes petit filous is choc full of sugar - not surprisingly babies usually love it!

HUNKERMUNKER · 15/03/2005 12:08

I did hear that they were going to recommend starting solids from 6-9 months, but realised that the British public wouldn't go for it Please don't worry, madgirl - I'm sure your DS is getting all he needs for now from milk. Just keep offering him bits, be very cool about whether he eats them or not and one day I'm sure he'll surprise you.

Hi Dinny (will email you soon!), DS was having almost nothing at 6.5 months. It was only really at about 8 months that he ate in any appreciable amount. Now he eats lots (11 months). How's your little chap? Is he better?

geogteach · 15/03/2005 19:39

DD was like this, just offered occasionally and she eventually got into finger food (brocilli mainly, strange child), only ate off a spoon at 10 months. Now 21 months and eats much better than her older brother. Currently DS2 is 5 months and i'm in no hurry at least this way I miss the stress of the puree stage.

Original poster

madgirl · 15/03/2005 20:42

thank you thank you thank you. i hereby promise to post on any thread similar to this (ie requesting major reassurance!) in the future. i swore with ds1 that i would not do this with ds2/dd1 but here i am ................
and thanks again!
esp. geogtech for saying she had a child LIKE THIS

OP posts:

piffle · 15/03/2005 20:49

my large ds (now 11 ) but when we was "supposed" to wean, he simply refused to entertain food until 9 mths when he plucked a french fry of my mums mcdonalds plate and since then he has pretty much eaten everything.
Curiousity will get him, if you eat next to him and ignore him and do not offer hi, you may find he cannot help himself
Geogteach OMG last time I saw you (Godstone Farm), you were a little bit pregnant 5 mths old baby ?? NOOO waYYYY!!!

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