Baby weaning trouble

[glueandstick]

My nearly 8 month old and I have come to a standstill. Won't accept a spoon, only eats wafers, hates food.

Happily eats anything that isn't edible and will munch through fistfuls of herbs if you let. And bread.

I'm at my wits end. What can I do?!

If they won't accept a spoon then finger food is the way to go. Have you tried much of it? How do they get on if you give them spears of broccoli or similar?

Wave it around and throw it on the floor unfortunately.

Best piece of advice I've had so far is 'pretend to be a space ship instead of a train' I nearly decked them.

Tried endless finger foods. Everything apart from crackers is met with disdain.

That and chocolate cake (not intentional.....)

Unfortunately you just have to persist. He's probably teething which makes eating uncomfortable and I think affects appetite.
Just keep going with the spoon and finger foods, some of it will go in and he will relent eventually! I don't mean force feeding, just offering at meal times as usual.
It's a pain in the arse knowing it will mostly go in the bin but in my experience they do grow out of this annoying phase.
It might also be worth considering reducing his milk a bit - my HV advised me to do this but you may want to discuss with your HV or GP

There is light at the end of the tunnel then?

Th HV suggested petit filous. Which would be fine apart from the sugar content and the milk allergy. Milk free yoghurts shouldn't be given to under 1's apparently.

It's so damn frustrating. Today is end of tether day. I suppose no baby will starve themselves.

Remember he's still getting what he needs from milk. Try not to panic.
Some stuff that's going down well here:
Sweet veg (butternut, sweet potato) chips
Quesadilla strips
Veg soup dipped bread

We're doing baby led so only finger food with the odd loaded spoon.
Do they enjoy the highchair?

Id try and keep it fun (even though it's stressful!)

Lots of finger foods yes, and also everything you have, and let him play. Do you try with him sat on your lap? DD is much more interested in what's on my plate even if she has exactly the same on hers. Or we put a towel down and have an indoor picnic.

She is now 13 months, and while she has always nibbled everything and enjoyed food and meal times she's only just started eating any big quantity. Some just take a bit longer I think.

I was lucky with DS1 - he ate everything -then along came fussy pants DS2. Our dining room ended up covered in food he threw. He still is very particular in what he will and won't eat so I think it is just part of who he is. We did baby led weaning with all three DS. So..

try and remember that they get all the nutrients from milk so until they are 1yrs old whatever goes in is a bonus

put a small amount on the tray in front of them (similar to what you are eating) and leave them to it. At the end of the meal tidy up until the next meal / snack.

don't let them know that you care about what they eat. If you get stressed they will pick up on it and meal times will become increasingly difficult

look at food they have eaten over a week and not a day and certainly not a meal

keep trying the same thing even if they refuse it

keep trying new foods (fussy DS2 now likes kidney beans but still refuses peas - weird child!)

present foods in different ways

let them eat off your plate (as long as it has not got gravy/salt/stock etc)

I do think that some children are a lot less receptive to food but they get there in the end.

Spread stuff on bread

Peanut butter
Cream cheese
Humous
Tuna mayo
Chocolate Hazelnut spread
Birds Potted Meat (.... mmmm Birds Potted Meat. It's the loveliest thing ever!)
Sardines

Hi, haven't read the whole thread but wanted to say I went through the exact same thing. Are you bf or bottle? I had to restrict bf by day in the end and mine is now 11 months and still eats like a bird but is actually eating more than wafers now and just about getting enough food! All started for us after an illness, before 8 months she was doing well with baby-led weaning, then hardly touched a thing until 10months! If weight isn't a problem for your lo (mine dropped from 8th back down to 2nd percentile but peadiatritian wasn't worried) then try not to worry and don't get stressed at mealtimes as it'll make it worse. I found doing "picnic" meals on the sitting room floor helped - I could pop finger food in her mouth while she was distracted with toys! Also anytime you're together and you're snacking be prepared to share! Hang in there and try not to worry!

Thanks for all the advice.

Dinner has been replaced by cashew butter on toast and a little has made it in.

I think teething might be a real issue.... It has been on and off for months but no tooth as yet. Gah.

The other issue is just not getting the hang of a sippy cup. This kid can steal a phone from your pocket and does all sorts of things that pretty amaze me. But a sippy cup? One step too far apparently. Any tips for that.

No one told me parenting would be this frustrating.

Oh- bottle fed. Pretty much dropping 2 feeds a day now but not worried about weight as is a... Robust child. Over 99th centile for length and weight. Perfect size for an 11 month old. Sigh.

Just finished off a bag of organix sweetcorn rings- utterly delicious. Think I like baby food more than the baby.

Oh it gets more frustrating. She's putting the toast in my mouth. Not hers. This child will be the end of me. 8 months going on 18 years, an utter criminal mastermind.

I've found a munchkin cup (£5 online or asda) a game changer, no spills and they can drink anywhere round the edge. Seems to fox most adults that try it though, baby no problems! Also, the kiddylicious veggie straws good for increasing interest in food- not many calories though, sadly. Hope that helps and eating clicks soon with your little one.

Did you say munches herds? My friend found that his son loved a certain herb and used to just sprinkle it over everything then just slowly added less.

Second the munchkin 360 cup. You can get it with or without handles. It is the best thing ever and my DS much prefers it to normal sippy cups. He worked out how to use it (by just sucking on the edge to release the non-drop seal) really quickly - I was really surprised and have recommended it to everyone I know.

And if he munches herbs it might be that te food you're offering is a bit bland, even though it is the 'recommended' food for babies. My DS has always responded better to food with lots of flavour.

Quick update!

Thanks for all your advice. I sacked off baby food the other day for the day and just gave her my food.

Chomped down a quarter of a crumpet, marmite on toast and spag Bol. Now I know it's a dislike of baby mush, we can get cracking (and perhaps have something a little healthier!!!)

That's brilliant! That must be such a weight off your shoulders. And isn't it a delight to see them enjoying proper food. Have fun!