Weaning

[preggersteach]

After some advice or just words of experience I guess if anyone can offer any. I have been weaning my little boy now for nearly 4 weeks and it is an uphill struggle to get him to have any food whatsoever. I know there is this whole 'food fun before one' or whatever but it is really starting to get me down. He will play a bit with food in front of him but generally it goes no where near his mouth. If I try and spoon feed him he clamps his mouth shut and turns his head away. We are being really positive and fun around meal times and sitting eating with him but I just feel like we are getting no where and obviously all the babies around us are eating everything in sight. I want to keep him in a good routine and try and feed him when we are out but I'm so worried about doing it as I know he won't I just don't see the point. Has anyone had a similar long experience of weaning? Please tell me it gets better and soon!

It's a brand new skill so it takes a while to learn, it's all development.

My LO is a spoon refuser so we did BLW which was great for us. I found he would fuss a lot if I was being encouraging and looking at him all the time so I'd often pop him in the kitchen with something to gnaw on and I'd get on with emptying the dishwasher or making dinner (whilst obviously checking him a lot for choking!). Take the pressure off and just give simple things to try. I know a lot of people start with three meals but it's ok to just give one or two depending on what you're doing. I rarely fed mine out and about in the early months of weaning because of the mess (so much mess!) but he'd be happy with some milk and a baby crisp or two!

Mine needs entertaining or he won’t eat. A toy car and a sing song, a spoon he can bang, or even a cartoon on tv. He was 1 before he could reliably put food in his mouth by himself. BLW didn’t suit him for that reason. And annoyingly he would open his mouth for shop bought pouches but wouldn’t have any of my lovingly prepared blended food!

Food before one is not just for fun they still get nutrients even from just tasting I hate that old saying. Blw may suit your child or tw may. I done blw as it helpws my son with see sensory which he loves and he eats everything at 18.5 months. I oh done blw as have one kid and am part of a group of Facebook won't loads of people who help and encouragement it

I'm in the process of weaning too (8mo baby). I'd say it took 6 weeks to feel like she was actually eating anything; she was not initially keen on spoons at all. Quite liked a brocolli floret to smush from early on but very little actually went in.

I really had to lower my expectations about quantities, willingness to engage etc. It is a process- the nhs guidance in Scotland is to move towards 3 meals a day by 8-9 months. So you are still in early days. (So am I!)
Mine likes finger food to play with while we try to shovel spoons of food in; also to have some control of the spoons. And plate. And my head by means of grabbing hair when I go to retrieve spoons and plates that have been dropped.
It's also not easy to get the timing right I think- too hungry thet want milk, too tired they'll not be interested in food, too full they won't be bothered, jupiter misaligned etc. Try slightly tweaking timings maybe? I went a bit laterr for breakfast and earlier for lunch which might have helped a bit or might just have been coincidence.
Try not to worry about the othee babies (easier said than done). For all you know, their mummies are looking at you going "wow babypreggersteach is so good at sitting up/babbling/whatever, mine is not doing so well". It is really hard though.
If you take a look at the weaning boards there are loads of helpful people and good threads.

DD barely ate a thing before about 10 months. She just wasn't interested. As time went one, she would taste stuff but it mostly got dribbled out again and it was only tiny amounts that went in in the first place.

It's very easy for me to say now, with a 2.5 year old fish finger fiend, but try not to worry. Four weeks is nothing! Some of them are just slow to get it. Keep giving him bits and eventually he'll get it. It just might take a while.

Thanks for all the advice!

A few weeks ago I honestly could have written your message the same! My little one (then 5.5 months) refused everything offered to her, clamped her mouth shut and turned her head away and chucked everything on the floor. Basically everything I made/gave her ended up in the bin and most days I ended up in tears through frustration. BUT I persevered and decided to try Blw... I put random things on her tray and I sat down with a coffee and let her get on with it. If she didn't eat it, I simply chucked it in the bin and tried again the next day. She is now 7 months and eats EVERYTHING I put in front of her. Maybe she wasn't ready to be weaned or maybe it was a phase but hang on in there and stay calm its really not worth the upset or worry. I think as mum's we are so eager for our babies to reach these milestones that it can cause unnecessary stress! Little one will eat when ready, promise :) xx