7 month old eats around 1-3 babg spoons of food?

[alesha123445]

My 7 month old little girl started on food at 6 months, she was and still is breastfed on demand. I feed her a breakfast, a dinner and snack later on. She demolish the puffers I give her but with food she has a tiny bit and then clamps her mouth shut, then starts blowing raspberries to spit it out. I feel like she ate more food at 6 months old? I buy her baby porridge and shes had every flavour going, for dinner it's a homemade meal like today she had stew (no salt) with lots of lentils and sweet potato to add sweetness, at night she has a baby fruit puree. All of it's just going in the bin and being wasted. I dont want to force her to eat, she tells me what shes full but some babies eat tons.. why is mine eating so little?

Shes 8 months tommorow so she isnt really 7 months anymore

I wouldn’t worry about the amount of food at all.

What I would do is give her meals to feed herself, toast fingers and fruit etc for breakfast, dinner time meals could be chunks of cooked potato and veg and whatever else you are having.

Some children are brilliant eaters, others are woeful. DS is nearly 3 and still pretty rubbish at mealtimes. He's getting better but it used to really worry me and I think he would pick up on my stress levels and it made the whole thing worse.
Try not sweat it too much and keep offering lots of different foods and if she eats, great and if not, just tell yourself she'll get better with food in her own time.

My DD2 started out accepting food from a spoon at 5.5 months but by 7-8 months wouldn't be spoon fed at all so I switched to foods she could feed herself, or yoghurt or fruit in those pouches so she could suck it up herself.

3 kids here, first one ate like a horse from about 5 months but the second two didn’t really enjoy full meals until around 10 months. That’s when food became a source to fill them up but before then they would just pick at bits and sometimes have a meal and other times not be interested. See ‘meals’ as an opportunity to try out new tastes, smells and textures of food rather than to fill her up and it will click into place within time.

You can cook small meals and then freeze into tiny portions so you don’t feel like you’re wasting it all the time.

It’s helpful to remember that “Food under one is jut for fun” and that breastmilk/formula will continue to be her main source of nutrients and calories for a while to come yet.

My daughter didn’t really start eating reliably until she was down to just a bottle morning and night. I wouldn’t worry about it, it’s probably just a phase

but some babies eat tons

You've answered your own questions here.

Some babies eat tons, some don't.

She demolish the puffers I give her but with food

Puffy crisp things? Course she does, they are delicious! Are you giving her finger food or food in the form you would eat? Maybe she doesn't like being spoon fed.

Of course she likes junk food, don't we all? Isn't that the point of the recipe of these extruded corn and oil fake food? It is just Cheetos for babies with no salt.
Do not offer these baby ultra processed because they will build a preference for artificial food.
Be aware that those baby porridge are extremely high in sugar and will determine a preference for sweet taste. This Heinz one for example is one third sugar www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/295474730 it is like filling 1/3 of your baby's spoon with table sugar. Of course she will eat it.
Stop the industrial baby food even if (or especially if) it says healthy on the label.

You can make overnight oats with some blueberries or a mashed banana.

Keep doing what you are doing, alternating with food she can eat herself, maybe a bit of toast dipped in your stew sauce, put a bit of sweet potatoes on a baby fork, and so on.

Food before is NOT just for fun, but it builds taste. There is a window of opportunity because they stop accepting new food, so take advantage.

You can make soups, pumpkin and carrot, a creamy risotto, have her sitting down while you eat your dinner and if she express interest in your plate, offer some to her.

Bin the processed rubbish and baby food, just give her a plate of what you're eating to pick up and explore. It's not about nutrition, it's about texture and motor skills and new tastes - none of which she gets from purees or porridge!

My DD wasn't a big eater early on and would only have been having a few spoons at that age. Her appetite increased gradually but particularly after she stopped BF at 14 months, and has recently increased again at nearly 17 months. Just keep offering a range of things and try not to worry about how much she's having.

Don't offer her the puffy crisps or she will get s tasting for junk food. Offer her porridge and a spoon and see if she wants to dip spoon on and pick off. Offer a cooked carrot or a finger of toast or a teaspoon of cooked garden peas or s chicken nugget chopped up. Let her try to feed herself. She gets all the nutrition she needs from breast milk. Don't get upset or offer her junk or she will become s picky eater.

@caringcarer

Don't offer her the puffy crisps or she will get s tasting for junk food. Offer her porridge and a spoon and see if she wants to dip spoon on and pick off. Offer a cooked carrot or a finger of toast or a teaspoon of cooked garden peas or s chicken nugget chopped up. Let her try to feed herself. She gets all the nutrition she needs from breast milk. Don't get upset or offer her junk or she will become s picky eater.

Please tell me you're not serious?

The ' puffy crisps' are more often than not over 90% just veg with some added water or corn. Hardly junk. I don't think 1 or 2 crisps turns someone into a junk addict; in fact it's often those who are told ' don't have this' then end up wanting more

Both my DC were breastfed, neither ate much in the way of solids until they were about 18 months old. It used to stress me out loads, we tried it all - spoons, pre-loaded spoons, BLW....so many plates of carefully prepared food in the bin. DD had a very sensitive gag reflex on top of all that, so any time anything caught even slightly in her throat she’d throw up, and consequently had less in her when she was removed from the high chair than when she got in.

They’re 6 and 3 now and the 3yo is still fussy sometimes - it does get easier

@caringcarer

Don't offer her the puffy crisps or she will get s tasting for junk food. Offer her porridge and a spoon and see if she wants to dip spoon on and pick off. Offer a cooked carrot or a finger of toast or a teaspoon of cooked garden peas or s chicken nugget chopped up. Let her try to feed herself. She gets all the nutrition she needs from breast milk. Don't get upset or offer her junk or she will become s picky eater.

"Don't give her specifically made baby crisps, give her chicken nuggets!"

Have a think about that one love.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. As others have said just keep offering her small portions of what you are eating.

They all go through phases. DD (19months) has barely eaten anything all day at nursery, just a couple of bits of crumpet and a fruit pot. However she has come home and demolished a big old plate of shepherds pie and a large petit filous for tea. Other days she eats everything they put in front of her.

Sounds a lot like my baby.

It took until 8/9 months for my (also bf on demand) baby to accept any kind of food from a spoon or finger food. And even still now at 10 months she'll only eat what she chooses if she chooses when she chooses 😆

Happy to have a bit of toast and yogurt some days but not much else!!! Then other days she'll wolf down loads of random stuff!

I'm not worried really, I figure her appetite will increase over the next few months.

DC2 and DC4 barely ate a thing until 7 and 8 months respectively. Well DC2 slobbered up a bit of chocolate that had dropped onto my top

Posted that too soon.
DC2 didn't want to be spoon fed at all, he tolerated it for certain foods and he also hated having messy hands!
I used to have to stab everything so he could eat off his fork.

What is she like with her other finger foods at meal times?

@caringcarer

Don't offer her the puffy crisps or she will get s tasting for junk food. Offer her porridge and a spoon and see if she wants to dip spoon on and pick off. Offer a cooked carrot or a finger of toast or a teaspoon of cooked garden peas or s chicken nugget chopped up. Let her try to feed herself. She gets all the nutrition she needs from breast milk. Don't get upset or offer her junk or she will become s picky eater.

Toast= high in added salt

Chicken nugget= Also known as junk food?!?!?!?!? Very processed at best

Trying to get on a high horse here yet suggesting junk to avoid junk

@alesha123445
DS didn't eat a lot at 7-8 mo, although he did discover yoghurt at that age and would let us spoon that allllllllllllllllllllllll day

sugar free with fruit puree (and yes I KNOW fruit contains sugar*

He'd have some of the puffs to keep him busy for a few minutes but otherwise had bits off our plate so sticks of well cooked veggies etc. Didn't actually eat a great deal but would 'explore' it

We didn't bother with baby porridge ( he wouldn't eat any porridge at all til after he turned 2)

FWIW, he's now 3.3yo

He eats proper meals with his parents every night and adores vegetables. He knows they have 'vitamins' to help him grow big and strong.

I didn’t post about the chicken nugget but I think maybe she means a homemade nugget? Pretty easy to make from scratch and no nasties.

Doesn't say that though does it.....

She gets all the nutrition she needs from breast milk.

She doesn't. Food before one is not 'just for fun'.