8 month old will not take solids or bottle…

[Dogmum20]

Hi everyone,

Just after a bit of advice please, my 8 month old will not take a bottle - as in, will go hungry and scream until she is bf. And is also not taking solids.
I find it strange as my only point of reference is my first child who was also bf but loved everything about food from the moment she had her first bite of baby porridge at 6 months old. She also took a bottle no problem despite being in lockdown and being exclusively bf.

So I’m struggling to work out what to do really… going back to work next month and had intended for her to be on the bottle by then, and also figured she’d be eating purées at least by then so she would be fine at nursery. But I’m now getting increasingly concerned that she is going to struggle at nursery…

With regards to the bottle, has anyone skipped this and gone straight to a cup? She does take sips of water from a cup, so I could try milk in that? Although I feel like that’s making her grow up too quickly and I’ll miss her being a baby and bottle-feeding 😞, but needs must I suppose…!

With regards to solids, should I be concerned at she is slow to develop and speak to a HV or GP? She is just not interested in anything on a spoon, will clamp her mouth shut, finger food she picks up and will put in her mouth but sort of holds it in the front of her mouth before doing a very over the top wretch, like she’s choking (despite nothing ever getting that far back..).
I don’t know if it’s to do with swallowing, as she has always had a very shallow latch and swallows a LOT of air when breastfeeding, could there be a physical issue that is stopping her swallowing food…?

If anyone has any experience or advice I’m all ears 😊

TIA x

Have you had her checked for tongue tie?

Have you had her checked for tongue tie?

That was my first thought too.

Have a read of The Hidden Cause of Feeding Problems (however you feed your baby).

@PritiPatelsMaker thanks for this! Never even occurred to me as she can stick her tongue out no problem, but she has a lot of the symptoms mentioned. Will investigate…
Thank you!!

Our DS had TT. Terrible trouble with getting him to take anything other than BM, solids, sleep was horrific too.

Definitely worth speaking to your HV or GP to see whether a referral to a speech therapist would be worthwhile. I’m the meantime no reason why she can’t take milk from a cup. Have you tried someone else giving her a bottle when you’re not there?

It could be a physical thing. However my DS1 didn’t eat until about 14 months old. We went to his one year check and they asked how weaning we going and I said he ate nothing yesterday but we got no help.
I think he just really liked milk because in the end I just completely cut out two feeds in the day and he was forced to eat. He still wouldn’t eat textures though and was on baby purée for months. Now he is a completely normal 5 year old and eats most things! My second DS weaned at 5 months and refused milk so 🤷‍♀️

Thanks everyone

@PritiPatelsMaker what happened with your DS, did you get the tongue tie cut? At what age?
I don’t know what they will do at 8 months? Isn’t it a bit late to diagnose?

@Chunkymonkey123 ahh that’s bad that you got no help and had to cut out feeds to get him to eat, but I’m glad he was fine eventually!

@Fleur405 yes, she won’t take the bottle from my husband or the grandparents either, when I’m around or not around… 🤷‍♀️ Just told the teat between her lips and dribbles it out the side of her mouth then turns away.

Sounds like checking re tongue tie is sensible but it you're only just trying to introduce a bottle it's not unusual they will flat out refuse it. I know of many people who have had the same issue. You either have to persist with trying to introduce it and ride out some crying (she won't starve herself, you're just not holding out long enough) or go for an alternative.

If she drinks from a cup I can't see a reason to not go straight for this? They advise bottles should be ditched at 1 year anyway (although many continue beyond this - us included)!

Re weaning, definitely don't worry. It's totally normal to not be doing much at 8 months. It took until 10 months for our baby to get going and she's progressed really well now. Don't stress about it, just keep offering at regular mealtimes, mix of purées and finger food to see what she prefers and don't make a fuss over her not eating. She'll get there.

@Dogmum20 I don’t have any experience with your specific issue OP but just wanted to reassure you that it’s absolutely fine to skip the bottle stage and move straight to cup 😊 it’s recommended that no bottles are used by 1 year old anyway 😊 DS went off bottles at about 9/10 months and we just moved straight to cup. HV and dentist recommendation was for either a normal open beaker, free flow sippy cups like these Tommee Tippee ones, or a straw cup with a short straw and no valve like the Tum Tum Tots ones 😊

Meant to leave you pics of the ones they recommended 😊 We also tried the Doidy beaker which worked better for DS when he was maybe 12-14months or so

Thanks so much everyone :)!!

I think at 8 months it would be fine to skip bottle as you’d want to be weening her off it soon anyway wouldn’t you? My baby is 5 month and won’t take bottle anymore (breastfed). I’m going to try cups soon as I want to combi feed and ween off breastfeeding by end of year. I’d rather go straight to cup than waste loads of money trying out various bottles to find one he will take.

with regards to food I would ask HV for some more structured advice but some thoughts are:
Are you buying or making food? Have you tried finger food rather than mushed up? She might not like the texture of mushed food maybe.
Are you only trying the food once then giving up or trying it again a few days later? I had my HV out last week for advice on food as I won’t see her again till near 9 month so I wanted to get advice now before we start solids. She was very helpful I found.

what happened with your DS, did you get the tongue tie cut? At what age?
I don’t know what they will do at 8 months? Isn’t it a bit late to diagnose

We never had it divided but wish we had.

I didn't find out about TT until I joined FB when I was PG with DC2. I think there was a Dentist that did older babies and DC but don't know if they still do. We had years of sleepless nights and SLT, not to mention the problems with feeding.

A Tongue Tie Practitionerr* will be able to diagnose and talk you through your options

She doesn't have to take a bottle at all ever, babies can drink from cups/syringes/spoons from birth so an 8 month old can absolutely just drink from a cup and not a bottle. But no harm having her checked for posterior tongue tie too.

Just by way of an update -
HV said they wouldn’t operate a tongue tie unless it’s affecting weight which it isn’t 🙄.
But suddenly things have clicked, she went from not touching anything on Sunday to eating everything I gave her by Wednesday 👍
We are working on milk in a cup but when Mummy is around, a cup will not do…
Thank you everyone