Any-one had a baby who was slow to like solids and it turned out fine.

[LemonRobin]

The health visitors say baby should be on 3 meals at 9 months but she just isnt interested.
She would occasionally open her mouth happily for spoon feeding but hasnt even done that for a month and has stopped putting food in her mouth herself. BLW has had zero success, she just plays with the food.
Does any-one have a baby who just took to solids late and everything was fine? I’d love to here some reassuring stories.
Seeing community health worker about it but tried everything they’ve suggested.

My daughter didn't eat her first meal until 13 months and she was 20 months before we she ate enough to wean her off formula. She needed food and formula to gain weight. On just breastmilk/formula she gained very little from 7 months. It was only when she started eating at 13 months that she started gaining again. Between 1 and 2 she tumbled down the height charts from 25th for length at 1 to 1st for height at 2. Her weight was ok at 25th-50th at 2.
She was under paeds and dieticians as well as seeing her HV regularly due to multiple food allergies and severe silent reflux and they weren't concerned and said she would get there. We kept offering foods and eventually something clicked. She's 4 now and eats ok. Sometimes she can go days with 1 meal but also there are days when she has 2 breakfasts followed by 2 lunches!

My DD was also very slow to take to proper food. It took her until she was about 11 months (she was EBF until 6 months). She just didn't seem to understand that actually swallowing the food - as opposed to just playing with it in her mouth before spitting it out - might fill her tummy in the same way as milk. It took about five months before the penny finally dropped. She's been a brilliant and adventurous eater ever since though.

One of mine wasn't yet eating when she started nursery at 13.5 months. She had reflux and would just be sick. I expressed milk until she was 2 and she was okay after that. She's at secondary school now and constantly starving!

DS was BF and much preferred milk to anything, with the exception of strawberries.
He's now a strapping teen and eats constantly.

Sitting has been good since we started at 6 months so it isnt that.
Ikea(which doesnt look comfy but she play happily in it). Have also tried sitting her on my lap and she does grab my food, just doesnt put it in her mouth!

Thanks for all these messages. It is really reassuring to see that it is so common and to hear all the positive stories!

Mine not bothered til he was about 13 ish months and starting nursery. He's now 2 and doesn't stop eating 🤣

Yep. Ate nothing until way past his first birthday and was hugely picky and fussy all through childhood.

Suddenly aged 13 he became amazingly adventurous. The only thing he won't eat now is potato. His favourite things are spicy curries, squid and octopus.

He's also been diagnosed as autistic. He has other sensory issues and I genuinely think it's taken a lot of time and patience for him to become comfortable with a lot of smells and textures.

Mine had no interest in food for ages, wouldn't even play with it - saw Health Visitor at 9 months and she wasn't too concerned.

Something clicked at around 10 months and he started accepting some baby rice, and things progressed quite quickly after that - think we were on 3 meals a day by 11 months.

I don't think it's uncommon, even though it may feel like every other baby you see is feeding themselves a variety of finger foods at 6 months!

Don't worry about it 9 months is still young. As long as she is drinking milk and gaining weight she'll get there with solid food.
HVs love to tell you things your baby "should" be doing but babies are individuals and don't all do everything at the same pace

My youngest wasn't all that interested while she was still breastfeeding - I gave her small amounts daily but it was more like an extra little snack rather than a meal.

I weaned her at 18 months. She had a great appetite as a child and liked most foods other than cheese. Now as an adult she loves food and is a great cook, so I think it worked out okay. 🙂

DS has never had a big appetite. He had a tiny amount of cereal, half a slice of bread and butter, half a sausage roll and half a small cupcake all day yesterday. He swam constantly for an hour. Played football, ran around, he's rarely sat still and is 95th centile for his size. He's 3. He's always been big and active and always barely eaten. His energy in vs energy out defies physics.

In his baby group was a little girl who wouldn't put anything in her mouth at all. She barely entertained food until she was 2, she's fine.

Kids don't follow guidelines, they just live to fuck with your head. If your kid is growing and not lethargic, just keep offering and they'll be fine.

We had an hell of a job to persuade our daughter to take anything but milk and purées until she was around 12 months.

Within a year, she was sitting in a high chair at table in restaurants wolfing down our smoked salmon and Coq au vin 😁

29 now, she’ll eat pretty much anything and is a really good cook.

Our son was much the same. At 2, it would take him a morning to eat a small bowl of cheerios. At primary school, he was given a golden ticket by kitchen staff if he managed to eat half of his meal before lunch was finished.

21 now, he cooks us chicken satay and authentic carbonara.

Weaning isn’t about having 3 meals at 8/9 months. Heck mine weren’t interested in much for ages, 2 breastfed were the worst, but now 19 and 13 and eat me out of house and home, but didn’t really take to solids until after a year. My eldest was weaned at 4mo (23 as were guidelines then) and he really only had a little babyrice and banana porridge but loved his food early on. No3 was a fussy boy and had terrible problems with his tummy once sorted (probiotics) he got better but favoured certain foods and wouldn’t eat others. Now also a total gannet. They are all different and as long as milk is still the main food you can play about with weaning trying new foods etc.

Going through the exact same at the moment, he's 8 and half months. He very recently started enjoying a bowl of ready brek for breakfast but past that's he's not interested. I put food in front of him and he plays with it but not much goes in. He will get there eventually I'm not worried and will just keep offering until it clicks

I haven’t read all replies but my understanding was food before 1 is just for fun, my babies just played with food up until then really, more on the floor than in their tummy (or tipped on their head!)

Yes. I think it's was 10 months before she ate anything. I just gave things to hold like baby crisps.
Now in primary and petite but healthy.

2 of mine weren't that great at weaning. Older one wouldn't eat anything lumpy at all till he was well over a year old. Younger one had the teeniest appetite till he was about 8.

Both adults now and both eat absolutely anything and lots of it!

My DD2 was exactly the same as you describe, (after having DD1 who ate everything with enthusiasm from 6 months)

She's just started eating a decent amount of dinner at 12 months, but still only picks at breakfast or lunch.

It's draining but keep at it, keep offering and she'll get there. Playing with food is a good sign too.

Food before one is for fun but not just for fun. From six months they do need a source of iron as their reserves run out.