8mth old only eats toast!!

[Trillian42]

DD is 8mths and used to take purees, though only in small amounts and she was slow to start. She had a bad spell of illness (gastroenteritis followed by an ear & throat infection) and since then is refusing solids. She cried when we tried to give her Ready Brek this morning (though mind you I hate Ready Brek too) But give her a slice of toast with (unsalted) butter and she gets really excited! She loves biting it, then sucking it, and chewing the bits that break off. I got some of the organix flavoured rice cakes & the carrot corn stick things and she tolerates those, but is turning her nose up at sliced banana and things like that.

Any ideas for other similar foods? The creche don't make food (including toast :() so not really sure what I can send with her that she'll eat.

My mum suggested french toast as a way of getting something other than bread and butter into her which I'll try this afternoon, but again I don't think it'd travel well so not really suitable for creche.

Have you tried putting the purees on toast or on a plain rice cake? Otherwise are sandwiches/ filled pitas ok?

Hummus on toast? Breadsticks? Crackers? Oatcakes? What if you put a few other bits of stuff on her tray and didn't comment or try to push them on her, just left them there?

Vegetable sticks - either raw like cucumber or steamed carrot, courgette, brocolli. Does it have to be cold food for the creche? Maybe pasta salad?

Good suggestions, thanks. I'm afraid I can't seem to embrace the BLW route. When I give her the toast now, I hold it because she keeps taking huge bites and gags on it. Seriously, the size bites she takes, an adult couldn't manage. She also doesn't realise when her mouth is full and keeps putting stuff in there! I don't know how you all take that leap to trust that all will be ok and that baby won't choke

She didn't fall for the french toast trick either, but I will try some of your suggestions tomorrow.

MoonUnitAlpha The creche will heat the food, just not prepare it in any other way. They also don't mix formula!

If you don't let her bite and gag on food, she'll never learn how big a mouthful to take though. Babies gag reflex is further forward in their mouths than an adults is apparently, as a safety mechanism when they're learning to eat - if she gags she'll come to realise it's too big or her mouth is too full.

I know what you mean about it being a leap of faith though, I really have to sit on my hands sometimes to stop myself fishing bits of food out of ds's mouth He's gagged but not choked so far - I have done a first aid course though so at least I feel like I know what to do if he does choke.