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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

My baby will not eat food!

62 replies

fifitot · 18/03/2011 19:56

Forgive me for starting a new thread - I was on another one but can't find it. Essentially my 8m old doesn't eat food. I thought by now he would have settled in to eating but he just has no interest.

He was/is BF but at nursery 4 days pw where he will have a few oz of expressed or formula milk and eats a small lunch but a larger tea as probably starving by then. At home he just wants BFing though! Refuses breakfast and will have a couple of spoonfuls of dinner or tea but basically doesn't want to know. Last weekend he had no food whatsoever!

He will mess with finger food but won't eat it. He BFs about 4-5 times per day and this includes a couple at night. HV tells me to cut down on milk feeding but it's so difficult. If I try and give him food when he wants milk he screams the house down!

I know it takes a while to wean but really at 8m I would have thought some progress would have been made.

Any suggestions for helping him along?

OP posts:
Mrsstam · 29/03/2011 10:08

Hi, I have 9 month old twins and one of them has suddenly starting to refuse to eat any savory food I offer her. She'll eat fruit or yogurt etc but screams the place down when I offer any savory food. My HV tells me not to worry as she gets what she needs from her milk, but you can't help but worry.

Original poster
fifitot · 29/03/2011 19:04

I know I'm stressing. There is a bit of me that just doesn't think it normal for a baby not to eat anything at nearly 9 months old! I know he has a cold now and has had a tiny bit of a tooth grumbling around his gum for a while but this is not all the time.

There is nothing I can do though I know it.

OP posts:
Mrsstam · 29/03/2011 19:24

Well I did the finger food option tonight and served the girls pasta with cherry tomatoes and a side of toast with dairylea on it ( just to cover all bases) and she loved it, not sure how much she and her sister actually ate, which is another issue, but there were no tears and tantrums.
Does your little one like things like yogurt? if his teeth are coming through he might want cold on his gums?? I am sure someone has already suggested that though. Or perhaps try putting a piece of banana in the fridge and letting him suck it...god I'll try anything to get them to eat..Another thing they seem to like is a small piece of pitta bread with some hummus on it..of all things. Anything is worth a try I guess.

Original poster
fifitot · 29/03/2011 19:42

Thanks Mrsstam - some good hints. Think is teeth could be an issue.

Moo - your LOs intake is like a banquet compared to what DS eats!

OP posts:
Alex31 · 29/03/2011 21:17

Thanks so much for this thread! I didn't know about food just being a learning experience until they were a year but it's very reassuring. My daughter is 7m and eats some things sometimes but not 3 meals a day with any regularity. My older daughter was a great eater, eating all sorts by now so I was a little concerned.

Original poster
fifitot · 29/03/2011 21:39

I know - makes you feel a bit better when you realise you are not alone!

OP posts:
MooM00 · 30/03/2011 10:18

I know 3 people in RL who had dc not eat until 9m. It's not that rare but people don't regard it as normal,just a problem.
fi my dc wasn't eating like that 2 weeks ago. She's suddenly managing to swallow stuff rather than chew and spit.

MooM00 · 05/04/2011 09:48

Bumping to see if things are going any better fifitot.

SisterCarrie · 06/04/2011 14:03

This is a relief to read, my DS is 9mo today and has gone from being a v good solids eater - all types of purees, scrambled eggs, mashed potato, a bit of BLW food, to really eating v little.

I've just decided that milk is the priority as he does seem to be taking all (and more) than he did before we started him on solids. He's sleeping better as well since I've been less worried about the food and been ramping up the milk again - went 10hrs last night without waking which is a record.

So I'm just going to chill about the solids, let him take it at his own pace and give him the things he likes best - bolognese sauce, fruit crumble, rice pudding with fruit, baby rice and puree. Back to square one now that he seems to have tried all the tastes - but the milk and sleep are definitely more important than getting him to have dinner and a pudding.

Hope you're feeling a bit better now, OP.

Original poster
fifitot · 07/04/2011 18:22

Thanks for asking! Things are worse I think! He has gone 6 days eating in total 3 tsp of yoghurt, sucked the end of some brocolli stalks and sucked a breadstick. He refuses anything else.

He has BM every 3 hours so assume that is what is keeping him going. It's a bloody nightmare. I know i am supposed to be patient but he is 9m this week and there is zero sign of progress. When I tell people he refuses food they don't realise that I am speaking literally and that no food means nothing!

I am fed up tbh.

OP posts:
sleeplessinderbyshire · 07/04/2011 21:14

my dd is 19 months and is still totally rubbish at eating. she was brilliant at BLW from 6-7 months then went on solid strike and it's been hard ever since. she's currently obessed with readybrek and would happily have it twice or 3x a day. she'll eat toast and peanut butter sometimes, has days where she loves yoghurt and days when it is "yuk" adores quavers, organix carrot puffs, breadsticks and her grandmother's homemade fairy cakes and rice crispie cakes. she'll also have ella's kitchen stage 1 (4 flavours only) and chocolate cake. she ate prawns twice and loved them and ate chicken once since then (10 months ago) she has refused to touch any meat.

I used to get really stressed about it, now I just offer stuff, praise her a bit if she touches it or tries it and make sure she's had a good breakfast.

My mum points out that in the wild she'd be the child who didn't die by eating poisonous berries and as she's developing brilliantly and staying on her centile line I'm just assuming one day she'll get adventurous and start eating.

OP have you been on kellymom forum? there are often lots of people with non eating small people on there

StarlightMcKenzie · 07/04/2011 21:18

Don't give him ishoos about food. Just present him with it at meal times and TRY to be relaxed about what he does with it.

DD amazes everyone because at 2.5 she will eat EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. I don't order her children's meals, but I order an adults meal between her and her 4yr old db (who also eats everything). When we stayed at relatives for christmas they complained that they didn't expect them to eat the expensive grown up food.

But she ate practically nothing at 8months.

Original poster
fifitot · 08/04/2011 08:28

Thanks. I am trying to keep calm and other's tales give me hope. Not sure about his weight - am avoiding the clinic at the moment as hate getting a lecture. I do need to check his weight though so may go next week.

Will try kellymom - didn't realise there was a forum - thanks.

OP posts:
MooM00 · 08/04/2011 13:47

Stay calm fifi, my dc is finally eating regularly (though fussily,hates spoons) after 3 months of very little . She's 9 and a bit months, maybe your dc will start soon.
Dc2 suggested that if I wanted dc3 to eat pasta I should just leave it lying about on the floor as she was bound to pick it up and stuff it in her mouth, like she does with all the fluff in our none too clean house.

Original poster
fifitot · 08/04/2011 13:51

Thanks MooM00. I can't believe he keeps going on milk alone.

OP posts:
MooM00 · 11/04/2011 09:39

I can believe it fifi, they do it by feeding all night. DC3 still feeds in the night even if she's eaten a good tea. My next battle is the bottlebattle.I'm fed up with bf but haven't had the energy to even think of trying her with a bottle (dc2 was a bottle refuser and I couldn't face having bottle and food refusal at the same time).

virginiasmonalogue · 11/04/2011 09:47

I also had very grand thoughts about BLW and how at 6m, DS was going to start picking things up and eating and enjoying every bit, as if by magic lol. Thank god for this thread for making me realise that my DS (9m) is not the only boob crazed fiend out there! He is also a bottle refuser. He just see's one and flips!

Sympathies fifi, I feel your pain!

Original poster
fifitot · 12/04/2011 20:41

Thanks. You know what the little devil is eating food from a spoon twice a day at nursery now along with a couple of small bottles of ebm! He won't come near a bottle or spoon at home!

OP posts:
Original poster
fifitot · 16/04/2011 21:47

Still not eating! This is madness!

Has the equivalent of half a jar of baby food and a tiny yoghurt at nursery apparently but refuses the spoon at home. Continues to nibble at finger food but not much going down.

I despair..........

OP posts:
MooM00 · 17/04/2011 10:18

Finally after 3m of 'weaning' my dc(9m) is eating off a spoon!!!! Yesterday she actually opened her little mouth and let me spoon in little pieces of pasta, i was so excited that dc1 (6y) got the camera out. For anyone who is still in the middle of this, the story is that she refused purees for a month or so and only sucked toast, then started eating only plain yoghurt or mashed banana of a spoon ( and zipped up her mouth at anything else). So we have been on yog and mashed banana and sucking finger food for 2m now. And bf of course, a lot of that. The nice part of this is that she seems to have gained some great eating skills that dc1 and 2 didn't have at this age and actually this week has been able to eat a (small piece of) baked potato including the skin and the fish part of fish fingers.

fifi have you tried using the exact same bowl as nursery so that he knows what's in it and giving the same food too? i bet you have as you seem to have treid everyhting.

Original poster
fifitot · 17/04/2011 17:26

No I might try the bowl thing - thanks!

OP posts:
mamaLou13 · 19/04/2011 23:12

i was about to ask the exact same question until i saw this thread! My DD who id 8 and a half months is entirley breastfed and i am trying to get her to eat, she will eat puree's but will not eat anything at all with meat in or anything which isn't sweet really like the fruit puree's she's not very interested in finger food and im so worried as i am putting her in nursery in september and im scared she won't be eating properly and i also worry that her health isn't going to be what it should be at this age when other babies are eating lots ... 3 meals a day and snacks! people say (ie: MIL) ''oh well my babies were sleeping through the night at 3 months and i had no problems with feeding BLAH BLAH BLAH!! she wakes for night feeds still about 3 times and i have the exact same problem when she wants boob thats it it doesnt matter what we try she screams and gets worse wnd worse till she gets it! No solutions to offer im afraid but just glad im not the only one! (o: good luck!

michelle2011 · 20/04/2011 09:09

my DS is exactly the same, he keeps hismouth firmly shut lol - what ive started doing is giving him a baby spoon for one hand. he loves chewing it and whilst hes chewing on nd has his mouth open it i shove some food in. my DS loves yoghurt and fruit puree once hes had a taste of it - its the getting him to try it. he will suck on toast etc but in general he isnt eating much. hes ex bf - im trying to get him to take a bottle so i can switch to formula but hes having none of it!!!

michelle2011 · 20/04/2011 09:13

i bought small breadsticks yesterday too to try him on as i know he will definately put them in his mouth

Trillian42 · 21/04/2011 13:20

DD is 10 months and eats practically nothing. One trick though fifitot that has helped a lot is not to put a bib on her, and not to put her in the high chair. I know it's odd, but she eats more if she's in my arms or just sitting on the floor playing while I sneak food into her. If she has a bib on she just gets frustrated trying to take it off. I end up following her around the house with a bowl and getting extra in to her when she sits up to play with a toy.

I've also got better at figuring out when she'll eat more and what foods she likes. This morning she wouldn't touch porridge but ate most of a petit filous. Probably not the best thing for her, but I figured something was better than nothing! She has a window around 3o'c when she eats and again around 6.30 in the evening.

It does mean though that I have to change my clothes after almost every meal and the stain remover companies are doing well out of me, but it's a small price to pay!

She also feeds all night, so we've a plan starting tonight (gulps) to let DH take over and give her a bottle when she wakes. We think she's stuffing herself silly during the night as she feeds to sleep so needs to feed each time she wakes during the night to re-settle. It'll be tough but she's getting close to the 1 year mark and repeating 'food is for fun until they are 1' is not going to be much comfort for us soon.