Almost 7 months no dinner daughter

[mrsbumbledosem]

My dd feeds every 2 hours during the day and has a lick of crumpet, a chomp of plum, or pear, half a rice cake and not much else. She doesnt seem that interested in dinner in spite of my culinary skills. She seems to me to be frustrated at dinner time. I caved in and thought i would try puree. She had it once and now she just turns her head. Food loaded on to spoons- she chomps the other end. Im tired of not getting dinner right and feeding all bloody evening. What can i do?

I know i should chill out and trust the principles of BLW but i'm getting frustrated. Also because my utter lack of routine and still- all- day-and-night- every two hour b feeding is starting to cause anxiety. She needs to be bathed every night and without fail by the time i get her to bed to feed she is ravenous and screaming and i cant help but wonder if a more substantial dinner would help.

OK that is enough from me!

I know exactly where you're coming from here! I had the same thoughts, but seeing as even trying to 'cheat' with purees didn't get me anywhere, I just sort of blundered on. With absolutely no warning, DS stareted eating real amounts at about 10 months and around 11 months he ate platefuls of food (like mac and cheese) as finger foods.

The only advice I can think of is a) lots and lots of snacks and b) recite 'Food is for fun until they're one' every time you start to panic.

Please do trust the BLW, it really does work.

If she does definitely need bathing every night, could you offer her a little feed before her bath?

If she really is hungry, it'll be milk she wants anyway as they don't make the connection between solids and hunger until 9-10 months.

Try not to see mealtimes as a way to fill her up. See it as an activity, a game. If you think she's hungry, go for the milk every time. Once she gets the hang of eating, she'll start to realise it fills her up. But she will come to that conclusion herself.

is she tired at dinner time?
DS eats REALLY well at breakfast, tends to have quite a lot at lunch (right after his midday nap) - and often only flings it around at dinner cos we're always a bit late and rushing towards bed. It's also the only time we don't eat with him (see: rushing towards bed) so I suppose it could also be that, for us.

I know a lot of BLWers keep their LOs up a bit to eat with them but we can't seem to work that out yet, as he's not a great napper. Erm. This may not be helpful, sorry!

Babybouncer- that is good to know and I suppose is the underlying theme of BLW that it can take a bit longer but when it clicks it is remarkable ( I really hope so!)

Justalittle and Baby- wise words, I think maybe I needed a little pep talk! That is interesting about what you say about making the connection at 9-10months. Yesterday when I had given up and just plonked a yogurt pot on her table and let her get on with it she did seem to genuinely enjoy exploring it. And some of it most have gone in, albeit through absorbtion into her skin!

Blackcurrents that is very helpful, I always like your posts I think we have DC around the same age and I remember you from the pregnancy threads! I might try making lunch more of a mealtime than dinner time. She is always tired and hungry at dinner time and wants to sleep on the boob. I have been stuggling with pretty bad eczema so all the creaming and scratching has had an impact on how we do things - though I think the latest treatment is working.

thanks all for your much needed reassurance

We're at 6.5 months here. I completely understand where you're coming from. Boy does the same and dh really didnt get it at all, he thinks it should be spoonfeedi g all the way - until yesterday when he attempted to feed him yoghurt and just got a closed mouth refusal and little hands grabbing the wrong end of the spoon to at with instead. He gave him a rice cake instead and boy instantly started chomping on it.
Dh is just realising that babies go at their own pace regardless and it's easier to go with the flow.
My son is just starting to space milk out to 3 hourly but it's not consistent.

I have a separate post on the same thing. My 8m old won't eat anything - baby mush or finger food. I am sick of breastfeeding.

He eats when I am not there when he is at nursery but only because he's starving I guess. At home he wants breastfeeding over anything.

I keep hoping he'll 'click' but the thought of going on to 10 months like this fills me with horror. Fed up of nightfeeds and day feeds and tbh I can't keep the calorie intake up myself and am far too skinny!

Trying to 'go with the flow' is bloody hard!

Ethelina I just had a funny conversation with my mum (talking about her DC3 - the only one she can vaguely remember what she did, and she told me that meal times were fun, for her, as she used to pin her arms down and shovel as much in as possible!

God I would love 3 hourly!

Well Fifitot I can totally sympathise with you (though I am only just starting to lose weight as I have been 'supplementing' with far too much cake).

Do you get stressed with it? Because I know I shouldn't but I do and my DP has to remind me to be calm. And I think even at such a young age a lot is emotional. I think my DD wants to BF rather than eat in a chair because she loves snuggling and feeling close etc. At night she fidgits if she isn't on me and I have mixed feelings about this. I am tired of cricked neck and waking up with no space but also surprised at how obviously she show that she wants my love affection. OK going off on a tangent now

Yes I am very stressed! I know 'this will pass' but am impatient for him to cut back on milk now. I work now and so up at night for 2 feeds is killing me!

He literally hates eating I think. he grabs the spoon and throws it across the room and clamps his lips together. I have given up making stuff as that is even more soul destroying so he gets various things from jars so maybe he just doesn't like them? Though he didn't like my home made stuff either.

Lol, don't think he'll let me shovel, or pin arms down. That would be ww3 probably. It is very frustrating when they don't want it but it's easier to let him fanny about with toast or broccoli or chicken than spoon mush to an uncooperative little sod.

Yes I know about that too- even things she liked once now she won't eat.

I don't know what to say because my experience of what you are going through is (unhelpfully) that yes, remember it will pass and that your stress is causing him to react by getting stressed back. I know you know this and I only know this because it is what I do and it must be AWFUL that you are working too. I would literally be crying all day if I had to do this and work. It seems to me that you are playing a waiting game and that you have to grit your teeth until then and let him get on with it.

In my fantasies she gets a potato (say) and we have a laugh and she chomps away merrily. In reality, I give her the potato and watch her like a hawk, willing her to eat it, whilst sort of kidding myself that I'm not. So from the very onset she must on some level know this is not fun.

Have you read any books? I haven't! But maybe I should. Actually I don't suppose you have time to.

BAcon, Sshe feeds every two hours - sometimes more (especially if we are at home). half a rice cake is her lunch rather than a snack.

I think you are right she probably just wants to fall asleep on the boob. But I don't know! She seems ravenous when I get to feeding her in the evening and then wakes up half an hour after she falls asleep for more.