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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

*Help - can't get weaning going with 7 month old*

32 replies

SarahOxon · 04/09/2006 15:35

This is my first time on the board and I'm hoping you can help! I've been trying to wean my ds (who is nearly 7 months) for 8 weeks on and off. He doesn't sleep through the night and is clearly v hungry but he has never willingly swallowed anything other than milk. I've tried every fruit or veg puree imaginable and a little bit of finger food. I've also tried different times of the day. But he clamps his mouth tight shut and if he ever does swallow anything he gags it up, often bringing his milk up too. Weaning my first son (now 2) was a breeze and I am at a loss as to what to do. HV is absolutely useless and says he should be eating loads by now. Is anyone else in the same boat? or has any advice?

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 04/09/2006 15:39

DS2 is 7.5mo and similar. He's not interested in food really. He's had bits of homecooked stuff, the occasional jar [lazy] and lots of finger food, which he enjoys playing with.

HVs almost always want babies on their books to be eating three square meals a day by the time they're 6mo, so it's best to ignore them

DS2 also doesn't sleep through the night [knackered]

I'm being v relaxed about it because I know the alternative is to get v stressed about it and still not be able to change anything!

What does he make of the finger food?

Oh, and welcome to MN!

NotQuiteCockney · 04/09/2006 15:40

I started trying to wean DS2 at around 6 months. He was 7 months before anything went down.

The trick? Finger food. No purees at all, and no putting food in his mouth.

He's 23 months now and still doesn't ever like to be fed. But he eats just fine.

donnie · 04/09/2006 15:44

also reducing his milk intake will encourage the appetite although the guidelines specify a pint ( minimum) daily.

JessaJam · 04/09/2006 15:44

Welcome to MN!

Does he watch you eating? HAve you tried offering him something that has quite obviously come off your plate?

Have you tried plonking the food in front of him an dthen wandering off to the other side of the room/feigning interest in the floorboards and let him get on with it?

NotQuiteCockney · 04/09/2006 15:44

He's 7 months old! Nearly all his calories should be from milk, anyway! Don't reduce his milk.

liquidclocks · 04/09/2006 15:50

Agree with NQC - don't reduce his milk. Have you tried food before milk - didn't work with DS because he was too upset but he would calm down after a few ounces and then try a few mouthfuls. Apart from that as long as he's healthy and weight gain good just sit him at the table with the rest of the family at mealtimes and 'model' for him - give hima few rice cakes/breadsticks for if he fancies trying it out while you're all there but no pressure.

tribpot · 04/09/2006 15:54

Agree with JessaJam, my ds is still not a good eater but often will tuck in better if I wander off to feign interest in the washing up. He ate nothing at 7 months, and doesn't eat very much now at 15.

Don't get too stressed about it though and, naturally, ignore your health visitor.

Mum2FunkyDude · 04/09/2006 15:57

You might be interested in this

Original poster
SarahOxon · 04/09/2006 15:57

Thanks everyone. It's cheered me up already! It's nice to know that I am not the only one who can't get a decent night's sleep. I don't think I could cut back on his milk because he would just scream the house down but I've noticed his intake has risen sharply recently so feel I do need to be getting something else down him other than milk.

I do always try to feed him as part of a family meal (with my oldest son if not us all) normally by trying to feed him puree with a bit of finger food on his tray. But I'll try the idea of just leaving him with some finger food and walking away, so far he has played with it but it has never gone near his mouth. It's frustrating because absolutely everything else does!

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 04/09/2006 15:59

DD (7 months) is mostly disinterested in weaning. She occasionally deigns to open her mouth for porridge in the morning and will occasionally bother to put fingerfood in her mouth rather than chuicking it on the floor. Sometimes I can put little pieces of food in if I'm lucky but it's not a lot.

However, she's still kept to her growth curve and is fine so I'm not bothered. It's far too much hassle anyway I've simply not mentioned it to the HV!

donnie · 04/09/2006 16:04

telling people to ' naturally, ignore your health visitor' is not good advice.

NotQuiteCockney · 04/09/2006 16:05

Hmm, I think it is, particularly on this subject. Health visitors are mad for all babies being on three meals per day at 6 months.

hunkermunker · 04/09/2006 16:06

Often it is, Donnie.

It is when someone's being told that a not-quite-7mo should be eating loads.

Original poster
SarahOxon · 04/09/2006 16:07

Thanks Mum2FunkyDude for link to baby led weaning. V interesting. Have you tried it?

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 04/09/2006 16:07

Sarah, I have, effectively. So have a lot of mums on here. There are regular threads on BLW.

tribpot · 04/09/2006 16:08

I don't think telling a first-time mum "I dunno, he should be eating loads by now" is good advice either.

Although I do take your point, donnie, I forgot that Sarah is a first-time poster and thus hasn't necessary got that tongue-in-cheek attitude to hv advice that most of us have from reading each other's horror stories.

OTOH mine told me to wean ds on to chocolate when he seemed less-than-keen on solids! Hey ho! Guess what - I ignored her. (Her current theme is why I am a bad mum for not putting ds into nursery, incidentally).

hunkermunker · 04/09/2006 16:08

Trib, she sounds like a superstar

tribpot · 04/09/2006 16:10

Actually I now look forward to going to baby clinic as my fellow Junies like to hear the latest Tales of Wisdom from Trib's HV, hunkermunker The more outrageous her claim the more they like it!

liquidclocks · 04/09/2006 16:10

Any chance your DS might suck on his fingers if you smear them in something like pureed carrots or apple just so he's getting a taste?

Original poster
SarahOxon · 04/09/2006 16:16

Another v good idea (liquid clocks) will try that this evening. I am ignoring my HV. When I went to her last week to discuss this issue, she told me he should be having a whole weetabix (!) for breakfast and at least a big yoghurt pot worth of puree for tea. I would be delighted if he even ate an ice cube worth of food all day.

OP posts:
Mum2FunkyDude · 04/09/2006 16:16

Hi SarahOxon,

I spoonfed ds for the first 2 months but couldn't get him to take different textured food, so I started on this after I read a thread on here from the mum that is doing the blog. It works a charm, if you read the detailed story that she is linking to called "Baby Led Weaning Guidelines" you'll get a clear picture of the porcess. I guess because I'm still spoon feeding some puree (meat jars generally)(I think of them as soup) I'm not a pure BLWner, I'm a Finger Food feeder with some spoon feeding!

hunkermunker · 04/09/2006 18:45

Yes, I'm not hardcore BLW either (but DS2's just had pasta with cheese and carrot sticks for dinner and fed himself entirely - didn't eat much, but hey ho, he will one day!).

I just do what's right for the situation and the food we're eating - and if that means a big bfeed because we're out and there's nothing suitable for him to eat, that's all he gets (well, possibly he'll gnaw on a rice cake or something - and for those people who think they're awful and no child should be subjected to them, DS1's been asking me to "buy ricecakes, Mummy" this evening ). DS2's hardly fading away

Trib, I go to the baby clinic because I want to hear what advice I'll get. My HV is usually v good though (bit heavy on the "at six months babies are having you on if they wake at night" thing though).

oops · 04/09/2006 18:55

Message withdrawn

terramum · 04/09/2006 21:07

Just to reassure you - my DS (now 25 months) didnt start solids until he was 29 weeks. We did blw from the start (his first meal was steamed carrot sticks) & it was a huge success.

NotQuiteCockney · 04/09/2006 22:32

I'm not hardcore with BLW ... but DS2 is. I've never managed to feed him anything. This weekend, on a plane, I tried to feed him yogurt (to save on mess) and he looked at me like I was crazy.

Yes, it's more messy, but as my nearly-five-year-old DS1 still sometimes appreciates being spoon-fed, so I appreciate DS2's indepenance.