Weaning and bottle refusal

[lborodad]

We have started weaning our 6 month old daughter just under 2 weeks ago. We've given her some baby rice and some puréed fruit and veg with a spoon once a day at lunchtimes. She's not blown away by the whole process and isn't eating a lot, but will take a few spoonfuls aided by lots of encouragement and cheering etc..

Today she wasn't really interested at all however, kept turning her head away from the spoon, so we left it at that, but following that she has also been refusing her bottles. It's the putting the teat in her mouth that she isn't liking, if you persevere and get the teat in, she's then happy to drink the milk, but it's like she's suddenly decided she doesn't want to put anything in her mouth. Similarly we haven't been able to get her to take any water from a bottle either which hasn't been a problem until this afternoon. Obviously this is worrying as she needs her milk but we don't want to have to fight her to get her to take it.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on what to do ?

Many thanks in advance,

Neil.

You don't have to spoon-feed her; get her to eat little bits of what you're having, and give her finger-foods which she can manage herself. We did this with DS and he eats everything we offer him (21 months). He has never had anything puréed. Also, Food is fun until one: babies still get the vast majority of their nutrition from milk at this age and food should just be about trying different tastes and textures. Google 'baby-led weaning' for more info.

Re the water/milk - perhaps she's teething or a bit under the weather? Try a sippy-cup?

My DC never had a bottle, as I weaned them from BF they went straight onto sipping from a spoon, sippy cups and then ordinary cups. I second the finger foods too.

Many thanks for the replies. We'll give the baby led weaning a go, my concern however is less with the amount she is eating in terms of food and more to the sudden aversion to her bottles.

Our LO has been combination and then bottle fed since day one, so a bottle is nothing new to her and this is very sudden. She hasn't improved in the last day since posting this, we have been having to coax her to take a bottle, and we are no longer able to dream feed her (she still has a late night feed and this is usually how she has this) as even in her sleep she gets upset at the teat touching her, but she isn't aware enough to coax her into taking it of her own accord. She's definitely hungry when we are trying as when you finally coax her into it the way she drinks leaves no doubt on that front.

I would have put it down to teething, but she seems to have no problem with anything else going into her mouth, her toys and fingers, and even my finger but as soon as a bottle teat comes towards her she gets upset.

Its just a very sudden and radical change in behaviour which is very worrying.