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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

Not eating solids at 9 months!

30 replies

dazzleboo · 05/04/2017 19:05

I'd love to hear from anyone who had a baby who was slow to take to solid food. DS is just 9 months, EBF and just isn't interested in eating solid food.

I started offering him finger foods at 6 months and he usually loves playing with the food but it just doesn't occur to him to put it in his mouth!

It makes no difference if I eat the food with him, if he sits at the table, on my lap or on the floor.

I've tried spoon feeding him but he just won't have it- clamps his mouth shut, pushes the spoon away, turns his head away. Same if I try to hold finger foods up to his mouth.

He has sucked on 3 foods by himself for a few seconds but hasn't waned them again.

I've tried offering when he's hungry but then he's just grumpy and doesn't have the patience to even play with the food.

My health visitor isn't worried as he's gaining weight well and seems healthy and alert, but I can't help worrying that this isn't right, and other babies I know who are the same age are feeding themselves three meals a day.

Has anyone else experienced this? How did it turn out? What worked for you that I could try?

OP posts:
DavidPuddy · 05/04/2017 19:42

At that age my baby would try the odd bits and pieces, but she wasn't really eating. Apart from weetabux, she was already mad for weetabix by that age.

She didn't really start eating until about 12months and now at 15 months she has actually started to eat what I would consider meals. She just always much preferred breast milk and I just went with it.

Original poster
dazzleboo · 05/04/2017 20:03

That's reassuring, thank you! Maybe I'll give weetabix a go!!

OP posts:
outputgap · 05/04/2017 20:05

Just for fun until they're one!

Hellmouth · 05/04/2017 20:06

DS is 9 months old and still on puréed food, but three times a day. He's not interested in anything else we give him. He also needs to be spoon fed, he doesn't feed himself at all! I've done some research and it's not uncommon for some little ones to not be interested in solids until they're 15-16 months old.

At least we still have time! :)

JesusTwerks · 05/04/2017 20:09

Wait it out. Like a pp my DD didn't really eat proper meals until 14/15 months. Played with food from 10ish months.

Waterlemon · 05/04/2017 20:21

I had a 10 pound baby, I really thought he would be ready for weaning before he even got to 6 months but he was also not interested.

He was BF but I tried once a week/every few days to offer him purees or soft foods etc but he just wasn't intested. He did like to pick things up and explore them though, but was only interested if it was the same as what everyone else was eating. So we went down the blw route from about 9 months.

Weaning later actually made life so much easier! I also had a 2 1/2 year old, so i usually prepared them the same meals. dS1 refused any jars or pouches of baby food, only home made would do Hmm

i think I weaned ds1 far too early. He was just 5 1/2 months but I caved in to my Mum and Aunts nagging! My early weaner is VERY fussy about food and eats a very limited diet whereas my late Weaner will eat anything and everything, he absolutely loves trying new things! Ds1 will freak out if there is something new on his plate!

Introvertedbuthappy · 05/04/2017 20:27

DS1 was like this completely! He was EBF and would frankly rather BF than eat, he was like that until 2, and even then ate like a sparrow and gagged on different textures. He's now 8 though and eats everything! (Favourites are fajitas and mushroom risotto).
DS2 was brought up exactly the same (but mix fed) and eats everything and anything! All babies are different, try not to worry Flowers

IrnBruTortie · 05/04/2017 20:31

I've no personal experience, but a childminder friend of mine had similar with her 5th child. When o was thinking of weaning DC 1, she had a lovely chat with me where she basically said all PPs have said; don't stress, until they're 1 or more then it's just tastes and not for nutrition. Her DD had acted just like your DS - just wasn't interested in anything other than bum until (iirc) about 13 months, and then it was just like a switch had been flicked. She gave me the chat because she'd been oh so worried by it all, but need not have been (and given that her DD would be ages with me she'd have been born in the 70s, so my friend would probably have been under pressure to wean from 3 months. So yes, I understand why your worried, but I really don't think you need to be, there's plenty of time yet.

mistermagpie · 05/04/2017 20:48

My DS was barely interested in good until he went to nursery at 11 months. He would suck an Ella's fruit pouch thing every now and then, but spoon feeding and feeding himself just didn't happen. It also made. I difference if I ate with him or even whether he was really hungry or not - the boy just wouldn't eat. I got really stressed and frustrated about it at the time, but I look back now I see what a waste of time that was! As I say, nursery was a turning point for him but I don't really know why, he just started eating.

Even now though (he's 20 months) he isn't a brilliant eater. There are things he likes but lots he won't even entertain. He is also not very good at feeding himself with cutlery and only uses his hands. I figure he'll get it in time but in the meantime I try not to stress too much.

Kiwi32 · 05/04/2017 20:57

I have an ebf 1 year old who still isn't on 3 meals a day. At 9 months he was very similar to how your little boy sounds. At that point I was annoyed and frustrated and tbh embarrassed (so ridiculous) hat he wasn't eating loads. Then I read some threads on here, decided to calm down and remember it really is for fun until 1, and life got a lot easier. He's got more interested little by little, eats a lot better at nursery than at home and is growing fine and hitting all his milestones. Do not panic!

Original poster
dazzleboo · 05/04/2017 21:35

Thank you everyone- I feel a lot better about it!

OP posts:
User24689 · 09/04/2017 06:38

My DD was definitely well over 7 months before I could say she was eating. She tried some puree but most got spat out and didn't know what to do with finger foods
I did have some success with soft fruit e.g. plums, nectarines - she sucked the juice mostly but I remember those being the first things she was really interested in.

Rinceoir · 09/04/2017 07:06

My DD was well over a year before she ate anything, and around 20months before she ate anything near enough. I was tearing my hair out. She was breastfed, refused bottles or any sort of milk and her weight was dropping. I was back at work when she was 11months so it was incredibly stressful. Weaning was far and away the worst part of parenting.

We saw dietitians/paeds who gave very helpful advice (like give her high calorie food- but no advice on getting her to swallow it!). Her weight eventually stabilised on just above the 3rd centile (from 75th) and now at 3 she is a brilliant eater (still tiny though!). I would have allowed her live on chocolate if she had eaten it to be honest, I was so worried. Nothing I (or anyone) did got her interested in food, it was like a switch flipped in her head one day.

So for example yesterday she had 2 scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese and toast for breakfast; we went out for lunch and she had a full mackerel fillet with salad and chips, and for tea she had a wrap with chicken, avocado and mixed leaves. She also had a banana dipped in peanut butter, and 2 oat cookies that we baked.

My DD is a pretty extreme example- I just want to tell you that I wish I hadn't worried so much; she got there in her own time and now eats really well, will stop eating when she's no longer hungry even if it's chocolate or other junk (she's been known to eat 4 chocolate buttons and leave the rest as she's full now!).

Lottie81 · 24/02/2018 20:58

No solids 12 months

Hello. My daughter is 12 months old and is still 100% breastfed. She will not take a bottle or eat solid foods. She very rarely puts anything in her mouth, even fingers or toys! She will happily play with food and now and again she licks something. She is behind her peers physically i.e not crawling but can rock on all fours. She makes sounds like; bababa, dadada and mamama, giggles, plays peek a boo etc....and although I feel she is a little behind the health visitor says she thinks her development is perfectly fine.

We are so, so worried and nobody seems to be able to offer any advice or knows what to do. We let her play with food everyday but do not force spoon feeding because it just makes her upset and we are trying to build trust around the dinner table.

Any advice greatly received. Thank you

EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic · 25/02/2018 08:31

Hello Lottie, you’ve posted on quite an old thread and I’m assuming that the original baby is now happily eating. It might be better to start your own thread Smile

Like others have said, it’s not unusual for them not to eat st this age. My DD was elf and although she did eat at 12 months, I think that she was older before she realis3 that food helped her with hunger, if she was hungry she just wanted to bf.

How are her centiles? Is she tracking them? Are yiu giving her a vitamin D supplement too?

If yiu are worried about her development, is she meeting these milestones?

Lottie81 · 25/02/2018 16:38

Thank you EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic, I have a 10 and 7 year old too and yet this is the first time I am logging into Mumsnet! Thank you for your advice, I will start a new thread.

Ultimately I would just like to hear from anyone who has been through this and learn how the situation rectified itself. It is the not knowing that is so difficult.

Unbelievably my daughter is on the 91 centile! So weight is not a concern. But she obviously has to learn to eat at some point and I am concerned about the future.

Thank you again.

EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic · 25/02/2018 18:19

Welcome to MN Thanks

MrsDilber · 25/02/2018 18:28

As long as they're gaining weight, might be worth checking into the baby clinic and getting him weighed.

McBartlettmum · 14/03/2022 21:00

Hi Lottie,

I know this thread is very old but I am in very similar position with my ds 9minth old and he is ebf, he refused everything including bottles and has no interest in food.

How did u get on, and I'm assuming your little one eats well now?;!

Abbiecom · 15/03/2022 17:58

Hi Mcbartlettmum,

I’m having the exact same trouble with my almost 9 month old girl. She’s ebf who also refused bottles and dummies. She will eat anything dry like puffs etc and the odd sucks on a bit of toast but will not touch any wet foods she doesn’t like to be fed purées. It’s tough isn’t it! Have you seemed advice on this? I’m thinking I will contact HV soon and see what she says

McBartlettmum · 21/03/2022 09:24

Hi abbiecom,

How have you been getting on with your little girl? I have been referred to speech and language, the dysphagia team, as it may be something to do with his swallow.
Since we started are weaning journey, something just didn't feel right. He was also in so much distress when it came to me offering foods, particularly purees.

We both had covid back around Xmas and I always think that perhaps his taste may have changed too.

Abbiecom · 21/03/2022 15:55

Hi!

We have been trying every day but not much has changed. She has accepted bits of food but only from my finger, still not from a spoon! Still doesn’t like touching anything.
Oh interesting.. How did you get that referral, was it through HV or doctors? Does your little one eat anything at all?

Seeema2902 · 10/01/2024 13:49

@dazzleboo i know this is years ago, but this is us now… feeling the worst I’ve felt through motherhood. How did it all turn out looking for genuine hope x

Seeema2902 · 10/01/2024 13:57

@Lottie81 how did it turn out ? Did your little one eventually get there x

CommonOrGarden1 · 10/01/2024 15:09

Hi! I’m the OP- I don’t know how to change my name back. My baby, who is now 7, does eat food now, but it turned out he had something called sensory processing disorder so he didn’t start eating until he’d had occupational therapy to help with it, which was at around 14/15 months. He was also diagnosed with life threatening food allergies around that age which, looking back, were also making him feel uncomfortable around some foods. If anyone else is struggling with a baby that won’t eat solids I’d suggest looking into those things. Everyone says things like they will eat when they’re ready, but some children do need medical intervention to help them. I hope that helps!