8 month old BF weaning troubles

[summerson]

Hello! My 8 month old bottle refusing BF baby hasn’t exactly taken to solid foods...

We have been trying since 6mo but after 2 days of accepting, he now will NOT be spoon fed.

I bought reusable pouches which had very limited success, but again he’s just not really interested anymore and clamps shut.

All he will eat from a spoon is plain yogurt. So we have yogurt with apple purée, yogurt + banana, +sweet potato .... what else Can I try add to yogurt? Is it bad that he’ll only eat yogurt?

I have a really tasty baby cereal (I would eat it!) which he absolutely refuses. I would like him to eat it as it’s fortified because otherwise he’s hardly getting any variety of nutrients....

So... he takes some finger food but mainly just sucks on it, if you have some wonderful Finger food suggestions please let me know!

Otherwise we give him what we are eating but he just sucks on it mainly... even a baby rusk basically gets sucked on til it’s mush, then mushed into the table. Avocado or such like soft things are just a silly idea as he just crushes it in his hands and smears it around.

I never thought it would be so difficult and I am trapped to breastfeeding this baby every 2 hours. I am supposed to return to work in 3 weeks (thankfully part time so maybe he won’t completely starve!). If he would take a bottle even I would feel less pressure to get shit sorted out but the fact that he basically doesn’t eat except breastmilk is insane.

Sorry this is so long, I just feel hopeless and not sure what to try next!

Any advice?

Oh and to add the ever so helpful advice of HV....

“BLW is ridiculous”
“Have you tried a metal spoon”

BLW has worked for us. I could have written your post. LO doesn't like mush nor is he overly keen on plastic spoons.

Finger foods.
The obvious ones any kind of fruit / veg carrot sticks, broccoli, apples (peel it first), banana.
Any kind of meat cut into strips.
Sandwiches / toast, make it with one slice of bread then cut into 3 fingers.

Get your hands on the BLW cook book.

Not much help but bumping for you..some suggestions you may have already tried..

Have you tried giving the milk in a cup instead of a bottle? Also get DH to give it instead if you.
It is still about trying foods at that age rather than having big meals,

So i would do some BLW give pasta, some carrots etc.. on his high chair and if you're worried he hasn't eaten much then still give some yogurt.
It's going to be messy and lots will get squished ( DS is 2 and it can still be messy at dinner time).

How about if he holds a spoon too obviously he won't feed himself but it might help to get him to take some of your spoon.

If you're worried about him getting vitamins even tho his getting them from you, then I used to give DS vitamins drops they can have them from 6months, it gave me peace of mind.

Sorry if none if this is helpful and hopefully someone else will come along with more advice.

Thank you both so much for your supportive and suggestive posts!

I will check out a BLW cookbook because I am stuck for ideas!

The cup thing..... I feel like I’ve almost confused the child because I’ve tried too many

Good shout on the vitamins, now he is only taking ACD vitamin drops but ive just checked that WellBaby does a more rounded multi vitamin syrup.

Cups, God knows what my mum was thinking but she gave LO a drink of her like warm tea, he loved it. Then gave him more and more.
We tried the next day with aptamil (i got fed up expressing and pouring it away ) in an open cup it's the open cup he loved not the tea!!!

My daughter was the same. It just clicked for her when she was about 12 months old. She'd have small amounts of food but nothing substantial at all. I just don't think she was ready. When it clicked she did brilliantly.

I’ve tried various cups and sippee cups but no luck, in fact he likes the cheapest free flow sippy cup the most.

Might try a mug of warm formula tomorrow as a little tester to see!!! nothing to lose!

Thanks nerrsnerr... I’m sooo hoping it clicks before 12 months or so I’ll feel so worried leaving him when I go back to work

Have you tried one of those munkin straw cups? It's all DS (10 months) will use

As for yogurt - my HV who is brilliant said one of the best food for babies in Greek yogurt (full fat) mixed with peanut butter (smooth, no sugar version) DS doesn't eat well either but he always eats this

Melon is also good for finger foods

My DD (nearly 8mo) refuses eat from a plastic spoon but will eat from a metal teaspoon so it's not entirely a silly suggestion.

I've just said this on another thread but you can buy organix (or there is an Aldi version) 'carrot sticks' which are basically big flavourless wotsits. It was using these that DD really got the hang of doing the hand to mouth action and the satisfaction of munching on something. Fine they are not super healthy but surely the aim of the game at the moment is learning what to do rather than the actual nutritional value, especially if you are already using vitamins.

Summerson i feel your pain! my 8 month old BF baby who has always refused bottles also refuses to be spoon fed and is not at all interested in a cup! He will nibble fruit now and then and if im really lucky he will eat a yoghurt!! I go back to work soon and works 12 hour shifts so am really starting to panic. It feels like all other babies are on 3 meals a day and sleep like angels!! Let me know if you find anything that works, good luck!

I could have written this post myself 3 months ago! Aside from the fact that my health visitor was very supportive of BLW, I was in exactly the same position as you.

I had initially planned to BLW but started feeding her a little mashed food by spoon/hand because she was throwing everything on the floor. When I fed her, it went well to start with then she started taking a mouthful and blowing raspberries with it and messing about. I was getting to a stage where I was working really hard to put food in her mouth which isn't how I had ever planned to feed her so I stopped and went full BLW.

It took a couple of weeks for her to eat but since then, she is offered what we eat with her hands(minus the salt). She makes a mess and a lot goes on the floor but is much happier sitting at the table and doing it herself. I have the BLW cookbook app and use that for inspiration on the days my meals are not suitable for her. I also use the app to make lots of snacks for her.

At 11 months, we still have good and bad days. In the last month, she has realised that she can relieve her hunger by eating food - until then,
hunger = breastmilk
food = something she just added in for fun
Saying that, she still doesn't always eat when hungry. I am slowly cutting down breastfeeds in preparation for returning to work and she has just mastered water in a straw cup in the past 2 weeks so she just may take milk in a cup too hopefully. I do feel it sometimes because all her friends eat 3 good meals and snacks and don't need to be breastfed more than twice a day but I keep telling myself she will get there when she's ready.

Honestly, don't worry. They pick up on your stress about it and eat even less. Ignore the health visitor - she is being ignorant - and trust your instincts. It will click eventually

Ive just reread your post and seen the part about you returning to work. My daughter always refused a bottle but I had to leave her for one day when she was around 6 months old. I left plenty of expressed milk for her. Initially, she just messed about with the bottle and didn't drink much at all. When I hadn't returned by lunchtime, she seemed to get the fact that I am not there to breastfeed her so if she wants milk, she's going to have to take the bottle and she did do it. Since then, she has been fine with the bottle as long as I'm not there so he may surprise you when you aren't around.

Hi! An update to all...

I don’t know what clicked but 80% of the time my baby will now be spoon fed! Yippee!

Nursery is NOT into any baby feeding himself, I gave a teething biscuit for a snack and they asked if they should mush it with milk! So thank goodness baby is happily spoon fed yogurt, purees etc....

However... still NO bottles.... if I’m lucky I’ll get to pickup and hear that “baby drank 1oz” .

Next battle... bottle/cups for milk!!!!!

That's brill! I find DS (9months) switches between cups, we had the nuby cup for a couple of weeks before he refused it one day I think because it was irritating his teeth so we're back on the tomme tipped free flow again. (We also have a cupboard full).. he loves to drink from an open cup (usually my glass) especially when he's seen me fill it from the Tap.. I do the same for his cup and he drinks more. He doesn't drink much though really. I don't think it's uncommon for bf babies to drink little when you're away as they make up for it at a later feed. Could he have extra food when at nursery?? I add extra water to DS meals if he's on a slow drinking day so I know he's had the fluid too.