Help...... Weaning and sleeping issues

[tammyevans]

DD2 is nearly 7 months old and I started weaning about a few weeks ago. Have tried her with baby porridge, but she just holds it in her mouth like she doesn't know what to do with it and it eventually drools out. It's not like she finds the taste unpleasant, she doesn't gag or anything.
I've tried putting down some veggies in case she wasn't keen on being spoon fed but she's completely uninterested and doesn't even attempt to pick them up never mind put them in her mouth.
Beginning to get anxious about it as I didn't have any issues with DD1 and I'm really not sure what to do next!?

She still doesn't sleep through the night. She feeds well during the day, 7oz bottles every 3 hours, and an 8oz for bedtime bottle at 7pm. She then normally wakes for a feed anywhere between 1.30am-3.30am and drains 7oz and then will sleep for another 3-4 hours so can sometimes mean a VERY early morning.... She's formula fed and has been on anti reflux milk pretty much since birth.
Again I'm totally out of my comfort zone as DD1 slept 7pm-7am from 4 months (I'm also completely shattered, even more so in the world of lockdown) and was hoping that maybe moving onto meals would help with the sleeping!!

Any advice welcome, thanks in advance!

If she's on anti/reflux milk have allergies been ruled out?

Have a read of this from Allergy UK and see if any of it sounds like your baby

I think the sleep does sound very normal at this age and you were just extremely lucky with DC1. That said though, you can do some things about it, especially the early waking. We had some success with the No Cry Sleep Solution. You might like it as it has a section on early wakers

I honestly think that the weaning is a separate matter. I'd make sure you sit at the table, if you have one, when you and DC1 eat and put DD in her Highchair each tine with something in front of her. Hopefully she will start to get the idea and pick things up.

Things you could try are a bit of banana, you can split them from the top down into three sections which make them raise to hold for a little one.

Grated cheese.
A sausage cut lengthways to stop it being a choking hazard.
A hard boiled egg quartered.
Steamed carrot sticks.
Toast soldiers spread with things like smooth nut butter or avocado.
A pear peeled and quartered.
Small cubes of bread.

If you do want to try her again with the purées, could you try something a bit more tasty then porridge. Honestly, if I thought I could get away with it I would just let porridge dribble right out of my mouth too

Banana-cado is a great one to try as not only is it tasty but it's high in calories and vitamins too