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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

I think Breakfast's rubbish and I'm going to scream about it....

24 replies

Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 09:48

I need some advice about my 7month dd who doesn't like breafast.
I give her a bf at around 6am and then offer her breakfast at 9am. Some rare days she munches it down but most the time she clamps her mouth shut and moans. Sometimes she screams and if I try to get in a sneaky mouthful when her mouth is open I get it sprayed back all over me.Then it's an unhappy morning untill around 11am when I give her another bf.
Lunch and dinner are no problem.
I've tried offering different things, she prefers banana blended with milk, but can't give her too much of this as it makes her constipated.
Any ideas????

OP posts:
RubyShivers · 21/10/2007 10:05

what are you offering?
what about a yoghurt with some dried or fresh fruit
cereal which she can pick up herself
try crumpets or muffins as well for a change

colditz · 21/10/2007 10:08

Give her some marmite on toast, or scrambled egg to eat herself.

AnnabelCaramel · 21/10/2007 10:17

Cheerios to play with. Weetabix? Crumpet or toaster pancake finger to chomp on?

hunkermunker · 21/10/2007 10:18

Bit of toast to suck, no pressure for anyone. Job done. Don't do the sneaky mouthful thing. Don't set up battles over food.

TrinityRhino · 21/10/2007 10:19

I have an 8 monthd who doesn't really want to eat breakfast either, I offer her some toast bits and maybe some banana and she mashes it rounds some days and she actually eats it all some other days and then I bf her. I don't think it'll help your stress levels or her eating habits if you try and MKAE her have breakfast. I would just offer her something she can choose to eat herself and not mind if she doesn't

FlameBat · 21/10/2007 10:20

I go with toast too.

Sneaky mouthfuls is mean - how would you feel if someone shoved a spoon in when you open your mouth?

FrannyandZooey · 21/10/2007 10:32

7 months is quite early to be having 3 good meals a day

if you are breastfeeding she is still getting what she needs from that with just some tastes of food to get used to eating. It's more important that she enjoys it rather than you trying to pressure her to eat large quantities. Offer milk first and then if she wants anything in addition afterwards, she can have it. if not, your milk has satisfied her and she doesn't need anything else.

Don't get caught up in the comparing thing where other mothers make you feel your child is not as developed as their because she isn't having steak and chips for breakfast. Also ignore health visitors who tell you breastmilk does not contain enough iron - they are plain WRONG, but formula manufacturers encourage this belief. Formula has tons of iron in because it is not in an easily available form for the baby to absorb. Breastmilk only contains a small amount but it is very easily absorbed.

The most important thing is that she is still able to choose when to eat so she can regulate her appetite just as she did when you were feeding on demand in the early days. It's really healthy for a baby to be able to decide when and what to eat - leads to healthy eating habits later in life - rather than being encouraged or even made to eat when she is not hungry, which confuses the body's natural hunger mechanisms and can lead to overeating or comfort eating in adult life.

Kellymom is always helpful - try this page for starters

Original poster
Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 11:04

Wow, Thanks, this is really helpful.

It was my hv who told me to try and do sneaky mouthfuls, and yes I think it's cruel too and it just results in a spray of baby food over me, instant karma

I'm glad to hear that other people don't think she needs 3 big meals a day. My hv bleats on about iron levels and because I'm veggie she thinks it's even more important.

With lunch and dinner, I help her but she basically feeds herself and lets me know when shes finished.

I'm going to try scrabbled eggs tommorrow or yoghurt, I'm still a bit nervous about offering finger foods like toast, I tried her with a rice cake the other day and she kept choking on it.

Thanks for your help

OP posts:
Original poster
Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 11:06

Colditz - eeeeeeew marmite

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 21/10/2007 11:31

Sodding HV!

Go to Aitch's site for more ideas.

FrannyandZooey · 21/10/2007 11:44

Sushi I KNEW it was your hv! I could imagine her saying it. Ds was and is vegetarian too, and the HVs went crazy over it. Hold on I will get you a link about iron

FrannyandZooey · 21/10/2007 11:46

here's some stuff on iron

I took some books in to show my HV in the end and she still insisted there is NO iron in breastmilk

Original poster
Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 12:14

Thank you, thank you.

I'm going to print this stuff out and show it to my hv next week when she asks. She insists dd and me are pale and we're far from it.

She's also trying to get me to drop one of my bf. At the moment we're on 5 or 6 in a 24 hour period. About 2 out of 3 nights she wakes up for an 11pm feed, I don't think she'd wake if she didn't need it.

OP posts:
Indith · 21/10/2007 12:26

My 9 month old ate breakfast today! He had porridge and half a kiwi. I was so proud.

He is not a breakfast fan either as a rule. Normally just sits in his highchair and makes his own banana mush to paint with or throws some toast on the floor. Eggy bread or scotch pancakes tend to get nibbled though.

Babies are not daft, if they want it they eat it, if not it goes on the floor

hunkermunker · 21/10/2007 12:45

SP, ask your HV how many cups of tea she has, then ask her to drop one. Then, when she shrieks in protest, shove a spoonful of baby rice into her gob. Make it thick, so it glues her teeth together.

Then run away.

FrannyandZooey · 21/10/2007 16:58
FrannyandZooey · 21/10/2007 17:00

and the breastfeeding thing....I breastfed my ds on demand until he was two. You don't have to do fixed feeding times or try to limit it in any way unless it is what works best for you in your family. Breastmilk is good for babies, and following their cues and feeding them when they want it, is good for their emotional and physical development.

Original poster
Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 18:30

PMSL HM, I'd love to shove some sticky horrid baby rice in my hv mouth, she's so demanding of all the babies I know.

I only see her so often because she's at the Patchwork session I go to. I like going to see the other babies and mummy's otherwise I'd avoid her like the plague.

She's got the group of babies below our group who're between 3 - 5 months weaning already. Poor little mites are screaming while thier mothers shovel baby rice down thier throats. It's hard to watch, at least our group waited till 6 months and nobody shoves food in a screaming mouth. I point blank refuse to weigh my dd more than once a month, but she goes round everyone and asks how much weight they've put on, my dd looks healthy so thats all that matters.

I've never had fixed breastfeeding times, she's just got herself into a natural rythme of 5 - 6 feeds a day.

OP posts:
ruddynorah · 21/10/2007 18:44

she sounds vile. can you meet up with your mum friends outside of the patchwork thing?

Original poster
Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 18:48

Yeah we do, but it's the only place where we can all fit and let our babies loose on the soft mats. There's no other soft play area near by so it's there or meeting up in small groups.

Nevermind, will have to go back to work soon, then I won't be able to go anymore.

Boo sucks to not being rich, having a big house to fit all the mummies and having to work

OP posts:
CantSleepWontSleep · 21/10/2007 19:23

PMSL at Hunker.

My 20 month old still won't eat a proper breakfast most days. We obviously make super great morning milk .

Has no-one mentioned porridge pancakes yet?
Or if she likes banana and milk, then just add a prune to it too, to stop her getting constipated.

karen999 · 21/10/2007 19:32

Hi, my daughter is 8 months old and sometimes it is a hit or miss at breakfast too! If you are giving your child a feed at 6 and then trying again at breakfast (ie with solids) you may find that they are too hungry/tired to try again. My daughter gets up at 6am,,,gets a bottle feed and then half an hour later gets breakfast (toast, yoghurt etc) she usually takes it as the initial hunger has been satisfied and she is happy to try other things..she is then sleeping by 8.30/9.00 as she is knackered again......don't worry too much about breakfast as they will catch up during the day...and kids do go through growth spurts which make them more hungier some days than others...and as for HV don't give them the time of day....mine's have always been useless ((for both kids) they follow 'guidelines' and theses are never the same for any two kids....just go with your instincts and let your baby let you know when they are hungry!

Original poster
Sushipaws · 21/10/2007 19:41

Thanks Cantsleep, I'll try a prune and see how that goes.

Karen, I'm really lucky as dd goes back to sleep after her moring feed and sleeps sometimes till 9am.
If she refuses her breakfast she won't want a bf either. She always waits till between 10 and 11 to have her next bf. Your right though, if she's hungry I'm sure she'll let me know. It's good to hear other babies are not too fussed about breakfast either.

OP posts:
vesela · 28/10/2007 10:46

My DD is 7.5 months and she still doesn't have breakfast. I'd been wondering whether we should start, but for now she seems happy with just lunch and tea.

Since the morning is when my milk supply is best, I guess that may well be enough for her. Like yours, she goes back to sleep after her 7am feed until about 9am or later.

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