7 month old won’t eat

[Leobynature]

I am at my wits end with DS (7 months old).

He has been teething since he was 6 weeks old and cut 2 teeth at 6 months. He is still teething now as he continuously tries to bite me! He was exclusively breast fed until around 5 1/2 months. He is now on formula.

He will not eat. He initially would eat puréed food and seemed to enjoy it, however now he will
sort of tolerate me feeding him a few spoonfuls of puréed food. He plays with finger food and eventually throws it on the floor. He gags and chokes at both lumpy food and finger food. When I am try to feed him he will push my hand away, move his head to the side and push his lips firmly close. If I manage to get some food into his mouth he will gag and spit it out.

Today he has not ate anything . He continues to have his bottles. Developmentally he is on target.

He gets up 3 times a night for his bottle

What should I do?

[FortunesFave]

For some babies, this is totally normal and acceptable. At 7 months, they've only been able to have solids for a month and it can take quite a long time for them to get into it.

Don't get stressed and don't keep trying to spoon feed him obsessively. Just keep offering finger food, do it when you're eating...ignore throwing and all that ...leave him alone with it.

Sometimes, offer him a spoonful of your potato or your fruit or whatever it is, he'll get there eventually. One of mine wasn't a reliable eater until she was over 2.
She lived on milk, cucumber and the odd bit of banana.

[Leobynature]

Thank you

He is on the 10th percentile (always has been) so I do worry. Plus all the babies on YouTube seem to be eating 3 course meals by now

[SeaToSki]

Cut back on the night feeds, he is clearly not hungry.

[Leobynature]

I was thinking I could cut back on the night feeds ( he only takes a few ounces anyway), although all hell would break loose

[CherryMaple]

Hello OP. My DD struggled with lumpy food. She had a Speech and Language therapist come to the house and watch her eat (HV referred her). She said that DD was concerned about food because she had been very refluxy. She advised starting with Pom Bears because they dissolve in the mouth so the baby can’t gag and doesn’t have to chew. This builds confidence so they can then eat more foods. Worked brilliantly for DD. Could be worth a try?

Also, make sure you play it really cool. Just leave the finger food on the tray and don’t seem to pressure him to eat. Do you sit down with him and have your own lunch at the same time? Fingers crossed you get sorted.

[Leobynature]

He mainly eats with his 3 year old sister. I will try Pom Bears, thanks

[FortunesFave]

@Leobynature

He mainly eats with his 3 year old sister. I will try Pom Bears, thanks

Try your best to eat at the same time as him...I know it's hard. But it's really important that they see eating as a social time and a pleasant time.

If they're left to do it alone or just with siblings, it's not the same as seeing adults eating next to them. That's how they learn...from watching as well as testing.

If you can't cope with a full meal, just put something on a plate for yourself and let him try bits of it as well as his own. Let him see you eating.

[ttcchapter1]

I could have wrote this @Leobynature mine is 8 months and the same. I'll start something new with him such as weetabix, he had it fine for 2-3 days then lost interest, same with petis fois yoghurts, he enjoys finger foods but then I worry hes not having enough. He wakes up at night but doesn't have full feeds, he wakes up about twice and has a little bit of milk then sleeps again but never more than 2/3 ounce. I dont mind the waking up at night but just so stressed about food during the day. One day he'll take something off a spoon the next day he wont.

He does like boiled carrots which he feeds himself and if i feed him bread by hand he'll have it all or rice he'll have a little. Really stressing me out though!

@FortunesFave your comment about it being normal for some babies at this age has really put me at ease a little!

[DominicRaabsTravelAgent]

@ttcchapter1 it's also completely normal for babies to still what feeds at night at 8 months as well.

Can I just ask though, when you say you introduce something new and he's fine with it for 2 or 3 days, are you introducing one thing at a time? Is this because there are severe allergies in the family?

Unless there are, you can pretty much feed anything at 8 months.

Abs are you letting him have finger foods as well?

There's a really good guide from the Caroline Walker Trust that gives suggestions of what to offer and sample menus, you'll probably need from page 43. At this age he needs roughly 600 ml of first stage formula if you're not BFing, is that about what he's getting?

[ReeseWitherfork]

DS was only on one meal at 7 months and barely anything went in. I added a meal a month until 9 months and he still wasn't eating much. I'm sure his milk intake was over what it should be. No end of panic from me. But he was absolutely fine by about a year. Just take it slow, keep trying, go with what he wants, don't assume things won't get better.

[ttcchapter1]

@DominicRaabsTravelAgent by one at a time, I mean like he'll have some weetabix one day and then the next day he'll have it again but the third day he just won't, at the same time after weetabix i give him a yoghurt or melty puffs etc hes totally fine with finger foods like cucumber, carrotts and baby corn.

Like the weetabix, he had petis fois every day or every other day for a week or so and then suddenly just wouldn't take it? Any tips?

[DominicRaabsTravelAgent]

Like the weetabix, he had petis fois every day or every other day for a week or so and then suddenly just wouldn't take it? Any tips

Just completely normal baby behaviour then! If he doesn't want it, just assume he's not hungry and clear away abs do something else.

[Sh05]

At 7 months I wouldn't worry about the amount of food he's eating tbh, so long as he's having his milk and not under peadeatric care for any reason.
Let him pick at the food you are having, it's all about different textures and flavours as well as building the chewing muscle ATM.
I have 5 children, my eldest and dc4 didn't start eating proper full meals until around 18 months. they picked at bits and had alot of soft fruits and finger food until just after a year old then something clicked and they started enjoying tiny meals.
Remember a babys stomach is as big as his fist so he may well be feeling full sooner than you expect especially when he's having his milk as well.

[gunnersgold]

Of he is having loads of milk his tummy will be full , just scale back the milk and gradually increase food . He is only little still!

[FTEngineerM]

Erm, why is it his choice whether you were a SAHM?
That’s your choice, nobody else’s.