6 month old not terribly interested in solids... am sure this has been done before, but indulge me!

[Bodkin]

She doesn't mind gnawing on a bit of toast crust/rice cake for a few secs, but then the screaming and back arching starts. Same goes for baby porridge off a spoon - about a quarter of a teaspoon before you'd think I was feeding her battery acid! Now even just putting a bib on her is producing the most ear splitting screams.

She's not sitting on her own yet (well in fact, not even supported, she just keeps trying to throw herself backwards) Shall I just wait until she can sit a bit more happily?

I would leave it for a few days then try again. Everything at the beginning are just tasters so it's very hit and miss and so i wouldn't worry too much.

My dd wouldn't eat 'finger food' at first and now she stuffs all sorts of finger food in her mouth. Perseverance is the key and lots and lots of patience! Good luck

she doesn't need to sit upright to eat solids - lying back in a bouncy chair is OK. but also she doesn't need much. are you giving her her milk feeds first?

No need to rush it. Offer some baby rice or something really bland, from time to time, and I agree, dont stress, different babies wean at different paces.

Hi My dd is six months old and I've been trying to wean her and she hasn't been too interested either which set me off into a panic at first thinking she would be on bottles for ever and would never sleep through! But now I've calmed down and realised that it will take her a while. I'm trying BLW and when she didn't seem to be very interested in that I thought about trying the conventional puree route, but there was no way she was having me feed her with a spoon. She's quite happy to put the spoon in her mouth herself though!

Maybe try giving her the spoon with yogurt or purees on to try herself or some soft vegetables to try, like steamed carrot sticks or broccoli florets, or cucumber sticks (not steamed!), which my dd will munch on and take very small chunks from. I tried my dd with toast and rice cakes early on and she didn't like them, maybe the texture is abit hard but now have tried sliced loaves with jam and marmite on, which are much softer than bread you cut yourself, and she is quite happy to suck them. Maybe dip the rice cake in something, like yoguhrt, cream cheese or hummous? I've got all these ideas from Aitch's BLW blog and forum by the way, just in case you've not seen it - babyledweaning.blogware.com/.

Haven't had the screaming and back arching though and my dd can sit up by herself so not quite the same situation but thought I would say that you're not alone! I'm sure there are other people out there who can help re the sitting and screaming.

Hope this helps! x

imo i wouldn't try to feed a baby who couldn't sit up properly, at least in a highchair. i did blw too, therefore following the idea that the baby will tell you when it's ready for solid food by being able to feed itself.

Firstly, your DD doesn't need food yet, food until one is just for fun apparently!
You're just introducing her to falvours and textures, not trying to change ehr diet from milk to food, so try not to worry if she doesn't want to eat yet.

The most important thing is not to make a fuss over it, or she'll see this and be more stressed at dinnertimes.

Try to just sit her next to you when you're eating or put her on your lap, within reach of your food if she goes to grab it, let her, she is more likely to want to eat it on her terms than yours.

Just give her varied foods, at the same time as when you eat and let her decide what she wants to do. Also look at the time you're giving her it, is she maybe too hungry to want to eat it? She may be desperate for milk and think you're offering her something she doesn't want, she may be tired.

I am planning to do BLW, which is why I was thinking that she may be more amenable to eating when she can sit better - like you said RuddyNorah. We have an older DD, so we all sit together at meal times, baby on my lap (intermittantly back-arching and squawking ) and I offer her bits off our plates (mashed potato, cooked carrots etc.) but it is quite an extreme reaction rather than just mildly disinterested.

Think I'll hold fire for a bit then. Jolly good.

SenoraParsnip - Bouncy Chair?! Pah, both my DDs seem to have/had some genetic aversion to the bloody contraptions!

Thanks for taking the time to reply though folks

oh yes, deffo just give it a miss until she lunges for somethign you're eating.

Exactly what I was hoping to hear. Cheers Aitch!