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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Never Hungry for Food or Milk

49 replies

babysbreath · 04/02/2008 16:25

Hello,

My baby is seven months old and never seems to be hungry.

She never cries for milk or food, and I have so much trouble trying to get any milk and food inside her.

This is her typical day:
7:30am - Milk
8:00am - Breakfast
12:00pm - Lunch
2:30pm - Milk
5:30pm - Tea
6:30pm - Milk

She doesn't like meat or veg, so the only thing she seems to eat is porridge and pureed fruit! Also, she only has a max. of 5oz of milk each session, and one tablesppon of food at each feed, as that is all she will take.

I would be so very grateful if someone could please give me some advice.

I feel each day is a battle, and I don't want it to become an issue.

The HV said that I must be feeding her before she is hungry - but she goes 13 hours through the night without milk!! Also, the HV said to keep trying to get as much in her as possible, but my baby just gets upset and starts crying if I push it.

What do I do?

OP posts:

Heated · 04/02/2008 19:34

Bumping for you.

mummyhubbard · 04/02/2008 21:04

I know you how you feel, my babe is just as fussy, it take so long to get even the smallest amount in! have you tried distraction techniques, rattling toys etc, works sometimes for me.

AitchTwoOh · 04/02/2008 21:36

what's your gut feeling, babysbreath? do you think anything is wrong, as such, or are you just looking for tips to get more into her?

Original poster

babysbreath · 05/02/2008 10:46

Thanks for responses. I don't think anything is wrong, as she seems lively etc. I'm just looking for advice, and has anyone been in the same situation.

Also, she hasn't rolled over or sat up unaided as yet, so I'm wondering if it is all connected.

Every other baby we seem to come into contact with, downs milk and food quickly and wants more and is able to sit up, roll over etc. etc.!!

OP posts:

MegBusset · 05/02/2008 10:54

Hi BB, I think some babies just take longer to get any appetite for food. DS didn't start eating any real amount of solids til about 8/9 months and even now has days where he eats hardly anything. It can be a worry but I try my best not to stress about it -- at least he's not overeating!

At the moment her main source of nutrition should be milk, if I were you I might consider giving milk mid-morning as well, and just offering a variety of solids 'little and often'. Have you tried much finger food? DS went through a total spoon refusal at this age but would usually put away some toast.

gegs73 · 05/02/2008 10:55

Hi - I'm not sure about the food, but I just wanted to say that my DS2 8MO doesn't roll over either and has only recently sat up. DS1 never really rolled at all and walked fine at 15mo. I'm pretty sure food/sitting/rolling etc isn't connected.

Original poster

babysbreath · 05/02/2008 12:40

Thank you for replies.

I try not to stress, but it is very hard, when you are surrounded by babies that seem to be way ahead.

I've not tried finger food as yet. I suppose I think if she isn't eating pureed food will she want finger food. I may try her on a bit of toast tonight for tea - do you just give them dry toast or do you put butter on it?

All objects go in the mouth, so fingers and toes crossed that finger food will as well!

OP posts:

firststeps · 05/02/2008 13:55

babysbreath, have you read "my child won't eat" by Carlos Gonzales. It was a total saviour for me with DS1 as he like your lo had a very small appetite. It really puts into perspective how all babies and children are different re appetite and how our expectations of portion size are massively different to what children actually need to eat. Definitely worth a read, made me view feeding my lo very differently. He is now 2.2 and still has a small appetite, and snacks most of the time rather than eating 3 meals a day. hth

AitchTwoOh · 05/02/2008 14:54

fingers crossed for the finger food, good luck. it's hard not to stress, but if you get a chance to read some of the threads on BLW or at www.babyledweaning.com you'll see that if you're only offering finger foods from 6 months it's really, really not uncommon for babies to take a good few months to get the hang of it.
now the point with BLW is that you just let them have lots of milk and wait until they start to take an interest in food, and they do, in the end. i think that baby books etc give us a completely false impression of what our babies are supposed to be doing when, it's most unhelpful.

kittypower · 05/02/2008 19:21

I know what you mean babybreath, i struggle to get DS to take much milk and sometimes he will take a bit of food and other times just clamps his little mouth shut. I find that I am really stressing about it too and all my friends babies seem to guzzle all their milk and then want more and happily eat solids - it is really frustrating sometimes. So sorry no advice but do sympathise!!

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 08:12

Hi there I had to chuckle reading this post as my baby is exactly the same. She is at the moment a week away from her sixth month birthday.

04.00am milk = 135ml
08.00-08.30am = milk = she fusses on this one and never wants it. if she takes then 85ml.
09.00am = Breakfast (2-3 tsps porridgey stuff )
12.00am = milk = 145 - 155 ml
13.00 lunch = 2-3 tsps of a baby menü
16.30 - 17.00 = milk = 135ml
20.45pm = oatmilk bottle 180 - 200ml!!

She has always been a fussy milk drinker from the word go. So far she is ok in weight, will find out in march if she still is. Any food I do get into her is not through her really wanting it. I tried distraction techniques and she has picked up on the trick and now will just take a few teaspoons. I do not think she is sick as she sleeps well - never wakes up and is lively and happy during the day. She rolls onto her sides and has occasionally flipped over although it is not constant. I dread every feed as she is NEVER hungry. I am thinking of reverting back to just milk... I was under pressure to start solids early - the ped. gave the go ahead even though she took little milk and the motherinlaw says she fed her babies at 4 months and so should I. I now know I should have ignored her advice. Maybe I should just stick to milk and wait until she gets hungry .. is it a good idea? or should I carry on just her take as much as she wants in the hope that maybe one day she will eat??? bekki

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 08:22

Just tried the 08.00am bottle today and she refused, so I am not giving breakfast as there will then be no appetite for the next bottle - now almost 5 and a half hours since last feed and she still seems happy ??!!!

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 08:46

Well just did a feed after 5 and a half hours and what was the result?? the grand sum of 125ml.. and that was difficult as she has this annoying habit of going for a poo midway through a feed, once the bottle is taken out of the mouth there is no getting it back in. I am going back to milk...NO SOLIDS and then see if she will show me when shes ready. I kind of thought she was ready as it seems she is gettin g bored of milk.. but when she wont eat solids either?? if she does it is more through coercing and coaxing rather from nature.. Question... Is 7 months too late to restart? And I know how babybreath feels...everyday is indeed a battle. Especially when there never seems to be the odd day inbetween where shes hungry. Infact she drank more as a new born...?!

kittypower · 06/02/2008 10:03

Yes feed times are a battle here as well, I gave up on solids for a few days and just went back to milk to try and increase that but when i told my friend this last night she look horrified and said you can't start them on solids and then stop again - so now I have no idea what to do!!

AitchTwoOh · 06/02/2008 10:28

i see no earthly reason why you can't stop them on solids and start again, i've known quite a few people do that. why was your friend horrified? (i could see her point if the babies were wolfing it down, but if they're not?)

AitchTwoOh · 06/02/2008 10:30

you know that with BLW (i'm not suggesting you do it, but it's something i know a bit about) really often the babies don't really start eating until 9 months and beyond, they just squidge and lick the food, for example.

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 10:41

Well my trouble is juggling milk and solids..with the milk intake low enough as it is if I add more in the way of solids she will take even less milk. Maybe I should offer her some late in the day after she has had time to consume milk throughout the day - just so she still gets spoon practice. I have a feeling she is bored of milk , has tasted solids and likes them but cannot eat them (tongue thrust reflex). So now when I offer milk she wont take it as she knows there are better tasting things, but at the same time her mouth is not ready.. really annoying..and I just hate EVERY SINGLE DAY. So I am in a dilemma really as to what is best.

AitchTwoOh · 06/02/2008 10:44

i'm not a medic but if it was me i'd chuck the solids for the moment. let her sit on your knee during mealtimes and wait until she swiped some food off your dinner plate.

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 11:04

yes I think so too, especially as she isnt exactly gulping down the solids (2-3teaspoons). If she was then I could see that maybe stopping them would not make quite so much sense. I will hold off. I am not breastfeeding so hope formula will be enough, even up to 7 or 8 months? Just annoying with the motherinlaw who cannot understand it when I say she is not ready for solids (as her kids ate them supposedly at 4 months with no problems ). She is also 70 yrs of age. It is just if she ever gets to hear she is not eating any proper meals by 6 or 7 months... I have started sitting my little girl at the table to watch me eat but it will be months yet before she takes anything from my plate..

AitchTwoOh · 06/02/2008 11:12

it might be, and in the meantime formula milk has loads of extra vits added so she'll be FINE. don't put yourself under this pressure, tbh that's actually only going to make the situation worse, isn't it? so if fretting about it is counter-productive, you've really no alternative but to back off from the solids for a while. there was a woman on my forum doing BLW who was REALLY panicking about her daughter's food, she just didn't take anything. for months. and then at 9 months it was like a lightbulb went on and she just 'got it' and is away eating loads now. she was lucky that her mum is a midwife and was saying not to worry, she'd get there etc, but imagine if she had a mil like yours, undermining her?
and the fact is, if she'd worried herself sick it wouldn't have made a whit of difference (other than build up some freaky energy around mealtimes) because her daughter was ready at nine months.
i've been looking at old books, by the way... you know in Canada in the 20s babies were weaned at 11 mos? and in america at the turn of the century anywhere between 8 and 12 mos was considered the norm? even the WHO today says that milk has to be the main food source until 12 mos. so you have a while to get this all sorted, don't make it a battleground in the meantime.

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 11:28

Yuppp.. and the milk intake cannot really get any less than what it is at the moment (especially as she also refuses water and juice from a cup ). With solids they still need 500-600ml of milk and that was a struggle with just giving her a few teaspoons of solids a day. Gonna up the milk intake and see how we stand end of this month, beginning of March. Incidentally, when should the tongue thrust reflex be gone? - I heard between 4 and 6 months - it seems she still has it at almost 6...(hmm)

AitchTwoOh · 06/02/2008 12:04

these things are always general. if it's generally between 4-6 then there will always be some more or less, don't worry. that would completely explain why she's not fussed for solids.

how active is she? can you tickle her etc get her moving to tire her out and dare i say, make her thirsty? (or even switch the heating up, lol).

AitchTwoOh · 06/02/2008 12:05

oh, and forget about water and juice etc, this can all come later imo. think milk for the moment.

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 12:12

She is not the worlds most active baby. The day consists of a walk in the pram and playtime on her play mat - between feeding and sleep. If she plays alone she will lie on her back or front playing with toys, rolling over has only just started - she rolls from tummy onto back - this is slowly becoming more regular - almost everytime she is put on her tummy she rolls onto her back. When on her back she does a bit of rolling on to her sides.

What she does not do is roll over from back to front. I do join in and play with her too - but just for a short time. Before starting solids at 4- and a half ,her milk intake was 800ml plus daily. Only since we started with the solids she cut back so much to 500 - 600mls.

Bekkie32 · 06/02/2008 12:14

That was meant to read 4 and a half months

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