Baby Doesn't Seem Interested in Solids

[MaggieBen]

Hi all,
This is my first time posting and I'm in desperate need of some advice. I'm a first time mom to an almost nine month old baby girl, who doesn't seem a bit interested in solids.

I properly started weaning her at 6 months old, with the traditional purees but she wouldn't take to that. So I moved to the blw approach and that seemed to work at first. I put it down to her potentially being an independent eater, preferring to feed herself.

That didn't last very long. There are times where I think I've cracked it and she's finally into eating solids, but more often than not, especially of late, she'll either play with the spoon, or clamp her mouth shut and turn her head away.

I don't know if I'm picking the wrong times of day to feed her, if it's the food I'm giving her (eggs, sweet potato, strips of chicken, toast fingers with avocado - she does like the avocado,) or if she's a picky eater.

Either way, I feel defeated and feel like I'm failing her. I don't want to let her down and negatively shape her relationship with food because I didn't do things correctly.

I'd very much appreciate advice on how to help her enjoy food.

As irony would have it, I was so excited to start weaning her. I cook a lot and I couldn't wait to make foods for my baby. For additional context, she is bottle fed and has about 4-5 bottles a day (on average 7 ounces per bottle.)

Thank you so much for reading!

Honestly stop putting pressure on yourself...she will get there. DS1 was the same at her age but by 1 was eating anything and everything. Just keep offering with no pressure and eat alongside her at mealtimes so she can see you eating

Is she hungry? I'd try to feed her when hungry, instead of a bottle.

Do you have a high chair toy? Mine must occupy himself when he eats (it's the same when he breastfeeds, he absolutely must fidget with something, has been this way since 4 months). If he doesn't have something to fidget with, he will throw everything on the floor.

And eat at the same time as baby. Mine loves to steal food off my plate.

Would highly recommend the BLW founder Gill Rapley's book - easy to read and helps navigate the BLW experience which seems like a minefield for a 1st time mum!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-led-Weaning-Helping-Your-Baby/dp/0091923808

Dd wasn’t bothered until she was about 9 months. I wouldn’t worry about it

I’d drop a bottle. The recommended amount between 10 and 12 months is 400 ml/13.5 Floz and she’s not far off that age and is having way more milk than that. So drop one bottle this week so then after a couple of weeks drop to 3 bottles. 21 Floz is still enough for a 9 month old and closer to the recommended amount of 20 Floz.

We found cutting out the first one worked best as we could go straight to breakfast.

Mine had no interest in any food until 10 months, I was so stressed about it! But then one day he just started accepting some spoonfuls of baby rice/porridge, and by 11 months was pretty much on 3 meals a day.

Agree that maybe cutting down milk now could help - I was too anxious to do this in case it impacted his sleep if he was hungry, but it might have encouraged him to eat more sooner. But if you don't want to do that, just keeping offering food every day and she'll start when she's ready.

I see a lot of Mums not wanting to cut down on the milk because of sleep. Yes there may be a small adjustment when until they realise that solids can also satisfy their hunger but in my experience, cutting down on milk feeds after 8 months has not affected their sleep at all. Admittedly, the first one wasn’t sleeping anyway but it didn’t make it worse

Don’t forget too that they do need to he chewing things to help their oral muscles develop