DD gone off food after me stupidly taking advice

[LaTrucha]

Dd is 7.5 months and not a good sleeper. She WAS a very good eater in terms of quantity although not the most adventurous in terms of tastes. We started weaning at 6 months, she was ex bf at that time and she is pretty small (so weight is an issue) although very healthy and lively.

I went to the Hv to have her weighed and asked about the sleeping. She suggested getting her to snack between meals, to up the protein and to try to get her to eat more at each meal. She said that this might be difficult at first but I should really try hard to get her to eat more. As I was tempted by the lure of sleep, I swallowed the advice whole. I wish I hadn't.

In the first week DD lost 20g of weight (not too alarming, I know but she had been putting on a lot more). She also has started refusing food, is eating much less than she was before we went to see the Hv and only eating an extremely limited range.

In retrospect, I was advised to do three things and I should have phased them in BUT I didn't and regret it.

In the last week it has got SLIGHTLY better in terms of amount but is nowhere near as much as before, and I'm not trying her on much new but what she will accept is still really limited and is refusing old favourites.

How long do you think the damage to her trust in food and her appetite might last?
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It is very common for them to have bouts when they go off food, so please don't blame yourself -- it might well have happened anyway. They will start to refuse food when they are teething, coming down with something or just because they can!

I would try to relax about it, 7.5mo is so early in terms of weaning. If her weight is an issue then milk will give her more calories. In terms of food then maybe just go back to basics, it's fine to go back a few steps. My DS didn't eat much until he was about 9mo and even now has phases where he seems to live on air.

As long as you are still giving her 4-5 BFs a day, she'll be fine. Until they are reaching a year and getting all their nutrients from solids, milk (breast or formula) is a good supplement to what they eat. Also our Hv told me to look at what DS was consuming over a period of weeks rather than worrying on a day to day basis.

Try to relax (difficult I know) and your LO will probably relax too. Keep offering a full range of foods; it may be frustrating when you have to bin something, but if you keep offering it they eventually crack and try it!

Sorry for the long delay! Visitors...

Things are getting a little better. I've discovered that DD will eat jarred food (tries not to be offended). We had som left over from a trip. My MIL says if I feed her more of it she'll never go back onto homemade. Is this true? It's very expensive and while I'll be glad if it gets her back into food I don't want to be paying through the nose forever!

LaTrucha, far from milk being a 'supplement' to her solids, milk should be her main nutritional source until she's 1. Til then, food should be more about fun and exploration than weight gain. As MegBusset said I would take a couple of steps back, up her milk feeds so you can stop worrying so much about 'how much' and concentrate on the fun side of solids.
Is shocking the poor advice so many women seem to get from HVs these days