weaning gone (non) pear-shaped - any advice?

[drivingmisscrazy]

DD (7.5 months) was weaned at 26 weeks, initially using BLW but gradually combining self-feeding, finger foods and some spoon feeding (porridge etc). Initially all went well and she was eating a fair amount of a range of foods. She's had a bad bout of teething - ongoing, but now less severe - and now seems very reluctant to eat much. Both the amount she will eat and the range has diminished - so before she would eat a small bowl of porridge, now she might eat a quarter of it.

Is this her teeth? Has anyone else had this? Will she get back to her former appetite? Ive upped her milk intake again, but she's mostly eating yogurt and bits of bread.

It's very frustrating....

Just keep repeating the mantra

"Until they are about one, then food is for fun"

Take a deep breath and repeat after me

So basically if she is reluctant to eat food at the moment it's not a big deal. She's happy to eat a quarter of the bowl so let her eat just that. If eating more than a quarter is going to make her unhappy then it's not making the weaning process the fun journey that it should be and it's just not worth it imo.

Porridge for breakfast is very good for her anyway. Have you tried her on puffed wheat (it's morrison's own) or shredded wheat soaked in hot milk. DS is a porridge lover but it was starting to give him bad nappies and he finds the shredded wheat with hot milk a satisfactory alternative to porridge. You mention she likes toast so that's another good option for breakfast. Is she keen on eggs - again another good option for breakfast.

nappy is right

she will regain her appetite, possibly when teethign has eased,
or possibly it's because she's realised that food isn't just a novelty that'll stop after a couple of weeks but is going to be there for ever, so she's not so interested as she was at first.

Keep offering but be guided by her appetite. Making it into a battle to get her to eat will only make both of you more stressed.

I really hear you on this drivingmisscrazy. DS is just over 7 months and I had to post on here a week or so ago because I thought he'd gone on hunger strike, refusing everything - even puddings!! If it's any consolation it did improve after a few days (and a tooth appeared two days ago!) so I too was wondering whether it was teething. My mum keeps telling me that no baby will intentionally starve themselves so I just keep offering food/milk. It did improve once I chilled out a bit as well.

thanks - she has just eaten some avocado quite enthusiastically. I don't force her (can't really see how you'd do that...) and she seems lively and well and I assume growing OK (not longer fits some clothes that were fine a couple of weeks ago). It's just hard not to worry isn't it?

You'd be amazed how many parents try to force their kids to eat by playing stupid aeroplane and into the tunnel games. Oh and by tickling them to make them laugh and quickly shoving it in

there's no way she'd fall for that! bats spoons away, or grabs them and flings them to the ground in case I miss the point...

she's not exactly a milk guzzler either - which is the bit that kind of worries me, but I think she gets enough from the dribs and drabs she takes during the day and the night-feed that she has reinstated since the tooth business...

We had very much the same situation, but at 8.5 months I am now wondering where he stores all the food he eats!