6 months old and won't eat - any thoughts?

[Jamillie]

My 6 and a half month old is refusing to eat anything! Fruit/veg purees, baby rice, baby porridge, yoghurt...you name it. He still has quite a strong tongue thrust and everything that I try to put in gets spat out or he just blows raspberries with it! Have tried evry day for the last couple of weeks but he's not having any of it. Have also tried rusks which he's sucked but them they've gone too. Anybody been through this? I've got two others with whom I had no probs at all. Any advice appreciated!

At 6 months don't panic about it. just give him bits of suitable food and see what happens. He'll slowly pick it up. Everyone eats! Don't worry and don't force it and you'll be fine

The guidelines are around 26 weeks. Some are ready a little earlier, others a little later. If he still has a tongue thrust reflex, he's not ready. Leave it a few days, let him sit with you for meals and allow him to help himself when he's ready.

Milk remains the main source of calories for now anyway. There's no rush. DD wasn't ready at 26 weeks either. She's 3 now. No problems. When she was ready, she started with a vengeance.

I guess you're right - I keeo thinking that they say there's not enough nutrition in milk alone after 6 months...but I guess when he's hungry he'll get there. Loving being covered in spattered goo at the mo...

DS was like this. Someone on here told me that "food's for fun until they're one" and it cheered me up no end.

He's an 11mo gannet now.

Just give it a bit of time, maybe give it a break from food completely for a few days?

I second these comments - I got v stressed that my DS wouldn't have food when all his peers seemed to be guzzling purees three times a day. I had to take a step back and remember that he knew what he wanted more than me and babies are all different. I also repeated that 'food is fun until they're one' mantra a lot!

My oldest wasn't interested in food until well into his second year. He would half heartedly take a few spoons of mush, but he really wasnt much into the whole thing.

DD was around 8 months when she really got into food.

Don't worry too much.

I started introducing solids to my DS when he was about 5.5 months (paed advice due to reflux). He started eating fruit jars at about 6.5 months but wasn't interested in anything else until 9 months. I worried a lot and found it very frustrating but in the end he started eating when he was ready.

On milk not being enough from 6 months, it's not that babies suddenly need loads more nutrients once they hit 26 weeks. From 6 months, they very gradually start needing more than they can get from just milk. So your baby isn't really being deprived of essential nutrients now. IIRC, the BLW book says that getting nutrients from solids only becomes a bigger deal around 9/10 months. Many BLW babies don't seem to start properly eating much until around this age.

I agree that if he's still got the tongue thrust reflex he's not ready for solids yet.

Its frustrating, isn't it! My DD seemed to have quite a strong tongue reflex still and struggled with a spoon but was able to suck off my little finger. Whilst she didn't get many nutrients that well, it cheered me up that she was at least getting a taste of the food I'd lovingly prepared.