Not interested in solids especially not since illness

[emz1907]

Hi there, my lo is over 6months now and we started solids about 4 weeks ago. She was watching us eat intently but the other signs dont really apply with her as she has had feeding issues from the beginning. As background she is lactose intolerant and most probably cows milk intolerant and has reflux. She has been on several formulas but settled on neocate with infant gaviscon mixed in. She has NEVER taken big amounts, only recently she takes about 4oz per feed and eats every 3.5/4hrs now. So as her appetite is so small to begin with waiting for her to drain bottles or be looking for more food would never happen, and she still has 2 night feeds so no sudden night feeding either HVs recommended her to start trying solids every day to get her used to them so we began with carrot, and have tried apple and pear and sweet potato.

For all she looked interested in our food when it came to actually eating herself she wasnt really bothered. No worries I thought its early days etc etc. We finally got to a point where she was opening her mouth for the spoon and taking a cube of food at a time.....then we all got ill She's had an awful cold then developed a virus which has hit us all and poor thing has really suffered and woldnt entertain solids at all. She is still not 100% but more or less there now but it seems like she's completely forgot how to eat! Her mouth is clamped shut, she gets excited when she sees the spoon and bowl but wont open her lips. I can kind of get the odd spoonful in but Im starting to feel like Im forcing her so have backed off.

I know its all fun before 1, trying to ignore the HVs insistant 'she should be eating by now' but there is a niggly voice in the back of my head just wishing she would take to it more. I really enjoyed cooking all sorts of meals for my ds and he took to solids straight away so finding it a struggle this time to keep my calm.

Any advice?

[Shiv52]

{{{hugs}}}

Any teeth?   

Have you tried finger foods?  My DD1 was a huge eater and I made up tonnes of meals and she ate so well from a spoon.  My DD2 was the total opposite.  She initially took spoon feeds well and then just decided she wasn't anymore.    I did a lot of finger foods from then on and she does really well with them.  She will now take a few spoon feeds like porrige and the like but overall from 7-8 months I've had to make her meals things she could self feed. 

[emz1907]

NO teeth yet no, although thought there was one emerging on the top but came to nothing so far anyway.

Haven't tried finger foods actually

[Shiv52]

I think its probably related to her not feeling great and if she's been ill her appetite has probably dropped and may take a while to recover.  I offered finger foods like toast with crusts off initially and she loved it.  A fav here at that age which she actually let me feed her was weetabix made with apple puree (MPI here too and I BF and couldn't be annoyed pumping!).  I also found with both of mine that they preferred and more readily ate 'meals' as opposed to one food.  So both turned their nose up at sweet potato but would eat sweet potato and spinach puree or beef casserole etc. 

[emz1907]

I'll give it a try thanks, Do you think she can gum toast ok without choking on it? Im so paranoid, I know the BLW way of doing it but not sure I have the balls to put it to the test haha!

[Shiv52]

I always found both mine could gum bready type things like toast and pancake easier and didn't really get huge chunks.   R choked on banana a few times and it scared the life out of  me so i stopped that!  Brocolli was another thing she managed really well from early on.  I do think though it could be more that she is still recovering from being ill and just keep tryign and she will come round xx