Not eating much

[lilylondon]

Hiya,  My 7 mo daughter has been eating "solids" (pureed fruit and veg) for about 1.5 months, but hardly eats anything.  She probably has about 5 little teaspoons and then quite a bit of milk (bf) after.  I've tried giving her a bit of milk first, then solids (in case she was really hungry and turning the food away because of that), and I've tried giving solids first, but neither seems to help.

She wont drink from any kinds of bottle or cup, so I'm still solely bf, and to be honest it's starting to get me down a bit as I'd like to have a little of my life back and also need to think about returning to work soon.

I've tried different spoons and different temperatures, and that doesn't work either.  I'm assuming she likes the things I give her as she eats the first few teaspoons.

She does prefer fruit, but I can't say that she really laps that up either.  Should I be giving her the bf after she turns away the solids or is that just telling her she'll get fed either way???  I live in a very hot country so don't really want to deny her the bf as I'm concerned she'll get dehydrated as she'll only drink a few tiny sips of water from a cup/bottle.

I'm very worried about giving her mashed rather than pureed food as I gave her a very small bit of banana the other day and she choked and vomited 

I'm considering baby-led weaning, but again, I'm really worried about her choking 

Any help very much appreciated

[RachandHarry]

Hi there, I don't have any advice at all as I'm having the same problems!  Hoping to follow any advice given also :-)

[~*Nicole*~]

If you remember this mantra: "Food before 1 is only for fun." It may help you to stay laid back about it all. Truthfully, babies get all the nutrition they need from breast milk or formula for their first year. As they reach 12 months, they can and should start eating solid foods but there is not a huge rush. So long as there aren't medical issues (reflux, failure to thrive, poor weight gain, allergies/intolerances, swallowing trouble, etc.)...babies are usually really good at knowing how much they need to eat.

If she's tasting the food and learning about textures and how to swallow and experiencing different tastes, I would follow her lead and let it happen gradually.

All that said, how long are you waiting after a BF to offer solids? I remember my DD (the better eater of my two LOs) did best if we spaced them apart by about an hour at first. And you can just have one or two "meals" per day for awhile and as she gets bigger and her appetite picks up, then work in more.

I hope this helps!

[lilylondon]

Nicole, thanks for your help.  I started off giving her some milk first and then the solids, but because it was proving so much hard work, I now give her the solids first, so there's at least 3 hours between feeds.  I have wondered if she's too hungry for the solids, but I don't think that's the case as I know she can go 4 hours, plus she's not crying or distressed before food, so I really don't think she's over-hungry.

Today I tried her with a Farley's Rusk and she seemed to quite like it, so I'm going to do some research on finger foods.... saying that, I thought they needed to eat solids by around 6 months because their iron stock is very rapidly decreasing...?

RachandHarry, I hope we get some good advice and can find a solution to our problems!  Let me know if you learn anything new )

[Buntybear]

HI, the BW advice is to have the milk feed first then the solids an hour later. The thinking is that the milk is more important from a nutrional POV but leaving it an hour then there will be a bit of room for solids.

I would just keep persevering with it. Offering a variety of foods and textures. As you say she might prefer finger foods. It is natural for them to gag as they have reflex to do so.

TBH I thought that iron levels depleted at 6 months but apperently milk still provide enough iron for them.

[lilylondon]

RachandHarry, I tried giving my daughter finger foods and really letting her play with everything.  It was extremely messy, but I just stripped her down to her nappy and bathed her afterwards.  Since then, she seems to definitely be eating more!  I think the whole experience is just more fun for her and I'm certainly less stressed.  Perhaps you should try it too.  I still put her in her highchair (although I have tried it just on the floor in the living room), but let her put her hands in the pot of food, use her own spoon, pick lumps up and squidge it in her fingers, etc.  I'm not sure if it's because she's getting to know her food or because she distracted, but I'm then able to give her the puree or other foods, while she explores what's in her tray.

Hope that helps!

[Buntybear]

That is great news !!

[RachandHarry]

Thanks for all the great advice!!  We've given most of it a go and seem to be on the right track!  Thanks again :-)  Hope it's going well for you too lilylondon

Rach