6.5 mo LO deciding not to eat after flu :(

[AndreaGr]

My LO is 6.5months and we started solids at about 4.5 months. She showed all the signs of being ready. We tried a variety of solids and she seemed to like sweet potato best. She was doing really well sometimes i needed a distraction so she would swallow the food (like baby Einstein on in the background) or a musical toy while feeding. However, she recently got the flu and refused to eat or take the spoon (literally clamped her jaw shut).

So i held off until she was better and started when she showed interest. However, its like we are starting right from the beginning again. She's taking a tsp here and there. and now the only time she will take the food is if she is holding the spoon. Which she gets bored of quickly and therefore only taking a few tsp. We tried some finger food bananas etc, and she decided it was better to drop on the floor and give it to our dog then put it in her mouth (even if i tried to help her she took it out of her mouth and gave it to the dog).

Any suggestions to get her to eat again? Is it normal to revert back when sick? Thanks for any help

[Buntybear]

She is still very young, some babies are only just starting to wean now. At that age flu is totally going to knock her for 6 so I wouldn't put any pressure on her to being eating solids.

[AndreaGr]

so i figured it out why she is refusing.

i was BF her before (a small amount) then feeding her solids then topping her up with BF. However, i started with solids and she ate a ton this morning and then topped her up with BF. It worked very well and she was actually opening her mouth without trying to hold the spoon every bite (which makes it really messy). But she definitely tells me when she is done and then i top her up with BF.

Definitely not putting any pressure on her as I'm happy to keep bf. But she seems happier with both

Thanks for your suggestion

[Buntybear]

That is great.  . She still needs plenty of milk though at that age to get her nutrients and to keep her hydrated.

[AndreaGr]

So one more question:
My LO is now doing awesome eating solids. But now I almost think she prefers solids then bf. for the past week I found she would take more bites of solid food if she ate first and then topped up. She did really well and started enjoying meal times and is very happy and smiley when sitting in her high chair. However, after when I topped her up over the course of this past week she has slowly stopped taking in as much bf. so then I tried reverting back to breastfeeding first and then solids but it's almost as though she holds out and refuses to take much breastmilk. I'm really haPpy that's she is doing so well but I'm worried as she is still only 7months.

 Any suggestions? Or am I worrying to much? Thanks for any help!!

[Buntybear]

Do you think her milk intake has dropped? That is the most important thing. If you feel it is th same then she is just more hungry and enjoying her food! If it has dropped then maybe keep milk and food seperate for a bit as she really does need her milk at that age.