Hi there
I think the first thing is to try not to worry - easy said, I know we pretty much all worry about our LOs eating at some point - but lots of babies at 9 months are only just starting to show interest in solids and it could be that your DD is more interested in a week or two or in a month.
The other thing to remember is that their tummies are still very small so a few bites can fill her up and meals are not expected to be very big yet, gradually the amount she eats will increase. She is still getting all the "food" (and nutrients) she needs from her formula milk so there is no need to worry about that.
There is also no need to be concerned about her being "thin" so long as she continues to gain weight and follows her centile line on the chart (moving one centile line is also okay but if it is more than that or you are worried about weight gain I would suggest seeing her doctor).
A few things can impact on interest in solids. Was she born full term? Any health issues? Any night feeds or dream feed?
A couple of things to think about in terms of what she is eating:
- rice is very low in nutrients and fills the tummy without really offering much benefit so in a way it is a wasted mouthful. You could switch to another food instead of rice perhaps? How about mini pancakes (which you can make with fruit or veg in), mini muffins (no sugar and again with fruit or veg there are heaps of amazing baby friendly recipes around these days), or some plain pasta twists, toast fingers, or oaty chews or oat fingers?
- ham is usually high in salt content which is not good for young babies and children. The salt allowance for babies under 12 months is very low and easily exceeded if you offer high salt foods. Perhaps consider switching to a different meat protein? Chicken? Boiled chicken breast is nice and soft for little babies and if you cut into big chunks it takes almost no time to cook too.
- various fruit and veg is great to offer, LOs can just learn about the different tastes and textures of the foods even without eating a great deal. Becoming familiar with these tastes now should help her to gradually become more accustomed to these flavours - so just keep offering.
- lots of babies are not spoon fed, there is no problem she doesn't like you to spoon feed her, just offer wedges/chunky foods she can easily pick up and explore for herself. (I never spoon fed mine at all, I did introduce a fork though and he would accept a pre-loaded fork to self feed)
So should i worry?
I hope I've given enough reassurance that you need not worry yet. If you would like some more tips for foods just ask, and there are lots of ideas on the recipe board too. Chances are her weight gain is fine and she will show more interest soon.
