Weaning

Same predicament when you do give him food by finger he just uses the food like a chew toy and doesn’t get the concept it’s food but also relate to everything else you have said and he’s 7 month guess it’s just perseverance, milk is their number one nutrients still regardless, the rest will come when they are ready xx

@Eileen it's just so frustrating as health visitor says need to do 3 meals a day but LO not eating much 😫 I wanted to do BLW and he's done so well with it but just wondering when the next step of actually eating lots happens 🤣

They don’t need 3 meals until around 10 months and then at 12 months it should be 3 meals and 2 snacks. My girl is exactly the same, everything goes in the mouth but she doesn’t actually swallow much. I give her some purees just so I know she has had something but I have to load the spoon and then give it to her to feed herself 🙈 it’s messy but worth it

They say food before 1 is just for fun. Don't worry about it, that's the point of BLW so they choose how much they eat and get to experience all the different flavours and textures.

Mine is the same and has only just started having more fun with the food as he used to just get bored/ upset immediately. Doesn’t eat much and we’re only doing 2 meals a day. We’re trying blw but have also bought some baby biscuits and rice cakes which he eats better just so he can get the hang of eating

@Emmo that statement isn’t accurate. From around 6 months babies start developing nutritional needs which ideally need to be met with food. It may not be a big worry for now, but could be soon, so best to address it as soon as possible.

@Aggs you can't force feed a baby

@Emmo I didn’t mention or imply force feeding. I provided additional information as it’s a common misconception that food before one is just for fun. Yes fun and exploration is a big part of it, and formula or breastmilk remains the main source of nutrition, but babies do have growing additional nutritional needs which need to be met. A better phrase is “food before one is fun - but not just for fun”. By 9 months a baby is optimally looking at starting 2 meals a day and building up to 3 by 12 months. When I suggested that this needs to be addressed, I meant through seeking guidance from the health visiting team or the GP to ensure baby is both receiving the right nutrients and developing their skills at an appropriate level.

@Aggs I just don't see why we need to add pressure to a situation which mums evidently already find stressful when we have very little control over it.

@Emmo raising children is stressful, but we can’t blissfully ignore the truth because of that. Recommending OP seeks medical guidance on the issue and providing additional information to your misleading comment is healthy advice, not undue pressure. There are usually things which can be done to help in such situations, saying there’s no control over it isn’t accurate unless you’re a relevant health professional who knows both mum and baby, as well as their medical history. This also seems a little silly now. You’re deflecting and inferring your own meanings from my comments which have done nothing but state factual information to aid better understanding of the issue. I even explained in more detail which you also ignored and labelled as creating pressure.

@Aggs She’s at it again I see 🙄 Same culprit on every post.

@Chloe I don’t check here often so didn’t know. I really do hope I haven’t been coming across negatively, just wanted to add info I thought was important.

I get that baby needs some more nutrients now but equally I can't force my baby to eat food. I guess I posted this just to see if other mums were having the same issue as me 🙂. I am persevering at the moment but just feeling a bit deflated as just thought he'd be eating more (maybe my expectations are too high!)

I give porridge or weetabix for breakfast… about an hour after his bottle. Then lunch time is more “solids” / blw style and that sort of thing so if he eats it great if not then no worries… dinner time I often mash up whatever is having if he can have it or I’ll do a pouch of dinner if he can’t have what I’m having but will sometimes give him parts of mine alongside his pouch or some dinners are blw style too. I’m doing a bit of both just so with the puree I know he’s getting something (no that he NEEDS to have it but he enjoys food) but the other times I let him “play” or should I say explore food! I’m just going with the flow really not putting pressure on the whole weaning thing whilst he’s still so little- he’ll be 7 months Wednesday. Oh and the last two days he’s eaten dinner great… today he had two mouthfuls that was it… however I always give him a yoghurt after his dinner and even though he hardly ate his dinner I still gave him his yogurt and he ate that all so I guess…

Of course incognito - as already stated, it was absolutely nowhere implied that you force your child to eat. Trained health professionals can assess and assist in a variety of ways. Hope it all works out for you :)

-He didn’t fancy his dinner and that’s ok! Just like we don’t sometimes!