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How long did it take for your LO to...
in Baby
... happily/easily take food off a spoon when you first started weaning?
I have been weaning DD for nearly 4 weeks now and she only ever takes about half an ice cube - I reckon the bits she does swallow are just pure fluke! the rest of it is constantly spat or dribbled out... I've tried giving her bits of banana to hold and feed herself with on the basis that everything else gets put in her mouth, maybe banana will too - hell no - I may as well have put a slug in her hand, the look on her face!
I just feel so miserable by this, its really affecting me and I was saying to DH yesterday evening in tears that I'm a rubbish mum who can't even get DD to eat. One of my friends made a comment about being a fussy eater which has got me feeling really guilty cos I hardly ever eat fruit and veg - seriously went off them in pregnancy and now avoid them whenever possible now - and I know that breastfed babies are meant to be the least fussiest cos they get the different food flavours through mum's breastmilk.
When I did a 'poll' of all my friends, almost all of them said their baby was eating off a spoon happily within 2 weeks of starting. I just feel so depressed and a complete failure - I just don't know where I'm going wrong! I feel like I can't get tips off my friends cos none of them have exprienced such refusal of food! My mum keeps going on and on about what to do, to the point where she's driving me nuts and I've had to tune her out! She went on so much about baby rice that I ended up buying some yesterday only to get home and wonder what the heck I'm supposed to do with it! I though baby rice was just for first tastes - which is a bit late now considering DD has had first tastes of several fruits and veg?????
Last night I was even questionning everything I do as a mum, right from rocking DD to sleep to how we play together. Just wondered if anyone's LO took quite a while to learn to eat? And that it will get better - I just can't see it happening at the mo!
xx
I have been weaning DD for nearly 4 weeks now and she only ever takes about half an ice cube - I reckon the bits she does swallow are just pure fluke! the rest of it is constantly spat or dribbled out... I've tried giving her bits of banana to hold and feed herself with on the basis that everything else gets put in her mouth, maybe banana will too - hell no - I may as well have put a slug in her hand, the look on her face!
I just feel so miserable by this, its really affecting me and I was saying to DH yesterday evening in tears that I'm a rubbish mum who can't even get DD to eat. One of my friends made a comment about being a fussy eater which has got me feeling really guilty cos I hardly ever eat fruit and veg - seriously went off them in pregnancy and now avoid them whenever possible now - and I know that breastfed babies are meant to be the least fussiest cos they get the different food flavours through mum's breastmilk.
When I did a 'poll' of all my friends, almost all of them said their baby was eating off a spoon happily within 2 weeks of starting. I just feel so depressed and a complete failure - I just don't know where I'm going wrong! I feel like I can't get tips off my friends cos none of them have exprienced such refusal of food! My mum keeps going on and on about what to do, to the point where she's driving me nuts and I've had to tune her out! She went on so much about baby rice that I ended up buying some yesterday only to get home and wonder what the heck I'm supposed to do with it! I though baby rice was just for first tastes - which is a bit late now considering DD has had first tastes of several fruits and veg?????
Last night I was even questionning everything I do as a mum, right from rocking DD to sleep to how we play together. Just wondered if anyone's LO took quite a while to learn to eat? And that it will get better - I just can't see it happening at the mo!
xx
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Replies
Just relax, there is no pressure to get food into your LO, she's still getting all her nutrition from her milk so there's no need to panic about her well-being. How old is she?
She's more than likely picking up on your anxiety about feeding too. So if it were me, I think I'd take a break from it, have a few days off from feeding, she'll be fine with just milk. Then go back into it and try to relax as much as possible whatever she tries is great, if it's nothing then so be it. Maybe think about feed times as well. My LO is so much better at breakfast and lunch than she is with dinner, so choose a time that your LO is at her best and focus on that feed time but sit with her whenever you're eating so she sees what you're doing and will ultimately learn to copy you.
Offer some finger foods alongside the purees you're offering - you said she wasn't impressed with the banana, my LO is so non-nonplussed by banana too. Put some toast in my girls hand and she'll chomp away happily for ages gumming it to death! We're doing BLW so I can't help on how much how soon, but obviously with BLW she's not eating a lot, but some definitely goes in (the nappies the next day are evidence of that).
What time does your OH get home, can he take responsibility for dinner time? I get a bit fed up preparing and offering our daughter all 3 of her meals so at weekends when hubby's home I like him to get involved while I sit back and watch and enjoy seeing them eat together. So ask your OH to help if he can too.
Try to make feeding fun, it's an exciting stage of their development (even though I'm so sad my baby is growing up so fast!).
I also regularly have days where I question everything I'm doing, I'm sure most parents do at some stage or another, it's natural. If your daughter is happy, you should be too. Eating is no different to any other stage of babies development - they all get there at different times and some are better at some things than others. She'll get it eventually.
This seems like a bit of a waffle reply, I've no idea if I've said anything to reassure you, but I hope you feel better soon and that your girly gets it soon.
xxx
Perhaps she is just not interested in being spoon fed?I know what you said about the banana but imagine the texture and I know bananas are one of the harder foods to pick up?Maybe tried something with a less slippy texture and instead of putting it in her hand put it on the tray and let her pick it up herself? Depending on how old she is you might have to point her in the right direction at first but just let her experiment with foods...she may not like the taste of banana either my dd1 is 2 now and only started liking banana in the last 6 months! Perhaps try other fruits apple, mango, pear even strawberries although again these have a funny texture and you could do the same with veg broccoli florets were a fave with my dd1 and carrot batons. You could even put the pur????e in a bowl and let her use her fingers to experiment with it- my dd2 has just started on first tastes she is a little young but showing all the signs of wanting food and has a reflux which means she doesn't like milk too much any how she loves getting food on her fingers and sucking it off- odd yes but I'll go with it because like I say its about her getting used to food, texture and tastes.
Hope I've helped a little.
Enjoy weaning it can be fun honestly!
Anneka x
[Modified by: ILOVEMYGEEK2 on August 19, 2010 03:40 PM]
Just don't stress as the baby picks up on it and will then refuse to eat.
I just persevered and when he pushed it out his mouth I just tried again the next day
Good luck xx
Well this weekend has been a little better. She apparently loves the petit fluer (sp?!) yoghurts, but not mixed with fruit though!! I gave her some peach to hold and they went down reasonably well! I've also discovered that she prefers the handle end of the spoon - its flatter and seems to suit her better, so we're going with that for now, however stupid it looks!!!
However, veg and fruit are still not going down well at all - I'm really making an effort to be all fun and full of praise rather than on the verge of tears - this seems to have helped with getting her back in the highchair anyway cos she was hating being in there at one point!
I think I need to really blend the fruit and veg more, so there are no bits, so its more smooth like the yoghurts. I'm also trying to freeze finger foods like carrot sticks and cauliflower florets.
Thank you very much girls for your kind words, I completely realise that everyone develops at different rates, i just needed a gentle reminder!!
xxx
PS MummyJackson, shes 6 and half months old!