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Anyone else really struggled with weaning?

My son is now 7 months- we were advised to wean him early as he was taking so little formula so we started around 21 weeks. He's now 31 weeks and we've had 10 weeks of trying and trying and trying with little success. He will only occassionally take completely smooth purees (which is fine as he's just 7 months)but shows no enthusiasm for eating at all and often it ends with me getting so frustrated I am in tears. I know everyone will say to relax as he will sense my frustration but there have definitely been times where i've just thought sod it and chilled out and it still hasn't gotten him eating.



I just wondered whether anyone else had a baby that was really slow to take to food? Or anyone who has been through this and is now out the other side? The HV worried me the other day saying I must get him chewing food and onto 3 proper meals a day or else he may develop speech problems etc. She basically suggested restricting his milk feeds to encourage him to take solids but this just seems so mean to me. It's really scared me and I just don't know what to do. Any advice anyone can give me would be great



xx

Replies

  • I haven't had weaning problems so I can only say what I would try but I would leave it a couple of days and then try again perhaps (if you have a partner) get that person to offer the food instead of you. I would also add lots of is usual milk to what ever you are offering so the flavour is familiar. I suspect you may have already tried this but mention it just in case. Hope he turns a corner soon xx
  • This was our number 1 nightmare with our son. He was on up to 7-8 bottles of milk till 11 months, we'd been trying food since 4 months. Then something clicked and he went to purees, then we were on them after trying lumps (lots of gagging and vomiting) and we hit 15-16 months and overnight he ate adult food no problem. I shed lots of tears over this but he did everything when he wanted, with the purees we discovered it wasn't necessary flavour but consistancy, and the food seemed to come when he had most of his teeth through. It was a battle but its an absolute pleasure now to watch him chomp anything. Hang in there hun, theres light at the end of the tunnel xxx



    ps, I've read that speech development is linked to eating but lets be serious hun, ever met a 4-5 year old that couldn't speak? They all get there, my boy is 19 months now and although he's not got any words he understand so much and the day will soon be here where I'll be telling him to shut up :lol: xxx
  • Hi,



    We struggled, I remember collecting our son at nursery one lunchtime and bursting in to tears when they said he was due food!I then watched them feed him. He'd cry as his mouth was open spoon of purree went in he'd swallow it, cry and they'd repeat! He would eat it all without gagging/spitting any out but I felt guilty as he was crying.



    We only started weaning at 6 months and would give him bits of food to play with at dinner time (broccoli was his favourite) when we were eating.



    It did get better but probably not until he was 9 months.He'll happily chew chunks of chicken, sausages (richmonds baby ones are nice and soft)and fillet steak!!



    Ella's kitchen pouches were our (expensive) saviour the first few months. Again I was told to stop giving them as they were so smooth he's never eat lumpy stuff but he did!!! He just needed more time.



    Hang on in there.



    xxxx
  • I've read that speech development is linked to eating but lets be serious hun, ever met a 4-5 year old that couldn't speak?



    Actually it is a severe problem. Because of Charlie's issues I have met a lot of children with speech problems caused by oral aversion. In fact Charlie's feeding specialists come under the title of "Speech and Language" because there is a link. One of my friends has a 2 year old who is completely dependent on sign language for communication because of this issue.



    However it is unlikely to be a problem in your case. Your baby is only 7 months old and doesn't really need solids at the moment. You are frustrated and so is he. I would back off for a week and come back to it, otherwise you could actually cause problems rather than solve them.



    Charlie (8 mths) has had oral aversion his entire life, partly caused through being iv fed in hospital for 3 months and partly caused by severe reflux. He receives all his milk via an ng tube (through the nose). He had no interest in food for many months despite me trying different foods, textures etc etc. Suddenly, about 3 weeks ago, he suddenly got it. I had been sitting him at the table while we ate and leaving food items in front of him. He would pick them up, play, chew and drop etc. Then he just started swallowing. He has access to a wide range of foods and his favourites are now smoked haddock, courgette and melon.

    We saw a gastro specialist at Great Ormond Street yesterday and she has recommended we reduce his milk feeds in order to stimulate his hunger. I reduced his 10am feed from 4oz to 2oz this morning and he had his biggest ever lunch today. image However that might only work because he is already eating some solids.



    Does your LO pick up and chew on toys? If so I would just go down the BLW (baby-led weaning) route. It is so much less stressful and should take some of the pressure off both of you. It has worked wonders with Charlie and for the first time in his life I am starting to feel that his feeding is actually getting somewhere. Please message me if you want anymore advice or support. Feeding can be a minefield but at 7 months it isn't yet a problem.



    H xx
  • Yes he picks up everything and puts it in his mouth including a rice cake today (may be too early to suggest a breakthrough but I was very excited!!). He gagged on it but didn't projectile vomit which is what had happened in the past. Maybe a tiny bit was even swallowed. Perhaps BLW is the way to go?



    Any ideas on some good first finger foods to try? I know BLW would say whatever you're eating is what they have but there must be a good place to start, especially for a baby who may have a bit of an aversion?
  • Just a quick reply, have you looked into blw? This would cover you still giving him plenty milk, as thats how the concept works and gives him some independence over his food - lots of playing with textures and tastes. We began weaning early but lo was desperate for food, screaming the house down if I was eating until he got his dinner but we started giving him things like organix carrot crisps pre 6 months. Hope this helps a little x
  • I try to offer one from each of the following:



    Cooked veg:

    courgette, carrots, broccoli (Charlie's fav),



    Meat etc:

    Chicken (including drumsticks, I used to eat the meat and let Charlie chew the bits off the bones, or chilled chunks), fish fingers or chunks of fish, strips of omelette, steak or red meat (strangely enough Charlie loved pigeon),homemade fish cakes (salmon, mashed pots and spinach)



    Carbs:

    potato or sweet potato chips, pasta (spirals or tubes), toast fingers, crumpets, sticky rice, pancake



    TBH I usually cook up a whole load of stuff and divide it up into tuberwares and freeze. Then I can just pull one out, defrost and put the whole lot in front of him. Whatever he eats he eats, whatever gets thrown on the floor the dog eats. image I then finish with pieces of soft fruit such as melon or pear. Charlie has numerous intolerances so I can't give him what we eat and we also eat a lot of spicy/salty/unhealthy food.



    H xx
  • Sorry to hear weaning isnt getting easier for you. As you know Tyler hasn't taken to it well either, ive started him on blw this week and i definitely feel more relaxed.



    I havent been very adventurous with his foods yet, ive offered toast with dairylea and just butter, mini rice cakes,brocolli, cheese, biscotti and organix carrot stix....cant say much has been eaten yet he tends to bite bits off and spit it back out lol, hopefully he will figure out swallowing.



    Tyler gagged on some foods and puked up his milk so i started giving him his bottle after solids to reduce this, its horrible watching them gag image



    Hope things get easier for you soon xx
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