Struggling with solid introduction

DD3 is now 6.5 months. Since she was 5 months I tried her on food - no luck, so I waited until 5.5. Again, no luck. I tried again at 6, no luck

So, this morning she *seemed* to like a taste of DH Weetbix. Awesome, I'll try that today.... And nope, refused to open her mouth yet again. Clamped shut like a vice!

She has very little interest in anything that's given off a spoon, from a feeder bag (no idea what they are called) or finger foods. Now and then she will suck on an arrowroot biscuit, but that's rare.

Every mchn check we have, it's always very little weight gain, sitting in 25 percentile or less. She's very healthy and happy otherwise. Her nurse at last check really wants her on meals (3 a day + snacks) by the next check at 8 months.

Im struggling with HOW I can get her to eat :(

DD1 loved her food from 6 months, DD2 was hit and miss, DS was hit and miss... but DD3 doesn't want anything full stop

Baby led solids might be more successful.

Firstly though, if here weight gain is steady and she's developing fine - deep breath. It takes chunky babies and petite babies to make an 'average'.

Now. Solids. Don't force her. She might just not be ready. Or she might be Miss Independent and want to do it herself. Some great first foods are banana, avocado, butternut pumpkin, blueberries, peas, carrot, pears. Start off with a piece of banana. Let her play with it, mouth it, squish it. Lightly cook hard food like carrot or pear and cut into fingers for her to pick up. Mash some pumpkin and give her the bowl and a spoon. Picking up peas and blueberries will help develop fine motor skills. It's not all about eating. There's so much learning. There will be mess. Sometimes you'll wonder if she's even ingested anything - but her poop will tell you ;) good luck.

You know the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” - could have been written about babies and solids! You can offer, but you can’t make them eat. Maybe you need to ask the nurse how you should *make her eat* (and denying her breastmilk isn’t the answer. It’s completely normal for babies not to be really very interested at this age, and the 25th percentile is a perfectly acceptable place to be!

I was going to say something similar to Barb...you can certainly offer her 3+ meals a day but you can't 'make' her eat. I go by the saying, 'Food is fun until they're one!' Offer a variety of tastes, textures and types (eg purée, finger food, food bag). Sounds to me like you're already doing a great job :)

Oh we are approaching 9 months And this is my DD infact we have nick named her Clam as that's what she does a lot when food is offered!
She also chokes and gags so I have lost my nerve at being adventurous with anything more than what's on a spoon.
Watching this thread with interest :)

Thank you very much ladies for the replies, and nice to see I'm not the only mum with vice like mouthed child!

I was a tiny bit worried about her weight range, but I'm doing what I can, and I can't make her put on more weight. I'll just keep offering foods, one day she will realise she's missing out on yummy stuff ;)

Perhaps just offer a variety of foods several times a day and relax and let her explore the smell, feel and hopefully taste of them. The goal is a broad range of foods and a huge range of tastes at this age to develop her palette, its not really about quantity.
DD is 13 months and is now eating what I'd call decent quantities but it has taken time of just trusting that she knows what she likes and wants and we have continued to offer foods she wasn't a fan of and now she will eat more of them.
Good luck and have fun!

DS got sick at around 6 mths old and ww were in hospital for a few nights and he was on AB's for a number of weeks so we didn't really start until after he was 7 mths old and even then he wasn't too interested in puree. At that point I just offered stuff a few times a day like soft cooked carrot sticks, toast crusts, avocado, banana etc. as well as the Rafferties porridge and by around 8 mths he started eating more. Just keep up her milk and keep offering but if she doesnt want it don't stress -she will eventually!!

Hugs hun if weigh gain is consistent and sitting 25th centile that is fine well done!!

It is hard when they don't really want it. DS1 did same went well for 10 days then refused for 2 weeks to even try so we stopped for 2 weeks and started again. He did not start eating decent amounts until 8 and a bit months!!

Just offer a variety of things to hopefully find something she likes. Baby led solids would be worth a try.

Good luck and hang in there.

I know that it CAN be normal for bubs to refuse food at this age, however go with your gut. My son has been seeing a speech pathologist since he was 7 months old as he refused to eat, his little mouth would stay shut like a vice! It turns out that he has food intolerances which would have been making him feel ill plus he has swallowing issues which are related to his reflux, he also has a delayed swallow. He eats fine now, but took months of work with the speechie and has only just come off thickened fluids. Get him assessed byt a speechie if you are worried!

Once again, thank you!!
I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful ladies to help me through this and give me ideas. Knowing I'm doing all I can and seeing that reflected in your replies is lovely.

Feeb - she has always been low %, but following a nice curve, guess that's just how she rolls. DD1 was much the same, short and petite (but loved her food)!

As long as following a curve that's fine doesn't matter which curve as long as a curve showing consistent growth.

If you are really concerned could be referred to a speech pathologist for assessment

I'll see how we go, she's still young and plenty of time to learn about good. I'll keep it in mind though

OMG I just came online to post about my DD2 and your post Rosetti is my DD2 exactly!!!

DD1 no troubles starting solids. DD2 started trying just after 5 months, no good, 5.5 months still same, 6 months and still the same.. She clamps down like a vice and won't open her mouth or uses her tongue to block the opening or push whatever I do managed to get in, back out! She has measured in 10-25% since birth but at her 6 month check this week was almost up to the 50% so she has gained well just on milk. She is 6.9kg at 6.5 months. Only way to get anything in is if i trick her by making her laugh and be on the ready with the spoon. I've now tried puree on a spoon, puree on my finger, and have even tried some BLW which I'm not 100% comfortable with but gave it a shot. All she does is squishes the foods up into a puree and pushes them off the table, even with yummy fruit juices running off her arms she doesn't even put her hand in her mouth to taste it.

Having said that, put a toy, facecloth, dummy, bottle, someones hand/finger, anything for that fact in her hand and she puts it straight in her mouth, but food - no way!!

I am having #2 issues with her, major ones, and so the GP and clinic are all saying variety of foods to help this. I'd be happy to get her to eat 1 food let alone a variety. I've tried everything from carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, peas, peach, pear, apple, mango, banana, yoghurt, and not only these alone but then tried varieties with different combinations of these. Nothing.. I have found I have a better chance of getting a couple of spoonfuls in that don't get pushed back out by her tongue if I mix whatever I have with some plain rice cereal. When she does try or get a small taste of some foods she screws her face up so I thought maybe the flavours were too strong for her and the rice cereal mixed with it seems to bland it down a bit.

Other than this I have no idea what else to try so i keep trying each day at lunch to get her to eat and then at dinner time she now sits at the table with us and I give her some food to play with. I'm still aiming for 1 meal a day, GP said not to try for more until she is actually eating so if I can get her to have some lunch, even if it's 2 spoons worth that is an accomplishment, and dinnertime is just play time.

Just saw this post is from November so I'd be interested to hear how you are going with this.

Dd2 outright refused to do anything other than breast feed for a long time, at 9 months she picked up dd1's milk bottle and then weaned and only wanted cows milk but still refused solids she turned her head and closed her mouth until about 12 months when she started on finger foods like carrot sticks, pasta she loved it. Some babies just aren't interested, solids aren't a big part of their diet until 1 unless as others have said they are losing weight which was the case with dd1 who was on solids at 4 months.

Well she's now hit 9 months and still not progressed far. Yoghurt she opened her mouth as long as she could guide the spoon in with my help... That only lasted 3 days and then started her vice mouth again.

I now just chuck food on her high chair tray and she picks at it, usually not much is eaten though!