Help! dont know if she's getting the right nutrients etc...

[llynnnn]

I'm possibly being a panicing first time mum but this weaning malarky is still getting me! My dd is 7 and half months now and i have been giving her mostly purees but with some toast, fruit and veg finger food too, but she doesnt seem to eat much at all and always screams for her bottle after a couple of tastes. i know you say that it doesnt matter until 1 year but i'm worried that shes not getting chance to try new tastes and get all the extra nutirents and goodness etc because she just wants her milk? and also that she'll be a fussy eater all her life! any tips at all? would I be better following blw instead and jacking in the purees all together?

[tortoiseSHELL]

At this age most of their nutrition comes from milk anyway, so don't worry too much! The best way to avoid fussiness I think is to try and stay very calm, and present the food, but don't comment on whether it's eaten or not.

Could you try giving her a little milk before - say half a bottle ( you might need to make up 2 bottles though, so she doesn't get upset when you take it away) then give some solid food, then the rest of the milk.

[MaeWest]

My DS is about the same age, and often doesn't eat much in the way of solids. He's still breastfed, pretty much on demand, so think at the moment he sees food as just something else to play with. What I do is sit him in his highchair when I have breakfast and lunch and give him some bits and pieces. I do admit to being an anxious first time mum tho and spoon in a bit of weetabix at brekkie (I know I know, not BLW if you do it that way) as it has iron in it.

However, I can tell from his nappies that some food is going down, and am doing my best to relax about it and not worry about what other mums/babies are doing. Milk should make up the main part of a babies diet until they are around 1 yr old anyway.

[MaeWest]

Oh, and my mum is convinced that he's not hungry enough for solids as I insist on bf him too much and should 'stretch' him out more between feeds . I think some babies just take to it quicker, weaning isn't an instant process anyway.

[llynnnn]

thanks for your replies, i'll try giving her a bit of bottle before and see if that helps. must try not to stress! she's not exactly the tiniest baby and is definitley not fading away!!
maewest- thats what i'm like too, i give her the purees so i know she's had a bit!! (and to keep my mum quiet who says she's far too young for finger food!)

[lulumama]

food is for fun until you are one ! aitch taught me that !!

let her play, taste, experiment, and enjoy , there is no time limit on learning to love food.. that if they don;t get it NOW then they won;t ever

BLW might take the pressure off in terms of making you let her play, IFYSWIM...and watching them hold the food in chubby little fists is sooooo cute !

DD is 19 months, still eats small quantities, little and often, but eats everything...jsut not much...as long as she has 2 big drinks of milk, i still don;t worry !

i don;t get the hurry to get babies on 3 2 course meals a day, within a few weeks of starting weaning , take it at your pace the one that suits you and her xx

[llynnnn]

thanks lulu, i gave her a banana after her porridge this morning instead of a bottle and she loved it (made a right mess though!) and not sure how much she actually swallowed. i will try try try to relax about it!

[AitchYouBerk]

oh god, the mess that banana makes in the early days... sympathies.
when it comes to the first banana nappy be aware that you will see revolting black threads as proof of eating. i phoned my mum, tearfully explaining that the baby had worms... but no, it was the banana.

[llynnnn]

i'll look out for them tomorrow! thanks for the warning! (god what has my life come to, not so long back i wouldve been sick at the thought of a nappy let alone studying it for black worms!)

[MaeWest]

DS loves banana, he starts waving his arms around and saying 'huh huh huh' as soon as I pick one up . And on the poo front (sorry for TMI) he has SUDDENLY as of the past 2 days started doing little brown turds, proper poo!