HELP PLEASE! spoons -fingers-food not taking any of them -HELP!!!

[mollythedogsmum]

Please help me anyone. I am now beginning to be at my wits end. have 7mth DD who started weaning fine then 3 wks in decided to cut 3 teeth at the same time, 2 of which were top teeth - not nice. went off food - which was alright just got on with the milk - again no concern or need for stress. However we have never really gone back to food. Now through my going back to work, my mum has her 3 days a week and the nursery for 2 days none of us can get her to take solids because she now clamps her teeth ( we have 8) tightly shut. we have given her a spoon - helped at first but she is too clever! she can even smile winningly at you without opening her mouth! She does not want to take food off the spoon or off the finger. Have tried fringer foods but she bites a piece off and spits it out. Please help me any advice???
Nursery just say persevere and put her on 3 meals a day with small bottles in between and force the food in - any less dramatic remedies or idea would realy be welcom as am really becoming increasingly worried that this is such a problem = please help
ps: HV no use (there's a surprise!) told her the problems and she wrote in my book weaning going very well!!!

[sniff]

I have the same problem with my 10 month old daughter she clamps her lips shut at every thing on a spoon or in her hand, she has 8 teeth now and doesnt put anything any where near her mouth

but she is slowly now coming round to the idea of eating

there was a thread on here a few weeks ago about it I will try to find it but it gave statistics of why not to worry it put my mind at rest

[mollythedogsmum]

thankx sniff, really appreciate any link/info. am trying new regime today suggested by the nursery but can't say it is going too well!

[funnypeculiar]

Not sure if I being dense ... but is she 7 mths now?? (in which case, way to go with those teeth) DD has had a few periods of bieng more/less food orientated - sometimes she hardly eats for weeks, other weeks we can't the food onto her tray fast enough!

From what I've read (mostly on here!!) I would have thought it makes more sense to keep up the milk rations (higher calorie intake/more important food stuff) and relax on the foods, rather than the other way round. Aitch will come along soon & tell you ''til they're one it (food) is just for fun )rather . If she has been finding eating painful, maybe she's just learnt that it may hurt/will take a week or so to 'forget' this?

I think one of the few key things is getting a wee bit of iron into them, so you could perhaps try esp to get her to chew on some chopped dried apricots? And vitamin drops might also help you feel you can relax a bit?
Personally, I'd be tempted to maybe focus on the finger foods given that she's at least choosing to get those into her - forcing a spoon into a baby ain't much fun for anyone - may just take her a while to get the idea that what she's bitten off is edible, iykwim?

[quokka]

don't force her she will eat when she's hungry or feeling better

[AitchYouBerk]

i'm inclined to agree with quokka and FP, if she's cutting teeth then she really could go off food in a big way. DD had been cutting one every few weeks for the last six months and she just stops eating food altogether round about the time that the tooth is about to come through. you knwo that already, that's why you weren't stressed about giving her milk.

i suppose the question i'd ask is, would you be as bothered by this if she wasn't at nursery? i wonder if they are stressing you out a bit with their helpful advice (which i'm not sure about, it seems mean to cut back her milk).

if you think you can relax about it and encourage the nursery and your mum to chill out a bit, do you think you could just give her finger food for a while, so that she can take things at her own pace? it does sound like she cut a load of teeth at the one time, she may just be a bit freaked out and sore. by the way, biting bits off and letting it drop out of their mouths is really normal for finger food ime.

and she's only 7 months old, you do have some time left before you need to get worried about her. FP's idea of dried unsulphured apricots is a good one. or fresh apricots and pears are always popular with my dd. or melon straight from the fridge is good for wee teeth. good luck, i hope someone comes along with the advice that will work for you.

[FrannyandZooey]

Aitch I just wanted to say how much time and dedication you put into helping people on these weaning threads

you have helped such a lot of people

[Greenshoots]

The nursery have advised you to force-feed a 7mo baby 3 meals a day?

I'd change nursery. And complain to Ofsted.

Lots of 7mo babies aren't ready for three meals a day - it's very early. I'd just slow down a bit, go gently, and let her have her milk as and when she wants it. There are more calories in the milk than in the amount of food she can take at this age anyway.

[lulumama]

NO force feeding..what a ridicolous thing to say ! basically, what everyone else has said!

DD is 19 months, she is teething at the mo, and barely a morsel of food has past her lips over the last 48 hours, i think yesterday , she had 2 bites of toast , 3 raisins, a bite of apple and lots of milk !

[AitchYouBerk]

this arse? are you sure Frances? it was only a few weeks ago that it was wearing a nappy...












thanks.

[funnypeculiar]

Agree F&Z - only really posted in the hope of bumping it so that Aitch would come along & advise properly!

[lulumama]

i feel another group hug coming on !!

[AitchYouBerk]

licking now, is it? and kissing? well, if you insist...

[Greenshoots]

[lulumama]

[AitchYouBerk]

(btw, did you like my utterly moderate and cowed 'not sure about the nursey advice'? when my every sinew was screaming 'NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!' )

[AitchYouBerk]

exactly greeny, was hugely relieved to see you and then lulu going NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO about the force-feeding. like your new easter name btw, very vigorous.

[lulumama]

have the nursery tried forcing food into a recalcitrant baby......why bother? tis a waste of energy, a hiding to nothing, everyone gets upset and is more likely to cause food ishoooos if continued into toddlerhood, IMO

[littleEasterlapin]

Can we get back to the poor OP? Sheesh!

Does she have a cold as well by any chance? Teething and colds cause my DS to go off food in a big way (and he's normally a good eater).

The other thing, of course, is the change in her routine with you going back to work and her being with your mum and nursery. Babies can be pretty sensitive to things like that.

I would definitely NOT force feed her (and I would make bloody sure that the nursery aren't doing it). Keep offering her a variety of foods - puree or fingerfoods, which ever you choose, and she'll take them in her own time.

Have a look here; some advice but also proof that you are not alone!

[jetjets]

Message withdrawn

[hunkermunker]

I'm really shocked the nursery have advised force-feeding such a young baby.

Are they doing that to her?

I'd be REALLY pissed off with them.

As for your DD, just give her milk for a bit and really ease off on the food thing. She's teething, so her mouth hurts, and you risk causing bigger problems if you keep up the "force it in" thing, IMO.