7 months old refusing solids

My nearly 7 months old is still refusing solids. He has all the signs of being ready including the watching us and opening his mouth like us but whenever we try any kind of food on a spoon heading his way, he closes his mouth and refuses it or when I get some in his tongue pushes it back out. I have been trying since for just over a month now with different types of foods from the blandest baby rise stuff to tasty apple pureed. I have given him rusks which he chews on a little and tried a cooked carrot slice, which he put in his mouth then spat out again. I have tried letting him hold the spoon.
He is hungry and not putting on much weight. I am breastfeeding him 3 hourly all day and he has started waking up two or three times in the night after sleeping through from 7 till 7 since he was 3 months old...

Oh and he also refuses a bottle of any kind. I have tried different teats, breast milk and formula, had different people try with me in the room and no even in the house. I have also tried different positions but he will not have a bar of it. It is boob or nothing!!! :0

Anyone else had this happen? Any other suggestions? or should I just wait it out... I am getting rather exhausted as I have two preschoolers also and I really need my sleep... don't we all!!!

PS: He is otherwise a real happy baby who has been just a breeze to have

Just keep offering. Perhaps try finger food.

As long as he is still having plenty of breastmilk i wouldnt be too concerned.

My DD was 8 months before she started even being interested in food. Before that i might only get a mouthful or two into her.

What they said. Also, are you and your other children eating with him? My DS wont eat unless we're eating together.


Try not to stress about how much he's eating, it wasn't that long ago the plummet recommendation was for introducing solidarity at 9 months. He wont starve.
Just to try to ease your mind somewhat, my DS is almost 17 months and has only recently dratted to eat reasonable amounts and would often go through periods of not eating anything at all.

My friend's wee girl wasn't interested in solids till she was almost one and then all of a sudden it was all on! She would happily eat pureed fruit before that though.

I hear you on wanting him to have something other than 3hrly BF though, it does get exhausting when you have older kids to deal with too!

On the bottle/sippy front, I've just started giving my 7mo a straw cup with water in at meal times and he is getting the hang of that quite well. He uses the Pigeon Mag Mag straw cup, used the same with DS1 from 8mo too.

Agree with the suggestion to try other finger foods. My 7mo DS eats baby rice crackers (called Baby Bites here, I think you can get something similar in NZ), Farley's Rusks, banana, watermelon, cruskits, toast. Also have you tried putting the food in the bowl in front of him and letting him play with it etc and see if he gets any in himself that way?

MamaT wrote: What they said. Also, are you and your other children eating with him? My DS wont eat unless we're eating together. Try not to stress about how much he's eating, it wasn't that long ago the plummet recommendation was for introducing solidarity at 9 months. He wont starve. Just to try to ease your mind somewhat, my DS is almost 17 months and has only recently dratted to eat reasonable amounts and would often go through periods of not eating anything at all.

Same with my little man. Also have yocu tried having him on your lap while you eat ? Ds would always eat more if it was off our plates.

Good luck!

And in regards to weight, I'm sure breastmilk is much more calorie dense than the solids we start babies on anyway!

What finger foods have you tried? Different textures? Colours? Have you tried walking away, still watching, but not focussing on him? Stealing food off his tray so he knows it's edible?