Need advice: 7 month old barely swallows anything :(

[Peppermint25]

Hello,

I'm hoping that you ladies can give some advice. My LO is 7 months and since about 5 abs half months We'v been trying her with solids.

We started the first week with baby rice but she hated that and would just grab at the spoon and close her mouth shut. Since then We'v been giving her lots of finger foods and putting parts of our meals on her high chair table. She loves playing with food and will suck and naw on things, as well as use her fingers to pick up things like bolognase to put in her mouth. Although she enjoys doing this as soon as the food gets near the back of her mouth she gags and it all comes out again. She really does barely swallow anything, and what does go down I don't think she deliberately wants it to.

With her meals I normally offer something puréed or sloppy on the spoon and again she will clamp her little mouth shut or else let it go in her mouth and spit it out.

Is the normal for this age? I seen other younger babies demolishing all sorts of foods and happily swallowing away.

She is bf and we are also trying to get her to take a sippy cup or bottle but are having no such luck. Has anyone experienced this too and can offer advice on bear types of cups or how to encourage her? She just chews and plays with the teat/ spout.

I have to do some back to work days in a month or so's time and am desperate for her to start eating food and using the sippy cup so I can safely leave her with my mum for the day. It's really beginning to stress me out!

 

[Dollybird]

Not too sure how to solve the swallowing problem-- I think it's probably something that will resolve itself when her gag reflex diminishes (which it should do soon) you will just need to go with the flow I think and let her practice. As for the cup.. Is it a non spill? My LO struggled with the non spill and just gnawed at it so I switched to a free flow-- took a few days for him to get used to it, and if I let him do it himself he tends to make a wee bit of a mess (part of the fun! Lol) but he's taking water from it now at least! Hope that helps a little xxx

 

[w8ing4bean]

My lo will swallow puree, yoghurts etc but when i give her finger foods she plays with it, moves it around her mouth and then spits it out.

I think its all part of exploring and learning what to do, how to chew/swallow etc x

 

[Dollybird]

Oh another cup u could try (that is actually no spill but works on a touch basis rather than suck) is the nuby grip n sip. My little boy has this for when we are out and about and loves it.. Think cause the top is silicone rather than a hard plastic it's more like a bottle, and as it isn't "suck" activated it will still encourage them to sip like they would from a cup xxx
https://www.tesco.com/direct/nuby-grip-n-sip-cup/123-0493.prd

 

[baileybubs]

Hi there. I worried about the same sort of things when my dd was that age, but someone told me that I shouldn't view food as a source of nutrition until they are over 1 year old. I told myself to see any food as something to explore and fun and didnt stress about it as much and I found that within time she began to learn how to swallow and chew.

As for the sippy cup my dd is 10 months now and still doesn't use a sippy cup well! I manage to give her little bits of water if I hold the cup but I've tried several cups and all she ever wants to do is chew the spout/teat! I figure she'll get there in the end and is getting loads of fluid from her milk and from the fruits and veggies she eats.

Hope that helps any!

Oh and my dd never likes being spoon fed unless it's something sweet and yummy lol, and even then she just wants to steal the spoon and fling it round lol!

 

[Peppermint25]

Thanks for all your replies.

Dollybird yes it was a non spill one. Iv invested in the one you suggested and she has actually sucked out a little bit now!

She's still not eating much. Loves putting it in her mouth and mushing it but still not much swallowing. Purée or proper meals/ finger foods.

Haha Baileybubs that's exactly what she does with the spoon! I get one little spoonful in then she grabs and flings the rest.

I really do hope her gag reflex goes soon. But your so right saying don't stress about it and look on food as fun. I bf and since about 4 months has refused to feed anywhere but out home. This just makes going out quite limiting and restricting for feeds. I was hoping she would be eating more and willing to drink some expressed milk out a cup so we could go out sometimes and not worry about rushing back for her feed as she could snack on food and expressed milk instead. Oh well, hopefully soon! I also need to return to work in the not too distant future so need her taking some nutrition during the day other than from me.

 

[missmayhem]

my lo doesn't swallow we had to have speech and language therapists out to see him, we have had to spoon feed him tiny tiny tiny amounts literally a speck on a spoon and let him seed himself

its so frustrating as anyhting more than a speck and he just spits it out, he won't use a beaker either just spits the fluid out as he still has the tongue thrust reflux

 

[Peppermint25]

my lo doesn't swallow we had to have speech and language therapists out to see him, we have had to spoon feed him tiny tiny tiny amounts literally a speck on a spoon and let him seed himself

its so frustrating as anyhting more than a speck and he just spits it out, he won't use a beaker either just spits the fluid out as he still has the tongue thrust reflux

Thanks for sharing. So what did the speech therapists advise? Just to persevere until he loses it?

It is so frustrating!

 

[missmayhem]

she advised to brush his teeth often so that he gets used to the feeling of things in his mouth, but if he gags stop instantly.

feed him teeny tiny very smooth puree from a spoon so he can learn to move it about his mouth.

it's taking a lot of patience and he isn't progrossing much. however we will get there