Hi all,

need you're help...sorry this is a bit of an essay!! please read...

The little girl im looking after has just started point blank refusing to take any food when we were making progress

She is 7 mths old and at first ( @ 5 1/2 mths) it was slowly slowly as you do, she would take a little, mostly as her mouth fell open looking up etc as she wasnt overly keen on the spoon approaching but developed a liking for swede, carrot sweet things as they do ofcourse like apple was the favourite but i was carefull not to only give things she favoured and keep her tastes varied. This advanced to chicken, fish (she doent like fish (cod)but has only been on meat a few weeks.

I do have & have always had to sit and be very animated with songs, give her things to play with as she has never been overly keen on just taking from the spoon and gets bored easily for eating. some mouthfulls will be her own some are when she caught unawares and i do offer finger food as she is quite an independent baby for her age and i did consider maybe babyled may be better for her but she has no desire (yet) to put anything offered in her mouth, only rusks seem to be a like for her.

In the early days i offered all sorts of flavours, had all my batch cooking done, fruit,veg and came up with lots of ways to try to encourage i.e she likes yogurt i started putting a lil blob in middle of food give her a bit then a scoop of savoury then back to the yogurt, worked for a week or so, i tried diffrent colour bowls realising id give savoury in one a sweet in toher so nhad all same colour, have tried from highchair to babywalker with just tray bit on incase is the chair.. no difference.

I had bubbles at the table so i could get a spponfull in as her motuh fell open.. she will eat and dosnt seem to mind once the food is in her motuh but the biggest frustartion is that she just does not want to open her mouth.....at all!!!

I keep a smile on, really priase when any food is in mouth and she eats and dont let my frustration show but its getting frustrating as she is 7mths and really thought she wud have it sussed by now.

I have weaned twins, and a little girl in previous jobs, all with the odd teething problem but none as complex as this. I dont know if she just being stubborn?? or i did consider as she was quite a sicky baby wether she might have a little reflux and worried that it might be hurting her but right after breakfast she goes for a nap.. no problems and takes bottles fine and the food (what she does take that is) really helped with digestion in that she used to only do dirty nappy once every 3 days i was told when i started and now its every day so must have helped and she is generally a very happy baby and always has been.

I know that milk alone wont be providing all the claories and nutrients she needs at this age so am reluctant to give up and start again as i would suggest to someone else with a baby of say 5 mths.

She is teething alot at mo so it could be that but i dont think it is as she plays well, sleeps fine has teething gel wen hurting.

If anyone has any ideas.. same exp and came out the other side id really like to know what u tried

many thanks

k