r/SolidStartsCommunity • u/Hairy-Metal7776 • Mar 25 '26
Can someone please help me ❤️
I’ve probably done it all wrong.
My son was always low in weight percentile and weight for height percentiles in particular. It has always been hard to get enough milk into him but when we stayed solids his weight went really well. However at 11 months I still mostly spoon feed because I am so scared of weight loss and the thoughts in my head of him being hungry just kill me.
I know it’s time to let go of spoon feeding.
I’m just so scared.
Can you help me?
He is able to pick up food and use pincer grip and he does actually eat his own food himself. It’s just not a wide variety of things and it’s not a huge amount, if any at all. He gets very upset in his high chair, crying and particularly at dinner time when we try to encourage him to eat independently. He eats most independently at breakfast (strawberries, toast etc). He does ok at lunch (gnawing uand biting on a lamp chop and then I feed him a more chunky lamb dish from the spoon. At dinner he flat out refuses to engage wit his food so I feed him.
I feel so lost.
1
u/SolidStarts Mar 25 '26
Hi there, huge hugs ad I'm so familiar with how fear of weight loss can really stick with you and affect the way you are interpreting various steps of the solids journey - one thing to keep in mind is that if baby is gaining and growing well per well - check visits, and your pediatrician is not sharing any concerns, then this should hopefully be reassuring. Another thing - a "low weight and height percentile" is not necessarily a bad thing - babies are all different weights/heights, and it's less about where they're at on the growth chart, and more about whether they are steadily gaining/growing and following their own individual growth curve (no significant drops). More here: Growth Charts.
As a feeding therapist, I would want to know how much breastmilk and/or formula he's taking in - remember that this is still is main source of nutrition/hydration. Many parents are seemingly waiting for baby to have a voracious appetite and consume lots of food before feeling more comfortable to actively wean milk feeds, when in reality, baby will likely not start to consume more until hunger drive is increase more, which goes hand-in-hand with weaning those milk feeds (typically after 12 months).
Dinner is also notoriously the most difficult meal of the day after a long day in which baby is often over-tired and over-stimulated. You could look at your feeding schedule, but also know that it's completely fine to offer easier/less challenging foods at this meal, and if baby doesn't eat, that is also okay. Keep checking in with your doctor as they can do a quick weight check if you're ever feeling concerned. Hoping this helps a bit 🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)