my advice: relax! If he's not interested in eating (a particular food, in general) just back off and continue to let him try things when he seems interested, but don't make it into a big thing that you have to do and keep track of, etc.
My son was not interested in food until he was about 9m and even then, didn't eat much. He would eat some, maybe, but just w/ no gusto. He hated carrots, sweet potatoes, squash. I was so confused! I was making these purees and it was so annoying that he just wouldn't eat them. Eventually I backed off and only fed him if he expressed interest in things- would mash stuff with a fork off my plate, or offer him small pieces to pick up an play with/eat at his chair (he always sat at the table with us). By the time he was 1, he was grabbing food off my plate and eating with great pleasure, and now he is 5 and is practically a foodie. In retrospect it seems like it was no time at all, but I can remember feeling like I was doing something wrong back in the moment.
Now, with my second, I have the benefit of that experience. She is totally different (of course!) but I've been able to be much more low-key on MYSELF about her eating. We are also not bothering with purees, so I just started by basically giving her a lick of my food if it seemed appropriate (no history of allergies in either family so I am not overly worried about that, just taking things slow). Eventually I might put a little on my finger, or on a spoon, and let her suck on it. Now I give her pieces of food if its soft and relatively plain and let her work on it. If we're having soup, oatmeal, or like last night, mashed sweet potatoes, I do spoon feed her- but only if she seems interested. So I am kind of in between the "baby led solids" people and the "purees" people- we do what works for us that day, that meal. She is 8 months now and enjoys sitting at the table and having "meals" with us but nobody worries about how much she she is eating.
hth!
My son was not interested in food until he was about 9m and even then, didn't eat much. He would eat some, maybe, but just w/ no gusto. He hated carrots, sweet potatoes, squash. I was so confused! I was making these purees and it was so annoying that he just wouldn't eat them. Eventually I backed off and only fed him if he expressed interest in things- would mash stuff with a fork off my plate, or offer him small pieces to pick up an play with/eat at his chair (he always sat at the table with us). By the time he was 1, he was grabbing food off my plate and eating with great pleasure, and now he is 5 and is practically a foodie. In retrospect it seems like it was no time at all, but I can remember feeling like I was doing something wrong back in the moment.
Now, with my second, I have the benefit of that experience. She is totally different (of course!) but I've been able to be much more low-key on MYSELF about her eating. We are also not bothering with purees, so I just started by basically giving her a lick of my food if it seemed appropriate (no history of allergies in either family so I am not overly worried about that, just taking things slow). Eventually I might put a little on my finger, or on a spoon, and let her suck on it. Now I give her pieces of food if its soft and relatively plain and let her work on it. If we're having soup, oatmeal, or like last night, mashed sweet potatoes, I do spoon feed her- but only if she seems interested. So I am kind of in between the "baby led solids" people and the "purees" people- we do what works for us that day, that meal. She is 8 months now and enjoys sitting at the table and having "meals" with us but nobody worries about how much she she is eating.
hth!
