First baby took to solids so easily, but second baby (7 mo) is struggling with motor skills & interest—is this normal? Looking for reassurance/experiences!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to hear from parents who have gone through something similar because I’m starting to worry about our progress with solids!

With my first (my son), we started solids at 7.5 months. He was born at 35 weeks, so we waited an extra month to adjust. We did a mix of BLW and spoon feeding - started with steamed apple, and right away he was able to pick up finger-sized pieces, take little bites, and gradually build up his quantities. He was formula/bottle-fed, and his feeds naturally came down as he ate more until he was off bottles by 14 months. It was a super smooth transition.

Now with my daughter, it has been a completely different story. She is 7.5 months old, exclusively breastfed, and we started offering her food about a month ago.

* **Motor skills / coordination:** She honestly does not seem to know how to pick up food and get it into her mouth at all. She tries to grab finger foods, but lacking the coordination, she just ends up dropping or throwing them off her tray.
* **Spoon feeding:** When we try to mash things up and spoon-feed her instead, she shows zero interest in taking it.
* **No progress:** It’s been a full month of trying, and nothing has really shifted or clicked for her yet.

With my son, the gradual increase in solids felt so natural, but now I’m anxious that we’re going to be in for a long struggle with her.

Is this normal for a breastfed baby or just a classic "second baby is totally different" situation? Is she simply not ready for BLW motor-wise yet? Did any of your babies start off with zero coordination/interest at 7–8 months and eventually just click with it later on?

I’d love to hear your experiences or any gentle tips that worked for your slow starters!