Hi, My daughter is 8 month old and she's refusing the spoon since she's 6 month old. I have to put food in her bottle such as cereales, vegetables...I'm getting worried, I dont want her to still eat in a bottle at 12 month !!!! My pediatrician advised me to see a feeding therapist and to have her run some test (make sure there is no obstruction in the throat) etc... Unfortunatly its extremely difficult to get appointments with those people. I'm sure my daughter has nothing wrong, I tried to give her milk with her spoon and she still refused it so I know the problem is the spoon and not the food. Please help me and let me know what can I do . Thank you.
Thank you soo much for your help. I'm still waiting for this specialist to give me an appointment...My daughter is doing a lot better (for me anyway). She now eats yoghurt (loving it) and she eats those breakfast jar as well as vegetables a little bit. I stopped putting food in her bottles and I saw my pediatrician this morning and he gave me a schedule to follow. Thank you again for all of your answers it did help me a lot. She also love those puffs star by the way !!!! She still isnt a big eater but its a good start.
stop putting food in her bottle!!!!! They don't need anything but formula or breast milk till 1 year anyway. You just have to keep trying a spoon, if you keep putting it in her bottle you arn't going to solve anything!
Hi~ My son had extreme difficulty with eating due to reflux. He would gag, choke and throw up. He was involved in early intervention for different issues and we asked them if they could do an occupational therapy evaluation. We got ot once a week for a while and some of the tricks and information made a huge difference. I live in erie county early intervention is at ###-###-####. the nice thing about them is they are free and the services are done right in your home. I highly recommend them. If you don't live in erie county, I believe other counties have this service but it is through your health department. Good luck.
M.,
I let my son feed himself once in a while (hes almost 10 months old) we strip him down to his diaper and let him go at it. i recomed doing this mostly naked so then you can just put her into the tub once shes done. another thing you cant try is biter biscuts and ziweyback toast (i dont think i spelled those right) these will get her eating and not out of a bottle. Another thing you can try is you eat while trying to feed her so then she understands that she should eat as well.
hope this helps,
K.
Try letting your baby feed herself! Solids are an experiment in tastes and textures for these little ones just starting off, not just a source of calories. Letting her be a little in charge of how much and which food she gets in her mouth can help her have a healthy relationship with food. As someone else suggested, let her have finger foods. Cheerios are a favorite, as are small ripe chunks of banana or avocado, tofu and poached fruits or veggies. You can scrape a fresh apple with the side of a spoon and get a nice tasty pile of apple bits, or scrape tender meats with a knife to get the same effect. How about REAL softly cooked oatmeal flavored with fruit juice or mushy rice with broth?
Put a small pile of a few things on her tray and let her have at it. She will definitely smear it around, but what you will notice is that she will grab some with her whole palm and manage to smush it into her mouth. Messy, I know, but SO worth it to them. I used to feed my son in just a diaper and bib to avoid ruining clothes, and then just toss him in a quick bath.
It is always a good idea to NOT fight with a baby about food... remember that you are setting up a life-long relationship with food here... think about how you want that to unfold, and think about your own relationship with food.
Also, try getting ahold of this great book: My Child Won't Eat!
by Carlos Gonzalez
Maybe the problem really is the spoon. Is it too hard to rough to cold is it one of the rubber kind. If it is metal try using the baby rubber kind or vice versa. She really might not like the texture or feel of the actual spoon not the idea of eating with one.
good luck
D.
Hello. I also have an 8 month old daughter. Even though she is my 3rd child, I find myself running into more problems and having more questions than I did with my 1st two. I don't know if you have tried them already, but there are special utensils for children who are learning to self feed. I bought a couple when my 2nd was a baby. She didn't like them because there wasn't enough food on them for her. They are made out of plastic and the handle is rubber. Gerber makes them. They are called 'Lil Dippers. I'm pretty sure I got them at Walmart. The food just kind of sticks to the "spoon." The part that goes in the baby's mouth is flat with ridges. Maybe she will like these better. Whatever you do, don't stress. I know that every baby/child is different. By 8 moths old, my oldest two were pros at eating everything I gave them. But my youngest chokes, gags & really just doesn't have the hang of it yet. My husband gets upset & stresses, but like I tell him, it's nothing to get upset about. Give it some time. Please let me know if this helps you out or if you have any other questions. I'll try to help where I can.
it could be a texture thing, my son was like that too.we saw a therapist who suggested letting him just eat ith his hands even the messy stuff so he can get used to different textures and she told us the spoon feels weird to babies
did you try putting food down on her high chair tray? if you put it there and let her play with it a little, she'll find her way to getting it in her mouth with her fingers and then maybe realize that she wants more and be more receptive to the spoon. also do you let her chew on a spoon ever, even with no food on it, to get used to how it feels on her gums etc? good luck!
The best way to get babies to do something is to keep trying. It takes a long time for some babies to get accustomed to new tasks, especially eating from a spoon. I started both of my children on cereal by 2 months of age, and always from a spoon. Her formula or breast milk is sufficient enough for her, so don't worry if she is not getting the hang of using a spoon. Just keep trying! Good Luck!!
M.,
First off, keep trying to get that appointment. It's important.
Second, how is your daughter's grasp coming along? Can she pick up a Cheerio or similar type of food and put it in her mouth? My son was a demon with spoon-feeding, and by ten months or so was feeding himself finger food items. Start letting her practice this skill with pieces of cereal or those little Gerber stars. As soon as she can do it reliably, start giving her pieces of well-cooked vegetables, those little diced baby fruits they sell, pasta, toast fingers, etc. Better to have her feed herself this way than to have her sucking meals through a bottle. Eventually you're going to want to take that bottle away, and there goes her source of both food and fluids!
Try calling 311 and/or Birth to 3 agencies that specialize with developmental pathways of children. Also go to Parent As Teachers website PAT.com I beleive it is. (ihave not used it in awhile) In my former job I did playgroups with parents to teach their children how to learn through play. Things like that came up all the time, fine motor skills. Try giving her cheerios to get the hand to mouth coordination and practice with her using the spoon. It will be a couple of months brfore she masters it. Give her time. Good luck!
If the problem is truly just the spoon, we like the new Gerber Scoopin' Spoon (http://www.gerber.com/prodcat?catid=572). The handle fits little hands perfectly and the bowl is rubbery and flexible. Wal-mart or Target, 2 pack about $2.50. My daughter is a self biter so we have also used her spoons as alternative "chewies". I swear by them!
