Help 8 Month Old Sprays Me When I'm Feeding Her!

Hi M.,
This is pretty normal and there is really nothing you can do (still keep reinforcing the good behavior though). It will pass eventually - and then she'll be on to something else messy. If you're at home try to wear an old t-shirt or smock to feed her and get a splat mat for the floor under her chair. I also used those plastic bibs that have a pocket to catch the food. My son is almost 6 now and he still makes a mess when he eats and then he wants to sit on my lap.... so I don't get sprayed but I get the dirty hands all over me....at least I can make him clean up the table!

Good luck!

Hi M., At 8 months old, she doesn't realize she is doing anything wrong, she learned how to do something different with her mouth and to her it's fun. Keep saying no, but leave off the part that's not the way we eat, that's to many words for an 8 month old, when you say no, touch her mouth with 2 fingers, make sure it's a firm no, and make sure no one is lauging when she does it, cause then she will keep on doin it. Just know a lot of babies go through this stage. J.

Hi M.,
This is a normal phase and will pass. Both of my daughters went through it. As she learns to feed herself, it's going to get a lot messier. If you need to, use distraction as a way to get her to forget about it. If she's not eating any of it and is just playing, then go ahead and clean her up. I'm guessing the bigger a deal you make it, the more she might want to do it because she's getting a reaction from you. She's too little to understand or learn about manners at this age. I'm guessing you'll be relieved to know it's totally normal so hang in there! Another thought - maybe she's ready for more solid foods?

She is 8 mos old. She is experimenting. Let her have some fun. Let her feed herself and you won't get sprayed. Honestly, I wouldn't let this frustrate you, you'll have plenty of other things to frustrate you that will actually be worth your energy. This? Yes, just a phase and the more attention you draw to it, the more she is going to do it.

You could keep doing what you are doing, praise her when she doesn't do it, but if it were me, I wouldn't let it bother me and I would let her feed herself.

Best wishes,
M.

I went through this just a few months ago with my son. Like you, I asked for advice on what to do. It really was just a phase, and as frustrating as it was, it passed. He still does it ocassionally trying to be funny though, but it is rare. Two things really helped me. First, I put the spoon further into his mouth and angled it towards the back of his throat when I fed him. This way the spoon was pressing down on his tongue some and he was unable to use it to spit the food back out. I also left the spoon in his mouth a little longer than I used to and that helped too. Once he stopped spitting though we went back to how we used to feed him.

Second, my son does well when he has something he can feed himself too. For example, cheerios, crackers, bread, fruit, etc. If he has something in his hand to focus on he does so much better. He is able to take part in the feeding too. In between his bites, I put a spoonful of food in his mouth. He's so distracted by what he has that he barely even notices that I am feeding him at the same time. Plus, he's so interested in the food he feeds himself that he doesn't even think about spitting at me.

When I asked for advice, several people told me to take him out of his high chair when he spit at me to show him that meal time was over when he spit. This didn't help at all with my son. He didn't understand that it was a punishment. It just backfired on me because he woke up hungry during the night. So, my main advice to you would just be to have lots of patience. It really will pass. Good luck!

M. honey, there are no eighteen year olds who spray food. She's just experimenting and enjoying the sensation. She'll stop doing it soon. Telling her at this age"that's not how we eat" will probably only motivate her to do it more she doesn't understand restraint, but what she does see is that she gets a response. Think of her as a little scientist; she sprays food and gets a response. She spray's again and gets an even better one! Try ignoring it, wiping yourself off and continuing feeding her. This is only the beginning of her experimentation process. Wait until she starts throwing things or dropping them again, and again, and again just to see you pick it up. :) She's a baby and what you'll learn is that babies teach you that you are not in control. it's a valuable lesson, because ultimately in life we're not in control . That's why all these parents nowadays are putting their kids on rittilin, so they can be in control of them. Relax and be playful with her.

GodBless

Hi M.,

Your daughter is starting to experiment with cause and effect. As others have said, this is a phase and it will pass! In the meantime, invest in some good bibs, get a large, easy to clean splat mat to put under her high chair, and keep dry clean only things out of spitting range! You might consider wearing a smock or apron during feeding time, too.

If you really feel that you don't want to outlast the normal course of the stage, you can end mealtime as soon as she starts spraying, along with a firm "If the food does not stay in your mouth, then breakfast/lunch/dinner is over. That also teaches cause and effect! Truth be told, though, I didn't have the heart to do this with my kids at that age. As I recall, the behavior only lasted a couple of weeks, until they established that the response of the feeder was usually pretty much the same. They generally repeated it if they were being fed by someone new, just to see what their reaction was.

BTW, I hightly recommend two books for you: "Games Babies Play" and "Games Toddlers Play." These books address different developmental stages and the way that kids approach them and learn through their play.

Have fun -- they do grow up so fast! I can still very vividly remember my 9 mo old son spitting spinach all over our 4 year old niece. He just finished his first year of college, and she's starting Med School!

Hi M.:
What ever happened to those cute commercials,depicting a baby in his highchair,spitting food right in his parents face?Others, that showed a toddler pouring his entire bowl of cerial over his head? Most babies go through these silly stages.Especially when their tiny teeth come in.Imagine how foreign they feel in their mouths? I imagine them saying..."Hey, these are kewl!! "Look what I can do with them!"I can bite, and crunch,and if I push with my tongue,stuff goes through them and all over the place!"It's so funny to see mommies suprise face when i do that".It really is a typical stage,and it doesn't last long.however, don't expect her to learn which is her salad fork any time soon. lol This is a cute stage,get some pictures of some of her messes. She won't believe you when you tell her later.I wish you and your darlin daughter the best.

It's just another "phase" of what babies do.
It WILL pass. They won't understand things yet, as an older child would.

Keep in mind though, that "impulse control" is not possible yet... COMPLETE impulse control is not developed until about 3 years old. So in the meantime... there will be things like this happening. And, babies/ kids learn by doing... it's the concept of "cause and effect" and it's fun for them. This is how they learn about their world, experimenting, and doing things like this. When she is a toddler... it will get better, but then other "phases" will occur too. They just have to "socialize" and learn the ropes so to speak. Even if you tell them "no" they WILL do it again. They can't help it at this age.

It may feel frustrating.. but well, they won't exactly "stop" experimenting with their food. It's developmental. They need to go through this. ALL babies go through this. Just get a huge apron or something... for her AND you, and put a drop cloth on the floor for easier clean up. Eating time at this age IS messy, and even when they are a toddler too. It takes time to feed a baby, and a child. It's ongoing... even when they are older...

Take photos & videos, and it will be a great "journal" of your baby's phases and development. It's a funny time and before you know it, they will be all grown up! Also, if you take photos and video, then Daddy can see it too, and "see" his girl and you and what you do during the day! LOL.

All the best,
Susan

Hi
My Grandson also loved that little trick. What I did was wipe him face every time he did it. Not liking his face wiped between every bite it worked fairly fast. Also we make a mmmmmmmmm noise that he would mimick. LoL you cant spit while saying mmmmmm. Good luck! And remember they are only little for a little while, ENJOY THEM.

You can talk until you're bllue in the face and it won't matter. She's a baby and she's doing it because it's fun. I'd get myself a plastic art smock and wear it while she's eating. She'll stop doing this soon.

Very normal... I suggest you don't discuss it with her, as it just brings more attention to it. She is only a baby & experimenting. Let her be. You can always wipe yourself off, change your clothes, etc. As all other phases, this too shall pass.

Dear M.,

It is a baby joke, let her joke. Just don't say anything and she will stop it eventually, everytime you say something about it then she is encouraged to continue. My gr grand children did the same thing. So as soon as they started that we just quit feeding them.

Watch for her other baby jokes. It is really true they make up games too. You just have to watch and be aware. Have fun. Who cares that she gets spray on you ? Good Grief - we all need to laugh a lot more. My husband has Alz. and we got over the bad parts and are now into worse parts that just make my stomach twist, but we both just laugh and giggle when things don't turn out right with his vocab. or when he or I do crazy things that don't get the job done.

Life is crazy, just relax. It WILL get worse. C. N.