I have a 9 1/2 month old boy who will not finger feed himself! He is breastfed and will somewhat hold a sippy cup, but I have to make him. He loves cheerios and the fruit puffs, but I have to put them in his mouth, He picks them up, but only plays with them. He has never put very much in his mouth at all, even when teething he doesn't want to really chew on toys. All in all he doesn't have a huge appetite, his growth is good and goes up at each check up, but of course it still worries me being a first time mommy. He started off liking certain baby foods, but now he seems to not care too much about real food, only wants the breast. Are there other mommies out there who have/had this problem?
I wouldn't stress about it at all! For the first year breastmilk should be his main source of nutrition. At this point giving him food is just to get him tasting other things.... not to help him grow :)
Yep. My son didn't feed himself until he was 12-months old. It's a bit too early to be worried about it right now. Just keep offering him the food and feed it to him if that's what he wants at this age. Good luck.
For the 1st year of life, a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition is from breastmilk or Formula... NOT solids and NOT other liquids. And they should still be nursed on-demand.
"Eating" at this age, is only an 'introduction' to foods. NOT the main course or it being about eating a buffet.
Your son, is typical. They don't necessarily finger feed on their own.
And even with a Toddler, you still need to help them eat or feed them.
And supervise while doing so, so they don't choke or put too much in their mouths.
as for Cheerios/puffs.... per our Pediatrician, we did NOT give these to our kids as babies, until they were 12 months old.
Otherwise, it is a choking/safety hazard etc.
Go by his cues.
Their food preferences also ALWAYS changes. It is not static. Their taste-buds are not even fully developed yet. It is ongoing.
ALL babies, go through this. It is normal.
all the best,
Susan
I agree with the other ladies, but also check with the pediatrician to see if you need to be supplementing your body with iron, etc. I BF one of my kiddos until 18 months (he had zero interest in table foods until then and I really didn't care if he did - lol) Anyways, I remember being told by either pedi or ob that I needed to be supplemening so my milk had enough iron for him.
You may already be doing this so sorry if redundant.
I hav not had that problem but bath my kids were breastfed babies. You might have to break him from the breast and when you do try introducing certain table foods.like panacakes put them in shapes and try letting him eat also give him a baby spoon and fork my son will not eat without forks and spoons.
My son was the same way. He eventually did get interested in food around 1 year, and now he's 4 and eats EVERYTHING! As long as he is growing fine I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep offering different foods, and when he's ready he'll eat them. Your breastmilk is the healthiest and most nutrient-dense food you could offer, so if that's all he's eating, then he's chosen the best part.
He's still pretty young. He's probably just now getting his pincher grasp (thumb and forefinger) all figured out. And hand mouth coordination too. Give him time. The breast is better than table foods anyway. Relax:) first time is hard because you don't know what to expect and then you really start to compare to others. Try your best not to, it'll only make you miserable.
