Please help! I need some suggestions on how to get my son to feed himself finger foods. He will be a year old in about 3 weeks refuses to feed anything to himself! I put puffs or diced veggies on his tray and he never ever tries to bring them to his mouth. If he picks them up they go right on the floor. When he has them in his hand I try to guide his arm toward his mouth but he just gets mad and drops the food. Any suggestions???
K. , he is 11 months old, if you know he likes the food, put one in his mouth and help him feed, i baby sit a little guy who is 6 months older than that and just got the hang of feeding self, so be patient and help him a bit longer, D. s
It's probably just a phase but, if this continues, you might have him evaluated for motor skills. Sometimes the local school district will do this. If there's a problem, he may need a bit of occupational therapy where they work with him on feeding himself. I wonder if there are any other delays you've noticed. If not, it may be a little control thing as he tries to become more independent, though he's young for doing something like that. You could try working with his fine motor skills with toys (toy food or dishes might be good) instead of food and see what he does. Good luck! Probably this is just a maturity issue and will pass.
I seriously doubt this is a developmental issue, if your baby doesn't show delays in any other area...
My son, who now three, had little interest in table food or self feeding. He didn't even stick his hands in his fisrt birthday cake! We just kept giving him things and eventually he started picking them up. I think the more you push the issue, you'll only frustrate yourself.
Hang in there. He will eventually get the idea. You're doing the right thing!
By the way, my son is three now and we are constantly telling him not to eat with his hands--to use a fork! So it's always something!
All the best!
I'd just let him keep trying.. he'll get it eventually.
My son was about 11 months old when he really started to get the hang of feeding himself.
Before my son was in daycare he was home with his grandma during the mornings. She always fed him and I would do it as well. so he did not have too. I was afraid that he would not get enough to eat if I left the job up to him.
I was very worried when I had to put him in daycare because he could not fed himself. Also, his teeth were extremely slow to come in and that made things even worse. Now at two he is pro now with a fork and spoon.
I'm sure your little one will be feeding himself in no time. Like one poster said put out some food that you know he loves and you know he is hungry. I bet he will put that food in his mouth in a blink of an yey. And he will be so proud that he did it himself.
I think that my son took about a year to really do a lot of self feeding. He might have eaten Cheerios a little earlier. He has taken his time for everthing. He will be two in February and just started to eat most things on his own. Every baby is different. Take care!
Lots of patience. He'll get it eventually! :) My daughter took a very long time to self feed, longer then I thought it should. But then one day she just started stuffing her face.
If you feel pressured to have it happen soon then try some creative games with him, sing a little silly song about it, or something like that. That might do the trick. If not, just keep encouraging him and don't get upset if he's not ready yet. He will be when its time for HIM.
Best wishes!
I think sometimes little ones are SO instructed not to put things in ther mouths that when it it sime for finger food they might not get it right away. That said, getting food tho the mouth is a small AND large motor skill....picking up with fingers (small) and moving arm to mouth (large). Those skills develope at different times and to blend them together for a successful bite of food is a big deal. Just keep offering something that HE LIKES on his high chair tray and see what happens. Does he grab the spoon when you feed him? You could try giving him the spoon with his yogurt or whatever he has for breakfast (messy but a needed learning curve) Does he pick up other things and put them to his mouth? What did he chew on when teething? I would experiment with a few different things...if he doesn't get it in a couple of months ask his doctor about his motor skills. All babies develope these skills at different times, it's probably nothing. BUT keep an eye on it anyway. All the best to you!
If you think the issue is developmental in nature, call Early On, fill out the paperwork and sign it, and have them screen him (it's free) for fine motor delays--an occupational therapist can help him work on the pincer grasp and the motion to move food from his fingers to his mouth. Your private insurance may pay for an OT eval as well--check into it.
It sounds a bit like a power struggle. I'd try not caring and modeling by eating similar, if not the same, foods and seeing how that goes. Keep giving him variety and be patient, he'll eat if/when he's truely hungry. And when he does start to feed himself don't rush in to help him, act like you knew he could do it even if he gets it all over his face. It'll build his confidence. Good luck!
Don't fret too much. My daughter was the same way and didn't start till a week before her bday. Now she is 16 months and feeds her self with a spoon. I was frustrated too especially since I have a daycare and all the other kids were hand feeding themselves. I gave her a spoon to play with and realized she would much rather try using that then her hands. When she got too frustrated she started using her fingers. Every kids develops differently.
