My 6 1/2 month old son is loving his oatmeal, peas and sweet potatoes, but it's like he doesn't know how to swallow it without having his bib or his hand in his mouth. He eats the most when he has his bib on; he pretty much spits it on his bib and then sucks it off again. Last night I had him eat in just his diaper (no bib) and he shoved his hands in his mouth and it worked for a bit, but he quickly got frustrated. Is this something that will pass and one day he'll just "get it" or should I be doing something to help him learn to swallow it without "tools?"
Thanks for all the responses; that was very helpful. As many of you predicted, my son grew out of the bib thing and is now eating his oatmeal and baby food without sucking it off his bib or his hand. Meals are relatively non-messy for now and he's eating a ton! Thanks again for the support and input!
When my son started doing this, we gave him his own spoon while we fed him and it worked like a charm - much neater and easier to work with while feeding. Now he likes to dip his spoon into his food - including his finger food! He hasn't fed himself yet, but I like that he is already comfortable with holding a spoon - he'll be one on Sept. 4!
S.,
Let him eat with a bib or his hand in his mouth. He will get it. I promise. Be patient and relax. Be grateful he will wear a bib. It is much worse when they refuse to wear one but they are still in the "messy" stage.
Good luck,
S.
He'll grow out of it. I have a friend who's daughter did the same thing...everytime she took a bite of food, she stuck 2 fingers in her mouth to help suck it down and swallow it. It's messy. But, she grew out of it. I think it's part of learning how to voluntarily swallow vs a reflex to swallow. I'd promote the finger sucking over the bib though because I would think he'll actually eat and swallow more from his fingers than from off the bib.
all three of my kids have done this so far. It is really messy, but they do grow out of it. Our youngest has just started on foods and is doing this, i can't wait for it to stop! Slowly they stop doing it on every bite etc. I thought something was wrong or that maybe they weren't ready for solids or something, but that was just their way of learning to eat, so now we just roll with it. sometimes the placement of the food in their mouths made a difference or i would try to have them suck off the spoon instead of their thumbs, but they did what they wanted to do most of the time.
Our daughter does this sometimes. I think it is just something he does and will eventually stop. Make sure his food isn't to thick for him.
That must be a security thing for him. A bib seems an essential tool for feeding time, but I would guess that maybe you could hold onto his hand so he doesn't put it in his mouth. He may be frustrated for awhile, but he'll get it before long. Is the food real runny or not so runny? That may make a difference with how he receives it.I don't think I would let him suck it back off his bib either. Just spoon it in and catch it when it comes back out! Giving him his own spoon might also work just for something to hold onto while your feeding him.
Believe me, the days are coming, and soon, where he won't have anything to do with those bibs and then you'll be dealing with spot treating all of his clothes. My guy was about 9 months when he stopped allowing me to put them on him.
If this does happen to you, watch out for bananas and peaches! They turn everything black and it's really hard to get the stains out. I had to toss most of the clothes that got "banana-cized." I highly recommend any Oxy products and also Dreft's spot treat if you do get spots.
As for using his hands to eat. It takes them awhile to get the motor skills to handle spoons, but there are products out there for guys your son's age. Check out www.onestepahead.com or www.sensationalbeginnings.com. They sell spoons with a special loop handle that make it easy for kids just learning to feed themselves.
All I can say is enjoy your little eater..you just never know how things might go. My oldest used to faithfully wear his bibs, and used to just love fruits, vegetables, and whatever you'd put in front of him when he was your child's age. But after a bad ear infection, something happened...he never touched a fruit again, and will only eat 2 types of vegetables with no fuss. :o
I read that putting their hand or finger in mouth while feeding is called 'transition'. The sucking motion helps them to swallow. My daughter is almost 9 months old and still does it occassionally when feeding.
It is a normal part of learning to swallow on his own and I would not be concerned.
