I would greatly appreciate any suggestions to encourage my 9mth old son to feed himself finger food in his highchair. He will play with the food and hold it in his hands, however he will not put it in his mouth. He typically doesn't put toys, etc. in his mouth. He is a great eater (when my husband and I feed him). I have tried to put the stars, small pieces of meat, soft fruit, etc. and he will just play with the food. If I force his hands to his mouth, he will eat it from his hand, but will not do it on his own. Any suggestions would be great.
Just be patient and give him time. Don't force the issue. He will eventually take to it when he's ready.
Hi J.,
I had similar problems w/my son. He's going to be a year on the 25th & he still doesn't feed himself enough to fill up & we end up having to feed him. It's very possible it could be the foods you are feeding him. Perhaps he doesn't like/isn't used to the taste or more importantly the texture of the food. That was our biggest problem. Try starting w/things he can hold comfortably like the biter biscuits as a snack. Once he gets used to that, he will get the idea. Just remember, he will do everything in his own time. Try not to get frustrated, (easier said than done), and just keep encouraging him.
L.
Put it in his hand. Usually babies will put anything in there mouths. Put something in your hand and play a game by making air plane noises or car noises. Thats always fun for babies. I have 3 kids, 8, 10 and 14. Hope this helps.
C. J.
Hi J.! I totally understand where you are coming from. My daughter is now 13 months old and I tried everyhing to get her to feed herself also. She didn't finally do it until she was 10 1/2 months old! When he's ready, he'll do it! It will surprise you!
Jenn
Hi J.,
I really don't think you have to do anything. Every child is so different and yours will just be starting a little later than some others. My son was 8 months the first time he actually started to feed himself cheerios. he would only do it for a little while because he still preferred for us to feed him. Just put the food in front of him and give him a minute to see if he will try. If he just starts throwing a fit, feed him and leave some in front of him in case he changes his mind. One day, you will do this and when you turn around, he will be eating. There isn't any rush and when he does start, things will get a lot more messy. Enjoy the cleanliness while you can!
hi J.
I would just keep offering foods and one day your son will start getting the hang of it all.
I waited a long time with my first before I fed her true solid foods..now my mommy friends did not lol they fed her what ever they were feeding there own kids and laughed at me for having so many problems with solid foods with her.. I think it helped that at the playgroups she saw them all eating so she just did the same as they did ...
the second and third ate like champs they grabed food off my plate to signal they were ready to eat more then what I was giving them by spoon....
My fourth is 81/2 months and I have thought about starting her on some finger foods but I think I'm going to wait until she grabs off my plate as well :)
good luck with him
Sounds like you are doing all the correct steps! My son didn't "get" the finger foods concept until he turned 1, now he is a pro and using both hands fast!!!! I did what you are doing, just encourage and "show" him what he is supposed to be doing. I am still feeding him a little bit, such as cereal or a jar of 3rd stage foods with every meal to make sure he is getting enough. Good Luck!
Be very grateful that he is not one to put everything in his mouth. Either way it is a trade off. For instance mine put everything in her mouth. She ate very well by herself. But at the park or anywhere, I had to watch her constantly because everything she found went into her mouth.
I personally would rather feed a child myself than have to watch them all the time for putting things in the mouths. You have a good thing going!
Deb
Give him a spoon and try to encourage him to use the spoon instead of his fingers... All kids are different in their own ways... Good luck with your son...
