Baby will not take from a spoon

[usernoidea]

Hi
How long should I persevere with weaning baby by a spoon?!
Will take if I squeeze a pouch into his mouth but will just clamp his lips shut and self combust if I try with a spoon!
He won't put anything edible in his mouth from his hand but does put everything else in there!
He's 6.5 months.
Thanks x

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Well, you can't keep squeezing a pouch into his mouth forever, so I'd persist with the spoon. What happens if you give him his own spoon to hold whilst you're spoon feeding him?

I would persist with giving finger foods too. Eventually he'll get the hang of it. He's only little still, so will be ok on mainly milk for a while yet.

[Whatsername17]

Give gimme a spoon. Also pop a little onto his lips to kick off to give him a taste.

[usernoidea]

Been trying all these things! Will just keep persevering!!!
Thanks for your replies x

[CottonSock]

I tried for months... swtiched to baby led approach now with fair success. It was 8.5 months before she ate anything

[highinthesky]

I agree persistence is the answer.

Remember a spoon is a foreign object, with repeated exposure DS will get used to it, and eventually find that it comes in handy when he wants to eat something he really likes!

[Teds77]

Gave up and switched to finger food here. Eventually took yoghurt off spoon at 8.5 months here too. She was a bottle refuser too so remember being desperate for her to start eating a little something to ease the dependence on boob but sadly it wasn't to be!!

It was really at around 11 months that any decent amount of food went in via fingers or spoon.

[Trinpy]

My first baby was like this. I did blw in the end and just gave him pre loaded spoons for stuff like yogurt. Worked well for us and it also meant he learnt to feed himself with cutlery very early on.

My mil wasted many hours trying to feed him from a spoon (without success!) and it all looked far too stressful, which is why I chose not to persist with it.

[NuffSaidSam]

Persevere, but don't let it become a struggle or an issue or a cause of stress (same advice for any food he won't eat as well).

Give him a few bits of finger food and try with a spoon at each meal. If he ignores/refuses then just give him the pouch, no stress. Eventually he will use both a spoon and his fingers.

6.5 months is tiny!

[CottonSock]

Teds... that could be me right now. Boob monster approaching 9 months amd I love feeding her but had enough. My first dd took straight to everything.

Now I'm getting the hang of it blw becoming easier. Made some fruity flapjacks today with my 3.5 year old with no sugar which was fun (oats, oj, maple syrup, chopped apricots and prunes, raisins, tiny bit of oil and a grated apple plus mixed spice. Pressed into tin and baked about 15 mins). Can also make with milk.

[TittyGolightly]

Baby led weaning is your friend.

[CottonSock]

And don't push it, just let it be fun. Pretty sure mine has oral aversion from reflux and being force fed some medicine.

[TittyGolightly]

no sugar which was fun (oats, oj, maple syrup, chopped apricots and prunes, raisins, tiny bit of oil and a grated apple plus mixed spice

That's actually loads of sugar! Syrup, fruit juice and dried fruit are almost entirely sugar, the body processes oats and apples as sugar.

[CottonSock]

Well no processed sugar sugar... I dont mind her having natural sugar, it's been a struggle to get her to eat anything at all. Plus she needs calories. Take your point though.

[TittyGolightly]

The body doesn't differentiate between natural and processed sugar though.

[TittyGolightly]

And fructose hits the blood first, which will cause a big spike followed by a big crash (and probably some grumpiness).

[CottonSock]

Better not give her any my milk either.. that's probably full of sugar too

[usernoidea]

Hey guys, play nice.....stop hijacking my thread!

[TittyGolightly]

All in moderation. Your flapjacks sound very tasty but they aren't particularly healthy, that's all!

[CottonSock]

Yes sorry for hijacking. I guess my point in relation to your issue is that I have taken advice for my food refusing baby from dietitian, gp and hv. Eating something and learning to eat was more important than what it was. My problem may have been more severe, but literally if there was anything she will eat it would make me happy.

[Philoslothy]

I would give up with the spoon, they don't need food until a year anyway. Give him food - if he eats it good. If not he doesn't.

A few of mine have been lazy and quite liked being spoonfed for short periods but most have just fed themselves

[usernoidea]

Thanks again. I tend to agree that I'd rather he tastes things at the moment and gets used to textures as opposed to how he's getting it!
Ps those flapjacks sound good - would even better with chocolate on the top

[TittyGolightly]

He won't get used to texture with purée though.

[usernoidea]

Agreed. I'm also trying avocado/banana/rusks etc so not everything is pureed
Anything he takes is a bonus but he's young so this may take a while. That's life I guess . I'll have to learn to be patient (not one of my strong points!)

[TittyGolightly]

I'd ditch the rusks - they have zero nutritional benefit. Steamed broccoli florettes, breadsticks, slices of mango/pear/apple, marmite toast fingers, risottos, fish goujons, omelette cut into fingers are all good first foods.

[CottonSock]

User... the first things my dd would eat were those organix carrot crisps. Also rusks. She particularly likes the chocolate coated ones ;)
But seriously I think she learnt to eat wirh those crisps as she had a fear of everything else and they just melt in her mouth.