Help! my 9 month old will only eat finger foods now!!

[happystarr]

Hello there fellow MNers,

My DD2 is 9 months old and was weaned at around 5+1/2months and used to enjoy a whole range of good foods.

I've recently introduced finger foods such as cubes of bread, cheese, banana, kiwi, steamed veg etc. But now my DD2 wont eat anything off a spoon! She will only eat the foods she can pick up and smacked the spoon away if i try to feed her a proper mushed up meal!

I never had any foody problems with my DD1 and so dont know what to do now. I am worried that she is not getting all the nutriends that she needs purely from cubes of fruit, veg and bread?

Any ideas?

[Missus84]

Can you just give her normal food to eat with her hands - not mush it up? A 9 month old should be ok with pasta, rice, meat, mashed potato etc.

If you dip the spoon into yoghurts etc for her and then hand her the spoon or put it on her tray, she'll probably work out how to suck it off herself.

[happystarr]

haha, you're going to think I'm being silly with it being my second child... but I'm nervous about giving her chunks of meat yet!

My DD1 was very advanced for her age so because DD2 is taking a much more relaxed development rate I'm being very careful not to try to push her too fast just because "her sister could do it at that age". but i'mprobably being overly careful!

Good idea about the spoon. maybe if she can feed herself she'll be more receptive to proper meals.

[Missus84]

How about mince or pieces of ham? Or cooking meat til it's really tender?

[katiepotatie]

Our ds is exactly the same, he's 10 months, I sneak a spoonful in each time he opens his mouth to shove in something
Have also found if I offer have his meal first he'll eat it then I give him the finger foods, he'll then finish off the spooned stuff if that's all thats left

[katiepotatie]

half his meal

[FalafelAtYourFeet]

I had a book which was very useful when this exact thing happened to me. Highly recommend it.

here

[Whoamireally]

I am having same problem with my 9 month old. She'll let me feed her yoghurt (and last night, minced liver and onions with sweet potato mash which, if you don't think about what it actually is is really tasty) but otherwise wants to do it herself.

I let her hold the bowl with one hand, and put a spoon in her other hand - then whenever she puts the spoon to her mouth (good practice) I sneak in my own spoonful.

Otherwise, I give in and just give her whatever we're having on the tray and let her do it herself..

[FalafelAtYourFeet]

Honestly, try the book. It's lifechanging!

[Whoamireally]

I have the Jenny Maizel book - we love the mini quiches (which necessitated the purchase of a dinky little tartlet tin of course) and I make those whenever we go on picnics even now!

The lentil croquette things weren't quite such a success - have made x 3 and burnt them every time

[FalafelAtYourFeet]

I made the lentil croquettes with puy lentils the first time and wondered why they didn't stick together properly!

And also please try the tofu burgers- they are yummy (even to non veggies who balk at tofu).

[superme]

Same here - my ds would only eat like this ----so that's what I did a roast dinner chopped and chunky on his highchair tray even in restuarants, he loved it and woofed it down....dont think it as being a "problem" its fine all kids progress given time - have fun with it.

Put it this way would you rather he eat like this or not at all? my friends daughter has serious eating issues, wont eat a thing only yoghart and warm milk

[Whoamireally]

Ah- hah maybe that's it - I used the wrong type of lentil!!

All lentils are not created equal.

Have also made quite a lot of mini yorkshire puddings which I have filled with mashed or pureed food - they go down a treat too!

[Lionstar]

Just go with the finger food, she'll be fine. As long as you offer a good range of nutritious things she'll get plenty of nutrients. And keep up the milk, it should be their main form of nutrition until the age of 1 anyway. Many babies don't even get going with eating until 8/9 months anyway.

Try the Baby-led weaning book for some reassurance

[SaintGeoff]

From 6 months a child can have whatever you have (all salt/honey/nuts disclaimers acknowledged). DD never had a puree/baby rice in her life. Just ate what we ate from weaning and around 9 months started using a spoon herself.

Even stuff like porridge/custard/yoghurt. DD had her own way of scooping and slurping. I don't think she would ever have accepted being spoon fed. She was v independent!

Persevere with purees/mushy stuff if you wish, that's your choice but there's no reason why your child can't have normal food.

[SaintGeoff]

Oh yes, what Lionstar said too. Their main calorie intake/nutrients come from milk until 12 months anyway! Food is a complement, a new and exciting experience.

[scshaw]

You think thats a problem ,when i weaned my dd2 she refused to be fed from a spoon from the start. I eventually had to wean her at 61/2 months on to toast,grated aple/cheese etc and purees meixed with small pasta shapes so she could pick them up with her fingers, v. messy at the time but she rapidly became a neater eater then her older sister, thimk it helped with her co-ordination, sarah

[happystarr]

Thank you so so much for all your comments.

For the past 2 days I have been giving her pretty much what we eat, straight onto her high chair tray, and although its highly messy she is loving every minute of it and is wolfing the food down! She is particularly fond of sweet potato!

And tonight, because we were having spaghetti carbanara, i tried giving DD2 some chopped up with a spoon and she took it with no fuss or tantrums!

I think because she gets to feed herself most meals now she is more welcoming to the occasional spoon!

Thank you all again and I will try some of those recipes!!

[Drconifer88]

I realise this was done years ago but I've had the same problem with my 19 month. We come up with the idea of making croquettes with all the food that she needs.
Add it all with flour and potato and cook it in fingers.
Then she can pick it up and eat away.
All the nutrients and in finger food.
Over cook it a little to make it less squidgy.

[RebeccaZi]

@FalafelAtYourFeet

I had a book which was very useful when this exact thing happened to me. Highly recommend it.

here

No more link or book name?

[giraffeski]

Bizarrely although this is 13 years ago and the link appears to l no longer work, I still remember the book as I still use recipes from it today 😂 it's this one

www.amazon.co.uk/Finger-Food-Babies-Toddlers-nutritious/dp/0091889510/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=bc212ed6-d487-4cc6-901e-0df37086aad5&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21