I have a total spoon-refuser (expect for yoghurt [hmm]) (7m old, previously fine!)

[bobsnotabuilder]

So we weaned DD at around 20 weeks and she immediately took to it well. As with DS, we spoonfed and gave her lots of finger food to eat at the same time. All good.

For around 2 months she did brilliantly. Was up to a full jar-sized portion of puree (big one) and scoffing and munching on her finger food (bread, melon fingers, pineapple, cheese, cucumber, carrot puffs, steamed veg, pasta twirls, chicken slices, banana, etc etc).

About 2 weeks ago she suddenly began refusing to be spoon fed. And I mean full-on mouth clamped shut, dodging the spoon like Neo in the Matrix refusing.

We thought it might be teething and she has had a tooth start to come through. However given she DOES open her mouth for pudding we think we have ruled this out. She also stuffs her face with her finger food so if he gums were hurting I don't think she would want this either??

Is it because she is eating more finger food she is naturally cutting back on the puree??

So my thoughts are - do you think it could be because she just wants to feed herself and I need to embrace BLW and go with her (BLW sounds wonderful but I am a stressy person and would constantly worry she isn't having enough!).

Is it a phase?? Anyone had this happen and then suddenly they go back to being happy to be fed??

Help!

[bobsnotabuilder]

Anyone? Im really worried she isn't getting enough, shes waking hungry at night now when she's slept through for the last six weeks.

[MimsyBorogroves]

Personally, I would go with BLW.

They take in more than you realise, and if she's refusing the spoon anyway then you're not losing out.

What happens if you give her a "loaded" spoon to experiment with herself?

Don't forget that she's still very little, and sleep phases are dominated with growth spurts and sleep regressions at this age.

[SandyChick]

My 1 year old refuses the spoon and has done for months.

He started off loving his food and you couldn't get it in quick enough but then he stopped taking anything off a spoon.

We have gone down the blw route. It has taken a while to get going. He wasnt eating half as much as before but he is doing great now and it's so much easier for him to feed himself. We have gone through a stage of all he would eat was toast.

He will have fruit & yoghurt from a pouch. Today he ate a savoury ellas kitchen pouch which is a first.

I've tried teaching him how to spoon feed himself. Things like mash on a baby spoon stays on so he can get it in his mouth before if falls off. He likes a fork so I put things on the fork and he puts it in his mouth.

Those snack trap pots come in handy too when out and about.

It's messy and frustrating to start with but persevere. It's worth it. Also I find it helps to think of what he's ate over the day rather than worry at each meal if he won't have anything.

[SandyChick]

I forgot to mention as well. I stopped the snacks. I made sure he was just having his 3 meals per day plus a drink of milk mid afternoon and bedtime. He gradually started eating more at meal times to fill up so wasnt needing any snacks.

I'd worry when he wast eating much at meal times so was giving him lots of snacks to make up for it.