10 month old twins - one will eat one won't!

[AllieM]

My 10mo boys are different sizes and have been since birth; the bigger one is a good eater and allows himself to be spoon fed as well as feeding himself finger food. The smaller one is a fussy eater and prefers sweet things, except breakfast which he bats away with both hands and clamps his mouth shut when presented with.

Trying to feed the smaller one is driving me crazy as he really does need to eat and I have to give up half the time. He does eat some finger food but I can't let him live off bread! He won't feed himself with a spoon either, and won't let me put a loaded spoon in his hand and guide it to his mouth. I have an older son who was very little trouble when feeding so I am at a bit of a loss how to persuade the small one to eat without this turning into a long running battle. Simply getting a spoon into his mouth without the contents ending up on the window behind him would be a start.

Any hints and tips please?!

X

[StealthPolarBear]

It must be hard when you have a good eater to compare him to, but my DS was (and still is) a fussy eater, and eats enough to keep a sparrow alive as far as I can tell. I think it just takes some longer than others. Does he still have lots of milk? Have you tried giving him the spoon? Other finger food (than bread I mean)? Most things can be self-fed with fingers, he may prefer it.

[AllieM]

I have given him fruit, some soft veg, cheese and things and he squidges it with great concentration till it oozes out between his fingers, but little of it goes in the mouth. Bread and rice cakes go in no problem but the rest is too fascinating to eat! I guess you're right, perhaps just leave him to eat most stuff with his fingers. He's still having 200mls of milk three times a day but doesn't always finish it.

[StealthPolarBear]

lol - when ds is in the mood all his food end up with a finger-sized hole in the middle
have you tried (as well) raisins, sweetcorn...the novelty of the pincer grip still hasnt worn off for ds!

[penona]

Hi there
I have twins (dd and ds) and had exactly the same thing as you! DD ate beautifully from 6mths to around 12 mths, everything clean in the mouth, a model eater. DS was a nightmare, refused to be fed, hardly ate anything.
In the end I just gave into it, fed DS little bits and tried v hard not to let it get to me (even though he was and is tiny and the HV kept saying 'feed him more' - he is on 6th centile). It was very very difficult not to get stressed, but basically I just fed him what I could, mostly pureed fruits, toast adn yogurt.
Now we are at 13 mths. HE eats wonderfully. Happy to be spoon fed, nice and cleanly (no need for a bib sometimes!) and eats all sort of lumpy casseroles, pasta dishes. He is not very interested in feeding himself, but will do so towards the end of a meal. I just keep persevering and he got there.
On the other hand, SHE is a nightmare! Will only feed herself, become v fussy. Most meals are just toast and yogurt/pasta/mash which she 'feeds' herself (ie goes all over face, floor, hair, etc). Refuses to be spoon fed unless v v hungry. She also does that squishing thing you mention (DO NOT try raspberries with a squisher, what a mess!).

Have just read this back and realise it is not especially helpful. But just to say my two have been the same, and then utterly swapped feeding personalities. I would try not to stress to much about what he is eating, and just make sure he eats something and enjoys it. My aim was to make mealtimes fun, not a battle ground, and then worry about balanced diets later on.

Hope that helps!

[electronic]

exactly the same prob here with 8month old twins. DS will feed himself/take food from a spoon but DD fusses and pushes the food away. however, stuck with baby led weaning (heaps on here about BLW) and now they both feed themselves. occasionally i get het up that she should be eating more (compared to him) and try and push food into her mouth but am always met with resistance. far better to remind myself that she will eat what she needs, when she needs and let her get on with eating her own food herself. weight gain has been normal for both of them with this approach. would really really recommend BLW. its fantastic!