DD and finger food

[cheekypickle]

DD who is nearly 1 year has totally gone off jars/pouches/homecooked meals. She doesn't want to be spoon fed. She wants to be independent and feed herself with finger foods.

I'm really pleased that she's being independent but I'm nervous that shes not eating as much. Not that much seems to go in when she eats finger foods independently. Shes by no means underweight so there's no worries there

DH said I should stop making an 'issue' about it.

WWYD??

I've put a photo of ds after a typical lunch on my profile

that is with me spoonfeeding!!

squeaky babies and finger food is nothing new. European babies have always been allowed to feed themselves! How on earth do you suppose people have time to it and feed babies indefinitely??

Why do people get so het up about this?

If your baby isn't going hungry or being over fed, and is eating a variety of healthy foods, does it really matter which method is used?

I just don't understand why people get so irate. Just because someone does something differently to you, doesn't make it a criticism of the way you did/do it. If they are critical, then they were probably a sanctimonious knob to begin with!

Sorry op, how rude, I didn't even answer your question

Try giving finger foods for now and letting her use the spoon for herself or reintroduce it again later. She'll probably eat what she needs but keep an eye on weight if you're worried. :)

good finger food?

Most soft fruit (raspberries, banana, peach, papaya) and veg (boiled potato, cauli), bread with the crust off, mini babybell, poached fish).

Why do you need to take the crust off the bread, chandon? The crust was always DS's favourite bit.

If you give her a choice of things she will choose what she wants/needs. Some of her choices might surprise you :)

OP, I would try and relax about it, especially as she gets older, the more of an issue you make out of this, the more it will become one. We are doing BLW with DD (a look at the BLW website might be helpful to you?) and some days she eats a lot, others she barely eats a thing. My other children are all the same I suppose, the oldest is 16 and they are all fine. I, on the other hand, feel like I should eat a meal at the correct time regardless of hunger and that is such a bad thing and I suspect hugely contributes to the fact I am overweight.

I can see why those who have spoon fed purees/traditionally weaned would find the concept of BLW 'faddy' or unecessary. I TW'd my DCs 1-3 and couldn't get my head round BLW really. However, having tried it, I would never go back. Yes, sometimes DD eats a yoghurt herself with her fingers. (usually if we ar eat home and she can go straight into the bath afterwards!) but she has been able to competently eat foods herself from a preloaded spoon since around 8 months, getting most of it in her mouth and now, at 13 months, can eat pretty well with a spoon all by herself and is a bit better with a fork. Much earlier than my other DC or my friend's spoon fed children.

You do have to just relax and go with the flow. ESPECIALLY with blw/finger foods she will learn to regulate her own appetite and that can help with preventing obesity and unhealthy food habits later in.

I find it quite sad that some people have the attitude that food shouldn't be fun and enjoyable, jeez just have a wipe clean tablecloth and some baby wipes. My (partially - I spoon fed yogurts porridge etc at breakfast, but never used purees) BLW daughter makes far more mess with other activities. And actually now she is 2 she feeds herself (with cutlery where appropriate) far more tidily than other peers who were TW.

Just make sure there is plenty of healthy food choices provided and you'll be fine OP, I would also recommend the BLW cookbook, although DD just eats whatever we eat now. Far easier!

I've used the same technique 3 ties and it seems to work:
Strip baby to nappy and cover floor
One spoon for me, one for baby
Bowl of puree or yoghurt
Bath afterwards.
It works with more solid food too and that phase doesn't last long.
My eldest fed themselves early using this method so I'm not changing for the third!
I really don't agree with the whole "i can't stand the mess everywhere" attitude, at a guess most of us were trained to feed ourselves in a similar way without starving or being unable to use cutlery properly later on.

I guess I gave soft bread for eating.

And crusts for "entertainment" , keeping quiet, iyswim

Judging by the amount of parents who's kids won't eat anything but chips or biscuits or sausages and every mealtime is a huge sauce of stress, I say let a baby eat however it likes. Provide a good healthy range and allow babies and toddlers to relax try things and enjoy their food. These food phobias begin so early and worrying over things just adds to the stress. If a baby wants finger foods give them finger foods! Why should they be forced against their will in tears to eat mush just cos a few other people have an opinion! There's plenty if time to instill manners when the child is of an age where expectations can be made clear and their understanding is up to it! I personally would rather see a baby with yogurt on her face munching a breadstick happy than see a mum shove a spoon in a crying babies mouth!!!

My DS loves dried fruit, but prunes are a no-no as the nappies are quite something to behold.

DD was firstly purée then BLW in that we just gave her bits of what we had and she chose what to eat. She used cutlery from
The start and by 1 there was very little mess. BLW means letting them eat as they choose not indulging them in messiness!! It also means not making an "issue" out of food " please diddums one more spoon, you haven't eaten the right portion, here comes the choochoo" not for me far too fecking lazy.

Turns out though that after DD has become a fabulous cutlery user PIL are trying to convert her to eating with her hands, but only the right as its Islamic .

lol, sarge.

if you're starting BLW, toast bread or give crusty bread, as the soft part of the bread often balls up in the mouth and can become a choke hazard. (this is the same advice given to carers for the elderly, funnily enough.)

re dried apricots, they're great, yes, BUT dried fruit can be bad for teeth so give it with other food or when you know teeth will be brushed rather than as a buggy snack, iykwim?