11 month old suddenly refusing the spoon

[JasHook]

Funny, really, as DS has always been a happy, good feeder, opening his mouth like a baby bird to have squished stuff put in with a spoon.

However, he's just getting over what we think was mild flu, and has suddenly begun point blank refusing to have anything to do with being spoon fed - screams, writhes, turns head away, clamps mouth shut etc.

He will eat dry finger food (bread, toast, rice cakes, baked snacks) and drink milk greedily from his bottles/cup, but I'm dubious as to firstly how long this will be healthy for him and secondly what we can do about it.

I do wonder if he's teething as well...

Anyone else experience this with their LO?

All of mine have spoon refused at this age - my 13 month old dc4 likes to feed herself with a spoon as much as possible, and the rest with her hands.

We never used a spoon with dd but I do know that friends have found their dc rejected a spoon at some point, usually around 12 months. Nothing wrong with him eating finger foods is there? Of just normal food. Whatever you're having. Like I said, we never used a spoon, dd just fed herself. They're pretty good at self regulating.

Or you could try handing over the spoon and letting him get on with it if you want to continue with pureed/mushed food.

Thanks Scorps that's reassuring - we did try giving him the spoon and the bowl, and he doesn't seem to grasp the concept.

He does however like to grasp the food. And throw it... :)

They can also eat mush with their hands. DD used to be brilliant at scooping.

Thanks ShowofHands I guess it's just going to take patience while he learns to feed himself. He's always been a bit lazy with his finger food unless it's bread. Anything bread - he'll pick it up and eat it.

My 12 months old is doing this at the mo. Try giving him 2 spoons to play with the food in front of him while you "help" him by spooning stuff in too. Works for us.

Before the BLW brigade get here I should add that he also eats LOADS of finger food stuff too but sometimes he needs to have stuff off a spoon, just as I do.

my DD did this around 10 months, I basically had to make everything grabbable. basically loads of variations on the fishcake...

we got a good variety into her like that, she could feed herself yoghurt either by spoon or fingers and i think that was the end of me feeding her in general.

DD is 10 months and is doing this now. I find if i give her a spoon and hold the bowl on her tray for her to try to scoop from, i can then get spoonfuls in myself while she is distracted. She is getting much much better at actually getting stuff onto her spoon and into her mouth.

Also lots of finger foods. Spiral pasta, ravioli, etc. I find though that i can only put down maybe two peices of her tray for her to eat at a time or she get overwhelmed with choice and the whole lot get gifted to the grateful dogs hovering under her chair.

Ditto thesugarplumfairy more than 2-3 things and its all too much!

Mine started doing this at around 11months and is still only eating with her hands (at 13months). We have just resigned ourselves to messy mealtimes and put her in both coverall bibs and a rubbery scoopy bib.

Tigress No-one needs to have food off a spoon

(it's just less messy that way!)

OP, will he eat puree if you stick it on a rice cake or a bit of toast perhaps?

I always put something that he could feed himself on the tray at the same time we had a bowl of food that required a spoon.. so if he was getting porridge for breakfast, he might also have pieces of strawberry or satsuma. I think it's about control over their environment to be honest. Plus, if he sees me eating anything he wants that so I make it quite interesting and delicious looking, then share. (This last trick does not always work as well at 14 months as it did at 11 months, but still about 70% reliable).

flisspaps well I have not found a way for either of us to eat yogurt without a spoon.

However he does do a good job of putting his hands in it but then not licking it off his fingers, doh.