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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

My 9 month old does not think her hands are for eating. Finger food help please!

10 replies

Momo36 · 07/08/2011 15:36

I have a 9 mnth old DD and she is great in all other aspects BUT I'm told that she should be feeding herself by now and she is not at all interested! AT ALL! She eats everything I give her but she would rather pick something off the table with her mouth than hands... She is OK at holding toys, small objects so it is not that she is not able to do it. All of the finger food ends up on the floor after a brief play with it. I'm at a loss of how I can encourage her more. Anyone out there with the same issue? Is there anything else I can do? By the way my Health Visitor refused to talk to me about baby led weaning saying that they were not encouraging it so I just ended up spoon - feeding her and may have created this myself... Any advice would be welcome, I'm worried I will be spoon - feeding her till she's 18 :).

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

tigerlillyd02 · 07/08/2011 18:18

9 months is very young and I personally wouldn't worry at all. I would imagine there's plenty of time for her to show an interest and want to start feeding herself. Let her lead the way...

moonstorm · 07/08/2011 18:20

She'll eat plastic toys because she knows what plastic feels like. She'll eat wooden toys because she knows what wood feels like. Food is made up of many, many new textures.

Feed her as normal, but allow a certain portion of her food to be played with. Once she is used to the texture and feel of food in her hands, it'll go (mostly) into her mouth. I think you need to be prepared for a little mess for a while.

My ds is 9.5 months and is really getting the hang of self feeding. Also try a loaded spoon - put food on a spoon and give it to her/ lay it on the tray. She might feed herself with it (the spoon texture being familiar). Ds has fed himeself with loaded spoons for a while now.

Hth.

Snuppeline · 07/08/2011 18:33

If she likes playing with things and can pick them up why not make some cucumber sticks (with the skin peeled) and have some yoghurt or mayo in a little bowl. Show her how she can dip the sticks in the sause and see if she does it. If she does you taste yours. Carry on playing like that for a while and see if she'll put the cucumber in the mouht. Lots of other veg and cheese etc are other good alternatives. Strawberries, etc. Just make it a game and let her explore and she'll soon bring food to her mouth using her hand.

To her it must surely make perfect sense to put her mouth to the foodstuff - it IS her food she uses to eat with after all. So next time HV says anything you just tell her your dd is a genius as she's already sussed the fact that her mouth is the most important part of eating. Hah!

Original poster

Momo36 · 07/08/2011 18:59

Thank you all, will keep trying!

OP posts:

exoticfruits · 07/08/2011 19:10

Do not worry! She will do it when she is ready-they take their own time. Even if you had done BLW she still wouldn't have done it-if she won't do it now she wouldn't have done it then.

estya · 07/08/2011 21:22

You may get useful help on the weaning board?

All I can think is whether she sees you eating often? She'll learn by watching you - perhaps make a point to eat with your hands (I am suggesting have sandwiches for lunch etc - not that you suddenly eat your roast and spag bol with hands!!)

or, perhaps hold something interesting out for her to take and see if she tries it in her mouth?

And also be patient, keep trying and the penny will drop for her soon.
(My DD used to eat from the table sometimes too)

firsttimer78 · 07/08/2011 21:26

I find with DS that he generally eats more if there's less in front of him IYSWIM - the more there is on his tray the more likely he is to fling it at me/the dog/the walls!

AngelDog · 08/08/2011 21:01

IIRC the BLW book says many babies aren't interested in eating until 9 or 10 months and that's totally normal and not to worry.

milkyjo · 09/08/2011 11:19

As others have said really. My 8 month old will not take food out of my hand anymore, he'll have a strop if he can't take it from the bowl or table! The HV is employed by the NHS and as a nurse she has to give advice based on current evidence. She would not be allowed to endorse BLW as yet there is not enough evidence to support this advice - although we all know it is good to let your baby learn to eat this way. Once there have been some clinical trials and research, which can take a few years, she and other HVs/ nurses will be able to advise as long as the Dept. of Health issue guidance and publish evidence to support it - its all bureaucracy at the end of the day.

Octaviapink · 09/08/2011 12:00

Sometimes they don't understand that it's ok to be messy, and you can help them along by giving them other stuff to get their hands into that's messy. DS loves a puddle of flour and water on the kitchen floor with some food-colouring swirls in it - he mixes it up and splashes about and then goes directly into a bath in the sink!

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