Not again..DD 13 m and won't eat with spoon - any suggestions?

[brightongirldownunder]

I know I've been a regular on this for moaning about DD's lack of appetite. Recently it got better but now the canines are trying to come through and its a real hit and miss again.
Ontop of this mum has been nagging me about DD's refusal to eat with a spoon. She'll eat with her hands and occasionally will pick up the spoon and attempt it but mostly just chucks it on the floor. Breakfast is the worst - firstly I don't know why she isn't hungry when she sleeps though sometimes for 12hrs (though now teething more like a broken 10) and then I try a whole array of things and its clamped mouth syndrome.
Am much calmer than I used to be, but I just wish she'd really enjoy mealtimes.
Will be lambasted for this deservedly but I've been sitting her infront of In The Night Garden in desperation to get food in too. Feel like a shitty mum at the moment.

yeah, we never used plastic ones either. I normally got mine in boots or the supermarket.

Second what Seona says about eating with your DD - she'll probably find watching you eat more entertaining than In the Night Garden.

Have to say, my DD used to be a nightmare when she was much younger, until l let her take control of what she put in her mouth by using her fingers. she has now become a mini glutton and will try anything you put on her plate and often shout for seconds.
She's a bit younger than your DD at 12 months, but she can't use a spoon properly either, though I let her try. And, when she's tired she screams because she wants to be spoonfed - I don't see anything wrong in this. My DD also goes one hunger strike when teething, and has sometimes gone to bed without supper, but this has no effect on her sleeping through the night.

Babies have a knack of knowing what they need.
And FWIW none of my DD's peers at nursery can use a spoon properly. I think your dd sounds completely normal.

My ds2 is 14 months old and dosen't eat with spoon.Holds one at times,but uses fingers.I am not at all worried.Some good advice on here.Try not to worry so much

My DS is 18 momths and hardly eats with a spoon or fork either - it's fingers all the way, for everything, even yoghurt and custard!!!

I think that the food they eat is far more important than how they get it into their mouths, at this stage, so I really wouldn't worry about the spoon thing right now.

I always offer DS a fork / spoon though, sometimes he picks up and uses it for a bit, sometimes he doesn't, esp. if he's really hungry, he just rams fistfuls of food in his mouth!!!

Eating with her will let her see what cutlery is for though, so it's worth trying to do this - and as for trying new foods, I find DS is much more open minded about trying new things when we're out and about.

We've just returned from Lanzarote and took him out to dinner most evenings. He tried all sorts of things I'm sure he wouldn't have touched at home, and adored all the attention from other diners and waiters - they all thought he was hilarious as he ended up covered in food from head to toe!

Tell your mum the odd white lie if it makes you feel better, but let your little girl enjoy her food, her way

Hey guys
its been a few days now since I replied to your words of advice and I just want to say we may have had a breakthrough with a fork! Appetite seems to be coming back too. So thankyou all again. So glad I have MN to help me through these things. x