8 month old refusing food from a spoon ... help please

[busywizzy]

Have also posted this in weaning as I wasn't sure of best place.

My DS (8 months) was quite a good eater but now is refusing to open his mouth to have a spoon put in. He will open wide if I'm putting bits of food in his mouth (toast, fruit, chicken, fish, vegetables) but just will not take food off a spoon. Not sure feeding him from my fingers is a good habit to get into and whilst he can pick bits of food up from his tray himself, he gets it into his fist and then can't transfer it into his mouth. I've also tried giving him his own spoon to hold but that was hopeless - he still refused to open his mouth and had no idea that he could put his own spoon into the food and then into his mouth (not that he could manage that yet anyway).

Do you think I should just make up some finger foods and leave him to it? I'm worried he's not getting enough food, although he still has four milk feeds a day and is sleeping quite well.

Any advice please as I'm getting a bit stressed by mealtimes

!st..dont get stressed..its very unusual for a child to starve its self.
2nd how many adults do you see eating with there fingers all the time?
Feed him anyway it really doesnt matter as long as he is enjoying it!!!!

I would leave him with finger foods. Maybe hand-feed him a bit, as that will encourage him with the finger foods.

My DS2 never really took to spoon-feeding, so I generally haven't bothered with it. You can totally do without. Less hassle feeding, for you, but more cleaning the floor.

My ds is 9 months and also refuses to eat from a spoon after the first two bites. I started bribing him with rice crispies and raisins and hand feeding him bits of bread, meat and veg. I wonder if I might be creating bad habits but then the next week he will eat from a spoon again. he tends to eat a lot better when we are out, so we have had lunch in every restaurant and cafe in the area. I do worry about when he starts nursery in February - have visions of him starving.

sorry, took a while for the brain to start working. what i meant to say yesterday was that if my ds refuses food from his spoon, i try feeding him with my fork (carefully so as not not skewer his tonsils or chip his teeth). this usually works for at least another 10 minutes.