independent eating

[Evita]

Dd, 17 months, is less and less willing to let me spoon feed her which is fine by me but she's really pretty useless at feeding herself. She's so-so with finger foods though very fussy, and getting any real protein / veg / fruit down her is almost impossible. She can just about manage to feed herself a small yoghurt with a spoon but anything else is just all over the place. Should I worry about this or just go with it and hope she doesn't fade away?!

kiwisbird, this is a good idea. My dd's still upturning plates though and sticking her fists into the food that should be spoonable. She's really a v. messy eater! I've been stripping her down and putting a plastic apron with sleeves on recently.

Do you think the list of what she ate today is really worryingly bad?

This was yestaday - half a slice of marmite and toast for breakfast, snack a rusk, lunch half round of egg sandwich, piece of raw carrott, snack half a scotch pancake, supper half a veggie sausage and 2 pieces of broccili. This may sound like reasonable quantities but as you can imagine a ten month old gets much of this spread around her person, the high chair and the rest of the kitchen. DD and her brother are marmite rice cake addicts and DD also goes for malt loaf in a big way. Have to say that although she won't go near a spoon shes much better with the variety of food she eats than her brother ever was.

geogteach, does she drink much milk in between? dd has about 10-12oz a day on average. I guess we just have to live with it as they seem to live on it!

I got very down about it yesterday because I bumped into a friend with a ds, 2 months younger than dd, who almost eats more for breakfast than she does in an entire day!

Ok, so I've left her entirely to her own devices this weekend. I've provided a range of healthy things, plus favourites and not even tried to approach her with a spoon. She's eaten less than ever! Do you think it will get better?

My ds is 15mths and has just started getting interested in feeding himself. At the moment, to avoid the mess i try to give him something he can hold (like toast or bread) and then i spoon in what ever else he's got in between.

DD still has 5 7oz bottles a day - but as I say she never got the weaning thing so the finger food is all she's ever had. She's starting nursery soon so i'm hoping she might learn what she's supposed to do from some of the other kids!

nutcracker, been there, done that, she's got sick of that little ploy! Basically she doesn't handle food any more in the same way - she either stuffs it in or chucks in on the floor, she doesn't 'examine' it so I don't have time to spoon stuff in.

geogteach, that's brilliant, at least you know there's a good milk supply getting through. Today dd had 8 oz all day.

BOO HOO