12 mth old spitting and spraying out food!!!

[FunkyFox]

my ds is driving me dotty! I think its just an experimental thing but every meal time he's blowing raspberrys and spraying me and everything else with food! He finds it funny. He understands 'no' but does it more when i tell him so, if i tell him in a stearner way he screams miserably and we had one awful spluttery coughing fit where he got so outraged. I've also tried paying no attention to his behaviour but it has no effect! what can i do? is there anything?!

Are you spoonfeeding him?

If so, what does he do if you put food out for him to pick up and eat?

Its just a game to him - a bit of a laugh - he is only a baby!

Please believe me - this stage will be over all too soon so please enjoy all his silly antics while you can.

He has many years of being sensible ahead - don't rush him through the fun stuff

ooh, never tried that. is he old enough? just figured he'd do what he does with the food that drops on his tray, i.e splat it around with his hands and forget about eating it! I'm not fighting him to get the food in, sits with his little mouth open like a hungry bird!

Definitely old enough - DS has had finger food since 6 months. Wasn't exactly sure what to do with it immediately (unsurprisingly...!), but he's a pro now (13mo).

Try toast fingers, steamed carrot batons, quartered grapes (NEVER whole), raisins (these disappear at light speed with DS - have to ration them!), bits of sandwich, cheese cubes/sticks (lil moos are good - from supermarkets), actually, at 12mo, if you've no history of allergies, he can have pretty much anything. Put a spoon/fork on the table/tray too - he'll drop them to start with, and use the wrong end, but sooner or later, he'll get there.

Don't get cross if he smooshes it up or drops it - food's more about texture exploring for a one-year-old - eat alongside him, he'll soon get the hang of it

cheers hunkermunker. Have been giving him finger foods but my problem is really with his mushed up meals, i suppose he's just exploring their squooshy texture rather than the harder finger foods. I guess i could try him with a suction bowl and a spoon... bit afraid to tell you the truth, i guess its got to be introduced one day! {grin]

i just went thru a similar stage like this with ds who is now 10.5 months old. not wanting to eat, spraying me, laughing, blowing raspberries, everything. i would end up so frustrated!
he didnt want to feed himself, but i let him hold onto a spoon and started offering fingerfoods along with his the main part of his lunch and he has (touch wood) stopped this stage..

funkyfox> i asked a while back about those sucker bottomed feeding bowls and most (if not all the mums) who posted about them said they weren't worth it because if your child can get them off, food goes a'flying!
you may want to try dipping his softer foods in toast fingers or breadsticks, that sometimes works for ds good luck.
and trust me, the sooner you start seeing mealtimes from your son's point of view, its a lot easier to cope with! lots of luck and have fun! :D

mine did this. i said no. she did it again. i said no- or i will take the food away' she did it again - i took the food away. happened for a couple of days then she stopped - hunger probably!!