Saw a baby being force fed earlier. I felt close to tears. Awful to watch.

[princessProudmel]

I know some of you will say 'mind your own business' but this was really awful to see.

I was at the local farm. In the soft play with my baby. At a table near to me a lady was feeding a baby. He looked about 9/10 months old. Think it was beans from her jacket potato. She was spooning it in for him. Some mouthfulls he was taking fine. But she was also poking it in when he was clamping his mouth shut, turning his face away and pushing her hand away with his little hand.

She continued trying to get the spoon in his mmouth. Then she actually held his arm down with her hand so he couldn't try and stop her. I wanted to go over and say something like 'surely he's telling you he doesn't want anymore'

After that she was flapping a napkin in his face to distract him so she could get some more food in.

Then she tipped his head back and held his forehead and spooned more in. I was close to tears for this poor boy.

Thankfully after that she stopped and ate her lunch and he had some cheddars to feed himself from his highchair , and drunk his drink, feeding himself. He looked much happier.

Then I saw him playing in the soft play and was happy.

Anyway I know I am probably judging but imo there was no justification for this treatment. Not sure why I'm posting, maybe to see if others would feel sad about like this I did. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive....

Here, here onedeadbadger. What is this craze that with Baby Led Weaning..... baby does not know what is best, Mother does.

OP, you were there and saw it. I'm surprised at the reaction you've got on this thread. I think some mothers lose the plot around getting food down their children, and what you saw doesn't sound reasonable to me.

She was trying to encourage him at some points. Talking to him etc. But the tipping the head back, holding onto the forehead to do so, and holding down his arm is not on imo.

Also I agree that they know when they are full. ds2 is 9m and eats until he feels he's had enough. Growing well. Putting on weight etc etc.

And yes I felt loads happier seeing him eat the cheddars (which I know are full of salt and fat etc) because he was calm, relaxed and in control. And she was relaxed too. Eating her own lunch.

mamatomany my children are 7 , almost 5 and 9m. I have spoon fed and done blw.

I am not anti spoons atall. I am anti force feeding.

When a baby is doing all they can to tell you they are full. Then you stop prising the spoon through their clenched teeth.

op- this sounds pretty minor to me. you want to come round our way and see people slapping their toddlers in Morrison's- you'd spontaneously combust

tbh I'd be more about the mini cheddars

It makes me laugh because this baby led weaning is all very well but then you read the same posters moaning they haven't slept in three years and childhood obesity has gone through the roof.
It's all very well giving babies control but at some point the parent needs to take charge and do what is best for that little person who doesn't know that cheddars are bad and potato is good, one needs stuffing in and one needs a tiny taste in moderation, especially under the age of one. The child might not like your decision but it is still the right one.

He was not full - she knew this, she wanted him to fill up on proper food before getting stuck into snacks, that's all. I think you are being very judgey.

In my experience if they really are full they spit it out.

I suppose that although I am an advocate of 'baby-led weaning' in that I have always let my DC tell me when they are full and stopped feeding them, I didn't do full blw with no spoons etc etc. I also made sure that the food they were given was healthy....I guess that is where the mother is maybe having problems...I would never have given cheddars after a meal - they eat what they want and then they get 'pudding' of fruit, yoghurt etc.

Well if I am being judgy then I'd rather that than hold down a babies arms and force feed them when they had already eaten a lot.

And onedeadbadger obviously the food my baby eats is healthy nutritious food. quote 'I wanted them to have vitamins and fibre and other healthy things to eat.' So do I. That's what my baby eats. Happily.
Anyway this thread isn't about my baby, it'a about this baby today.

Springheeledjack ,if you had seen it I don't think you'd have called it 'minor'

Anyway this thread has made me feel worse. To think so many babies are treated like this.

He did and she spooned it straight back in.

Oh, for Gods sake....

I have the most recent non-BLW weaning instructions for parents as I have just started weaning dd2.

It says, in bold type: Never force your baby to eat.

Ceebee I don't think she had problems getting him to eat. The amount he wanted anyway. He was eating quite a lot happily. But then when he had had enough she obviously still thought he shoudld eat more, and made him do so.

Sounds pretty awful to me.

Sure worse things happen in Morrisons. Nice comment.

I don't believe there is any need to force food into a childs mouth. Especially as they are perfectly capable of putting it there themselves. If they want to.

Is that from the same NHS booklet that advocates controlled crying ? skidoodly went straight in the bin, no wonder people don't know whether they are coming or going these days it's all so contradicting.

I don't like the sound of pushing a baby's forehead back and holding his arms in order to feed him, I must say. Sounds unnecessary and unpleasant. Am certainly not above a bit of coaxing though and do understand the urge to shovel in the grub - my baby gets super grumpy if she doesn't eat enough.

stottie it was. My friend was there and she felt the same as me.

Tipping his head back and forcing a spoonful of food in isn't "encouraging"

I'm suprised people don't see a difference between that and normal spoon-feeding/encouraging a child to eat.

I am surprised to MoonUnit.

"It makes me laugh because this baby led weaning is all very well but then you read the same posters moaning they haven't slept in three years and childhood obesity has gone through the roof."

What, you've done an analysis, have you? Nonsense - you'll get puree-fed babies becoming obese children who don't sleep too, you know. BLW does NOT mean opening the cupboard doors and letting a 6mo have free reign. It means the baby feeds itself from the start. That's all. It doesn't do the damn cooking.

I can imagine how upset you were. I would be too.