Is it wrong to feed my baby by...

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

....scattering breadsticks on the floor in front of him and letting him crawl around and find them?

It just seems to be the most effective way to get food into him.

no....baby food just ends up on the floor anyway

I would feel guilty if I dispensed with the highchair/tray stage, but its purpose seems to be purely symbolic.
As you say, it all ends up on the floor. Then he eats it.

have u got a plastc floor protector thats used under high chairs???? get one of them and sit him on the floor and put his food on a plate...if he decides to throw it all over the mat then u dont have the concern of it being unhygenic

That's clever.
Would have to be a big mat though.

Oh I see, just read your post properly - sit him on mat. My guess is that he wouldn't stay put, though.

cheap shower curtain, then bung in washing machine

search.ebay.co.uk/high-chair-mats_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQcatrefZC6QQfromZR10QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ 1QQftrvZ1QQga10244Z10425QQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZQ2d1QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQssPageNameZRC00 21

sorry dont know how to do links....if he doesnt sit still it will help i think

Hi Kathy
a modified version of this system is currently in use by hairybaby (using raisins not breadsticks) although he's a bit older so scatters the raisins himself!

Only downside i have found is they're a bugger when they squash to the underside of your slippers...breadsticks better in this respect though i think.

Also try Hills catfood...quite popular too (full of vitamins and v. good for sparkling eyes)...think it's the crunchy texture he likes!

Kathy - I feed my DS (13 months) like this and have done since he was about 8 months old. I figured the same as you - if I put him in his high chair, he only threw it on the floor and then crawled round and picked it up later so it seemed common sense - and he eats so much more this way.

I only give him snacks and his tea (usually sandwiches of some variety) this way - breakfast and lunch (which are usually mush) we all eat together at the table.

However, my mum is very disapproving of this as he was throwing jam crumpets all over yesterday and she was not amused

Oh and btw, I can never get him to stay in one place so a mat is pretty pointless - fortunately we have laminate floors which wipe clean.

Ah it's a tried and tested technique . I wonder why the books never tell us to do it that way. Perhaps there is a conspiracy of highchair manufacturers.

Shall we start a movement called Floor-Based Infant Nutrition?

Hairy - will try him on cat food. We don't have a cat, but I will tell dh it's what all the mums on Mumsnet are doing

Noticed this works well, put DD in her booster seat directly on the mat. She puts things on the floor then retrieves them later and has another go.