I feel like I'm snatching things from my baby's hand it's making me feel awful

[Mummy2022FT]

DS 8 months

As you can imagine, everything goes in the mouth: corners of books, a bit of fluff he managed to find on the carpet... etc

When he's eating he'll start trying to catapult his food in the air by waving his spoon around.

I end up having to prize the said object out of his hand (because you know how tight they grip) and, honestly, it makes me feel so terribly guilty... but it seems the only way?

What makes it worse is, he's not old enough for me to say 'please don't do this because....'

Am I being dramatic?

Does anyone else feel like they're snatching from their child?

Just say something kind of funny or distract with a toy as you do it. I would just say 'oh no not for you' and give them something more appropriate.

You are keeping your child safe. It's ok. 😊

You're just keeping him safe, it's fine. And I'm afraid he won't understand or listen to 'Please don't do this because...' for a long time yet 😆

If it helps you could start some phrases you always say when you take things off him, like 'Don't eat off the floor' or 'No eating daisies'. That way they'll become ingrained and he might start to listen to them in a year or two...

I always offered an alternative.

Take away mobile phone, give them a teething toy / baby music shaker / whatever

Learn to sign and teach you baby, hell learn much better with a voice command and a physical action, 'No' could be an open palm moved across your body etc

You want to move anything he can't have out of the way first and as for feeding, in this weather have as many meals outside as you can, throwing things from a high chair is all about learning cause and effect.

Also giving an 8month old a spoon to actually use instead of just to play with is pointless the wrist bones haven't yet formed to allow them to accurately feed themselves, there is a fantastic xray showing wrist development in young children online

I wouldn’t give 8 month a spoon, let them feed themselves with their hands. You’re protecting them (although sucking a book seems pretty innocuous).

Write development photo attached.

When you give your DC instructions avoid long sentences like "don't eat the daisies" as they don't hear/forget the start of the sentence, use positive actions instead "smell the daisies" much easier to follow. You will also feel a lot more positive because saying "don't" all the time gets super draining when it seems like the aren't listening to you. They actually can't regularly follow a "Don't" sentence until closer to 5/6 years.

I'm near the same stage, everything goes in the mouth, I usually distract with a funny voice saying "no no baby" and give baby something she can hold, I like the sign language I might try this too.
I don't feel guilty at all, I'm keeping her safe and shes not upset, usually she laughs

Thank you everyone for your replies! Really helpful

@Roseremi31 signing is great, once they can clap they can sign and pick it up fairly quickly, lots of videos online, Something Special on Cbeebies or even a baby signing class nearby which is what we did. You can make up your own signs, use makaton or BSL or a combo of all of them. Makaton is designed for those with additional needs so are easier to learn and have simpler hand signals.

You start slowly with useful signs and make the sign as you say the word, DDs first signs were milk, eat, home, more, all gone and then we added more to them. Massively reduces tantrums as the child can communicate with you, DD was happily signing in sentences by 18 mo this long before she could speak in similar sentences. It's useful as they get older as you can sign from across the park / swimming pool/ bus too.