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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

How to get ds to open his mouth?

26 replies

TiredofTelford · 11/12/2010 21:48

Hi there, ds is 6 and a half months and I have been giving baby rice then puree for three weeks. He is taking a quarter to a third of a 50/60g jar at each feed and seems to be fairly happy with all the different flavours so far (except banana!) but my main problem is getting the food in his mouth. He seems to lunge at the spoon with his mouth almost closed, putting his head down and pushing the food up the spoon with his top lip. I manage to get in about a quarter of all spoonfuls without getting it smeared across his face but this involves waving toys madly in the air with one hand and feeding with the other. Does anyone have advice on how to get a better hit rate with the food?

OP posts:
toomanychristmaslights · 11/12/2010 22:07

Doesn't sound as if your ds is ready. Wait a month then try again. They are fine without solids for a while yet and when he is ready you will fid he opens his mouth and takes it happily

Original poster
TiredofTelford · 12/12/2010 12:15

Thanks,was just worried I would miss the 'window' if I delayed and unsure if he was ready and just hadn't realised he needed to open his mouth more!

OP posts:
MrsGravy · 12/12/2010 22:40

Will he take the spoon off you and feed himself? DD2 is 6 months and much keener on feeding herself with a loaded spoon than being fed!

Original poster
TiredofTelford · 13/12/2010 16:45

MrsGravy I haven't tried that (he did grab the spoon once and nearly rammed it down the back of his throat) so will try tonight

OP posts:
muslimah28 · 13/12/2010 19:02

i had the same problem. we switched to BLW and ds is doing great on it, hell try everything and anything he just wants to be in control! but if you dont want to go down that route then preloaded spoons handed to him to feed himself (possibly with you still holding the spoon as well if necessary) is a good idea

HarkTheHeraldEverything · 13/12/2010 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Starisonthetree · 13/12/2010 19:29

HarkTheHerald - I thought it was true that you had to before you were 20! You are going to tell me that Father Christmas is not real next Xmas Wink

Starisonthetree · 13/12/2010 19:31

ps my dd waited unitl she was a year before eating. She now eats everything, even veg

HarkTheHeraldEverything · 13/12/2010 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
TiredofTelford · 13/12/2010 20:16

Muslimah28 I have tried him with small bits of toast, carrot and peeled grapes and most ends up on the carpet or spat outabout threehours later! Does this mean he's not ready or do they all do this? I admit I am a bit worried about the size of food to give him and the choking hazard.

OP posts:
Original poster
TiredofTelford · 13/12/2010 20:18

Hark, if that was the case I wouldn't be having these problems now! Xmas Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
TiredofTelford · 13/12/2010 20:23

Hark and Star, in that case i won't worry too much about the timing and speed he picks up solids although I have to go back to work when he is 9 months so need him to be able to survive between breakfast and dinner on solids (or persuade him to take ebm in a bottle)

OP posts:
muslimah28 · 13/12/2010 22:10

with blw that is usually how they start, they learn to eat through play, so most food doesnt get eaten at first. I agree with poster above, it is tiring having to feed so often still, but bm is so much more nutritious than any other food and blw is much more fun. I would think at 9mo a baby will still need some milk during the day even if they are brilliant eaters though? Dont know for sure though as its all demand led with blw...

HarkTheHeraldEverything · 13/12/2010 22:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

snownelly · 18/12/2010 16:22

OP - I give my DS (8 months) a spoon with a tiny bit on it and have my own spoon to feed him with too, can get more in & less mess this way!

LostInTheSnowAgain · 22/12/2010 10:37

Thanks snownelly I will try that tonight

TiredofTinsel · 22/12/2010 10:43

Snownelly- I will give that a go. DS did grab a spoon off me once but it was full and he just smeared it everywhere! Xmas Smile

amijee · 22/12/2010 22:13

oh dear - sounds like my dd3. She is 6 mths and 1 week and i have been trying to feed her for last 3 weeks and not interested. Never had this with my other two who were weaned at 5 mths.

I am persisting as i am going back to work and want to stop her night feeds ( still bf twice overnight)

I have tried BLW but she is not interested in this either.

Please tell me it will get better. Today I asked DH of she was going to be on 2-3 spoons of baby food at the age of 18!! Grin

TiredofTinsel · 22/12/2010 22:20

Amijee it is a struggle! Funnily enough DS had no trouble grabbing a Quality Street today and trying to cram it in his mouth but when I tried to get him to take some pear he lost interest. He has started to take nearly half a small jar now but it takes a long Rome and a lot ends up on his face!

KaffaCakes · 23/12/2010 10:10

I am having exactly the same problem here! Ds is seven months and has been taking food (and usually lots of it-sometimes a while pouch of Ella's kitchen at one sitting!) and now he will not open his gob. Last night tried Blw and he just smeared food everywhere except his mouth. It started last week when he was poorly with a cold and now he is not interested in food at all. It's so frustrating. What to do?

Jojay · 23/12/2010 10:21

Learning to eat is a gradual process and many of them won't get the hang of it in just a week so two.

Milk provides virtually all the nutrition they need for a good while yet, so don't worry about the quantities that they're eating or not.

Weaning IS messy. Go with it, let them have fun and explore their food. Don't worry if more food gets flung around or smeared on faces than eaten to begin with, it's all part of the learning process and it won't last for ever I promise.

When you give finger food, give them large chunks of soft food like half a banana, cooked butternut squash etc. They don't yet have the dexterity to pick up smaller items like grapes, and even if they do they can't get it out of their fists to eat it. The chunks need to be large enough so that when they pick it up there is plenty poking out of their fists to chew on.

Sit them upright when they are eating - don't let them eat in a reclined position as this is a choking hazard, so no feeding in bouncy chairs or car seats.

Above all, chill out, don't force the issue, definitely don't try to jam spoonfulls of food in their mouths that they don't want. Let them explore their food, let them make a mess and let them decide when to start eating it Xmas Smile

KaffaCakes · 23/12/2010 10:27

Thanks joy. The annoying thing is he has been weAning fine for two months now. I'll try roasting a squash and some sweet potato wedges and see if he'll eat that. He loves my puréed version so now he can try the grown up version!

stickersarecurrency · 23/12/2010 10:28

Just to add that they don't have to take bottles to get EBM while you're working - by this age a cup is fine :)

Jojay · 23/12/2010 19:10

Good luck with the wedges tomorrow.

Hopefully he'll like being able to have a go himself.

But it's not at all unusual for them to lose their appetite for a few days for no apparent reason, so it could be as simple as that!

TiredofTinsel · 23/12/2010 19:28

Thanks jojay I think I have been making the pieces too small for fear he would choke, I will try larger pieces tonight. Tbh I am happy that he seems to like almost everything so not too bothered about the amount he takes.