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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

7.5 month old refusing the spoon

13 replies

papillon · 07/06/2004 18:18

My dd will eat mango from her own hands...
is now sucking abit on a banana after it being an initial no-no...
kiwi fruit - well lots of faces but I think she will come around.

The problem is she won´t eat anything offered by me on a spoon and other what she can hold onto herself. Tonite I made her veges completely runny and put it in a bottle. But she only had a wee amount. Arggghhh. I am trying not to get to worried about it but would really appreciate and advice on how to encourage her.

We don´t really have a routine as such but even still she will take the mango and scoff that but refuse the spoon.

OP posts:
happy1 · 07/06/2004 18:31

You are just going to have to be patient with her! Put a plastic sheet or messy mat under the high chair and let her have a spoon herself. What about finger food? like cucumber strips or carrots, breadsticks, rusks, toast fingers? I don't think putting food into a bottle is recommended though, I'm not sure. Keep persisting though.

geogteach · 07/06/2004 19:24

I know its difficult but I had the exact same thing, stick with the finger food. My DD was 10 months before she took a spoon but by then she was quite accomplished with finger food- fish fingers, chips, vegie sausage etc. It was messy but by the time she took a spoon (yoghurt was the breakthrough food)she was past the puree stage so I never had to do all that. She is now a year and still refuses a spoon at nursery.

Original poster
papillon · 07/06/2004 19:46

Thanks happy1 and geogteach

I need food that is like glue so it stays on the spoon..
I did try carrot tonite.. she doesn´t have any teeth though and just spat it out.

We must have independantly spirited children!!

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SofiaAmes · 07/06/2004 21:47

You could try a fork. Seriously, my dd was not interested in using a spoon , and went straight to a fork (perhaps because older ds used a fork). We just cut food up very very small and helped her spear it with a fork. She didn't get her first teeth until she was almost 12 mo., so this was all "chewed" with her gums. She's 19 mo. now and has only recently agreed to use a spoon for cereal, soup, yogurt etc. It's a fork for everything else!

pupuce · 07/06/2004 21:50

I wouldn't worry.... she'll use the spoon eventually..... believe me it's better that way than a 3 year old still refusing finger food and eating pureed food!

mears · 07/06/2004 23:41

Have you tried both having a spoon? I found that worked and baby took off my spoon while concentrating and missing with their own inbetween

Original poster
papillon · 08/06/2004 08:16

Yes, I give her a spoon to hold, but she is not easily fooled by this trick now.
I have got a soft fork which I could try her with.The only problem with this being that she is not so hot on the chewing yet... started trying foods at 6 months and she has been unenthusiastic from the start.

Tried keys over her head to get her to open her mouth, mouth stayed closed!

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Branster · 08/06/2004 09:00

it must very frustrating for you papillon. babies are sooo stuborn, aren't they? try giving her softened vegetables (carrot sticks, brocolli, pieces of potatoes, green beans etc. boil them for a few minutes so they get soft and then she can suck/chew them), pieces of ham, cheese strips, baby biscuits. she will eventually use a spoon. my dd (2 1/2 now) often insists that i use the spoon for her still so it's always a problem. or try using a grown-up teaspoon, she might like that. good luck!

Spod · 08/06/2004 09:46

hi papillon... our dd is the same age and is also doing this at times... she will sometimes relent if i let her shove all 10 fingers in the bowl of food so that she can 'feel involved'! otherwise i try every distractio technique in the book. i wouldnt mind if she actually ate finger food but she just squishes it up and chucks it! guess we have to plod on!

gothicmama · 08/06/2004 09:48

paps just read this and ihave posted on other thread near enough what Mears has suggested

suedonim · 08/06/2004 14:10

Have you tried the other sort of finger food, Papillon, using your fingers? My youngest didn't like a spoon so I used to scoop up stuff on my (clean) fingers and she would eat it quite happily. That stage didn't last forever and she started using cutlery when she was a little older. Mind you, I think I took the idea to extremes, when we later had a new kitten and I finger-fed that!

vivie · 08/06/2004 14:22

My ds refused all spoons at about this age. He got over it, but I just gave him finger food until them. You can stuff pureed casserole into pasta shells, ds used to mop them up. Kidney beans were (still are!) a favourite, v interesting looking and v good for you. You can buy organic tinned kidney beans with no sugar or salt in Sainsburys. Other than that, try all the usual stuff, vegies, slices of fruit, toast, rice cakes, etc stand back and enjoy the show!

Original poster
papillon · 12/06/2004 18:44

Thanks very much everyone for your advice and thoughts. Dd has decided to be compliant after all and is now taking the spoon!! both from me and she also likes to hold it and now understands about putting in her mouth.
Have been giving her various different finger foods, green beans, carrot, sweet potato, rice crackers... even pizza crust tonite which she lurved

I just kept up finger food when we were out or at home and she decided that it was alright after all to eat! She really loved tonite sitting with us eating her pizza crust

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