finger food dilemma

[daisythedog]

For about 4 wks my (then 6-7mo) ds happily gobbled lots of stuff off a spoon. Then he decided he didn't want to have anything to do with said spoon, other then chomp on it. For the last 2 weeks or so he slaps the spoon away when I come anywhere near his mouth, and the old "give him a spoon to play with while you feed him with another one" trick doesn't work at all.

So, lately I've been putting steamed / chunky versions of things he used to like on his tray. Problem is, if the piece of food is a large one he can pick it up and suck on it, but doesn't actually swallow much (fwiw he has no teeth). If it's small, he swallows it IF he gets it in his mouth, but that doesn't happen very frequently.

I look at this board for ideas for things to feed a 7.5 month old and it looks like babies that age eat like they are dining at a holiday cruise buffet, while mine hasn't managed to ingest more than a bit sweet potato and banana, plus some soggy rusk here and there.

Is my db behind the finger feeding curve or are certain posts here giving me unrealistic expectations? And at what age can I expect DB to get a grip on this finger food thing? Would love any tips, suggestions, or tales of similar experiences.

Hi Daisy
I have to sympathise with you.
I too have had mixed success with both finger foods and spoon feeding.
My DD is now 9 months. She will still take food from a spoon, but she tends to get bored of it pretty quickly unless she's really in the mood. (not so often)
She enjoys finger foods, but she too tends to put them in her mouth and have a bit of a suck and a chew before spitting out the lumps. I agree with you that not much seems to actually get swallowed.
However, don't you find that more ends up in your DS's nappy than you thought he was actually ingesting? I am often surprised by the lumps of undigested food I find in DD's nappy, so obviously something does go down sometimes.
I think we just have to continue and make sure that our DC are getting all the nutrition they need from their milk/formula to keep them going while they get the hang of this eating thing. As long as they are drinking enough, it's not a problem.
And to be honest with you, I think many descriptions on this site of babies eating roast dinners and full holiday cruise buffets are rather exaggerated. I think that describes the foods that are picked up, played with, sucked, chewed on, spat out and thrown on the floor, rather than are actually swallowed!!!!

While I sympathise with what you're going through, and want to say that they do, really do get the hang of finger food, you've got to remember that many of the the babies eating roast dinners, etc at 8-9 months have only had finger food since 6 months, so they've got past a lot of the messy stage by now. The stories aren't exaggerated, it's just that you haven't been able to track their progress since day one. It does take them a while to get used to it, and for a while really not much goes in, but when they do get it it's pretty cool.

Habbibu - that's good news. I know it's not going to happen instantly but I really don't know what type of progression to expect. How long did it take yours (or the ones you know) to really "get it"?

Aitch had a bit of a poll on this a while back on her blog, and I think, though should check, that the general consensus for babies who started at 6 months was that they were eating "proper" meals by 9 months. That's pretty much been our experience too. I don't know what it's like for babies who began on puree and became spoon-refusers, timewise, though my best friend's little girl did that went all blw, and did really well. Try Aitch's blog for more experiences, etc. www.babyledweaning.com

it's here daisy, if you want to have a look. so long as she's well and happy i'd just keep going with it. remember to offer her stuff when you're out and about as well, dd used to eat french toast by the bicketload in her buggy if we were having a busy day.

bicketload? buckeetload...

LOL of ffs bucketload.

oh ffs...

aitch -- at least you've got the "ffs" worked out!

I just tried your link but it's bringing me to an error page. Is it me or the link ?(most likely me...)

My ds is nearly 9 months and is JUST starting to get the hang of finger foods.

I give him purees etc too, so I'm not a BLW-er, but always offered finger food from the start at 6 months. Literally this week he's started to pick up a piece of mango and actually swallow a bit.

So I wouldn't worry if yours isn't doing it at 7.5 months - he'll get there in his own time.

hmmm, it works for me. babyledweaning.blogware.com/blog/PollsOurFAQSection/_archives/2007/5/21/2966051.html cut and paste this, if it doesn't work.

got it now. thanks!

My DS was great with finger foods from 6m until a couple of weeks ago (9m now). He now will just casually drop large pieces on the floor and put small things in his mouth, chew but spit out without swallowing.

They are just odd things babies, just keep plodding away and he will get it when he's ready. I really wouldn't worry about any 'curve' at this stage they are all so different (at least you are giving finger food and he is trying to get it into his mouth!!)

i remember noticing that dd wanted food cut up a bit more when she developed her pincer grip, gill, i think she liked the challenge...