9 month old refusing spoon

[jamjar84]

Since 6 months old we’ve been doing a mix of blw and spoon fed and he’s been taking to both really well... until a few days ago. He’s been refusing to be spoon fed except his morning cereal which he enjoys. I’ve read that at this age it’s because he’s growing more aware of himself and asserting his independence.
My question is, how do I get him to take the spoon? As some foods you need to use a spoon and when preparing meals it seems such a waste throwing a bowl of food away.

Give him a spoon and a fork while you use another to feed him. Or let him pick stuff up with his hands

My baby has been refusing too. For breakfast I've been trying banana and fruit fingers, bread and peanut butter...

My daughter did this. Gave up on anything requiring a spoon for a while, unless it was something she really loved like yoghurt.

Is the spoon or the food on the spoon he refuses, because if he has no issue with the spoon for cereals or other foods he likes , it is not spoon refusal but expressing a taste preference.

So the broccoli that used to be mashed and offered on a spoon, can be cooked really soft, cut into very tiny pieces and offered on a preloaded baby fork.
Keep the spoon for the foods that are normally eaten with a spoon such as soups and offer more foods to be eaten with a fork. Or a mix of both, when eating some food such as meat or fish that comes with a sauce (white fish boiled and served with melted butter and parsley or a sole cooked in a pan with butter) and giving some pieces with the fork and pieces with more sauce with the spoon.

Try also to make the food really nice and tasty, so as an example instead of steaming the pumpkin, roast it in the oven with olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary., before blending it or crushing it with back of spoon. I am from Monaco, and the rule paediatricians insist on is to not give baby something we wouldn't eat ourselves.

What types of food do you give for each " feeding style "?

I vaguely recall a stage where meals involved about five spoons. One in each hand for the DC and while they were distracted, I'd sneak a spoonful into their mouth.

You have to give up on expecting them to eat everything and not make mess. Just let them eat the food, mash it into their hair or launch it over the side of the highchair (obviously put a towel down). The bigger a fuss you make, the more stressful it becomes.

DD was a total spoon refuser. The only thing she ever let me feed her was a mango and baby rice pot I used to buy because she loved them. She still adores mango now.

We got this book from the library and just went with finger foods.

The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook is supposed to be very good as well and it's aim seems to be making food that the whole family can eat.

For me it was just easier to give her the food whole and let her pick it up and eat it rather than trying to force her to take a spoon.