Having trouble getting food into DD!

[GodzillasBumcheek]

She will happily snaffle down peas, raisins, sweetcorn, brocolli, carrot, cheerios, and dates with her fingers, but anything else is just infuriating.

She is finding the whole 'feeding herself' thing quite difficult - or boring, or something. She holds the end of the spoon, usually, doesn't even grip it properly, and that means she finds it difficult to get food on her spoon or from the plate/bowl to her mouth.

Also, she will not, and has never got the hang of how wide to open her mouth, and the timing of when to close it again. Mealtimes can take up to an hour as she often closes her mouth before the spoon gets into it - and she DOES like the food, and she IS hungry!

Any advice please anyone, because this is ridiculous - i never get anything done as i seem to spend so long trying to feed her.

blimey could have written your post myself!

dd is just 11 months and is doing exactly the same thing. A couple of weeks ago it was like feeding a little baby bird - open mouth spoon in open mouth spoon in etc etc

now she wants to do it all by herself

I have given up and just let her get on with it as the moment I even try and get involved we have an all out war!

just giving lots of things that can be held in her hand and plenty of water, and a spoon to practise with

infuriating isnt it, meal times used to be over and done with in 10 minutes now its more like an hour

hw old is yours?

Erm...she's (brace yourself) NINETEEN months!

She has never been at the baby bird stage. She's always been a struggle!

Godzilla, does she shovel in other food with her fingers? DD2 finds this the most effective method for everything from roast chicken to tomato soup, and everything in between.

How is she with breadsticks and dips?

oh bless her I can't help then much, only got the one and literally taking each day as it comes. this mothering lark is farking difficult

and also [faint emoticon] that my dd will be doing this for the next 8 months

she is ok with breadsticks, but not bread (usually - although occaisionally she concedes to eat some). She is not keen on any meat, or cheese, or egg.

Thing is, if anything other than veg is in chunks big enough to pick up, she ends up leaving it before she is full because she gets tired of chewing.

Having said this, it's not the food that's the problem so much (as i thought a few months ago), it's the process of eating.

katiebatey - i remember my nephew having no problems at this age, so don't worry! Also, have two older DDs and they were never like this!

I can't help either Have you spoken to your GP about it? I know that paed nutritionists are really helpful with all matters food, having spoken to one about DD1 some years ago.

I have given up on doctors. Unless i can request something definate, they seem to be as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Actually, at least you could eat a chocolate fireguard (or at worst, lick it off the carpet).

I do vaguely remember some wise old crone saying that babies won't starve if offered food even if they do make a song and dance out of eating it - a comment I now take as gospel truth of course!

I would go mad otherwise watching my dd mess about every mealtime!

LOL at chocolate fireguard btw

off to bed now, can hear dd stirring and need to get a few minutes kip before starting night shift x