Author Topic: Spoon refusal  (Read 1168 times)

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Offline Cinnamon2801

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Spoon refusal
« on: November 17, 2005, 20:50:43 pm »
Hi! I've read the various posts and it seems other Moms are having this problem too! My daughter is nearing 10mnths and has suddenly started refusing the spoon or any type of assisted feeding. She has a very varied diet including strong flavours and spices. We have been having finger foods first (she's very good at eating finger foods) and then having mush of various meats and veg follwed by fruit puree or yoghurt. First she started being difficult with the main course, distraction helped at first but doesn't now, then the fruit puree and now finally even the yoghurt! She closes her mouth, looks at me and blows raspberries! I used to be able to pop a spoon in as she was going for a piece of finger food but she's wised up to that ploy and it doesn't work any more. I tried delaying her meals to get her a little hungrier and that worked for a few days, not anymore! If I give her the spoon she cleans the food off it, either by waving the spoon about or deliberately removing the food with her fingers and dumping it over the side of the high chair (with a big smile) and then eats the spoon. She's very precocious! Her milk intake has increased considerably since this started. I am trying to get her to eat a little mush and then putting it into pitta bread and giving her that, she eats this very happily. She eats pieces of fruit (covered with yoghurt to increase her calcium intake) and steamed or raw veg happily and loves cheese and meat pieces. She still take two good naps and sleeps from 7pm to 6:30 am so I suppose I'm worrying about nothing. My concerns are a: is she getting enough as she never seems to want to stop, she'll happily sit and eat finger foods for an hour, and b: how to start proper self feeding if she hates the spoon that much? Is this a phase? Sorry about the essay!!!!
x

Offline tylersmommy

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Spoon refusal
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2005, 05:10:26 am »
It's pretty normal to go through a phase of spoon refusal around 9-12 mo. Honestly, your best bet is to go with the flow and do your best not to turn it into a battle. Tyler wouldn't eat ANYTHING off a spoon from 9-12 mo, so I gave up and offered him only finger foods. Lots of steamed veggies, cut up soft fruit, and egg yolk french toast. I'd offer him something from a spoon about once a week, and if he refused, that was that. I didn't push the issue at all, and we were both happier because of it. He ate a very healthy and balanced diet of only finger food. One day, after he turned 1, he suddenly started eating from a spoon again, and he's been eating a combo of spoon foods and finger food ever since.

I wouldn't worry about learning to use a spoon properly, that doesn't come until much later (average is somewhere around 18 mo-2 yrs). She'll do it in her own time. As for your concerns about her getting enough, chances are that she is. Purees are mostly water, and finger food is concentrated, so she's probably eating more than you think!
Melissa
Mommy to Tyler, 12/30/03 and Mackenzie, 10/17/06
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Offline Cinnamon2801

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Thanks!
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2005, 07:13:23 am »
That sounds like the way to go, thanks! It's just soooo frustrating seeing one's lovingly cooked food going to waste, it's definitely better not to turn meal-times into a battle though. I guess I'll just ride it out and hope for the phase to end soon, oh, and make much smaller portions! x