spitting out food

[kayra]

hello,
DS is 1 years old and for the past few weeks has begun spitting his food out after a few mouthfulls. I don't think it's because he doesn't like it, because it's things he has eaten in those things in the past, also he does eat a few spoons first. He doesn't do it with everything, but it's more and more it seems.  he mostly seems ok with puree type things but i don't want to give him too much stuff like that either. My instinct is that he's doing it just because he can and if i don't force him-which i do sometimes find myself doing much to my shame-he will eventually be hungry enough to eat properly. am i right in thinking that? or should i go ahead and let him have more puree-like stuff.
thanks
k

[firsttimemummy]

Has he just discovered that he can, so is doing it as it is fun?  My DS is almost 9 months and went through a little phase of spitting a mouthful or so onto the floor and watching it. I ignored it and he has stopped.  If you make an issue of it he will do it more as he is getting attention for it, so needs the praise etc when he is eating well instead (not sure if this is relevant and you probably know it already, but thought would mention it).

How is he with finger foods?  Maybe he would get on better with them as he can control what is going in his mouth?

Or is he teething and the lumps are sore on his gums?  My DS can complain when eating at the moment, with teething, although he likes his food too much not to eat it!

[kayra]

i don't think he does it to watch it, it seems to be a general thing of refusal. it could be a teething thing but it throws me off because he does eat a bit and then refuses, and he isn't really being fussy or showing pain. it's often the same with fingerfood, he'll chew it a bit then spit it out. sometimes when i realise he's about to spit out, i'll chew exageratedly saying look chew chew, and then he'll sometimes cooperate. so i'm confused, maybe it's a mixture of him being lazy about chewing and control/refusal???

[KathrynK]

Alex is 1year and 2 weeks old and is doing exactly the same thing! I think it's just another phase- he's doing it because he's discovered he can and that's it.
He tends to do it when he's just shoved about 15 bits of chicken in at once, chewed for about a week and a half and then given up and just gone "plurgh" all down his front 
I just ignore it and carry on, it will pass eventually! Boys, eh.... 

[Mashi]

He tends to do it when he's just shoved about 15 bits of chicken in at once, chewed for about a week and a half and then given up and just gone "plurgh" all down his front  Roll Eyes

Gotta laugh cause we have one of these here, too!

But, at the same time, even when it's just been stuck in his mouth for a second DS spits loads out.  I generally have been teaching him that if he is going to spit it out, then hand it to me rather than throwing it on the floor. I can deal with the spitting it out, accepting that he has at least tasted it and decided that for whatever reason, he doesn't like it or doesn't want to eat it right now.

Kayra, could you give him some fingerfoods and let him use the purees as a dip? DS has just gotten into dipping things this week, and I find that if I give him something he doesn't really like (today it was some potato thingy) and let him dip it, he will use it a few goes to lick the dip off and then eventually take a bite or two of the dipper.

[kayra]

thanks ladies!
i could try the dipping thing, though i'm not sure he's quite got the dexterity yet. He did very well today actually, ate his scrambled egg and later pasta without any spitting incidents at all. But when i tried a ravioli type thing with a slightly harder doughy texture he immedately spat it out. so at least he's eating some non-pure stuff properly! so maybe i'll give them the majority of the time but still have him try other things without expecting that to be his main meal.

[~*Nicole*~]

We have the same thing here. Some days DD eats well and others she takes two bites and spits the rest and says "all done!" and tries to climb out of her chair. I think she just wants to placate me and then get down and run around and play. SO I really think it's all about exploring and new abilities and realizing they have some control over things, etc. I just offer food....when she spits it out and wants down, she gets down, but no more food til the next meal time. It has gotten better over the past couple of weeks. I think she is realizing that she will get to go play again after the eating time period is finished.

I like the dipping idea though, I might try that as DD tends to refuse pureed things now and wants to do it all herself so that might help us!

[~ Vik ~]

Glad to have read this thread, as ds does the same thing! 

He tends to do it when he's just shoved about 15 bits of chicken in at once, chewed for about a week and a half and then given up and just gone "plurgh" all down his front 

Made me lol, as that's Dylan with pasta!!  So frustrating, but I just try to make things that are pretty easy so if it winds up on the floor at least I didn't put too much work into it!  I think I will try the dipping too...  If nothing else it will keep him occupied so I can (hopefully) sneak some food into him