How to encourage self feeding?

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Any suggestions on how to get my 10 month old to put her food in her mouth herself?  Lately, she's refusing anything on a spoon, but will sometimes accept food from MY fingers (gets pretty messy when you're trying to scoop up cereal, I tell you! :? ).  But when I give her food on her tray, she just plays with them and drops them over the side of her chair.  I know she'll do it eventually, but just wondering if there's anything that might help her to get the association of the food goes in the MOUTH.  :roll:

[isaac'smom]

Have you tried having her hold the food and then guiding her hand to her mouth for her? I found that once ds had a taste he was 'hooked' and didn't want to mess around or waste food by dropping it....little piggy!

Or try taking a bite yourself and maybe she'll imitate you.

Eventually, she'll get the hang of it.

 

[sandraorion]

Nothing worked for Adrian for a quite while. I'm sure you can find my posts on the same subject here. He would only feed himself a cracker and that was it, everything else was a toy. When he started going to daycare in a toddler room (at about 11.5 months) and saw other kids doing it. It took him three days.

I don't know, maybe you should start eating from her tray with your fingers and she will try to imitate her. Good luck!

[katejude]

Does Megan eat bickies like cruskits and milk arrowroot bickies?  I found that once Finn was able to feed himself with these types of bickies, he's eventually figured out how to do it with fruit and cheese etc.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Thanks for the suggestions!  I tried getting her to pick up some toast and then guided it to her mouth.  She sort of ate it. :? I'll keep trying with that sort of stuff (note to self: doing that with avocado pieces gets very messy! :shock: )

[Jrolph]

Hi redstartfalling,

The way that I got my DS to self feed was by eating the broken up pieces of food on his tray myself.  I break up goldfish and cheerios and then I grab them and show him what he is supposed to do.  He loves trying to copy me.

[chell]

My Lo doesn't like me feeding him off a spoon, but will  hold it himself, so I try to control his hand and scoop some food onto it and guide the spoon into his mouth, so that he feels as though he's doing it and not me!