11 Month Old Normally Good Eater Going Through a Stage???

[sycorrell]

My 11 month old daughter has been a good eater from the beginning.  In the past 2 weeks, she has really been resisting food off a spoon.  I can usually get a small bowl of food in her but it is a struggle.  I am not sure if she is ready for mostly finger foods?  Has anyone had this issue?  I often give her a spoon to hold onto while she is eating to get her used to feeding herself but she has not moved that direction yet.  I am concerned that if she stops eating off a spoon, she will not get enough to eat or enough nutrients (for example, the iron in cereal).

She is also, like others have posted, interested in finger foods - she picks them up, moves them from hand to hand - but does not feed herself yet.  I try to keep demonstrating for her but she has not gotten it yet.   I was encouraged by some other posts that said to keep trying and eventually she will get it.  I have been concerned that if I keep feeding her, she won't learn herself.

Any thoughts or feedback would be very appreciated.  My husband and I are getting frustrated but we do not want mealtimes to become a battle ground.

[tylersmommy]

I remember all too well what a frustrating time that was! It does sound like your DD is starting to show her independence and is ready for finger foods, which usually happens around 9-12 mo. She'll get the hang of feeding herself with her fingers if you keep some bits of food on her high chair tray. In the meantime, you can help her make the connection by feeding her from your fingers. She'll learn eventually!

It's quite possible to still maintain a nutritious diet on finger foods alone. Tyler ate NOTHING from a spoon from 9-12 mo, and we made it work. You might have to get more creative, and it will seem like she's eating less (purees are mostly water). Most adult cereals, like cheerios, are fortified with iron, and I'd often coat slippery foods like banana chunks in dry baby cereal or wheat germ. Offering a food rich in vitamin C at the same time will help her body absorb iron more effieciently too. HTH!

[NikiB]

We have just been going through the same thing, my Lo is 11 and a half months and would accept a couple of spoonfuls of food but then would clamp her lips shut, so now I give her finger foods first, like peas and other veg chopped to same size (otherwise she spits them out), rice cake, breadsticks or a sandwich and bits of sausage or Quorn (she's veggie) and then I have the pot of mashed food to hand to feed her in between.  Evening meal tends to be better for feeding her off a spoon probably because she's more tired, but you could also try putting a bit of food on her spoon if she has been putting it in her mouth that is.  Its a funny stage, where they're kind of in between being able to feed themselves and not quite making it! Good luck!

[sycorrell]

Thank you both so much for the information and support.  I welcome any more help!

My daughter is actually better about using the spoon in the morning - maybe she is more hungry then?  The pattern I have noticed is she will take fruit and yogurt off a spoon but nothing else.  So I have scrambled the past few days to throw together some meals she will eat - little bits of what we are having for dinner, etc.  It helps to know others are going through or did go through the same thing.