When did your baby learn to self-feed and how??

[Caroline1124]

I am at a loss.. my 11 month old refuses to feed himself. When I put food on his high chair tray, he picks it up and throws it. When he does try to get it into his mouth, his thumb ends up there instead. I'm not completely convinced he isn't just stubborn and won't do it, I know part of it is that it just hasn't "clicked" that it is possible but at the same time he is also playing with the food when I put it on his tray. He also refuses to use a sippy.. I know he knows how to do it, I have seen him do it and he even sipped from a straw tonight, but I can't figure out how to get him to do it regularly without trying to throw the cup.

Any helpful hints?

Caroline
Momma to Dylan 7/31/03

[amp]

My son learned to eat finger foods by himself around 9 mths or so, but I will say that it occured after having cheerios placed on his tray numerous times. At first he just played with them. We always fed them to him from the tray, so eventually he finally got it that they were food. I think we even put his own hand to his mouth with food in it. I can still remember the moment it clicked for him and we haven't looked back since. I would limit the amount of food he has to play with and try to only feed him stuff directly from the tray, so he sees it, sees you pick it up and put it in his mouth. And tell him about it. When he picks it up himself, tell him to put it in his mouth and help him do it. See if that helps him make a connection. If not, follow his lead. He won't have you feeding him soon enough, I guarantee it! It's not as if he'll head off to college without knowing how to feed himself, so don't worry too much.

After all of that I wonder if he is just not hungry when he's sitting with the food in front of him. That is not to say that hungry kids to do play with food, but a good majority of our food throwing happens when DS is not hungry. Just a thought.

[Caroline1124]

Well I am pretty sure it is not b/c he isn't hungry.. he will fuss and slam his hand on the tray and scream until I pick up a piece and put it in his mouth.

I am just thinking that he missed that crucial moment when you're supposed to realize that he could pick it up and put it in his mouth himself.. he'll pick it up, squeeze it, toss it, then scream at me to put one in his mouth. I want to pull my hair out.

[amp]

Actually, that *is* what my DS did until he learned it. I think he's on the cusp of figuring it out and then you guys won't even look back! He'll get it! Hang in there!

[mharling]

Ds wasn't very interested in self-feeding until we gave him toast strips. Something about a bigger piece of something that he could pull apart and take a bite out of (rather than a single thing to pick up and eat) really made it click for him. He hasn't looked back since then! Good luck! Dylan will learn when he's ready. :)

Mary
Lane 4/03

[memedee]

How big a toast strip?

[mharling]

I would toast and butter a piece of bread and then cut it into about 5 or 6 strips. I would guess that each strip was roughly 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide.

Mary
Lane 4/03

[Caroline1124]

ugghh.. even when I give him the biter biscuits or zweiback (sp?) toast, half the time they sit in his fist while he sucks his thumb.. I know it will happen but I really felt that by 11 1/2 months he'd have figured this out by now.