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How did you start self-feeding with baby?

  1. #1
    MLBW Guest

    How did you start self-feeding with baby?

    Hey Ladies and Gents,

    I want to hear how you switched from spoon feeding to self-feeding with your babies.

    I prefer to hear only from people who first spoon fed and then switched to self feeding--and not those who did self-feeding only from the beginning, thanks.

    My situation is that my son is fully capable of self-feeding and likes to eat--but his dexterity isn't that great--so 50%+ of what he is fed ends up on the floor and he stops eating--not because he's full but because he's tired of "the game" of eating and ready to move onto another activity. He is a big boy and definitely needs 3 good meals a day and a bit of bottles/sippy cup in between. If he doesn't eat well during the day he wakes at night for a feeding--which is a recent development since we started self-feeding more--before that he had been sleeping through the night (7 pm to 7 am) for at least 6 months without a night-time feeding--so I know he doesn't have to be fed at night unless he doesn't eat enough during the day.

    So, this is what I'm doing right now. I give him a bit to self feed--for example, if we're eating spaghetti I give him some of the noodles and sauce to eat--he knows how to suck the noodles into his mouth which is quite funny and cute to watch actually, anyway, then while he is eating I also spoon feed him some mushed up version of what we're eating in order to get him filled up. He is a year old and doesn't like big chunks (or non-mushy) chunks of most foods--he'll spit out the bigger chunks and eat the rest--he kind of gags on them (not talking big things here--just not tiny).

    Any other suggestions? I don't want to regress to night-time feedings again. No way!


  2. #2
    MilkMonster is offline Registered User
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    Hi, I do the same as you, feed along while he feeds himself. My son is 22mths and has just recently been able to manage to spoon feed himself 25% of a meal without it falling on the table. Not sure if he's delayed in terms of dexterity but it has taken a really long time for us to get to this point. I foresee another 6mths of me feeding him the half of the meal that he chooses not to feed himself because he is 'bored' and would rather feed the dogs...


  3. #3
    aussie mum is offline Registered User
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    i think as parents we put a lot of pressure on ourselves for our children to be doing certain things at certain times.
    My son was always a bit slower to do things than his peers - swallowing lumpier food, drinking from a cup, feeding himself with spoon/fork, climbing on the playgyms etc
    I found that by the age of 2.5 or even earlier he had caught up with them all and was doing everything just fine. I didn't do anything to encourage it - he just got there himself in time.
    In the mean time I would keep doing what you are doing!
    Having said that I still spoon food into my sons mouth sometimes when he has got bored with feeding himself and i want to make sure he eats a bit more.


  4. #4
    MLBW Guest

    Thanks Ladies,

    I really am not worried that my son is behind or anything...not at all...I would say he is more advanced than the majority of kids his age in a lot of areas. I am just looking for any hints or tips that moms with really active babies use to help their children self-feed. (I need to have my son playing with something while he eats or he won't focus--so I give him a kitchen utensil--a wooden spoon, small siev, measuring cup to play with while he eats). I know he can do it and it's necessary to let him try because I don't want to hold him back from achieving his potential--I feel like the longer I post-pone self-feeding the longer it will take for him to do it. I think he is ready but if anyone has any tips that make self-feeding easier and help the baby get filled up at a meal--especially super active babies like mine--I am really interested to hear. Thanks for all your comments so far too!


  5. #5
    aussie mum is offline Registered User
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    he's only 1 year old right?


  6. #6
    MLBW Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by aussie mum View Post
    he's only 1 year old right?
    Yep. But he walked at 8 1/2 months, said his first word at 5 months (and first Cantonese phrase at 6 months), can throw a ball (and starting to kick it), crawl up and down on the couch, crawl up and down stairs, put simple puzzles together, point and indicate what he wants and copy words and gestures--he really seems to be about the level of a 16-18 month old in my mind.

    He's just extremely busy--and has been since the night he was born (we never got to enjoy the "sleepy newborn" as he slept at the longest 4 hours at a time, day and night until he was 5 months old).

    He is really intense--that's why I'm looking for any other tips from moms who might have super active babies and how they managed the self-feeding.

    My aunt had 5 children all of them were potty trained by the time they were a year old and self-feeding by that time as well--I'm not gung ho to force anything on my son but he seems to be ready--just want to help with technique. ;0)

  7. #7
    aussie mum is offline Registered User
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    i guess i don't have any tips because I think he is behaving as one would expect a 12month old to behave. It has nothing to do with being bright, advanced or behind.
    I don't know any children of that age and even older who have the ability to focus for the length of time necessary to eat a full meal on their own. you let him feed himself a large part of the meal so I don't see how this is holding him back from achieving his potential.
    If he was as ready as you say he is then i would have thought he would be doing it already.
    you say that his dexterity isn't that great and 50% ends up on the floor - by feeding along with him as well as allowing him to self feed you are giving him the opportunity to improve his dexterity and exposure to chunkier/lumpier textures and also making sure he eats a sufficient amount of food. It won't happen overnight but by doing exactly what you are doing he will improve over time and when he is ready will be able to self feed.
    Maybe your aunt will have tips for you to help it happen quicker.


  8. #8
    Matty is offline Registered User
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    Um, basically regardless of age, give him the spoon and he uses it to eat.
    The more times he uses it the better he will become.
    I don't think there are any fast solutions.


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