Any Self-Feeding Suggestions

My 7 month grandson was just here and his parents were letting him feed himself plain spaghetti noodles. It was a lot of fun watching him get about 40% in, 30% on his clothes, 10% on the floor, and 20% on the table. You could try that. The point is to let them try.

My own daughter at nine months was into peas. I would unfreeze them and she would just pop them in.

My granddaughter loved avocados. When her mother fed her, she used 2 spoons. She gave one to Rebecca, and used the other. As so as Rebecca grabbed the spoon she was feeding Rebecca with, she would let go of that spoon, and use the other spoon. Without loosing a beet. It was amazing.

For finger foods, I give my son Cheerios, Kix, small pieces of banana, small pieces of cheese (he loves string cheese cut up into small cubes), pinto beans, tiny pieces of whatever we're eating (chicken, beef, turkey,etc). He'll even eat tiny bits of steamed broccoli!! He didn't even start getting teeth until he was almost 10 months, but I fould that he could mash stuff pretty good with his tongue and gums as long as it was soft to begin with and not too big. My pedi said to just make sure nothing is sized any bigger than the tip of your pinkie finger, that way it can't get lodged in his windpipe. You can cook different fruits (apple, pear, etc) to make them a little softer for him. Also, if he has a hard time picking up slippery things (like banana) you can crush up some cheerios and roll the banana pieces in the crumbs to make them easier to pick up.

My son just started wanting to feed himself with a spoon, and yes, it is messy. I usually let him do it for awhile, then I step in and help him finish. I find that if I thicken his food so that it sticks to the spoon better, it's easier for him to actually get something into his mouth. For example, for breakfast I give him plain yogurt mixed with pureed fruit and thickened with baby whole grain oatmeal until it's a porridge like consistency. He can actually "scoop" some onto the spoon that way.

I love the idea of the vinyl tablecloths, I'm gonna have to steal that one!!

You are doing a great job! Here are some resources on Baby Led Feeding that I have found to be SO helpful in having or baby enjoy mealtimes with us. We started around 8mo with her and have not turned back. Now at 15mo she eats everything we eat & the only thing we cut into "small" pieces is meat and it only because she does not like the texture. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want to know more. Can not say enough good things about it!
http://nourishedkitchen.com/baby-led-weaning/
http://www.rapleyweaning.com/

With Baby Led Feeding, simple safety rules are observed, choking is no more likely than with any other method of introducing solids. Allowing babies to control what goes into their mouths actually helps them learn to eat safely.

Feeding mommy is so cool.
Isn't his brain amazing?

Try the carrot and sweet potato cooked not as soft.
A little firmer might do the trick.

Continue to let him have a spoon
and let him play with it, experiment with it.

As long as you're nearby, I don't think you need to worry too much
about choking hazards. Even if he can't chew something up thoroughly,
he can probably swallow OK.

Pieces of banana? blueberries? pieces of peach or nectarine?
cooked squash? Little pieces of mild cheese? small pieces of chicken?
pieces of cooked macaroni, elbow or shells? pieces of boiled potatoes?

Bon appetit!

My thought on this is to let him have his bowl and spoon. It takes some practice to get coordination down. Just let him work at it. It's messy, I know, but that's how they learn.
Go to the dollar store and get a few vinyl table cloths, I preferred the fabrifc backed ones. Put them under his high chair. They wipe up easily and can even survive several washings in the machine if need be. That way, you don't have to worry about a mess on the floor.
As long as he's not deliberately throwing his food and utensils (which he may try if he thinks it's a game), being messy is just part of getting things figured out.
Give him a bowl of applesauce and a spoon and let him have at it.

Best wishes!

You're doing everything right. It's all just practice right now.

don't worry so much. I would just have him use his hands and you use the fork. Because they end up playing with it and making a mess, but if you don't care about the mess then give him a bowl and a spoon and he'll do what he can. I wet the cheerios with a little water so that they would stick to my daughters hand easier and they are much easier to eat. She is 14 months now and we started cut up pears at one and she picks those up easily. Just don't force anything and don't worry about it. He is only 9 months. I wouldn't play too much and giggle because then every feeding time is going to become play time. Playtime should be on the floor because feeding time will last forever if he is constantly trying to feed you. Perhaps you can set up a babydoll and pretend feeding area on the floor and keep playtime separately. Don't play with food etc because it confuses them. He doesn't have to use a fork and spoon now. It is important to just use his hands or you can feed him with a spoon.

Instead of making things small, how about giving him big food? My kids LOVED when I would give them a very ripe banana, pear, or peach to eat. (My daughter especially loved it, and she was toothless until 11 months - she'd gum her way through a pear in no time!) The bigger food is easier to hold and explore for little hands.

You are doing great. Keep in mind he is only 9 months old. As he grows so will his motor skills. Keep giving him a spoon at meal time and yes give him a bowl ( dry stuff only for now) even if there is a little mess. He will get the hang of it. Once he manages spoon you can graduate to fork. Just give it some time and lots of practice. Good luck !!!

I agree with Jody that most cereals are too hard. You should try the baby puffs. My son LOVED those and they melt in his mouth. Something my daughter loved as a first food to feed herself was pasta. We got her a baby fork that we felt was safe and let her go to town practicing with both fork and fingers. Pasta is great because it is safe and easy to swallow whole if they don't chew well.

Here are some of the things my 8 1/2 month old daughter likes:
bananas chunks
avocados chunks
pear chunks
cheerios (but she has 7 1/2 teeth and very good fine motor skills)
thawed frozen peas
small bits of cooked broccoli
good scrambled egg yolk
grated mild cheddar cheese
turkey cold cuts
chicken bits

If I give her some finger food, I can usually also feed her baby food with a spoon. She LOVES whole milk plain yogurt and baby oatmeal with applesauce.

Try him on cereal and yogurt separately. Let him mess up as much as he wants. I had a bowl with a cap on it so that hot water kept the cereal hot.
It doesn't take that long for an interested eater to learn to find his mouth. Just stand back and only help when he's frustrated.

Cheerios are not really the best first food - they are hard and don't dissolve that quickly...you could try some of the other brands of puffs - they dissolve much faster, and are about the same size (and are made with vegetables sometimes!) You could also try very small cubes of cheese (VERY small), dehydrated fruit, small pieced of bread, soft fruit (although winter fruits aren't really optimal), really cooked chicken, tofu cut into cubes, avocado cubed, canned beans, banana. You can also go bigger - a whole banana, teething biscuits (although they are VERY messy!), a peach (with the skin removed), etc.