Eating with a Spoon

L. -

I have twin 4 year olds and a 6 year old.

Don't worry about feeding him solid foods yet. He will eat them when he's ready. 4 months old is still very young and your son probably wants either the bottle or breast if you're breast feeding. At 4 months old, he may just want that closeness with Mommy and knows that the spoon will keep him from that. Or maybe solids give him gas and he knows that.

In any case, you can wait. I breast fed all three of mine solely for 6 months, not a stich of solids and they are all thriving and driving me crazy. Which is what we all want right?

Most of all, babies can sense stress in their mommies and he may sense your trepedation about feeding him. So relax and give him back his bottle/breast and mommy time. I bet he and you will be much happier.

Enjoy!

Sam

1 mom found this helpful

If he is not sitting up on his own, showing interest in solid food and not cutting teeth yet (the 3 signs of food readiness) - he's not ready. I'd re-consider what your pediatrician is telling you & ask him why he thinks you should start him on solids so early.

Frankly, that concerns me.

P

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a lot of doctors are now saying that giving a baby solids before six months could heighten the risk of food allergies later in life. I, personally, think 4 months is a little too early; both of my boys were past 6 mos before I started them on cereal and we didn't even jump to the jar foods until about 7 months. The most I did at 4 months was sprinkle a little bit of single grain rice cereal in their bottle at night. I've learned that even though a doctor says to do something, doesn't mean they are always right; you know your baby better than any doctor :) I can't count how many times I didn't do or DID do, despite the doctor's advice; I'm sure many moms out there would agree. Your motherly insticts should be a louder voice than that of the doctor, so go with your gut on this one :)

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if i were you id would lay off for a few weeks. Try buying a fun spoon, one that doesnt look like utensil with elmo or someone on it, them let him play with it (supervised of course) to get used to it. maybe that would help him! good luck

Hi L.,
Wait a while. 4 months is only a guideline. Don't force it. He does not seem ready. Give the little tike more time. I bet you'll see a big improvement in a few weeks! Good luck.
-C.

try a syringe or a straw

Hi L.!
I am a Mom and Grandma. I have had this problem with my youngest grandson.
I have found it is best not to force him with this. I feed him for a while, and then give him the spoon and show him how much fun it is to feed his self. I do this by pretending to eat up his food with his spoon. He will mess in it for awhile with his fingers, but Kaleb is using his spoon and fork just fine now. He took a few months to do this. But it will come.
Grandma L.

Wait until he is about 6 months old. He's not ready yet.

I am sooooo glad to see you are getting good advice here about waiting till the 6 month mark. I'm sorry, but your ped gave you bad, outdated advice, and that would make me worry about everything else he says. There is a lot that happens in the digestive system from 4 to 6 months. What sounds like just a few weeks to us is a lot longer for them. Remember when you were pregnant and so much could happen in just a matter of weeks. Same thing here. The AAP (along with about 6 other reputable agencies)now recommends waiting till the 6 month mark, not the 4-6 month mark.
Here are some links you may find helpful

Is My Baby Ready For Solid Foods
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

Why Delay Solids?
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

Starting Solids Foods
http://askdrsears.com/html/3/t032000.asp

Feeding at a Glance, Birth to 24 months
http://askdrsears.com/html/3/T030500.asp
This has an excellent chart showing which foods are appropriate for each age to avoid allergies, choking hazards, etc.

How Do We Get Started With Solids
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-how.html

First Foods
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/first-foods.html

I think many metal spoons have a bad taste. And plastic spoons are nothing but chemicals that do leach into our foods. You may want to try a wooden spoon.

I like Keri's recommendation, give him the spoon to play with while he is sitting in his high chair. My children really liked the long rubbery spoons that changed colors if the food was too hot. The "scoop" part was very small, so it wasn't as overwhelming to them and the entire spoon was rubbery so they could even chew on the handles.

Don't push the issue, just let him explore the spoon on his own and he will eventually put it in his mouth, once he has try to start feeding again.

Good luck!

My son is doing this with sippy cups! He'll drink from a bottle and from a regular cup, assisted of course, but either shuns or screams at the sippy cup. What can I say, kids are weird. :)

I think us Moms can take doctors too litterally sometimes. He probably meant to indicate that you CAN start him on cereal and then stage one foods. The if here is IF he's interested. You really can't force it on him,you can only make it available. So just take your time, relax and let it happen when it will.

I had to give my son a spoon for him so he didn't try to take the one I used to feed him. I would let him play with his own spoon for a while. Try to find one that's a trainer spoon that gets bigger at the handle so he can't stick it too far in his mouth. Just let him be for a week or two then try again.

Good luck and keep us posted!

If your son isn't ready, I definately would not push the solid foods. My pediatrician always said to start trying anywhere from 4 to 6 months. I was eager, and started at 4 months, but my first child just wasn't into it. I would lay off for a couple of weeks and try again. In the meantime, let him play with the spoons at other times...in the bath, on the floor, etc., just to get him used to seeing them. Don't worry - he won't go to kindergarten drinking out of a bottle, I promise!!!

Have you tried putting food in one of the pacifier looking strainers? You can find them at Target. Worth a try if it works.. Only a few bucks out if it doesn't.

He is to young, wait another 2 months, then try again.
He will let you know when he is ready.

If he doesn´t want to eat, don´t force him. I think it is not a matter of the spoon but that maybe he is not ready to eat or he doesn´t know how.
I woul wait until he is 5 or 6 mo. old.
The babies are much smarter than we are in these kind of things. They eat what they need. It is an instinct.
My doctor told us to start on solids at 5 mo. There are many opinions in this matter so don´t worry if he doesn´t eat yet.
good luck!!

Four months old seems a little too young to me to be feeding pureed foods just yet. I would wait a little longer, maybe at six months. If he is gaining weight as he should be on formula, I would just give him the formula, breast milk, etc. but this is just my opinion :) Good luck and congratulations on the new baby!!

First of all only start with rice cereal watered down a lot: 1 tsp of cereal to 5 tsp water. Use the soft tipped spoons (don't keep changing spoons, babies don't like change) Breastfeed or bottle feed him FIRST so he is not hungry. Then offer the rice cereal. You should only do the rice cereal for about a month because you will be wasting your money one the other stuff until he gets the tongue motions down. Remember he will get about 95% of what you feed him everywhere but down the throat! After he gets the rice cereal down then start offering a one new food a week!

4 months is early to eat, my son was not interested in it until about 5 months. Just let it go and try again, maybe once a week or so until he shows interest and eventually they will!

4 months is definitely on the young side for starting solids, and although some babies do, some just aren't ready. Take a break from it and come back to it later. You hate to make him fearful of eating altogether by forcing the issue. Good luck!!

dont push it. im surprised that your pediatrician recommended starting solids so early. most recommend 6 months, and really it is not necessary until 8 months. as long as your son seems satisfied with nursing or formula, he does not need solid food. if you really want him to have something else, you can try rice cereal in his bottles. do one tablespoon of cereal with one oz. of prepared formula or breast milk. you will need a fast flow nipple to get the thick stuff out. start with one oz. then go up one oz. at a time until your son can eat 4 or more.

Despite the fact that your doctor suggested it, I'd say that 4 months is on the early end of readiness for baby food. If he's having that reaction, then I'd cut it out completely for a while. Try rice cereal again mixed with breast milk or formula when he's five months old, and then if he has the same reaction wait another week or so. There's no exact science to when babies are ready for these things, but it sounds like he's not quite there yet...and that's completely fine!

Four months old is early for pureed foods! What I've read is to start solids (pureed and cereal) around 6 months. My daughter didn't really go for it until 6 months old. If it were me, I'd just shelve the spoon and food for another month, then try again. If he still rejects it, shelve it again.

If the doc thinks he needs the nutrition (which would also be a little strange given his age) maybe talk to him again and find out why he wants your son on solids.

L., I would wait till he is 6 months and try again. He just isn't interested.

I BF my daughter and didn't even introduce solids even the puree ones until she was 6 months old.

Do what is best for you and your family.

I think your 4 month old is telling you he is not ready. From what my doctor told me, and what I have heard from other mom's, 4 months is quite young to be starting foods. I know people do it, and sometimes it works out, but you want him to get most of his nutrients from his formula, or mother's milk. My point being, he is still young.. if he is acting like he is not ready, don't stress over it, and don't try to force him to eat it. Try again in a month maybe. Also, doctors usually tell you that your child will let you know. Is he making any signs of opening his mouth when he sees you eat? This is something that will let you know he may be ready. Most importantly don't worry yourself over it, he will eat real food when he feels he wants to.
Good Luck!

I ditto the previous responses. The world's a scary place for a little guy and a spoon is totally new territory. Some kids, like adults, are more fearful of trying new things and are creatures of habit. Looks like you son is showing you more of his personality!!

I'd give him one to play with in the high chair for a few minutes at a time. He'll like chewing on it and will get used to the texture and feel so when you do introduce solids, it will not be so foreign.

I think you may be starting too soon. Wait until he is about 6 months old. A couple of days before you start feeding him, put him in the high chair for about 15 minutes while you are in the kitchen working. Give him a spoon to play with. Babies make everything a toy. Then when you start feeding him let him have his own spoon to play with and you have your spoon to feed him with. He will think it is a fun game.

No need to rush this. I didn't feed my son solids until he was 6 months old. I'd wait a bit, he'll be eating solids soon enough

Some doctors are in such a hurry to have babies grow up. I would give it a rest for a couple of months and try again.

I agree that 4 months is early to start foods, but you can start letting him 'taste' things from your finger and then start giving him little tastes on the spoon later, when he shows more interest in food. Especially if he's breastfed, young babies often dislike the feeling of the spoon and prefer your finger at this age.

I would not push him,I doubt it's the spoons he might just not be ready.How strange, both of our boy's doctors told me not to start solids till 6 months....

honestly I think 4 months is too young to feed a baby solids. Rice cereal is a maybe. But is he is not liking the spoon it sound like he is trying to tell you something.

Baby's stomachs have to be ready to digest the food we give them. If they are not ready if could cause an allergy.

He will let know when he is ready for food. Ie he is watching you take every bite of food or trying to take it off of your plate. I did not start until my baby was 6 months to feed them baby food. Then I ALWAYS stared with veggies because they are not so sweet. And I would do a 1/2 a jar in the morning and a 1/2 a jar in the evening and worked up from there. When they were used to the texture I would add in rice cereal to the baby food.

I hope that helps~

H.~mother of three and birth doula

Listen to your doctor. They know better than some website.

4 months is young to start on solid foods. I know some doctors recommend starting on solid foods between 4 and 6 months. My doctor said to wait until 6 months. It sounds like he is not ready and I wouldn't push the solid foods. Wait until you see signs that he is interested in solid foods. For instance, my son would sit in his high chair at dinner and watch us pick up the food and put it in our mouth. He was so interested in what we were eating. When we started him on solid foods, we didn't have any problem feeding him but I think that is because he was ready to try it.

Just relax. There is no need to start him on solids yet. He's showing you he's not ready yet. Just stick with milk and try again in another month.

There's no need to force it. One of my kids was almost 9 months before she showed even the slightest interest in solids. Don't rush.

Just enjoy (and listen to) your baby. He's telling you he's not ready. And that's just fine. He will be in a month, or maybe two months or whatever his body tells him.

Those developmental milestone dates are just averages-- not a guarantee.

Take care.
R.

L., I have a 6 month old and based on his size, the pediatrician advised me start solids at 4 mos as well. It was a struggle for the first 3 weeks, but he eventually figured it out. Now he is like a little bird with his mouth open all the time waiting on the spoon. On a side note, doctors advise to wait on solids until they are 6 mos. My friend in Charlotte had the same problem with the spoon, so she stopped for awhile and reintroduced it about a month later (5 months) and welcomed the food on a spoon. Maybe he is not ready yet. Keep trying! T.

Try seeing if he likes any of them while you are at the store. I know he is too young to really pick one out...but if one catches his eye at the store, maybe he will tolerate that one?

Just a thought...good luck!

4-month-olds do not need solid food, as a rule. If he doesn't want it, don't try to feed it to him. You'll know he wants to eat with a spoon when you see him picking spoons off the table or floor and putting them in his mouth!

Your doctor is behind the times on infant feeding.

Hi L.,
My suggestion would be to take it really slow, and maybe make up a little song for him when you are trying to use the spoon. My son loved Jack's Big Music Show, so we just took one of the little songs on there and made up new lyrics...If I recall, we sang something like "Dip, Dip, Dip...Scoop Scoop Scoop...YUM! YUM!... In your belly!" We also had a little song set to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". I would also "pretend" feed daddy (and sometimes the cat...lol) with the spoon. You can also try giving him the spoon or putting it in front of him outside of mealtime and let him play with it. If he is crying really hard, I would just give up and try again in a little while. He will eventually get the hang of it, it just takes a while. :)
And, another thing... As long as the doctor has evaluated your son and says it is ok to give him solids, then go for it. All babies are different. I started my son on solids at around 4 mos on doctor's advice too due to his horrible colic. Good luck!

Hi, wow thats is a toughie! I'm not sure exactly what I would do in your situation but I did want to tell you that I breast fed only, no foods, until they were 6 or 7 months old so I wouldn't worry about waiting a bit to introduce those foods, unless of course he is wailing and hungry for more than just milk....

One option might be to stick your finger in it and let him suck on your finger...it might help him to see that you're not trying to hurt him with the spoon, just feed him....

Good luck

E.

I would wait. 4 months is on the young side of the range they recommend starting solids. I'd wait another month and if you want to try it again then go ahead if not wait until 6 months. We didn't start my DD on solids until she was 7 months and she is a great eater now at 14 months.

Listen to his cues - sounds like he's telling you he's not ready.