My Child Will Not Eat from a Spoon!

I have a friend whose youngest daughter didn't eat well from a spoon. I think she tried some sort of special transition cup made by Gerber. Sorry that's not very specific, but I never knew what it was called.

Hi H.,

You might try taking a little break from trying to feed her. Instead, you could let her play with the spoon herself, aside from the food. Babies always put everything in their mouths - it has nothing to do with readiness to eat - but letting her explore the spoon without you trying to force it in her mouth might make her become more comfortable with it. After you see her more comfortable with the spoon, then try again. The other moms mention letting her put baby food in her mouth herself with the spoon - I think that's a good idea too, though you will still need to help her eat in the long run. She can't just solely feed herself.

Good luck!
D.

if her weight is fine and she's healthy, I wouldn't stress too much about it. She'll eventually take to the spoon.

Don't feel bad. I have a 14 month old son, who is still having the same problem your daughter is. His ped. doesn't seem to concerned with this. My mother either. They both say that he is still growing and gaining weight, which he is. The ped. said that is could be uncomfortable becuase he is teething, that maybe he just is not ready. He has reassured me that formula is enough. My son is growing and developing right on schedule. When he was 5-6 months, he was eating baby food from a spoon just fine, but my soon-to-be-mother-in-law kept poking and prodding her fingers in his mouth with the Orajel because he was teething, and since she had started that, that is when we noticed a MAJOR setback. I have tried everything under the sun, so I know what you are going through. We are at our wit's end. My advice, though I'm not sure how helpful, would be just keep working at it, try different spoons, and let her play with them, not just at feeding times. Also, maybe just try to make table food, veggies, fruits, put them in a blender/food processor, and try that. When my son wasw 9 months, I tried (table food)spaghetti, and he LOVED it. He barely ate anything, but he got a little taste. Also, my girlfriend of 18 years, she has a 3 yr old and a 13 month old, said that with her oldest, she just let him cry and get really hungry, and it takes a try or two, and it's hard, but soon he was so hungry, he ate from the spoon, all day, got a bottle b4 bed, and was fine since. I haven't been able to bring myself to do that yet, but, to each his own. Sorry, I know that isn't much help, but you're not the only one going through that same problem. Good luck!!!

Maybe try some soft scrambled eggs that she can "help" feed herself with and while she does that you may can slip in some other foods with a spoon. My son started feeding himself with his hands at a very early age. It is a challenge to find foods that are edible by such a young child that they can use their hands with, but there are some out there. The new gerber "puffs" are neat as well they melt instantly in the mouth but can be hand fed and maybe if the hands are busy she won't notice the spoon feeding.
Hope this helps some :)

We had this problem with my son and it cleared right up when we just handed him the spoon. Turned out to be an independence issue...when they're not very verbal they find other ways of expressing themselves!

It's definitely not the spoon. I would suggest that you don't give her a bottle until she eats the solid foods. They say not to start with fruits, but you sound like you are at your wit's end. So, try the apple sauce or other fruits. And make sure she's good and hungary!!! BUT NO BOTTLE UNTIL AFTER SHE EATS. Good luck, I've been there with veggies.

H.,
I would start trying different spoons. My daughter kept trying to grab the spoon from my hand and feed herself and I found a strange device called "Little Dippers" (I think..)It's not really a spoon, but it's made for babies hands to hold onto and use to dip into baby food. The texture makes food kind of stick to it. I've used it to feed her and I've given it to her to feed herself (whew...what a mess!) My daughter definitely has her favorite spoons now and sometimes I have to change utensils just to get her to eat! It could be that your daughter just doesn't like the feel of the spoon in her mouth (metal, plastic or rubber coated?) I would keep trying different instruments until she finds something she likes. If nothing else, wash your hands and dip your fingers in and stick them in her mouth! Also, if she has teeth coming in, the spoon could be uncomfortable for her, especially if it's metal. Good Luck!
P.S. They might be called "Lil Dippers" but I found them at Target

Give it up for a few weeks. Then let her hold the spoon, and guiding it with your hand over hers, dip it into the food. Then let her hold it herself. Of course most of the food will fall off, but enough should remain that she will get the taste of it into her mouth. Also talk about how Mommy and Daddy and any siblings eat like big girls and boys. Stay positive. If she sees you getting frustrated, that will set things back. She will eventually get it.

Have you tried one of these brightly colored things? She will soon be fine, 6 mo is very young to be fed.

Letting her do-it-herself is too messy and takes too long. She's too young anyway. She's obviously confused about it's purpose so give the spoon a short rest. Both my kids did this temporarily and I fixed it by using my fingers for a few meals. I just put a little babyfood on my finger and it went right it. I've fed the kids entire jars of food this way. It doesn't take long before the spoon is accepted.

I don't know if they have this out there.
Find a spoon with sound maybe or music.
Try to get her to like her spoon.
Maybe figure on it that she would like.
Like maybe Mickey, Barney so on.
Just an idea.

H., I agree with the other lady. If she takes the spoon on her own, then try to get a little food on it first and then she will put it in her mouth. My little girl did that about that age and the food would get all over the place, but I was excited that she would then feed herself early! Some of it she did digest, and it made it a positive experience allowing me to give her more bit sizes.

She now does do well with feeding herself, but she rarely uses the spoon by herself... my fault though probably b/c I usually 'take over' and haven't been allowing her enough practice on that skill! :)

I would suggest that you give her the spoon. Put a sheet under her chair and let her go. She will eat. She is independent. She does not want you to feed her. And by turning away she is commumicating that to you.

i have 2 kids, so ive been through the transition two different ways. my youngest did this and i had enough one day. he fed himself a bottle didt he? i handed him the spoon and let him have the bowl and do it himself. it worked for him. he made a huge mess, but some kids just have that "i want to do EVERYTHING myself" attitude. he still does it. if i try to give him a bite of something he knocks it away and i have to give it to him. i bet she is a little spitfire too!! maybe she held her own bottle since she was little too. i quickly transitioned to cut table food after this. it was a big mess to clean and he looked at my plate with a ferocity lol so i got some steamed veggies, minced it up small and gave him those. it worked like a charm and with a little ingenuity you can chop up most table food small enough for a baby who is a little to young "by the books". i d/k if it will work for you, but it did for me!!! he is 2 now and still eats broccoli and carrots, anything i give him.

IT is perfectly fine and normal for her not to want solid food yet. She gets all the nutrition she needs from her formula at her age. If she is turning her head away don't force her because then she may associate the spoon with something bad. Give her time. Physically she may be ready for solid food,but mentally she may not. Try to introduce her to cereal like cheerios or the Gerber veggie puffs, where she can learn to feed herself and get used to different textures.
Good luck

let her do it herself. dip the spoon in the food and then give it to her and see if she'll do it. Maybe once she figures out there is food on that spoon she will let you help.

Maybe you should help her learn to feed herself. If she knows what the spoon is for, then she may learn that skill very quickly!

I would loose the spoon. Try just putting the food in front of her and letting her feed herself. Yes it will be messy...but definitely less stressful. Some babies have a sensitive gag reflex and might not be ready for solids until much later. My son did not start eating solids until he was 14 months old. He still has some issues with certain food. But just follow your baby when it comes to introducing solids. Solids in the first year are not for nutrition...they are really just for practice. So maybe take a couple steps back. Following your baby's cues are the best way to know when they are ready. Also...she could have some food allergies...some babies start later because of this. Sometimes nature has a way of delaying milestones for a specific reason. Best of luck to you.