Feeding Themselves

[Nicola]

At what age are babies supposed to given the bowl of food and a spoon to start self feeding? It seems so premature for me to be thinking about this but LO really loves fingers foods and holding his own spoon (although it's more to bash on the highchair tray than eat with it) and often if I try to feed him he reaches for the bowl and when I pull it away he'll moan at me and then refuse what I'm trying to spoon feed him and I end up having to give him a rusk or some organix crisp things, rice cakes etc to take his mind away from having the bowl of food, I might that way get anoher few spoonfulls down before he realises what I've done - I know if I sat the dinner in front of him in a bowl now my entire dining room would need cleaned up afterwards but just wondered when you know there ready to start self feeding or what ages you let your LO's start trying etc.

 

[leckershell]

No idea, but I know how you feel as Ryan does this too.. I wouldn't give him the bowl though!!

Get some little fromage frais, get most of the way down one, and then give him the rest of the tub and the spoon and see how far he gets... my guess is he'd start chewing the tub cardboard and then drop it.

Recommend a towel underneath the high chair, or a wipeclean floor

Oh and do you give him the spoon to play with? We always have 2 spoons now, one for mummy and one for Ryan cos snatching it back off him is difficult when he's got his slimy hands all over it...

 

[Nicola]

Hi, yeah we have a "mummy" spoon and a "baby" spoon while feeding, dining room is wooden flooring thank goodness in the past 7 months there's been more dinner on the floor than LO's acutally eaten!! He loves yoguts and fromage frais etc so might see how he goes with one of those after dinner tonight.....he goes straight in the bath afterwards anyway! Will let you know how we get on!!

 

[Lola's Mummy]

I already let Lola feed herself

I have one of those bowls that sticks to the tray on the highchair so she can't pull it off. I give her the spoon as well but she doesn't really use it she just uses her hands

If it's something like soup etc that she can't pick up with her hands than i put it on the spoon for her and give her the spoon to feed herself, She'll also give me the spoon back when she wants me to give her some more. I didn't know i was still meant to be feeding her

 

[leckershell]

I already let Lola feed herself

I have one of those bowls that sticks to the tray on the highchair so she can't pull it off. I give her the spoon as well but she doesn't really use it she just uses her hands

If it's something like soup etc that she can't pick up with her hands than i put it on the spoon for her and give her the spoon to feed herself, She'll also give me the spoon back when she wants me to give her some more. I didn't know i was still meant to be feeding her

Well done if she can do it by herself

Ryan can hold the spoon and knows where it goes but always turns it the wrong way round which is apparently quite common as it's something to do with under developped spacial awareness or something.

Go Lola

 

[Lola's Mummy]

Yeah Lola does that as well. She puts it in her mouth, turns it around and pulls it out she makes a right mess but i just carry one giving her food until she doesn't want any more.

I posted some pics but have taken them off now but can PM them to you if you want to see them

 

[leckershell]

Yeah please

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Imogen would feed herself her dinner if i let her but im not thst brave lol, she has a spoon and likes to xhew it while eating. She does eat her snacks though all by herself so im very proud.

 

[Redshoes]

I learnt many months ago a bowl is surplus to requirements for LO's feed times Isaac has his food straight onto his high chair, he has self fed since 7months, we always give him a cup and a spoon to learn association, but he feeds himself unless its something that needs a spoon ie yoghurt, weetabix. He's not yet drinking from a cup, I don't expect him to feed himself a bowl of food with cutlery just yet

 

[Melanie]

Thea started to use a spoon herself after getting comfortable with finger foods ( i never did any purees at all) and after a couple of weeks didnt need me to help her fill the spoon at all. She was about 7.5 months at the time and now i cant remember the last time i needed to help her eat anything. She eats nicely and cleanly enough that im happy to let her feed herself in restaurants.

 

[x-kirsty-x]

I wondered this too

Ryan likes holding his own spoon while we use another one to get the food into his mouth but I've never let him try and feed himself, I'm too scared of the mess

He eats toast and stuff himself but anything off a spoon is best left to me or Daddy

 

[Nicola]

Isaac has his food straight onto his high chair, he has self fed since 7months,

Ok I'm perhaps being stupid but I'm imagining a portion of jar/homemade food (i.e. mashed potato and beans or somthing) just put on the tray?? my LO has things like finger foods, rusks, apple, toast etc himself he doesn't need me to feed him that but actual meals? I'm totally impressed he's self fed since 7 months though!!

I have LO a half eaten pot of fromage frais last night, it was more used as a thing to make mess with, wipe all over the table and chew the pot before he tipped it over the side of the highchair all together!!

Makes me wonder even more about the meals straight onto the tray thing you do!!

 

[weenik]

I don't give Dylan a bowl yet (until it's finished) but I always use 2 spoons and load one then pass it to him then he puts it in his mouth - then I do the same with the other one and he drops the first one and we do the same again! Sometimes I'll feed him the first half of whatever it is, but then he gets bored with me feeding him. It makes for a very messy area round his high chair, but it's also good fun. I give him loads of finger food too so he's getting quite good at it, but until he masters the spoon thing on his own I'll keep helping him.

 

[Redshoes]

Isaac has his food straight onto his high chair, he has self fed since 7months,

Ok I'm perhaps being stupid but I'm imagining a portion of jar/homemade food (i.e. mashed potato and beans or somthing) just put on the tray?? my LO has things like finger foods, rusks, apple, toast etc himself he doesn't need me to feed him that but actual meals? I'm totally impressed he's self fed since 7 months though!!

I have LO a half eaten pot of fromage frais last night, it was more used as a thing to make mess with, wipe all over the table and chew the pot before he tipped it over the side of the highchair all together!!

Makes me wonder even more about the meals straight onto the tray thing you do!!

I've nothing against mash or baked beans but Isaac doesn't have them, I don't like all the added sugar, salt and buttter, he doesn't eat puree'd/mashed foods, just foods that have to be that way, so putting them onto his tray is no problem whatsoever. He does have 'actual meals', I'm more concerned with him getting what he needs than how it looks on the menu All foods can be broke down into finger foods, ie a cottage pie is simply meat, potatoe, vegetables, so we give him them in a form he can feed himself, stewed steak chunks, steamed veg and potatoe's, a meal, he hasn't eaten jar food since he turned 7months Like I said, things that NEED a spoon I will feed him if I want him to get the goodness inside him otherwise its face painting Hope that helps, have a look at the BLW thread (baby led weaning) if I've not helped at all

 

[Princess_Puddles]

With Harrison, we always fed him if its things that would go everywhere, I liked to make sure he got to eat some of his food before he wore it, things like Spag bowl, Shepherds pie, Youghurts, Jelly, anything whole he fed himself. But now his hand to eye coodernation is fab he feeds himself practically everything but I do sit there next to him with my own untensils just incase, I find he wont eat much if I feed him now but he'll eat so much if he does it. I don't think there is an age as such, its just when you think he's ready to feed himself.