We received a message recently from Danielle in the UK. She told us
My son is 10 months old and doesn’t seem to be interested in finger food at all. I’ve tried him with a number of different things, at different times of the day but he just wont eat it. Do you have any tips on how I can get him to eat by himself?
We thought we’d post our reply to Danielle here – if you’re facing the same challenges with your little one, then you may find it helpful…
As long your little one is still drinking plenty of milk, then his nutritional needs are still being met at this point. I’m assuming that he’s also taking solid foods from a spoon – but just doesn’t want to try feeding himself with foods that he can pick up?
If that’s the case, there are a few things you can try…
- Offer him finger foods at breakfast time (before you offer cereal or any other foods that he usually has for breakfast). He will likely be happier and more responsive to new experiences after a good night’s sleep!
- Sit with him and share the finger foods with him… if he sees you eating them, he may be more inclined to try them!
- Invite some of his little friends over for a playdate and have a “finger food snack break” – babies love to mimic others, and seeing his friends feeding themselves may be all the encouragement he needs.
- Try offering finger foods BEFORE giving him purees/mashed food from a spoon, when he is at his hungriest.
- Wait at least an hour after giving him milk, before offering him finger foods, so that he has had a chance to regain his appetite.
This being said, the most important thing to remember is that babies tend to develop on their OWN schedule – it is not vitally important that he feed himself yet, so it may be worth simply hanging on until he’s ready, offering a selection of finger foods from time to time.
And do try to hide any impatience you may feel at his refusal of finger foods – otherwise, the situation may turn into a bit of a battle, which is no fun for either of you!
Do YOU have any tips for Danielle? If you’ve had difficulty in introducing finger foods, please do share your experiences!
More help with feeding problems…
How much should my baby be eating?
Gagging problems and introducing lumpy foods
My baby won’t eat from a spoon
My baby won’t eat vegetables
Baby feeding tips
How to cope with messy mealtimes
Kate
Tuesday 10th of October 2017
My 14 month old will eat fruit and other finger foods at daycare but not at home. He won't even eat fruit at daycare if I am there watching him! He also won't sleep without a swaddle unless he is exhausted. Like transitioning him to formula I am just persevering until he finally succumbs to my expectations of his abilities. It's a lot of wasted food though,which is a pet hate of mine. But if you don't put it there, how will they learn.
Christine
Saturday 8th of July 2017
You're very welcome :)
Vanessa
Saturday 8th of July 2017
Thank you. That makes me feel so much better. She likes her baby food thick, i am always putting cereal in her smooth fruits and veggies. I can start steaming and mashing my own to introduce new textures. I appreciate the link, i'll check it out! I know she loves the flavor of everything, so i'm glad to know that she should start to ease into the textures as time goes on. I am always trying to sit with her and share her finger foods. She has a blast picking them up, she loves putting everything in her mouth, but them it just pops back out. I'll keep trying and check back in. Thanks so much! :]
Vanessa
Saturday 1st of July 2017
I didn't have a chance to read through all these comments and answers, but I have an 8 month old girl who is crawling all over the place, she is pulling herself up to stand, she nurses, but eats baby food and baby cereal with no problem at all! She has been a fantastic baby! She wants to put everything into her mouth, she is always putting finger food in her mouth, but she hates the texture and she spits it out immediately. Cheerios, cracker bits, gerber puffs, freeze dried snacks, watermelon, everything! Today she wanted the watermelon so badly she practically crawled up my leg, she sat and gnawed on it for 20 minutes, but the moment a piece was in her mouth, she was spitting it out. I think it's a texture thing. I was always so worried that she might choke that I constantly made sure she never put anything in her mouth, and now i'm afraid that it's my fault she's developed a dislike for the texture of anything! She is actually pushing 9 months now that I think about it. She's been crawling and standing since she was 6 months old! I just dont feel like she should be struggling with this. Will she just decide to accept solid foods? I appreciate your insight
Christine
Sunday 2nd of July 2017
I think it's still early days Vanessa - at not quite 9 months she's still experimenting and it's quite common for babies to still be spitting out anything with texture at this point. I would continue to offer her plenty of finger foods... perhaps even sit and eat them with her... and try to mask any feelings of concern, in case she is picking up on your anxiety. Offer foods that are very easy to 'gum', which really reduce the choking risk and are easy for her to eat. In addition to the foods you have tried, there are more ideas here: https://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/finger-food-for-baby.html
How is she with texture in foods she eats from a spoon? If she's still eating fairly smooth foods it would be useful to provide more texture there, too (mashing or chopping, for example).
Please let us know how you both get on - I'm sure she'll be over this soon and happily tucking into everything :)
kim
Tuesday 6th of June 2017
I have a 14 month old. He will eat the gerber graduates entree foods as long as it is pureed. He will want a bit of certain things that he sees others eat. But If you put a finger food in front of him he wont do anything with it.
When he was first born the nurse had to teach him to suck.. so Im hoping that he knows how to chew food. He eats good when I feed him. But I dont think that he actually chews it its more like rolling it around in his mouth and then swalling it. He use to gag and throw up when as much as a noodle he would try. But that seems to be getting better. I know how you feel.. I worry because my son wont eat finger foods are table food with out it being pureed first. Good luck.