refusing spoon feeding, help

[ziggy]

I have a lovely 12month old mindee who brings her own food. Mummy tells me she has 2 weetabix with milk and sugar for breakfast. But when i try to feed her with spoon she just refuses. Today I have given her the dry weetabix and she loves it. She seems to prefer finger foods, although she will take yoghurt or custard from a spoon lol.

I've tried giving her small bowl and spoon but she isnt interested

any ideas please?

[*daisychain*]

As long as she was eating it dry or not then I wouldn't see it as a problem, I'd just leave the spoon there for her to use when she is ready. If she sees others around her using spoons then she will learn from them and do it in her own time. Maybe have spoons an other tools available during free play, scooping rice , sand, pasta etc to get her used to handling them.

[muffins]

Tell mum & ask for finger food to be sent instead, if lo is 12mths its about the right time to move on to self feeding anyway.

[KatieFS]

I have same problem. Savoury food she refuses. Yoghurt custards mouth is open nice and wide!
I'm only giving finger food now, I'm just ending up wasting food!

[JCrakers]

I had one similar. I just gave foods that could be eaten with fingers

I just put it on the tray and left him to it, he loved picking and choosing and just eating with his hands. Now he is 19m and can feed himself with a spoon really well but if I try and help (with the end of a yogurt) he just puts his tongue in the way

[hectors house]

Have you checked with mum if baby eats weetabix and milk with her and whether baby likes milk hot or cold as I couldn't eat weetabix with cold milk if my life depended on it. Also I would question with the mum giving sugar on the weetabix at such a young age. Also what time does she normally get fed breakfast with mum - often the parents just give a bottle for breakfast at 8 and then wait until 9.30 or later to give the cereal - maybe this baby isn't hungry yet.

[ziggy]

Have you checked with mum if baby eats weetabix and milk with her and whether baby likes milk hot or cold as I couldn't eat weetabix with cold milk if my life depended on it. Also I would question with the mum giving sugar on the weetabix at such a young age. Also what time does she normally get fed breakfast with mum - often the parents just give a bottle for breakfast at 8 and then wait until 9.30 or later to give the cereal - maybe this baby isn't hungry yet.

thanks for reply. She tells me if she has eaten before she gets here. Feeding from spoon (or refusing to) goes on all day. I warm milk and add sugar as requested by mum. She also has bottle of tea with sugar in. Personally i wouldnt do such a thing BUT as a childminder I dont think it is my place to tell parents what they feed their children.

I quite agree it is not a good idea but I think the choice is the parents not mine.

[Tealady]

I Baby Led Weaned my son as he refused the spoon from day 1.

A good breakfast cereal for eating with fingers is those mini shredded wheat filled with fruit and just moistened with a drop of milk. DS loved these (and still does, though from a spoon now he's 4) and I always give them to mindees who are self feeders. The great thing.with them is there is very little mess. Maybe suggest these to mum instead of the weetabix and as they are sweet anyway she needn't add sugar

[funemnx]

I mind an lo who was baby led weaning from day one so when he came to me he was used to eating everything with his fingers including cereal and yoghurt. He's 3 now and eats with a spoon (sometimes with fingers too)

[Maza]

As Tealady said, you could give dry cereal and put a cup of milk next to cereal so that she can drink it and also still get her quota of calcium. x

[clareelizabeth1]

I had a little one who came to me at 9 months was spoon fed by only mum at home and point blank refused to be fed by me.

We changed his food to finger food and he happily ate. If it was spoon food then I filled the spoon and left it on the tray.

My ds is the same hates to be fed but at 15 months he can use a spoon with quite a bit of skill and little mess so with any luck your little one should master this skill quickly