6 month old won't eat from spoon

[71newmom]

So, I originally thought my 6.5 month old wasn't interested in solids, but now I think he just doesn't like the spoon. I had some puree in a tiny bowl - like 3 inches in diameter by an inch high - and he grabbed it and started slurping the puree out. Now, when I give it to him on the spoon, he throws a fit and turns his head away. I think he's actually wanting the food though. When I started solids, he took the spoon for a week, then for the next week he would grab the spoon from me and guide it to his mouth, like he wanted to do it himself. Now, he starts fussing when he so much as sees the spoon. Anyone have any ideas on how I should feed him? Just hold the little bowl to his mouth like a cup and have him "drink" it in? Or is there a better way? We tried the mesh feeders and that hasn't worked.

[Knitting Mama]

Why not just give him finger foods? Slices of avocado, fruit, etc.? A lot of kids seem to prefer to feed themselves over being spoon fed purees.

[Calee]

I agree with PP. Solids right now are more for fun and learning-not nutrition. So, if he makes a mess, doesn't really eat, etc, it is no big deal. If he seems stressed by the spoon I would forget it for awhile. You can mash up some "real" food and let him self feed, or put it to his mouth with your finger. My DS2 ate couscous off my finger and a mashed up green bean before he had ANY "baby food".....

[hartfelt]

my LO is the same way. we just give her chunks and slices of things, and watch her closely. she spits out what she can't swallow. we have also taken some of our purees and frozen them in ice cube trays, then we stuff them in a mesh feeder bag. she loves it! you can easily add BM to the purees/trays too. HTH
nak!

[texaspeach]

we do big chunks of stuff to suck/chew on at that point. ds hates being spoon fed. I initially tried some purees with him but he was not interested. with very soft fruits like peaches, I usually squish it up into smaller bits and let him self feed those. to make use of the purees I have, I toast waffles, cut them into strips and let ds use the puree as dip.

also just throwing out there that ds has no teeth yet and he still manages to do ok with chewing/gumming pieces of food off a larger piece. he HAS gagged himself, but that's the purpose of the gag reflex.

[always hope]

Read Baby Led Weaning by Gill Rapley. It is all about doing whole foods. We do it and it has been so much fun and no battles over food. Also heaps easier cause no making purees and it really promotes a good attitude to food. I love it but I really recommend being informed about it so you cover the nutritional bases and know about the stages of development and how they relate to eating.

[Bokonon]

My 13.5 month old won't eat from a spoon either; never has! She likes feeding herself and hates purees.

[donutmolly]

If you would like to do purees, you can use your finger to feed baby, or put a small amount on the tray and let him at it. Or give him a spoon to hold while you feed him with another.

But I agree with the other posters that giving small chunks of soft foods to self-feed is preferrable. (Our favorite first foods are baked sweet potatoes and bananas.)

[texmati]

we do purees, and we get around the spoon by dipping a finger in the food, and letting him suck it off.

[hakeber]

Another option is to get one of those ergonomic spoons (I think gerber makes them, but probably other brands do too). They have grippy rubber handles and the spoon bowl goes off to the side so that they can get it in their mouths easier and the spoon part is quite soft for the tender gums.

With dd, who is just starting out she prefers popsicles to gum on and will grab the spoon and get it right in her mouth but has a hard time reloading, so we go through a little circle of I fill the spoon, lay it on the table, she picks it up and gets it in her mouth , gums the food off, and then drops the spoon. I catch it and try to scoop off the drooly bit that squish out of her mouth and down her chin.

Sometimes I have two spoons in the rotation which makes it easier.

She really prefers though most of all to eat off my fingers or her own, so sometimes I just dump the bowl of food on her tray table and let her smoosh and splash and smear and suck...it's fairly amusing if not very messy.

[cristeen]

My guy's not terribly fond of purees. It's all about texture with him. When I gave him soft avocado and baked sweet potato, he spat them out. But firm avocado and pan-fried sweet potato were a hit. He tolerates yogurt and chunky refried beans, but for soft foods, that's it.

[CalaRei]

It also might be about "who's in control" - HE grabbed the bowl and slurped. In addition to those ergonomic spoons, I've seen a "self feed spoon" that is more like a flat "spoon" with holes in it. Something to hold up a bit of (chunkier) food, and then suck it off? I like the waffle stick idea, too, but probably not for 6 months yet!!