Need help with 7mth whiner/begger!

[BusyBee11]

I didn't think that I would be in the Gentle Discipline thread this early but....my dd is 7 months old and she is starting a habit that I would like to try to stop. Every time we sit down to eat she begs for our food. It's usually not food that she can eat so I make her some baby food. Somehow she can tell the difference and won't eat the baby food. Then, if she doesn't get our food she starts to whine. It sounds really annoying and I'm wondering where my cute baby went :(

I nurse her as much as possible before we sit down to eat but it doesn't make a difference.

Help?

[chinaKat]

Maybe you could try making at least one thing that goes on your plate be "baby friendly"? So you could then give her food from your plate?

I've read that when a baby asks for food from her parents' plates it is a sign she is ready for solid foods. So maybe she is ready to be a little more challenged by what you are feeding here.

Another idea is to reserve some special toys just for meal time, so that you can distract her with them?

chinaKat

[boston]

exactly what chinakat said.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I think its developmentally important that she wants to eat what her Mama is eating, and its heathy and normal.

Our DD does the same thing. We now include in our meals at least some foods that she can also eat. I put them on my plate but leave them unseasoned. Whatever she is interested in, I let her have. I either mash it up really good, or (and this might sound gross) chew it up for her. I put a plate in front of her and move the food from my plate to hers as she shows interest in a particular thing and let her fingerfeed. She doesn't eat much; its more the experience of it, tasting what Mama is eating, learning how to eat.

[KnitterMama]

:nak

DS does the same and i do as a pp mentioned ... if i can i just mush it up some, if i can't mush it with a fork i chew it a little for him. do that a lot with grapes the little guy loves em.

[MrsMoe]

I think its developmentally important that she wants to eat what her Mama is eating, and its heathy and normal.

Our DD does the same thing. We now include in our meals at least some foods that she can also eat. I put them on my plate but leave them unseasoned. Whatever she is interested in, I let her have. I either mash it up really good, or (and this might sound gross) chew it up for her. I put a plate in front of her and move the food from my plate to hers as she shows interest in a particular thing and let her fingerfeed. She doesn't eat much; its more the experience of it, tasting what Mama is eating, learning how to eat.

:yeah:

[Fuamami]

I didn't think that I would be in the Gentle Discipline thread this early but....my dd is 7 months old and she is starting a habit that I would like to try to stop. Every time we sit down to eat she begs for our food. It's usually not food that she can eat so I make her some baby food. Somehow she can tell the difference and won't eat the baby food. Then, if she doesn't get our food she starts to whine. It sounds really annoying and I'm wondering where my cute baby went :(


It's pretty cool that she can communicate so well! Even if it's annoying communication! ;)

[BusyBee11]

Thank you wise mama's. These are all great suggestions and now I don't feel so helpless. I guess I just didn't want her to grow up :wink

[earthmama369]

Oh, my daughter (10.5 months) just started doing the same thing. So we've put away the baby food for a while and having been sharing off our plates. (We take turns with who gets to eat first.) When we want a break, we eat while she's sleeping. I figure it's a phase of exploring her world that she's going through.

[irinam]

Just came across this article today, might help you put your mind at ease :)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/parenting/10/10/baby.food.myths.ap/index.html