Self-feeding?

[Briannabear]

Just a question - At what age did your babies start self-feeding?
My DD is 7 1/2 months old and cant feed herself yet. My mum made a comment that Id better start trying to get her to do it now.
Whats the 'norm' as far as that goes? :o A friend of ours has a 14 month old and she isnt self-feeding yet.
How do you encourage it? She'll eat a teething rusk - but Im not sure what else to give her.
I wasnt too concerned about it just yet - but should I be? :confused:
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! :rolleyes:

[jembelina]

hmmmm... i have been wondering the same thing myself... DS is almost 7 months and occasionally tries to grab the spoon from me, but then just chews it and plays like it is any other toy :) have you tried finger foods yet?? i'm thinking this is the beginning of self feeding, and that's where i'll be going soon. i personally think they are too young to have any clue about bowl and spoon. according to info given to me by my MCHN (who is fantastic - rarely gives bad advice) baby is ready for finger foods when they...
- have good hand/mouth coordination, i.e. puts toys and other objects in their mouth
- can sit up in highchair without support
- starts attempting to grab the spoon
generally this is between 7-9 months of age
a Heinz pamphlet i have says to 'offer finger foods from 9 months to encourage baby to self feed'
here are some ideas
- thick toast cut into strips
- crusts from a bread roll
- soft piece of canteloupe, watermelon, honey dew, paw paw cut into chip size pieces
- chip size pieces of steamed veg - potato, pumpkin, carrot zucchini, sweet pot
- cooked rosettes of cauliflwer/brocoli
- piece of meat cut from a roast
- grated apple/carrot
- large cooked pasta pieces

i have also tried giving bub his own spoon while i fed him, not very successful for us though- too distracting! anyway, i wouldn't be worried at all, i think with all their development it is all about giving them the opportunity. hope this all helps!! have fun :D

[wattle]

Ds is 7.5 months now and he's really getting into finger food. I started him with toast dipped in a bit of prune juice (just to 'move things along') but he's happy with it dry or with a teeny scraping of vegimite. He sucks on it until it's all mushy and then drops it on the floor. :rolleyes:

He also likes pieces of peeled pear - easy to munch/gum on but slippery to hold. He likes sucking on roast potato and pumpkin chips too. Oh, and pizza crusts are really popular.

He struggled getting the coordination going for a while, but he's quickly getting the hang of it now.

[Briannabear]

Thanks guys! I'll give some finger food a go! ;)

[Rell]

I started letting my son have the spoon after I had finished feeding him as soon as he started on solid. At first they will just chew and play with it but it doesn't take long for them to work out how to use it. Nathan has been using a spoon since about 8mths, although I do have to scoop the food on for him.
Finger food is a great way of self feeding, toast, sandwiches, banana, kiwi fruit, cooked vege sticks are all good to try.

[melzy]

Hi there,

To me a bubs feeding themselves and being able to hold finger food and put in in their mouths are different. With finger food my little girl was about your childs age, maybe a bit younger, but as to actually feeding herself with a spoon etc, it wasn't until 14 months. I would let her play with her spoon while I was using it to feed her prior to her feeding herself. I did the same when it came to cleaning her teeth too. I had one, she had one.

There is just so much pressure due to parents comparing theirs to someone elses. It's crazy. I personally wouldn't stress about it as some babies take a little longer than others. This advice is from experience. I would stress about everything because I was always in a circle of friends who would compare.

Go with the flow and let bubs just experience the joys of learning. You're doing fine. :D