Teaching baby to eat from a spoon?

Question

I want to introduce a spoon so that my baby can eat things like yoghurt and soup. She's never eaten from a spoon before, how is best to go about introducing one? She is nearly nine months old.

Thankyou all.

You're right, my baby has never eaten pureed anything, or rice cereal, and like I said, never eaten from a spoon. There are other ways! She feeds herself and has done since day one, and is now able to eat everything I eat.

Where I live foods containing cow's milk can be introduced after six months, but not cow's milk as a drink till after one year. Unless there is a family history of allergies, which there isn't. My daughter happily eats cheese sandwiches, crackers with cream cheese, or just big chunks of cheese....so I don't think yoghurt will cause a problem.

Thanks so far, but I want to find a way of introducing the spoon without her wanting me to feed her at every meal. Any ideas?

Answer 1

You don't need the spoon mama.

Steam vegetables in cubes and put them on her tray. She can eat most everything with her little hands (which is awesome for fine motor skills and she can also pick and choose what her body needs, there is alot of research available online).

If you'd like to feed her yogurt, just dip it in the jar and hand her the spoon. She might play the drums or take a little lick. You'll have to try and see.

Answer 2

If she's 9mths old and never eaten solids then you would want to get cracking! Solids should be started from 4-6mths. By 9mths she should be eating things mashed but not pureed anymore. Try putting something naturally sweet like mashed banana or sweet potato on the spoon. Give solids before a milk feed or 1 hr after so she is hungry enough to want it.

If you want her to use a spoon herself, WAIT!! I would be suggesting foods needing a spoon you should feed her for now and let her have finger foods like bread crusts, banana slices, baby muslie bars, that she can eat herself.

A 9mth can be eating 2-3 solid meals a day now. About 3 tablespoons of food at a time.
Rice cereal or weetbix or yoghurts for breakfast, and mashed vegetables and meats such as chicken or lamb for dinner. Make sure the meat is cut or mashed very finely.

Answer 3

Look for baby spoons with rubber coating (Gerber makes them).

Start with rice cereal, and mix it with some of her formula (or breast milk if you are nursing). Make it good and thin so that the texture does not put her off.

Sit her in the highchair, and give her about an ounce of her formula. Then tickle her lips with the spoon until she opens her mouth. Slide the spoon in and up so that the cereal comes off on the roof of her mouth... and then get ready to catch what comes back out with the spoon, repeating until something gets in there. :)

Do the cereal for at least a week before introducing anything else. Only do one new food at a time, and do it for no less than 7-10 days so that you can identify anything that does not agree with her.

Here are some sources for more information: http://www.drgreene.com/21_804.html
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=21&action=detail&ref=1232

Good luck! :)

Answer 4

I'm kind of confused. Yogurt is made from cow's milk (unless you're giving soy), and as far as I know, babies aren't supposed to have dairy before 1 year of age because of increased risk for allergy problems.
Your baby has never eaten rice cereal or pureed vegetables or fruits from a spoon?
I would guess you should just try to feed her with a spoon. Encourage her to open wide, then put a little in her mouth. She will quickly learn to open up for teh spoon because it's got something good on it.
I always fed my kids with a spoon from around 4-6 months, so I'm sure a 9 month old will have no problems eating from one. Good luck!

Answer 5

well I understand not giving solids yet, you technically do not have to give solids till 12 months, They really get what they need from formula, And they only reason why they do introduce solids is for textures and tastes. But Gerber makes the best little spoons, My daughter who is 4 months just started gettin cereal for the last week and 1/2, Just last night she started actually being able to keep it in her mouth and figured out how to do it, before she would end up just pushing it out of her mouth, It was actually pretty exciting to see her getting the hang of it. But yopu dont want to give yogurt because that is a dairy product and they really shouldnt have dairy untill 12 months!!

Answer 6

Just let her play with it at dinner time. Put her in a high chair when you are eating and give her a padded spoon and her finger foods. Let her examine it.

she'll figure it out. But, my one year old still doesnt have the dexterity to get food into his mouth off a spoon. His wrist still turns at the last minute sending food onto his tummy.

Good luck

Answer 7

It can take a couple years for a child to be very good with a spoon but as she eats, you eat in front of her so she can watch the process and keep her hand on the spoon when you feed her with it.

Answer 8

to start with, give her a spoon to hold while you are feeding her, then gradually, put a bit of food on her spoon and give it to her to put in her mouth (with your help), it takes a while so be patient and be prepared for lots of mess, it is the only way! my daughter is 17 months and at about 12-13 months she didn't like being fed, i started doing these things and she is getting quite good at using a spoon.

Answer 9

I just started feeding my baby from a spoon too. Find a spoon that is silicone i think (it is really soft and bendy), that way it wont hurt your baby's gums. Just start off with little amounts of food at a time and within a few days they will get the hang of it. :)

Answer 10

Best way is to eat with her. You can sit her on a high chair and sit beside her. Eat dinner together. Showing her how you eat using a spoon is the best way to teach her. Remember children learn best from modeling. And most importantly, children learn best from someone they are emotionally attached to. And that's YOU!