Baby Refusing The Spoon?

How to manage when baby suddenly refuses spoon feeding!

For many bubs grabbing a spoon and trying to put it in their mouth looks natural and it is one of the signs that they are getting ready to dive into solids. For many parents feeding their baby involves spoon feeding or preloading the spoon and letting bub try and get it close to their mouth.

Although messy, this is a pretty easy and stress-free way to do solids. That is until your bub starts refusing the spoon…in every way, no matter what you do. They won't reach for it, grab it preloaded off the tray or let you spoon feed them no matter what you do (you have possibly tried singing, dancing and eating it yourself…oh the things we do!).

Does this sound like you? Is your bub also somewhere between 8-10 months of age? We are not psychic, this is just a really common experience for parents around this age because your bub is becoming a lot more aware of themselves and the world around them.

It can be really stressful when your baby suddenly refuses to eat and as parents, we often feel pressure because it is our job to nourish our little ones. Remember the division of responsibility here; it is not your job to make your child eat. It is your job to provide the food and decide when it is time to eat, and it is their job to decide what and how much to have from what you offer. So, take a deep breath and try to shift your mindset a little. Refusing to be spoon fed is actually a huge developmental milestone for your baby! Their ability to clearly assert that they do not want to do something, although a little frustrating, is actually their personality and ability to communicate shining through.

So what can you do? You'll be pleased to know that for most babies there is a really simple change you can make to take the stress out of mealtimes, acknowledge their newfound independence, help build fine motor skills and get meals back on track. It might sound too good to be true but switching from the spoon to finger foods is often all it takes. Finger food give your bub the ability to feed themselves, which is often what the spoon refusal is all about! They get to practice grabbing, grasping and developing that all important pincer grip too. The other benefit is that switching to finger foods means that it is much easy for babies to eat to appetite and for us to tell when they are full.

Here are 5 great finger food suggestions to get you started:

1. Porridge fingers- simply heat the porridge in the microwave for a few extra minutes and let it set/cool before slicing and offering
2. Pikelets
3. Fritters
4. Wedges of roasted or steamed veggies
5. Avocado and smashed egg on toast fingers

Sometimes babies also go off their food for other reasons, and it is not just about asserting their desire to feed themselves. Check out our article 'has your bub gone off solids?' for more info as well as a signs that you may need to seek 1:1 support.