They hate the spoon...

So we started solids about 3 1/2 weeks ago and the boys still hate having a spoon in their mouth. Andy is getting a little better at not shutting his little mouth tight, but Will still does this at almost every spoonful. I eventually get maybe a teaspoon full of food in them at each feeding, but it's a struggle sometimes. I've trying the airplane trick, I sing to them, I talk to them and try to make it a fun time, but they end up whining and crying for the most part after about 3 or 4 spoonfuls. Does this get better? I assume this is probably pretty normal when starting solids, but is there anything different I need to be doing?

 

It will most likely get better. Starting solids can be totally frustrating & sometimes it seems like you are getting nowhere, but eventually they get it & start taking them easier. They will also often like one cereal better than others, my two always much preferred oats to rice & would eat it much better.

 

I changed the kind of spoon I was using and it helped. They didn't like the small spoons with metal handles (I have no idea why!) but liked the more colorful handle ones. I'm not sure if it was the colors or the shape of the spoon part, but it made things a little easier. Once they boys got teeth, they would bite down on the spoon and think it was just hysterical.

 

I'm struggling with the same thing right now with my almost 6 month old. For right now it's just a learning process and they will eventually get it. I would stop if they aren't happy though, you want to make sure it's a fun thing. Although the singing and airplane sounds fun to me Sounds normal and yes it's so very frustrating!

 

Do you think it is the spoon? (For example, will they take the food from your fingertip?) If it is the spoon, you could try different ones (plastic coated, baby plastic disposal ones, a regular metal spoon). They may just want to take a little off the spoon with just their lips at first, rather than having the spoon inside their mouths (that has to be a strange new experience for a baby). If all else fails, you may want to wait a week or so and try again to see if a week will change things a bit. I agree with previous post, at first, it seems like you are getting nowhere. I think one teaspoon maximum was all my lo's were willing to eat at first. I tried to remember it was more about them learning how to eat, rather than how much they ate (repeated like a mantra each time). GL!

 

We started solids at 4 months and i still have this problem some days, it is frustrating. For us it is worse when they are teething badly, they just dson't want anything in there mouths. I too find that they already have their own preference, they refuse any cereal unless it is banana flavoured and they both hate spinach, thankfully they seem to have the same taste! I hope they get there soon though.

 

I too wonder if it's the spoon, or the food Whatcha feeding them? My kids all hated the cereal's. I would do it for a day or two and then give up and move onto cookies! Arrowroot cookies mushed up with formula. They loved them and still gobble them up before bed every night!

 

It may be the spoons. I'm using the little Gerber metal spoons with the soft rubber coating. And yeah, we didn't take to the cereal well at all. I tried oatmeal cereal instead of rice cereal since we had bad experiences about 3 months ago with the Enfamil AR formula. They got extremely gassy and fussy with that formula so I chalked it up to the rice cereal added to it. Anyway, they didn't like the cereal, so I tried adding applesauce, no go. I tried cereal and bananas and they didn't completely hate that, so now we're onto straight bananas. If I try to feed them with my finger, they do a little better, but they hate the spoon. I guess I'll try new spoons or maybe try the cookie and formula idea, too. Thanks for the advice!

 

My kids hated plain cereal too, so we moved quickly to veggies and fruits. I would also let them hold a spoon while I was feeding them, so that they could explore and put it in their mouths, while I snuck bites in between!

 

Do you think maybe they aren't quite ready for it? I see in your siggy that they are 6 months old but were born at 28 weeks.. maybe they just aren't interested in it yet? I know mine have only recently been interested in eating ANYTHING off a spoon, we started at 5.5 months.. they were a month early.

Otherwise, some of the other ladies have given great suggestions.

My two will not eat cereal. They both shut their mouths and refuse it vehemently. Put peas on that spoon? And they scarf it right up.

 

When we started solids, we used our fingers instead of a spoon and they would eat from our fingers. Then we progressed to those 2-colored plastic spoons from babies depts (I don't know the brand), and they are fine although we do get many messes. (Tip: get plastic bibs, and only wash them by hand!)

 

Yeah, I actually wasn't in too much of a hurry to start them on solids, but our pediatrician and the developmental specialist we see both said the really needed to start solids now. Andy has a really bad gag reflex and both doctors thought it would be beneficial to try them both on food to help them get used to different textures etc. to help with the gagging. So we're taking it slow, but I just really wanted to know if the spoon aversion would get better and I anyone had similar problems and for how long. Hopefully each week will get better, and I'm definitely going to try different things like new spoons, etc. Thanks for the peas idea

 

No problem. I know a couple of babies that didn't start solids until they were 7-8 months old and they're fine now.. Whatever happens you know they'll be ok. Maybe try veggies with some cereal mixed in? (Mine sense the rice cereal I swear.. and they won't eat that LOL)