Teaching to self feed, need advice and your experiences

I read in What to Expect the First Year for 9 months that I should start giving them opportunities to try and self feed. Lorien has pretty much perfected picking up food to put in her mouth and Arwen is on her way. I think today I got a little over zealous and maybe did too much too soon??

I gave them each a small bowl of the cereal and a spoon. I also had a bigger bowl of cereal to feed them while they were experimenting. Well, it was quite the mess. I exptected it to be messy but wasn't prepared for just how messy it would turn out to be. Between them digging their hands in the cereal throwing the spoon on the floor and tipping the bowl over and eventually to the floor, it took me about 45 minutes to clean the floor, the highchair and trays, and the girls.

Is this just the way it is suppose to be? It took everything in me to not get mad when Lorien dropped the bowl on the floor and the cereal went flying everywhere but I remained calm because I know they are just experimenting with everything.

What suggestions do you have to make this a little bit smoother? Should I just start with giving them a spoon to hold while I feed them and slowly move into giving them a bowl of food? Is this the way you do it and the big mess is just a part of it? What did you do? What has worked for you? TIA

 

I read in What to Expect the First Year for 9 months that I should start giving them opportunities to try and self feed. Lorien has pretty much perfected picking up food to put in her mouth and Arwen is on her way. I think today I got a little over zealous and maybe did too much too soon??

I gave them each a small bowl of the cereal and a spoon. I also had a bigger bowl of cereal to feed them while they were experimenting. Well, it was quite the mess. I exptected it to be messy but wasn't prepared for just how messy it would turn out to be. Between them digging their hands in the cereal throwing the spoon on the floor and tipping the bowl over and eventually to the floor, it took me about 45 minutes to clean the floor, the highchair and trays, and the girls.

Is this just the way it is suppose to be? It took everything in me to not get mad when Lorien dropped the bowl on the floor and the cereal went flying everywhere but I remained calm because I know they are just experimenting with everything.

What suggestions do you have to make this a little bit smoother? Should I just start with giving them a spoon to hold while I feed them and slowly move into giving them a bowl of food? Is this the way you do it and the big mess is just a part of it? What did you do? What has worked for you? TIA

 

I would love to know this too!! My boys are great at picking stuff up. I will give them a spoon once in a while to play with when eating. I think maybe there to young to actually eat like that themselve just my guess. I would too also like to knwo when they can sit at the table.. I know my first was over a yr but it would be nice to get rid of these high chairs and have them sit at the table..

misty

 

It's easier, & less messy, to start with things like crackers & finger foods. Once they master that, try just letting them hold the spoon, move up to a bown that suctions to the tray. Don't expect them to be neat & tidy, it won't happen, mine are almost 2 & love to throw stuff. We are luck to have 3 dogs, makes for easy floor cleaning!!

 

I haven't even tried letting them feed themselves with a spoon yet. They feed themselves everything that doesn't require a spoon though. I guess I thought they were too young - and mine are 11 months old. Maybe I should try it and see what happens?

 

Yes, it is messy. And it continues to be messy, so long as you have two kids that are self feeding. Here are some things I did to minimize the mess:

1) Ditch the utinsels. Let them first experiment with their hands. Half the fun is experiencing the different textures. And it is a wonderful way to develop their fine motor skills.

2) Limit the amount of food you give at one time. I kept my stash in a bowl. And then I would dole out a small amount to each baby, a few bites at a time. So instead of giving a whole bowl of cereal, I would give 3-4 Cheerios at a time.

3) Introduce finger foods that are dry, not covered in liquid, and/or are easy to pick up. I avoided things like Spaghettios. Sure, the noodles are soft, but it is covered in sauce. We did lots of canned foods, but rinsed them first to eliminate any excess sugar, sodium, sauce, etc. When they get better at self feeding, then you can give them things like Mac n Cheese. But remember, just a few noodles at a time.

4) Relax about the mess. It will happen. I cleaned the chunks off the floor, but left the spots. At night, after their dinner, I would then wipe down the floor. It just made it easier to mop once a day instead of 3 times!

 

I started giving the girl's the Gerber Puffs in a bowl and they learned in a hurry how to pick them up. The other day I started giving them a spoon and they know what to do with it, so pretty soon I'm going to let them feed themselves (one day when I have enough time to wipe down the whole kitchen from Sweet Potatoes)

 

I too wanted my first dd to eat on her own. I asked my mom, who had 5 kids, and when she said maybe around 18mth-2yrs on their own, my jaw dropped. Believe me, it does take that long, so right now, just feed them yourself! I used to give me dd her own spoon, and then I would feed her. Then, I started to stick the spoon in her mouth, which she would grab, so I would pick up her other spoon, and use that to feed her. This way, she thought she was feeding herself, but a lot less mess! Oh, and when I needed some time, like when I was making dinner, I would put her in her highchair with a bib, and smear a bit of applesauce on her tray. Give her a spoon and let them go! After she was a year old, i would spread a thin thin thin layer of pnut butter, no spoon, and you have time to make dinner! (needless to say, my grandmother was appalled, because when SHE was feeding her children, she held their hands down so that htey would not get dirty, and wiped their mouths after each feeding.)
Anyway, my advice- even though it is exciting, they will eventually learn, and when you try to let them have at it too early, well, then you spend the rest of the day cleaning up!