My 10 1/2 month old son refuses to feed himself! He has never really put things into his mouth which is a blessing, but I know that most babies mouth everything. He has the pincher grasp down and has put a few things into his mouth, small bits of banana, etc. but just will simply not do it on his own. This is very frustrating for me! Several people tell me not to worry, he will get it in time, but that is still not comforting to me. I am a HUGE worrier about everything. A lot of the worry stems from being a special ed teacher and working with special needs children. I constantly analyze everything my son does and it is driving me crazy. I just have a huge fear that the not feeding himself is a symptom of autism or something else. He is normal in every other aspect. He says several words, mama, dada, and hi. He crawled at 8 months and is on his way to walking now (cruising all over the place, climbs stairs and even caught him climbing a ladder!!). He's so social, loves to see other babies and engages with everyone. Is the self feeding something to truly be concerned about?? He will be going to daycare in a few months when I go back to work, I'm hoping that being around other babies will help him with the self feeding issue!
My son wouldn't feed himself, either. I was starting to get worried, but around 11 1/2 months, he just did it and hasn't stopped since.
My son didn't like to get his hands dirty with food, so he would use his spoon at that age. He would eat dry food with his fingers but he would pick the food up and put it on his spoon. But we never fed him from our hands either. Even to this day he doesn't like food on his hands. And he will look at other babies and tell them to use the fork now. Babies are so funny. But Momma are funnier when we look back and think about the things that stressed us out the most.
Obviously he can do it and is ahead of the game in other areas, so I don't believe there's anything to worry about. You may just have a stubborn little man that wants mommy to do it. My son was (and still is) this way. He's 5 and knows how to get dressed and brush his teeth, blow on his hot food, but he still wants mommy to do it. It's gotten worse since I had my little girl. It's his way of getting attention. Sometimes I give in, sometimes he just has to do it himself. No worries--we'll relish these times when they want absolutely NOTHING to do with us! :-)
ciao ,credo anche io che ti preoccupi troppo per il tuo bimbo , se lui sta bene di salute ,se parla se mangia quello che tu li dai e se non a dei problemi visibile e che il medico ti abbia fatto notare , non dovresti preoccuparti !!! ho due bimbe, e a volte bisogna non preoccuparsi troppo se no stiamo male noi e facciamo stare male loro !!! buona estate
I was worried about my daughter at that age. I started giving her Gerber Puffs (sweet potato are the best tasting) after I gave her a meal. She ate the heck out of them. I would put 5-10 on her highchair tray and I was able to get the dishes cleaned up while she ate them. The best advise I can give is that he's not going to go off to college not being able to feed himself. If he's doing everything he should at his age and hitting all his milestones then don't worry.
My son didn't start feeding himself until 10 1/2 months. I, too, was worried - but one day - he just did it. I think that the daycare was working with him on it and when he sees the other kids doing it - he tried it. Now the problem becomes regulating his intake - he will put ANYTHING in his mouth. I would say don't worry - but I know that doesn't help. Babies all develop on their own timetable.
My son didn't finger-feed until he was about 12 months old, and now, at 17 months, he can use a fork and spoon. I don't think your son is delayed yet at all, really! If he is still not finger-feeding, mention it to your pediatrician at his 1-year checkup. But I bet he will be.
Your son will do it when he wants to. My daughter would pick food up, look at it, analyze it, and put it back down. Drove me nuts! lol Still, she didn't actually start eating with her hands until 11 mos or so.
As for you, it sounds like you have an anxiety problem. How would I know? I do too. You should consider finding a therapist for an evaluation. Trust me, you don't know how much it affects your life until your behavior changes for the better. It's worth taking a look at. Good luck!
