At our nine month appointment, our doctor asked us "Is Wells eating finger food and is he holding his own bottle?" The answer was "No and No." I did not think anything about it. He is only nine months old and has only two teeth. Surely he could not be ready to eat finger foods yet. Could he? He loves his baby food, but surely he is not ready for "solid" solid food. And then the "bad mom" syndrome started to kick in.
I questioned why I had not been preparing him to take the next step to solid foods. I questioned why I had not been making him hold his own bottle. I questioned, questioned, questioned. And then I realized that my child is uniquely and wonderfully made and he would get there - IN HIS OWN TIME.
I find myself trying to push him to eat solids. And to no avail, he gags or shows a face of disgust for even putting solids up to his lips. So, I just revert back to good ole' baby food and his bottle.
I have been told that getting your child to eat solids is in some way similar to potty training. They have to be ready.
If you are reading this and have struggled with getting your child to eat finger foods and drink their bottle or sippy cup on their own, please let me know what "tricks of the trade" you used to get your child over the hump and to this next milestone.
Whitney Jodry is a Senior Public Relations Specialist for Texas Health Resources and new Mom to son Wells.
With Sam, when we thought he was ready for finger foods and sippy cups, we just started having them available at every meal and got really excited and animated when he tried them out. He thought it was a game for a while and then decided that the food was tasty and the cup was fun. And for each new thing we tried (solids, sippy cup, shoes), it took some getting used to, and then it was a lightbulb moment and he just got it. As you said, in his own time! :)
ReplyDeleteOur son just turned a year but he's really more like a 10month (preemie) and he has gotten to the point where he only wants to eat something if he can pinch it himself! It really is all on their own time...as for the bottle..yaaaa he won't hold it either. And he kind of uses a sippy cup but mostly plays with it, he hasn't figured out how to lean back far enough to get anything out of it. So we're like Julie, we offer and let him play with it and maybe one day it will stick! Wells is a beautiful boy!
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