My 9 Month Old Won't Put Food in Her Mouth

I would try and play some games, eat Puffs or cheerios with her, or try and put them on a spoon first and feed her that way. My daughter loves feeding ME, the mechanics of taking the food and putting it in my mouth. My girl is picky and prefers only starchy things (breads, cheerios etc) and has a harder time with other foods.

Nah, my daughter didn't until she was almost 11 months. Now she feeds herself like a champ. I was a little concerned about it too but like you, her other fine motor skills seemed fine so I didn't stress. One day out of the blue she picked up a Cheerio off the floor and fed herself. :) I thought - that little stinker won't feed herself with food I put on her tray and she's eating off the floor! :) But since then she's been feeding herself without any problem. It'll click one of these days. Don't stress too much about it if everything else seems fine. I know that's hard sometimes. Good luck.

I wouldn't worry. My daughter didn't put food in her mouth at that age either. I tried to not push her and she got it eventually.

I wouldn't worry too much. Some babies don't touch solids until one. She may have had sore gums from teething and is afraid it will hurt her gums. My son wouldn't put food in his mouth around that age as well, even though he was eating solids, too. But we just kept offering and he finally starting eating solids again. Some babies just do not like the texture. Ours would only eat the baby food stage 2 and never liked stage 3. He still eats baby food applesauce and bananas etc. Never really liked solids until he was a little older. Plus, he never really liked feeding himself and when he did it took an hour. So, it sounds like your little one is fine. Just keep doing what you are doing. She isn't starving because she is still on breastmilk and if she takes babyfood, great. If not, she will eventually, just keep offering her different things. Does she like yogurt? baby oatmeal?

first of all she is only 9 months its not about getting the food to her mouth its about the fact that she can pick up small objects w/ her thumb and finger. Just keep offering finger foods like cheerios and gerber puffs to her so she can play w/ them at meal time and before you know it she will be eating them. Once she accidently gets one to her mouth she will get that "oh that what you do with these" and will do it more and more. I've found that the organic baby foods taste better then the others and that the best is if you make it yourself so relax and have fun trying new foods w/ her. If it continues beyond a year where she still doesn't like solid foods then I would be concerned w/ sensory/texture or a swallowing or chewing problem but for now if she will eat what you feed her just go w/ it.

Hello L., Funny how perceptions change over the millenniums...breast milk is THE PERFECT FOOD! Not too long ago the advice from our pediatrician was not to offer solid food to our babies for an entire year...with my doc anyway. Your baby is using her bodies' intelligence here...be grateful, and learn from her wisdom. Honestly, I'll be very curious to read what the young moms of today advise you...9 months old seems young to me for finger foods...cereals, and pureed foods maybe, and only OIF you need to...One thing I know is true...'no worries' here as long as your beautiful child is taking milk from you. Be Peace. N.

Hi L.
My daughter is 11 months and she just started feeding herself. She has been able to pick up little pieces for a while, but would get frustrated trying to actually get them to her mouth. I just kept giving her cheerios or puffs every night while we were eating dinner and after a couple of weeks she eats them really well. Unfortunately I have 3 older ones as well and I have to vaccum my rugs like 3 times a day now because she also finds every little piece of lint or crumbs on the floor and likes to taste that too. It will happen soon enough so don't worry! Your little one is still young.

I agree with the other responses that it doesn't sound too worrisome. At that age my daughter also didn't put a lot of things in her mouth (I was happy about that!). We kept offering her organic O's and ripe pear and eventually she got it. Sadly, soon after that she refused the breast, so you have to be prepared for that as well. Sounds like you are doing great!

Relax! Breastmilk is a whole food, which means it has all the nutrients your daughter needs. At this point before a year old, solid food is for exploring...it's not a necessity yet. Some children don't like to eat solids until they can master the skill themselves with finger food. Some children don't like the texture of pureed foods. It sounds like you are doing a great job with her and offering her a variety of tastes.

Patty K.

My son was the same way and was exclusively breastfed. I had to feed the solids first. If you try helping her pick up the food with her hand and yours on top to guide her maybe she'll get the hang of it. If your child is hungry, they will eat unless they have a medical problem preventing them.

He had/has no developmental problems. He just didn't mouth things.