Okay So How Do You Feed an Infant

It takes time for them to learn how to eat off of the spoon. When you put food in his mouth it may look like he is spitting it out but he is really learning how to use his tounge. Just keep with the spoon feeding and in a few weeks you will start to notice a change. You may even notice him start the motions of chewing. Happy Feeding. Have a great day!

Hello. I just wanted to agree with others, that he may not be ready. My daughter, now 20 mos, refused every kind of spoon feeding until we put her on regular table food at 12 mos. She spat cereal, baby food, (even tutti frutti!) back at me. She's a miss independent type anyway. There's nothing wrong with waiting until 12 mos to feed any type of food. So if he refuses in a few weeks, don't stress.

Happy Turkey Day!

hi i started feeding my son at 4 months and had the same problem and you know when he's ready to eat so this is what i did put him some juice in a bottle and let him suck on it and take it away when he sees you getting ready to give him the bottle and he opens his mouth give him some food he will eventually catch on. good luck.

Babies R Us sells a infant feeder that has a spoon attachment that worked well for us!

Good luck!

I also started spoon feeding my son when he was 5 months and he was impossible at first. I decided to try it very slowly. Like just on weekends. I did not bother spoon feeding the rice cereal with a spoon cause it tastes horrible. We tried mostly banana and avocado and by the time he was six months he was use to the idea of eating from a spoon. He is now 6 1/2 months and he eats regularly with a spoon twice a day.

Try putting him in the high chair when it is not time to eat and give hime some toys and a couple of spoons to play with. Our oldest didn't like the spoon and we fed him with the baby system (looked like a bottle/sippy cup). I just started putting him in his high chair a couple of times a day, at first for about 5 minutes and worked my way up. He started using a spoon about two weeks later and we tossed the baby system. Good Luck!
* We moved from Florida two yrs ago. What part are you from?

well he is still a little young to fully grasp the whole spoon connection so you may just want to table it for a few weeks and then reintroduce. Most doctors say to introduce spoon fed foods closer to 6 months, and then increase that as they get older so that they are off formula or breastmilk by the time they are 12 months. He may not be able to actually swallow yet and this will just end up being a very frustrating thing for the two of you. If he were older and not taking to it I would think this would need to be addressed, but I think I would just put it aside for maybe 3-4 weeks and then reintroduce and see how that goes.

My son wouldn't take a spoon at that age. The daycare wanted him on a spoon then, but he refused. He didn't get really good at it until he was close to 6 months old. When he's ready, he'll go at it wonderfully.

If he is refusing it, it sounds like he might not be ready. Is your profile right in that he is at 5 mths? I would try waiting for another week or two and seeing if it goes better. We started at 6mths (had not done any cereal or anything) and our son took to the spoon like a charm.

Maybe hes just not ready yet for this just give it some more time. have you spoke to the doctor about this?? My little one did not like to be fed but ill tell you what it was horrible before but now she only eats good when shes feeding herself she almost 14 months and shes been like that i cant remember her not ever wanting the spoon but she does eat better by heerself so maybe your child is somewhat like mine> I would mention to the doctor to make sure you dont need to have to feed him yet ((things like that)) i cant remember all the time periods but i think its just hes not ready!

Like already mentioned, he may just not be ready for solids yet. Until he is, give him his bottle and keep slowly introducing the spoon every now and then, and I promise, he will let you know when he is ready.
Remember that the sooner you introduce solid foods, the sooner you introduce food allergies. Wait until he's ready, which may not be until he's 6 months. And that doesn't mean that on the day he turns 6 months he'll be ready, but try to wait as long as you can. Just keep trying a little at a time, and make sure you aren't replacing a feeding, but instead supplementing a feeding. He may just not like the idea of solids because he thinks it means no more bottle. So make sure he gets that bottle as well, not as much as he'd normally get, but just enough so he knows you aren't taking it away.
Also, it may be easier NOW to start with fruits, but don't! You want to start with veggies (one veggie a time, for about 5 days!), because right now he doesn't know that fruits are sweeter, but he will the second you give it to him! Try giving him apples and bananas, then carrots, and you will have a much harder time with the carrots. Start with the carrots and peas first so he doesn't know he's missing something sweeter!

He may be showing you that he is not ready for solid foods. Up to a certain age they still have the suck reflex and physically can't control the food in his mouth. Drs. say that up to 6 months they are ok with just formula. Also their little tummys aren't ready to digest solid foods. Maybe start with just putting a little bit on the end of the spoon just to give him the taste. Something like bananas is a good place to start. Good Luck.

Hi K.,

Funny you mention this situation. I too made the mistake of giving my son a infant feeder when he was a baby. I too had a hard time getting him to eat with a spoon. Eventhough, the infant feeder was a convenient method it does cause the child to not want to adjust with a spoon. Slowly start taking away the infant feeder. Don't worry you will not starve him, but it will help when introducing the spoon. In no time he will be eating with a spoon and then toss that infant feeder away. Be consistent and it will work. I promise. Good Luck.