So what's your Feeding Themselves to You Feeding Them ratio?

Judah'sMommy · December 2009

I feel like maybe I've spoiled him. He's perfectly capable of feeding himself, and he does maybe 40% of the time. But the other 60% he'll sit there and wait for me to feed him. I also don't like him feeding himself things like spaghetti because 1.) it's messy as hell and 2.) it takes forever.

I'm thinking he should be doing more self-feeding...

punkfiction_v.3 · December 2009

95% self feeding. the other 5% is me stabbing food with a fork and handing it to her. then she feeds herself.

mlf625 · December 2009

He self feeds about 75% of his food, I help with the other 25%. He's perfectly content to eat on his own but I can get more into his mouth and keep him full longer if I help.

whitless · December 2009

I think 60/40 is about right for us, too.

I really try to put food on the spoon or fork and then hand it to him so that he practices feeding himself, but i rarely let him "dip in" on his own, because it is always a disaster.

DelGrecoBride · December 2009

95% himself. i can get things done around the house when he feeds himself. unless he wants applesauce or soemthing like that. then i dip the spoon in for him and he pretty much takes it from me and feeds himself.

busygal · December 2009

80% self feeding (finger food, no spoon self-feeding yet) and 20% me feeding (oatmeal, applesauce, yogurt, some veggie purees just to keep things balanced). She does like me to spoon feed her when she 's tired though.

BabyMenzel · December 2009

75-25...depending on what it is. Applesauce, oatmeal, stuff like that I do for him because he just throws it around but he's really good with a fork

mrskadams · December 2009

She eats on her own most of the time, but she doesn't eat any fruits or veggies. I'd gladly feed them to her if only she would eat them.

I don't like the mess either, so there are some things I feed her myself. I'm bad.

kelbrian · December 2009

DD pretty much feeds herself 100% of the time. Sure, it was messy for a while, but she has actually gotten the hang of a spoon now and can use it pretty well. She also knows how to use a fork and is still working on the coordination to do so.

jamie5315 · December 2009

DS feeds himself 100%. He is overly independent sometimes.

IckyThump · December 2009

Eh, 90%? The only thing DS doesn't feed himself is yogurt, which he gets every morning.

DelGrecoBride · December 2009

keep in mind JM some of these kiddos are much older than yours

LucyGoosey81 · December 2009

I'd say probably 90/10. He feeds himself everything that doesn't require a spoon. So I feed him yogurt, applesauce, etc...he hasn't quite mastered the spoon yet. I'm a little afraid to let him try!

JulyFiveBride · December 2009

95% feeding herself. Things like applesauce take forever, but she will dip her spoon in and get a tiiiny amount and put it in her mouth. She doesn't quite scoop, so I don't think she'd be able to eat chicken broth or anything. But it works for thicker liquids. The other 5% is if she asks for a bite of something I am eating or once in a rare, rare while she will hand me her spoon or fork and say "bite!" which either means she wants me taste her food or that she wants me to feed her, lol.

Judah'sMommy · December 2009

*sigh*

OK, I knew it. I've got to buckle down. I think this is a case of mommy not being able to let go. Yet another thing he doesn't need me for. Sad

tonysbride2b · December 2009

100% although I'd love to help him when he eats yogurt or applesauce since that gets pretty messy. However, he has none of that!

Judah'sMommy · December 2009

DelGrecoBride:
keep in mind JM some of these kiddos are much older than yours

Thanks Del, I'm taking note of the ages. I was going to post "14-16 month mommies" in the title but I have a thing about 2-liner subject lines. I hate them! lol

LaurenL1976 · December 2009

95% DD

She won't let me feed her with a spoon for more than one or two bites. So, I give it to her to feed herself. Sure, its messy - but she's getting so good at being neater these days!

102503Natalie · December 2009

Well, she 100% feeds herself finger foods like fruit, bread, etc. Stuff like yogurt and applesauce I feed her myself. I need to get her used to using a spoon.

LuckySunshineBaby · December 2009

Ummm...maybe 90/10? I feed her soup (an aunt gave us split pea) and yogurt or pudding sometimes. I would say the vast majority of her foods are finger foods. However, if we are leaving directly after a meal for something special (not like an errand, but pics or something) I will "help" her more. She has no clue how to use utensils, so I don't give them to her.

smacb · December 2009

100 % self fed since about 10 months. He started refusing to let me feed him.

Madringal · December 2009

95% herself. I usually have to scrape the bowl for her, or catch the last noddle on a fork, but the rest is all her.

Kellina · December 2009

The only stuff I feed him is oatmeal and yogurt. Everything else is finger food. He's a little too little yet for the utensils!

lizzie53084 · December 2009

She doesn't let me help

Well yogurt, but only if she is occupied by taking bites of something else in between. And she rarely wants yogurt so I'll say 99.9% of the time she feeds herself with a fork and spoon and of course her hands.

skoorbnibor · December 2009

99% self, and 1% is when I am in a hurry!

Mama Jan · December 2009

100% self-feeding.

I haven't fed him since he went off purees at 10 months! Everything was finger food for a while, now he occasionally uses his fork. He refuses anything that would come on a spoon (applesauce, yogurt, etc.) otherwise I'm sure I'd have to give a little help there.

preg_amy · December 2009

Probably 95% self feeding.

I only feed him his yogurt.

I've insisted from the beginning that he feeds himself all of his finger foods. Obviously, if he needed help, I helped him, but he was pretty good from the beginning. I allowed him to dig his fingers in it and get messy.

Now he doesn't let me help him. Sometimes I try to feed him, but he just pulls it off the fork with his fingers and either eats it or throws it.

I have a cousin who will only feed her son until he learns to eat with utensils. It's mainly because she's a big neat freak and is terrified of him getting messy (I love my cousin, and it's not a bad thing to be that way, just different from me). He's a good eater and is developing fine. I think as long as you don't mind doing it, it's probably not the worst thing in the world. I think it would be the hardest on daycare teachers more than anyone else.

andrealynn0707 · December 2009

DD self-feeds pretty much all the time, except for yogurt, applesauce, etc. We are still working on the spoon with her.

pinksweetpea2 · December 2009

Probably 98-99 percent since around 10 months when she decided she wanted none of that Mommy feeding (other than nursing). She will let me feed her soup and I will sometimes feed her a snack when we are out and about (to prevent too much mess), but otherwise she feeds herself. If she can't pick it up with a spoon or fork, she dives right in with her hands.

pinksweetpea2 · December 2009

Judah'sMommy:
I also don't like him feeding himself things like spaghetti because 1.) it's messy as hell and 2.) it takes forever.
I'm thinking he should be doing more self-feeding...

You don't let him eat spaghetti by himself???? I'm sorry, but that is SO weird.

Edit- I am not trying to be rude, but I just don't understand the "I don't want him to get dirty" mentality. They are toddlers. How are they going to learn if you don't let them try and get a little bit messy.

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