January 2018 Moms

My 9 1/2 month old has no interest in finger foods.

jcbh2018jcbh2018 member
edited December 2018 in January 2018 Moms
I’ve tried just about everything. I’ve even had stuff in my hand for him to pick out to eat, I have even ate the same stuff out of my hands to show that it’s delicious and good. If I put it up to his mouth he turns away, if I set it on his high chair he just picks up and smooshes it. Anything that is mushy or has a slimy texture, he’ll just squish up and place inside the cup holders on his high chair. Lol! 

We’ve tried, (steamed) green beans and BN squash, puffs, teething cookies, banana, avocado, buttered toast, mini Star noodles. 

I’m afraid that this is going to delay his speech and him not being able to eat his smash cake.

any tips or tricks or things that you’ve possibly tried for you baby? Any help will be big help. 

Re: My 9 1/2 month old has no interest in finger foods.

  • Just curious, why would that delay his speech? I haven’t heard that before. 

    My my daughter just turned 11 months. All she wants to do is feed herself.  I don’t really have any good ideas but I would just keep doing what you’re doing and letting him play/smush. He will get it. Even though the clean up of that sucks!

    Also-my older daughter hardly ate her smash cake.  ;)

    dont stress. He’ll eventually do it. 
  • @sdheft619
    It can delay their speech, because chewing helps muscle development in the mouth. 

    “Different textures require different oral motor skills, which are important for speech development. For example, pureed and lumpy food encourage chewing. Chewing helps develop the use of the tongue by giving it a good workout, which is important for many different speech sounds, i.e. t, d, k and g, as well as speech development. Solid foods help develop and strengthen the jaw, as well as the lips and tongue muscles, which are required for speech. The lips also help to keep food in the mouth, and is important for sounds m, p and b.”


    I’m not concerned about how much of a smash cake he can eat. It’s the fact of him not being able to eat it at all (even if it’s just a tiny bite). Even if he doesn’t eat any, I think it’s something all parents would like to be able to give their child on their 1st Birthday. 

    I’m not trying to stress about the situation, I give him options every day. He just has no interest in the food, nor putting things in his mouth, to even try it.

    I’m just curious if any moms have experienced this before and/or have any helpful tips on what they’ve done or maybe “try this food, or this way” etc. 
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  • I agree with @sdheft619 about not stressing about it and to just keep offering it to him. It will just take time, and he will do it when he's ready. I had the same problem with DD1. She had a terrible gag reflex and hated finger foods. I had to just slowly keep making her baby food chunkier and also added cooked quinoa/rice to her thicker purees to get her used to different textures in her mouth. She hated the soft, squishy food, so I kept offering things like buttered toast, crackers, etc. She had no interest in bringing the foods to her mouth, even when she did finally accept table foods by spoon or my hand. I, just like you, was worried as a new mom that her speech would be delayed, and I was doing something wrong. But it turned out that kids really do just do things in their own time, and she suddenly picked up the buttered toast one night during her 11th month and proceeded to chew on it. After months of me stressing about it, it just suddenly clicked. 
    As for the smash cake, even with feeding herself, she still really had no interest in it. Lol! Those are more for us parents to get cute pictures of our little ones and smear frosting on their faces!  ;)
    Also, if you're really concerned about helping with speech development while you wait for your little guy to accept finger foods, you can also introduce a straw or open cup. It can help with the positioning of their mouths/tongue and encourage speech development. Good luck and try not to worry! I've been there, and now DD1 talks non stop, lol! 
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