So baby pull me closer in the bathtub with a toaster

When you swallow, point to your stomach and say: вЂњThe spaghetti went all the way to my belly!вЂќ You may feel a bit silly, but modeling is a game-changer for many young babies. Model with your mouth open.В Throw your manners out the window and chew with your mouth open so babe can see what you are doing. Talk to baby and describe the food: вЂњThis is delicious spaghetti with Grandma MaryвЂ™s famous sauce! ItвЂ™s tangy and sweet at the same time!вЂќ See the tips below for helping baby pick up and bring food to their mouth or dive in to our video on transitioning from spoon feeding to self-feeding. Picking up food with their hands and bringing it to their mouth is an entirely different story-the concept that hands bring food to the mouth is brand new.

Spoon-fed babies learn that food comes on a spoon, itвЂ™s put in their mouth, and swallowed. This is very important with spoon-fed babies. Once they are paying attention, bring the food to your mouth and smile. Get babyвЂ™s attention.В Tap their highchair tray or table with your fork or finger, call their name, and make eye contact. Babies learn from watching us, and many young babies need more modeling to realize that food goes in our mouths. When baby is ready to start solids, pull babyвЂ™s highchair up to the table or put baby on your lap while YOU eat. Channel a dinner party vibe-laugh, smile, and enjoy your meal so baby can see the fun of eating. Pull up the bouncing chair so baby can watch you eat or sit baby on your lap. Even before you start solids, bring baby to the table.

(Cue screaming for the breast or bottle.) Babies who are too hungry and donвЂ™t yet have the skills to self-feed will end up melting down at the table. Plus, an overly hungry young baby is not primed to learn. Remember: BabyвЂ™s primary nutrition should be from breast milk or formula until 12 months of age. At this age, avoid feeding schedule changes to make baby hungry enough to try solid foods. Sometimes the youngest eaters just need another week or two to wrap their heads around eating.ДЄvoid feeding schedule changes.В Encouraging or pushing baby to eat before they are ready can lead down a bumpy road of food refusal.

This is communication saying they are not interested or ready yet. This is normal.Д®ven with spoon-feeding, many babies will turn away from the spoon when they are not ready. Many babies at this age are just not cognitively ready to self-feed, even if they are showing the motor milestones for readiness. Evaluate whether baby is truly ready for solids (see our page on readiness or check out our video) and make sure baby is truly meeting all of the developmental signs before starting solid food.Д¬onsider waiting a week or two.В If baby is less than or around 6 months old and showing signs of readiness, but doesnвЂ™t engage with food offered, try not to worry too much. You cut the food just right, set the meal just so, but instead of enjoying it, baby doesnвЂ™t touch a thing.ДЄt 6 months of age or younger, babies are often just not ready. Or maybe you started with spoon feeding and decided to make the switch to finger food. Baby doesnвЂ™t bring a single thing to their mouth. And then, in the blink of a camera, at the height of your anticipation, your bubble bursts. You have the highchair, bib, and you know what food you want to introduce first. YouвЂ™ve done all the reading about starting solids. In other words, stay calm and donвЂ™t give up! If baby is 6 months old or younger The most important thing you can do is bring calm confidenceВ to the table and believe that baby can learn the skills for eating. For some babies, they simply might not have the interest, skill, or desire to eat at that moment for others, it may be more complicated given their history (reflux, a bad gag, negative associations with the highchair, etc.) ItвЂ™s imperative to listen to babyвЂ™s cues in any of these situations while guiding them to learn. If a baby is not eating, they are trying to communicate something. There are many reasons why a child may not be interested in eating, but what do you do when babies or toddlers arenвЂ™t interested inВ even touchingВ their food? Chase the why

So baby pull me closer in the bathtub with a toaster