5 month old suddenly fussy when eating

[KatO79]

So my 5 month old son has otherwise been doing really well for about 1 month eating his porridges and gruel (the foods we start with in Denmark). I btw think he's in leap 5 as his napping has gotten worse and he's been really fussy and clingy the past week (he started 1 day before the Wonder Weeks app guessed he would). Anyway a few minutes into eating he'll start crying and get fussy plus he chews on the spoon (it's made of melamine). He's still hungry though because he'll open his mouth and ask for more. Mealtimes used to be cosy but are now a nightmare. He does this no matter if the food is warm or cold. Is it because of the leap or is it something else? What should I do because I want him to have positive associations with eating?

 

[MindUtopia]

All of that would lead me to believe it could be he's possibly teething. I would just carry on offering him food as you normally would. If he doesn't want it, he won't take it. If he won't take it, don't force it, end the meal and make sure he has plenty of milk to make up for it. He'll probably come around again when he's feeling better. Some babies also just don't want to be spoon fed. You could also try seeing if he'd feed himself which might be more fun, but I would bet it's probably teething.

 

[KatO79]

All of that would lead me to believe it could be he's possibly teething. I would just carry on offering him food as you normally would. If he doesn't want it, he won't take it. If he won't take it, don't force it, end the meal and make sure he has plenty of milk to make up for it. He'll probably come around again when he's feeling better. Some babies also just don't want to be spoon fed. You could also try seeing if he'd feed himself which might be more fun, but I would bet it's probably teething.

I'd considered that but he's chewing with the back parts of his gums, not the front where teeth normally come in first (none have come in yet btw!). He does seem to really want the food, it's just like something is hurting him or making him uncomfortable. He's been spoon fed for about a month now so is used to it and always eats a pretty good portion each time. Don't know if I should invest in a smaller spoon that's rubber instead? I don't think he can handle feeding himself yet although he's of lately been grabbing onto the spoon.

Btw I forgot to mention that he's been started on porridges and gruel at about 4 months because he'd gone down a weight curve so he needs to eat.

 

[xdxxtx]

I baby led wean, and I feed my babies what I'm having, add in some fruit or something that I know they really like (so they have a safe food, and they're more likely to try the other things). I let them go ahead and feed themselves. I disinfect my kitchen sink directly before feeding baby (especially on spaghetti night!), and I put my baby right into a sink bath when they're done eating. (My bath tubs are all on the second floor, and I have 3 other kids, so I need to stay downstairs for the quick bath. If I had a single level, I'd consider putting baby in the big bath, although then all the big siblings would rush in, too! lol) They play and have a great time, and the fact that my babies know that they're gonna get a nice bath after makes them much more likely to eat their food, too. They've all loved bath time!

My babies have all gone through a stage where they started refusing to eat foods that I've feed them, but they'll feed themselves and eat every last bite! So I would try letting go of the reigns and letting baby do his own thing! He'll make a mess, yes, but that's a good thing! Messy play has MANY benefits!

 

[MindUtopia]

I still think it very likely could be teething. They don't necessarily chew right where the teeth are coming in. They just dribble and chew because it's all uncomfortable. Mine actually never chewed on anything when she was teething, but she did seem exactly how you describe otherwise, just off, clingy, easily upset, disrupted sleep, etc. But either way, I'd just proceed gently and keep offering food as you normally would, but don't make a big deal about whether he eats it at all. Overall, breast milk or formula is technically more calorie dense than most solid foods, so even if he doesn't eat much for a bit and makes up with it in milk, he won't lose out. If he wants to chew the spoon, just let him and feed when you can and then when he gets too unhappy, stop and try again later. These phases happen. I had a whole month once when mine was about 9 mo when she barely ate anything and was just really miserable and sick. After a month, she literally devoured an entire small quiche, like that would feed at least one to two adults, in one sitting. They always come around eventually.