A Romantic Moment

Close your eyes and picture this scene. Ok, don't close your eyes- you'll need them to read this post.
You've been imagining this moment and now it's here. You are face to face. You lock eyes and slowly move toward each other. You can see the desire in his eyes. As you present the moment of opportunity, his mouth slightly opens and... he takes a big bite of yogurt off the blue rubber-tipped spoon.
Well where did you think I was going with that? Maybe you mistook this for a a trashy romance blog?
All joking aside, this is what you should expect at the table. At least for those months after you have started introducing solids and before the child is more independent about eating. The key elements here are a calm atmosphere and respect for the child's desires. When you start putting pressure on the child, he is less likely to eat (even if he is hungry), and also less likely to behave nicely. I'm not saying that you should be a short-order cook- that's a whole other blog entry. I am saying that babies have opinions, and that we as parents and caretakers should respect that. If you move toward the baby with a spoon and he clamps his mouth shut, turns his head to the side, or swats at the spoon with his hand, he is communicating that he is not interested in eating whatever is on that spoon. He might be thirsty. He might be full. He might think that cottage cheese is a weird texture and he will need more exposures to it before he feels comfortable enough to eat it.
So what do you do when your baby refuses food? You, as the parent or caretaker, are in charge of providing healthy food and a calm atmosphere at a relatively consistent time and location. The child is in charge of whether or not he eats it, and how much he eats. It's a division of labor, and when it breaks down- ie when the parent tries to take on the job of the baby- things go awry. If the child refuses to eat, offer some water or milk. If he refuses that, then mealtime is over and there will be a snack offered in about two hours. Take a deep breath. Your child will be fine*.
*Disclaimer- if food aversions or otherwise limited diet have caused your child to stop growing according to reasonable expectations, please consult a pediatric dietitian for more targeted advice. I do provide these services as well.