My 10 month old son will not self feed, except with a bottle. I have bought little finger foods, which he throws everywhere but his mouth. I show him over and over but he won't put them in his mouth. He's a great eater other than that as he will eat literally any food that I put in his mouth. And, he will also put anything in his mouth that is not food! Any suggestions?

I want to second how important it is to sit and eat meals together. Kids want to imitate you, that's how they learn. Also, if he gets a big reaction from you when he throws something (such as you cracking up), it's more entertaining for him to throw it than put it in his mouth:) I know it can be hard, but it's best if he is not the center of attention at mealtime.

Although, from what you've "said", it sounds like your little one is going to catch on pretty quick.

Some moms have commented on picky kids - I highly recommend the book "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter. My daughter is 2 1/2 and I have had zero feeding issues with her. She eat's what she's given or she doesn't. I don't make an issue out of it either way (but if she chooses "doesn't" I don't give her something else). I also used the approach outlined in this book when doing pediatric nutrition counseling. Anyone I know that's expecting gets this book as a gift! No need to pull your hair out with a picky eater!

~Lisa
www.eNutritionServices.com

Keep in mind, he's only 10.5 months, so the biggest piece of advice I have is to be patient. For the FIRST YEAR, solid foods are for PRACTICE. Formula should still be a big part of his caloric intake. Nearly all experts agree on this principle. My son started finger foods around 9-10 months (puffs and O's only) and has slowly shown more interest and now feeds himself about 70% of his meals. But at 10-11 months, we were feeding him his real food. Even now at 14 months, he is hit and miss on "using" the spoon. Every child gets there at their own pace.
Are you eating meals with him? For the longest time, we continued to eat our dinner after he went to bed. It was easier than me trying to get dinner on the table by 6:30. We're getting better at the timing (we give him a snack in the car and eat around 7 to achieve family dinner time) and he seems to be picking up on eating because he sees us doing the same thing.
That said, we've found that he's more likely to eat on his own (and more) if we aren't pouring over his every move. Having our own meal to eat helps that too. Just be patient and it will happen. Continue to offer opportunities to feed himself but I would personally not advise withholding food as a punishment for not feeding himself. The less of a reward/punishment you can make food from day one, the better.

My son is a terrible eater. I recently found out he is anemic and only 4 yrs old. He was also born with digestive issues so food is a sore spot with me. Getting my son to eat is always a challenge. Up until I found out about the anemia, I would usually allow the basics. Pasta, Chicken Nuggets, baked fries, occassional pizza, corn, fruits and few veggies.
The night I found out about anemia, I said "that's it" he is going to learn to eat what we eat and like it.
That night I made him steamed spinach, quinoa, and chicken. He refused it and said he didn't like the new cous cous(quinoa). He ate a few pieces of the chicken and was still hungry. I said "well you have perfectly good food waiting for you, it's here when you want it and don't ask for ice crea, cookies or anything else". We talked about the new information and his health and what we need to do in terms of food and that mommy would be making one meal for everyone and either everyone eats it or you can make the decision to go to bed hungry.
That night he went to bed hungry...IT KILLED ME but I knew I would work out.
The next night I made organiz cheese burgers. He never ate one before. He resisted at first and then I reminded him of our rules and it was his decision to go to bed hungry. HE ATE THE ENTIRE CHEESE BURGER!!!! I also had him help me make the patties. He put his chef's hat & apron on. We took pictures of us cooking together and everything.
Tonight we went for mexican and he at a rice and bean burrito. Resisted at first and then I gave him the look...he ate it and said "MOM, I really like this!" On the way over to the restaurant, I talked to him about our Mexican adventure and how cool it was that he was going to try something new.

Obviously yours is too young for that but he will come around. As frustrating as that might sound, he could be in power mode. Let him eat a bread stick. Put some peas on his highchair, banana sticks(cut the banana in sticks. Eating your dinner as he eats his is a good way to show him mommy self feeds too. A few tries and he will get it. His curiosity will get the best of him sooner or later.

My daughter didn't really master the self feeding outside of cheerios until 11 to 12 months. I know it can be exhausting. Hang in there. He's still young. A month or two makes a big difference.
He will get there. Leave food on his highchair and he'll come around.

Good Luck!

I think you misunderstood the question, although you have a good point about other issues. The problem isn't that he throws things and I pick them up and feed him. I actually don't want to give him food back that's been on the floor and I don't. He's not really understanding the concept that he can put food in his mouth. He'll play with the little puff pieces on his high chair and toss them about. He doesn't seem upset if they disappear or anything. He just doesn't really understand that it's okay to eat it himself or something. At first he used to try to swallow them whole, even though he has some teeth (but, again, only if I give it to him). I put them in my mouth and showed him how to chew or mash it with his gums, and now he has that part down. He just won't put the food in his mouth with his own fingers. It's really weird.