Talk to me about finger food size

Jazma11

My LO has suspected food allergies so I have been limited in foods I can introduce. The only finger foods he has had are peas, bananas, and avocado. I cut the pieces really small and since these foods are slimy, he has trouble picking them up. I think I am being a little overboard on how small the pieces of food are. How big of pieces do you give and has your baby ever had trouble with it? My pieces are about pea sized right now, maybe a tiny bit bigger. Am I being ridiculous?

kmos816

Mine are about pea size- though I'll do bananas and avocado a little bigger.
I also wonder if I am ridiculous!

Sporty1216

I usually do pea size-ish, except for bananas and other smushy things. I find he prefers things to be somewhat small--maybe because it's easier to chew? Also, I do "toast soldiers" that are about an inch wide and the length of the piece of bread. Recently I've been giving him torn up corn tortillas--those are bigger, and he likes to play with them and has no trouble biting off pieces he can manage.

rrachelle813

I've been wondering about this too. I know I'm cutting things to small bc she can't always pick them up but I can't handle the gagging.

BADASBKRCK

A suggestion for slimy foods, crush up some cheerios and coat the pieces in cheerio dust! It works well for things like bananas and avacados. I also do tiny pieces and I have to put them on her tray a few at a time because she will continue stuffing things into her mouth until she gags

LolaX2

I have the same concerns. I kinda feel like I am being ridiculous as I give DD tiny shreds of chicken and actual shredded cheese. Last night or 3 year was eating Teddy Grahams and DD was getting really mad because she wanted some, so I started breaking off tiny pieces like one little ear at a time and giving them to her. You would think I would be better at this being she is my second child lol!

OliveOyl2014

I cut them that small too. I have to do it that way since LO doesn't chew anything. She just swallows it. We are limited in what we give for this reason too. She makes absolutely no attempt to chew. Did anyone else's LO start off this way? If so, how long until they actually started chewing?

kmos816

OliveOyl2014 said:

I cut them that small too. I have to do it that way since LO doesn't chew anything. She just swallows it. We are limited in what we give for this reason too. She makes absolutely no attempt to chew. Did anyone else's LO start off this way? If so, how long until they actually started chewing?

C knows how to chew but sometimes she doesn't.... She's weird like that I guess.
One food she definitely chews is egg yolk. Maybe it has to do with texture.

lilac02

My DH thinks I'm crazy when he sees how big the pieces are that I give DD. But she actually eats more because she can pick it up easier. She also has an easier time making it in her mouth. I also have a mat with grippers that I put on her tray. That helps keep the food from sliding around.

Jazma11

honeyzoo said:

@cantwait87 what kinds of foods can your LO eat?  We have food allergy concerns as well and I was struggling with only being able to introduce a few foods that were tough to pick up (like cooked veggies).  I ended up trying freeze dried versions of the foods that he can eat because they are smaller pieces and dissolve in his mouth (sort of like what I think puffs do?  he can't have any grains...therefore no puffs).  I tried some from TraderJoes (they have raspberries, blueberries and strawberries) and then we ordered larger containers from amazon by Mother Earth Products.  Now that he has had more practice picking the food up and putting it in his mouth, he is getting better about picking up other non-dry foods and eating them.  I still cut them pretty small, but have done some larger pieces if cooked and really soft.  He also started really "chewing" his foods once he started on these dry things.

That's a great idea, I will have to try that! We are not sure what his allergies/intolerances are yet, besides dairy. It was so bad that I had to stop breastfeeding. I literally eliminated all major allergens and when that didn't help, I went on an elimination diet in where I ONLY ate 5 low allergy risk foods, that still didn't work. He continued to have blood and mucous in his stool until we switched to elecare formula. Because of this, I have been very very careful about what I introduce. He has done ok with almost everything though. Mostly just fruits, veggies, tried turkey and chicken, brown rice cereal, and oatmeal cereal. I think some fruits bother his tummy and the jury is still out about the oatmeal. Hoping it is just dairy but I haven't introduced any major allergens yet out of fear. I am probably being too cautious, yet again. Lol.

yellowflower15

I've been wondering the same thing about the size. @LolaX2‌ I'm also a second time mom and feel like I should be more comfortable by now! I give pretty small pieces too. Whenever I try bigger pieces hoping he'll take a bite, he shoves way too much food in his mouth. And those tiny pieces often come out the other end fully intact, so I'm not overly confident in his chewing ability...

hordol

We usually give food in penny-sized pieces or so.

Suzanne237

People think the "bites" I give are too big. But when I put down a ton of pea sizes he just puts them all in his mouth at once anyway. So sometime I just give him bigger pieces of things that he can hold and take bites off vs stuffing them all in. Sometimes he still shoves a big thing in, but he's good at chewing and spits out if he's tired of "working on it."

Talltrees82

Before LO had teeth, I used to slice bananas and avocados in French-fry shaped slices with the peel on. It helped him grip the food, and he couldn't bite the peel off. Now that he has teeth, I just give him chunks of soft fruit. Other things like grilled cheese, noodles, etc. I cut up since this is how daycare will be doing it. Penny-sized is a good comparison.

Gilgenbach2007

My DS also has suspected food allergies but he breaks out in rashes and eczema and has multiple night wakings. I also had to quit nursing and go to elecare to help figure out what was all causing it. Right now the only safe foods we are doing is peas and tiny pea sized pieces of chicken breast. We see a peds allergist this week so hopefully they can help use narrow this down. Poor kid is probably tired of peas!

Do you keep a food journal? That has really helped me keep track of what foods he's eating and his symptoms afterwards. DS has reacted to banana, avocado, green beans, wheat, soy, and dairy, and corn. I'm afraid to try anything else

Jazma11

Gilgenbach2007 said:

My DS also has suspected food allergies but he breaks out in rashes and eczema and has multiple night wakings. I also had to quit nursing and go to elecare to help figure out what was all causing it. Right now the only safe foods we are doing is peas and tiny pea sized pieces of chicken breast. We see a peds allergist this week so hopefully they can help use narrow this down. Poor kid is probably tired of peas!

Do you keep a food journal? That has really helped me keep track of what foods he's eating and his symptoms afterwards. DS has reacted to banana, avocado, green beans, wheat, soy, and dairy, and corn. I'm afraid to try anything else

I am sorry you are going through this also but it is nice to hear from someone who understands! I haven't met anyone else who is using this formula. My son also has eczema but it has mostly been taken care of by the script dermasmooth. They also did a blood allergy test at 4 months and he reacted to dog really bad so we had to get rid of our dog. I think that helped with skin also.

I haven't introduced any of the allergens because I am too afraid. I also keep a food journal but sometimes it is hard to know if it was the food bothering him or something else. What are your LOs reactions? So far, my son hasn't had reactions to solid food other than fussiness from a bellyache. But then I always question myself...maybe it wasn't the food, maybe his teeth are bothering him or a million other things. I thought avacodo was hurting his belly but after reintroducing it a few times, I think it is ok. He doesn't tolerate fruits great unless they are mixed with brown rice cereal or a veggie. Everything else we have tried seems to be ok. But like I said, I an not very adventurous about trying things outside of fruits and veggies. Have you tried sweet potatoes or squash?

Gilgenbach2007

cantwait87 said:

Gilgenbach2007 said:

My DS also has suspected food allergies but he breaks out in rashes and eczema and has multiple night wakings. I also had to quit nursing and go to elecare to help figure out what was all causing it. Right now the only safe foods we are doing is peas and tiny pea sized pieces of chicken breast. We see a peds allergist this week so hopefully they can help use narrow this down. Poor kid is probably tired of peas!

Do you keep a food journal? That has really helped me keep track of what foods he's eating and his symptoms afterwards. DS has reacted to banana, avocado, green beans, wheat, soy, and dairy, and corn. I'm afraid to try anything else

I am sorry you are going through this also but it is nice to hear from someone who understands! I haven't met anyone else who is using this formula. My son also has eczema but it has mostly been taken care of by the script dermasmooth. They also did a blood allergy test at 4 months and he reacted to dog really bad so we had to get rid of our dog. I think that helped with skin also.

I haven't introduced any of the allergens because I am too afraid. I also keep a food journal but sometimes it is hard to know if it was the food bothering him or something else. What are your LOs reactions? So far, my son hasn't had reactions to solid food other than fussiness from a bellyache. But then I always question myself...maybe it wasn't the food, maybe his teeth are bothering him or a million other things. I thought avacodo was hurting his belly but after reintroducing it a few times, I think it is ok. He doesn't tolerate fruits great unless they are mixed with brown rice cereal or a veggie. Everything else we have tried seems to be ok. But like I said, I an not very adventurous about trying things outside of fruits and veggies. Have you tried sweet potatoes or squash?

I tried sweet potato and squash in the beginning but he would keep breaking out and I didn't know if it was what he was eating vs me.

He starts out with red cheeks then gets hives on his shoulders, chest, and back. When this happens he also wakes 3-5 times a night an scratches himself a lot.