Finger foods

katesalms22

When should you start introducing finger foods? And what finger foods should you introduce first to your LO? My LO is always trying to grab at my food and at the spoon when I feed him and I'm just curious when a good time to give him finger foods would be.

richdog

Our pediatrician hasn't mentioned it yet, so I'm not sure. I did read some articles about letting your LO lead in what he is ready to eat. Keep in mind, anything he eats needs to be soft and nothing he could choke on. Check out this page: https://www.babycenter.com/0_foods-that-can-be-unsafe-for-your-baby_9195.bc  and this one: https://www.babycenter.com/baby-solid-feeding-basics   Also, we have a Munchkin mesh baby feeder. You can put large pieces of soft food in it and LO can only ingest bits small enough to come through the holes as he chews. I would do soft fruits and veggies that he has already eaten in pureed form.  Hope it helps! 

SMac2013

We tried the Gerber puffs. Our pediatrician recommended them. there more for practice than eating. Every now and then he picks one up with his pointer and thumb and will put it in his mouth and I clap and say yay! But most of the time he just smacks them and they stick to his hands. It's cute! I have his sippy cup of water by him though because I don't think they dissolve fast enough and I'm paranoid they might get stuck somewhere in his mouth.

cherylmhedden

I started finger foods a few weeks after 6 months...only because my lo didn't like the purees.  We are doing baby led solids with her, and it's been fantastic!  I steam finger length veggies, give small amounts of cereal, and recently started to give her whatever (within allergy and choking guidelines) is on my plate.  Of course I dont leave her side when she eats, and I always make sure she has some water/milk to drink with her food.  Good Luck!!

KD32412

I started with the gerber puffs also. At around 8 months you can try plain Cheerios. I sometimes offer my LO softened carrots, noodles, or peas. Like PP said, always supervise during eating.

Pumpkin91407

When you first gave lo's solid did they gag a lot? My lo is 7.5m and doing great on stage 1 and 2 baby food and I bought some puffs to try him on I broke off little pieces to give him first and as soon as it's on his tongue he starts making gag sounds so I have to try to get it out of his mouth before he throws up. Is there any way to help him learn to mush/chew or just keep waiting and trying again in a week or 2?

KD32412

Pumpkin91407 said:

When you first gave lo's solid did they gag a lot? My lo is 7.5m and doing great on stage 1 and 2 baby food and I bought some puffs to try him on I broke off little pieces to give him first and as soon as it's on his tongue he starts making gag sounds so I have to try to get it out of his mouth before he throws up. Is there any way to help him learn to mush/chew or just keep waiting and trying again in a week or 2?

Both my kids gagged when trying ANY new texture. Thicker rice cereal, banana, puffs, and green bean purée made both of them gag. I try to introduce "new" foods on an empty stomach, so if they do gag, the chance of them throwing up is lessened. Also, like PP mentioned, have a glass of water close by! Good luck

crsanchez87

I also just introduced puffs to DS last night, He made a weird face and then kept on chomping LOL. He got the majority of them on the floor, which the dog loved. He only really got a few into his mouth but I think giving him the experience to try new things is good.

cherylmhedden

Yes, gagging is normal to an extent. Choking is very different than gagging and is not normal. I always watch my lo eat and don't freak out when she gags a little bit, because I don't want to make her scared. She usually only does it if it's a new food and she is getting used to it. Never had a problem.

crsanchez87

I gave LO roasted veggies in small chunks yesterday rather than pureed. He loved them. I also gave him little bits of chicken to munch on and he seemed to prefer the solids in small chunks rather than pureed, I had some roasted carrots and he grabbed one and just gummed it down right off my plate. I don't know a lot about baby led weaning but it seems like my little guy is all about it haha. I will still continue with the purees I am making but I think  I will feel a lot more confident throwing in some little bits off my own plate from now on.   

JaminyCricket730

We've been doing finger foods for a few weeks now. I usually do it as a snack or after her purées because I want to make sure she's getting enough to eat. I started with Gerber yogurt melts and now we've been trying other things such as Gerber puffs, avocados, steamed peas, bananas, and shredded cheese. She loves them all but gets frustrated at the bananas and avocados because they are slippery and hard to grab. It's fun to try new things though!