How can i get my 9 month old to pick food up?

Vik9

So apparently according to our pediatrician i should have been giving my son solids that he can pick up a while ago. I had no idea and have just been giving him home made solids that i feed him. I mentioned to the pediatrician at his 9 month check up that he really does not like to pick up anything that is mushy and really has only tried teething crackers that i break into pieces, shredded cheese and occasionally tiny pieces of chicken. I'm a little surprised by her reaction because i only recently started introducing him to foods that he can pick up and his top teeth just recently came out so he cant really chew that well. I have tried giving him various fruits and vegetables such as bananas, avocados, zucchini cut into tiny pieces but he wont pick it up or if i put it in his mouth he starts to freak out and choke. Anything i can do to help him? suggestions?

SmrBrd2012

I wouldn't worry too much about it. He'll get there and in the meantime, you're still giving him the nutrition he needs. I'm guessing the ped made a big deal about it because baby needs to start learning fine motor skills of self feeding? I don't know...Have you tried peas or beans? My LO loves those and they are good for practicing self-feeding/pincer grip. Or those little dissolvable puff things. My guy didn't like to pick up bananas and mushy stuff either but then one day a switch went off and he decided he loved to pick up and eat bananas.

christina4436

You are doing perfect that's basically all the finger food we do and just started around 9-9.5 months. We started with her practicing picking up with the puffs cause they are easy. Ped said that is fine. Sometimes she will pick up stuff on her own and sometimes I feed her it. 

emilyalso

We have had good luck with black eyed peas. They're small enough that he won't choke on them, and they hold together pretty well in case he tries to give them a mash. 

I've read that food is a great motivator, so if you keep giving your LO opportunities to pick things up, he'll catch on when he's ready.  

Ceridwen77

You can dust mushy food in oatmeal cereal, or another grain cereal to make it easier to pickup. Lastly, baby doesn't need teeth to eat these foods. They use their gums to mash until their molars come in many months down the road. You don't chew your food with your front teeth and neither do babies. 

LauraMarie1987

I cut my bananas into slices and freeze them because my lo is teething. Also makes it easier to pick up. Also those Gerber dissolve cheese puffs

TwizBeans

Don't stress this at all. Just keep offering small finger foods and he'll get the hang of it.

amp61470

Gerber crunchies are great for helping them learn to feed themselves. The micro-human loves them and usually has on in each hand. It's about developing the pincer grasp with finger and thumb rather than scooping things up with their palms. 

AmoLovesAud

Just keep trying.  Even if it seems like LO is only mashing and playing with their food, the gears are turning and they're figuring it out.

DD refused the spoon at about 6.5 months, we've been doing finger foods since.  At 8.5 months she's still in the scoop and shovel phase, but more gets in than it used to, and I can see the pincer grasp starting a little.

Our current menu:
Frozen peas
Carrots, diced into tiny pieces and steamed
Well-steamed green beans
Cucumber and celery strips, kept in the freezer for teething episodes.
Diced soft fruit (Kiddo loooooooves watermelon!)
Avacado
Whole wheat toast, cut into 'fingers'.  You can spread on mashed fruit, purées, or cream cheese
Whole wheat pasta, cut into small pieces
Hard boiled egg yoke
Canned beans (get a BPA free can, no salt added brand like Eden Organic, and rinse well)
Baby mum-mums (you can spread puree or cream cheese on these, too!)
Of course, packaged 'puffs' and yogurt drops.  Sugar is surprisingly high up on the list of ingredients for a baby food, so these are an occasional treat, and good for snack time outside the house.

Tofu cubes, homemade hummus, and zucchini muffins are next on our list to try.  Maybe broccoli too, but I'm worried about gas bothering her (we learned, no beans for dinner if you want decent sleep!)

stephanienjer

Do you think maybe the pieces are too small? He may not have his pincer abilities quite yet. We've been giving our LO table food since she turned 6 months, and she still struggles if something is too small. (Blueberries, puffs, bits of ground beef, scrambled eggs, etc.) It just makes her mad. She really thrives when we give her something big that is too big or solid to choke on. Things like cucumber spears cut to stick just slightly past her fist, or carrot sticks broken in half. She loves a good pork chop or fajita steak strip. Again, we just make sure she isn't going to take a big hunk off of it. When we give her a softer food, like melon or strawberries, I just monitor her, and as pieces that could pose a hazard start to come loose, I just pull them off. As you can see, she is all about the bigger the better! 

schweitz

My son has difficulty picking up slimy foods like cooked veggies and stuff so I bought him the HappyBaby gluten free organic puffs. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and loves to feed himself with them now. I had to work him up to eating thicker baby food and like chunky stuff. They don't like texture at first so you need to transition them slowly because it can freak them out lol.