BLWers - how do you intro cheese? and how small to avoid choking?

sweetkakes419

We're not doing BLW, but I know you will have some answers here.  Pedi said we could start cheese at DS's 6 month appt, but we still haven't because I just don't know how.  This is my first LO, so I'm terrified of him choking.  As far as I'm concerned, he could be on baby food forever just because of that!

So what cheese did you introduce first, and how did you do it?  I was thinking of mozzarella or muenster since they're soft, and making it into very small pieces.

And while I'm at it, what is the rule for how small bites of food need to be in order to not be a choking hazard?

TIA!

Mystery2B

The first cheese I introduced was string cheese, I'd "string" it to a strip about 1/5 of the string cheese diameter and break it in half length wise so there was something for her to hold and still nosh on it. Loved it.

In all the solid foods we have given C she has NEVER choked. She gagged on the rice cereal (but gagging is not the same as choking), but since the solids she can cough and clear easier we don't even get gagging generally (or really anymore at all).

Do you want him to feed it to himself? If so small pieces aren't going to work. If you're going to feed it to him then muenster, jack (C really likes pepperjack), etc would be fine. C doesn't like fresh mozzerella - I think it's too bland for her. 

sweetkakes419

The string cheese is such a great idea!  Thanks!  I might try something similar with strips of muenster slices too, because that's a staple in our house.

I guess I just get so nervous because all the puffs, etc. say not to give to baby until they start to develop the pincer grasp, but how else do they develop it unless you give them small things to practice picking up?  Seems like such a catch 22 to me, but then again I'm probably overthinking it.

GypsyEsq

String cheese but also shredded cheese were both "first" cheeses in our house.  Also we gave puffs and yogurt melts to develop the pincer grasp.  I will tell you that now DD eats slices of cheese often and they get mushed in her fingers really easily and frustrate her -- that's the only concern I might have with strips of muenster slices.  It's like the sliced cheese almost melts in their grip whereas string cheese and shreds do not.  Bonus, with the shreds it keeps her very busy while I'm putting our dinner together.

shortstuff15

I'm not fully doing BLW either, but we have introduced cheese.  We just cut it up into small pieces (like think really small) and put it on her tray.  We had done cheerios before that, so she had some help in practicing her pincher grasp and got it quite quickly.  Now we cut the cheese (and we just use yellow cheddar) into pieces about the size of her fingernails and she is fine.  She's never choked on them.

Harper'smom

I've never given cheese much thought since DD can't have it but the first thing that comes to mind is shredding.

KatieTheMagnificent

We give holdable pieces.  I've given Ari mozzarella (string cheese), torn in half (length-wise).  We don't consume a lot of dairy, though.

My toddler loved shredded cheese when he was a little guy, which is always an option. 

jen5-03

I didn't really do BLW, but DS never really liked purees, so I moved to table foods quite early. I give him shredded cheese. Or cut into pea sized chunks. I know he can swallow a pea without choking, so that's my default size.

Oh, and he's never choked. Gagged on one or two things, but that's not choking. DD never choked on anything until she was 2.5yo (uncut grapes that my MIL had *just* admonished me about)

At 8mo, I bet he can pick things up pretty well. Toss some puffs down and see what he does with them.