pears for finger foods

evanzmom11 · May 2012

This might be a dumb question but I've never really eaten fresh pears, only canned ones before. What do you do to prepare pears as a finger food for baby? DS is almost 10 months and I'm trying to move away from purees. I just want to make sure their safely prepared for him. TIA!

memali26 · May 2012

If they are really ripe they'll be soft enough to just peel, slice and eat. If they are firmer, you can slice them and steam them for just a few minutes to soften them up.

yougrindmygears · May 2012

Ditto the pp about the soft pears. If they are firm you can also shred them with a cheese grater. Same with apples.

memali26 · May 2012

yougrindmygears:
Ditto the pp about the soft pears. If they are firm you can also shred them with a cheese grater. Same with apples.

DD1 loved shredded apples. Messy, but a great finger food

tokenhoser · May 2012

I don't peel pears. I just cut them off the core and hand over fairly big slices. Or if I'm feeling like dinner and a show, I take a bite out of it to get it started and just hand it over.

clineak · May 2012

tokenhoser:
I don't peel pears. I just cut them off the core and hand over fairly big slices. Or if I'm feeling like dinner and a show, I take a bite out of it to get it started and just hand it over.

I don't peel my pears either. I cut them in half, remove the seeds, and cut it into a chunk. DD loves it!

akayf · May 2012

I just hand him a really ripe, soft pear and let him go to town. He devours it. But it is a HUGE mess.

Snapdragon750 · May 2012

If they're ripe (and heck, even if they're not!) the skin will be basically as soft as the flesh, so don't peel them unless you like extra work for no reason. Bonus: Leaving the skin on makes it easier for LO to pick up! Just wash, cut, and you're good.

I've heard people say they just give a whole pear to their baby and let them dig in, but my LO wouldn't know what the heck to do with it so I cut it up.

Epiphany27 · May 2012

In a pinch I've microwaved firm fruits for just a few seconds to soften them.

lisamoe · May 2012

Dole makes some diced pears in 100%juice. If I'm in a pinch or have no more fresh fruit before grocery day, I use these. I do rinse them well before giving too.