Finger foods and meats

intdesigner925

 Im trying to figure out some finger foods/snacks I can give my LO as I would like her to get into the habit of finger feeding herself. She gags every time I give her baby puffs and I even break them apart but she still gags. I dont know if its the texture and that they dont dissolve fast enough or if its the taste that she hates. I give her Plum Organics super yellows. I want to try yogurt melts. Do they dissolve quicker than baby puffs? And would these be okay for infants that still have no teeth? Brand recommendations welcome as well.

 Which leads me to my next point, DD still has no teeth but I would like to introduce meats soon. I absolutely hate the idea of giving her pureed meat but would that be my only option considering that she has no teeth ?

bigbear

You'd be surprised what they can chew down with their gums

My DD has no teeth either and I give her puffs (Gerber apple/strawberry and sweet potato) and I also give her little chunks of steamed carrots, bananas, and yes meats, too! She chews them down with no problems at all! She's had fish, chicken and beef so far. If you are still worried about chunky food you can always get ground meats. Then it's just a bit chunky. But long story short, they don't need to have teeth to chew up some chunks of food.

Oh and when I give her meat it's usually crockpot cooked so it's very very soft.

HTH!

miragetdp

I would say that if she's gagging on anything, even puffs, she may just not be ready yet. Give her a week and then try again. No need to rush.

twigmommy

I want to start with some finger foods for my DD soon and am not sure what yet. Right now she's on stage 2 puree. I do let her practice with the spoon, and she's gotten some in her mouth that way. She reaches for the puree, I think she wants to feed herself.

namara5532

DS's first finger food was the meat of squash.  It's soft enough that it doesn't need much chewing in the first place.  He also enjoys fresh avocado and banana.  I can't give you brand recommendations as we don't give him processed stuff (for now anyway, don't know how long we'll keep that up).  I'd suggest making it as soft as you can (watered down if you must), plop some food on the highchair tray, and don't worry about the mess.  Your LO will probably suck it all down at first out of their fist.  When LO is chewing before swallowing, you can give them thicker foods.

As for meat, I take chicken and shred it into small pieces.  He's not proficient at eating big pieces yet, but he likes the taste.

talitha712

DD is just getting her first tooth. You would be surprised what they can manage with no teeth! DD has had peaches, broccoli, green beans, carrots, mango, pickles, plum, banana, pear, beef brisket, and lots of other things. Just steam veggies until they're soft or cook meat until it is really tender and let LO have at it. Most fruits are soft enough on their own.

talitha712

DD is just getting her first tooth. You would be surprised what they can manage with no teeth! DD has had peaches, broccoli, green beans, carrots, mango, pickles, plum, banana, pear, beef brisket, and lots of other things. Just steam veggies until they're soft or cook meat until it is really tender and let LO have at it. Most fruits are soft enough on their own.

Gagging is normal until babies figure out chewing and swallowing, especially with different textures.

lp0

I've been giving ds yogurt melts for over a month now and he does well with them. I think they dissolve about the same as puffs. Mum mums dissolve a bit faster and since they are big they could gum them a little better. I've also started breaking bits of American cheese up in tiny squares and he eats those on his own.

mscarmenhawkes

i given my little some pureed meat it looked so nasty so i haven't really since. but i have given my no teeth child cheerios and bananas and sweet potatoes, and the gerber snacks. she does the same thing gags but it doesn't stop her lol. i just try to make sure its smashed enough to practice chewing and still eating without mommy having a heart attack.