Finger foods

nezwee · February 2012

Since I didn't have much luck on 6-9mo board, I guess I'll ask here.

I'm having a really hard time getting DD to eat finger foods. She'll eat puffs, cheerios, yogurt melts, bananas, and string cheese like its her job, but when it comes to anything else she won't even try it. Now she isn't eating puree's at dinner either. She has no problem with puree's at DC.

Do I just give her those items for dinner or keep trying on the other things (sweet potatoes, green beans, etc.)? Am I stressing over nothing and she'll just start eating other things when she is ready?

FWIW, we did go through a hunger strike a few weeks ago since she had a double ear infection, but this is not the same.

Matildasun · February 2012

When we were starting food I read somewhere that it takes over 20 times to develop a preference or dislike for something, so I just kept trying things over and over and eventually she would eat them.

SarahKate31 · February 2012

We are in the same boat, sort of. He could eat puffs all day, but is iffy on anything else we give him. He'll usually eat out of our hands but rarely tries to pick anything up (but of course he picks up any other non-food objects and tries to eat those). Yesterday was a total strike on purees at every meal, even at daycare which usually isn't a problem. Sorry to hijack, but I'm curious about this too!

nezwee · February 2012

SarahKate31:
We are in the same boat, sort of. He could eat puffs all day, but is iffy on anything else we give him. He'll usually eat out of our hands but rarely tries to pick anything up (but of course he picks up any other non-food objects and tries to eat those). Yesterday was a total strike on purees at every meal, even at daycare which usually isn't a problem. Sorry to hijack, but I'm curious about this too!

Hijack all you want! We are always in the same boat!!

Mella&T · February 2012

I won't be much help but I wanted to empathize. We're having a lot of trouble with solids in general. Bailey will not take anything from a spoon and never has. Miss Independent likes to hold the spoon herself. So, sometimes if I am feeling adventurous (ie feel like a major clean up) I'll load up the spoon and have her go at it. She'll get some in so it can be worth it. We have been doing baby-led weaning since 7 months. We give her pretty much anything we're eating. So, to somewhat answer your question, try giving Mallory anything you're eating (using caution against nuts, extra spicy stuff, honey, etc). Just cut it up into small bite size pieces and see what she likes. Bailey doesn't eat all that much (except for puffs which she could down a whole can if we let her) and I worry that she'll never get it, but I know that's crazy and with time, she will. GL!

nezwee · February 2012

Mella&T:
I won't be much help but I wanted to empathize. We're having a lot of trouble with solids in general. Bailey will not take anything from a spoon and never has. Miss Independent likes to hold the spoon herself. So, sometimes if I am feeling adventurous (ie feel like a major clean up) I'll load up the spoon and have her go at it. She'll get some in so it can be worth it. We have been doing baby-led weaning since 7 months. We give her pretty much anything we're eating. So, to somewhat answer your question, try giving Mallory anything you're eating (using caution against nuts, extra spicy stuff, honey, etc). Just cut it up into small bite size pieces and see what she likes. Bailey doesn't eat all that much (except for puffs which she could down a whole can if we let her) and I worry that she'll never get it, but I know that's crazy and with time, she will. GL!

I've given her bits and pieces of things we eat, but I'm concerned with food allergies. Do you follow the same food for 3-4days still? We rarely have the same thing 3-4 days straight, though one would think that if she is allergic to something it would show up pretty quick.

LWilli35 · February 2012

Since Bobby had oral aversions due to being intubated for so long (still doesn't want anything in the roof of his mouth), we had quite an adventure with solids. He wouldn't let a spoon near his mouth at all for a while, so we started purees with paci dips. We'd scoop up as much food as we could with his paci and pop it in. Messy, yes, but effective. We've always offered bits of what we're eating (which is probably why he's (I think) one of the best 2 year old eaters ever with fave foods like smoked salmon, tikka masala, and brussel sprouts), but texture was/is sometimes an issue. If she eats the same in puree but not in finger foods, I'd imagine it's a texture thing. I'd make a rougher puree to get her used to the texture and then move up from there. The key is to keep offering though...she'll eventually get the hang of it and accept different things.

KathrynMD · February 2012

We did a modified Baby Led Weaning - and basically just gave DD very soft versions of whatever we were eating and a big enough piece so she could hold it. I hated purees so I didn't do them very long. Steamed carrots, melon, green beans, meatballs (turkey and beef), egg noddles or penne (w/ a little butter and cheese), chunks of grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, cheese ravioli, beans and rice, rice cakes, toast/waffles, chopped deli meats,etc. We just set down a few things and let her go to it - we didn't stop and wipe her mouth/face/hands constantly. I would put a spoon down just so she could see it/use it/try to use it if she wanted.

Unless you have a history of food allergies in your family, I wouldn't worry too much about spacing each new food out. We did that for maybe the first month of eating and then after that, we didn't worry unless it was a highly allergic food like peanuts, shell fish, etc.

idonthavethis · February 2012

KathrynMD:

We did a modified Baby Led Weaning - and basically just gave DD very soft versions of whatever we were eating and a big enough piece so she could hold it. I hated purees so I didn't do them very long. Steamed carrots, melon, green beans, meatballs (turkey and beef), egg noddles or penne (w/ a little butter and cheese), chunks of grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, cheese ravioli, beans and rice, rice cakes, toast/waffles, chopped deli meats,etc. We just set down a few things and let her go to it - we didn't stop and wipe her mouth/face/hands constantly. I would put a spoon down just so she could see it/use it/try to use it if she wanted.

Unless you have a history of food allergies in your family, I wouldn't worry too much about spacing each new food out. We did that for maybe the first month of eating and then after that, we didn't worry unless it was a highly allergic food like peanuts, shell fish, etc.

Another highjacker--when did you start giving her smaller pieces of food?

KathrynMD · February 2012

idonthavethis:
KathrynMD:

We did a modified Baby Led Weaning - and basically just gave DD very soft versions of whatever we were eating and a big enough piece so she could hold it. I hated purees so I didn't do them very long. Steamed carrots, melon, green beans, meatballs (turkey and beef), egg noddles or penne (w/ a little butter and cheese), chunks of grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, cheese ravioli, beans and rice, rice cakes, toast/waffles, chopped deli meats,etc. We just set down a few things and let her go to it - we didn't stop and wipe her mouth/face/hands constantly. I would put a spoon down just so she could see it/use it/try to use it if she wanted.

Unless you have a history of food allergies in your family, I wouldn't worry too much about spacing each new food out. We did that for maybe the first month of eating and then after that, we didn't worry unless it was a highly allergic food like peanuts, shell fish, etc.

Another highjacker--when did you start giving her smaller pieces of food?

Never? We still give her pretty big pieces of food to eat, I very rarely cut her food up. If something is really big - waffle, slice of pizza, I'll tear it into smaller pieces for her, but I don't cut anything into small bites unless its tough to chew - like steak or porkchops. Her table manners are nothing to write home about, but she eats well at the table with us and is very independent. The manners will come I assume. She only eats w/ silverware probably 50% of the time, which bothers my mom (and MIL) but we are OK with it for now, I offer them most of the time. If she was 6 still eating like this, I'd be embarrased, but for now, I'm OK with.

idonthavethis · February 2012

KathrynMD:
idonthavethis:
KathrynMD:

We did a modified Baby Led Weaning - and basically just gave DD very soft versions of whatever we were eating and a big enough piece so she could hold it. I hated purees so I didn't do them very long. Steamed carrots, melon, green beans, meatballs (turkey and beef), egg noddles or penne (w/ a little butter and cheese), chunks of grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, cheese ravioli, beans and rice, rice cakes, toast/waffles, chopped deli meats,etc. We just set down a few things and let her go to it - we didn't stop and wipe her mouth/face/hands constantly. I would put a spoon down just so she could see it/use it/try to use it if she wanted.

Unless you have a history of food allergies in your family, I wouldn't worry too much about spacing each new food out. We did that for maybe the first month of eating and then after that, we didn't worry unless it was a highly allergic food like peanuts, shell fish, etc.

Another highjacker--when did you start giving her smaller pieces of food?

Never? We still give her pretty big pieces of food to eat, I very rarely cut her food up. If something is really big - waffle, slice of pizza, I'll tear it into smaller pieces for her, but I don't cut anything into small bites unless its tough to chew - like steak or porkchops. Her table manners are nothing to write home about, but she eats well at the table with us and is very independent. The manners will come I assume. She only eats w/ silverware probably 50% of the time, which bothers my mom (and MIL) but we are OK with it for now, I offer them most of the time. If she was 6 still eating like this, I'd be embarrased, but for now, I'm OK with.

Well scrambled eggs and noodles aren't bigger chunks that they can hold on to--they are smaller pieces (unlike the chunks of sweet potato that they can hold in their fist).

SarahKate31 · February 2012

I gave DS a round of squash and he shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Just how big of a piece of food do I need to give him so he doesn't do that? I'm dicing food right now, but I think it's too small for him to pick up.

nezwee · February 2012

I usually don't go smaller than a cheerio. I've given her bits of scrambled egg, but she took that off my finger. When I give her banana's, I slice and then quarter the slice. I was cutting the slice into 8th's but she had a harder time picking them up.

KathrynMD · February 2012

LoveLossHopeRepeat:
KathrynMD:

We did a modified Baby Led Weaning - and basically just gave DD very soft versions of whatever we were eating and a big enough piece so she could hold it.

At what age did you start your BLW, roughly?

we started solids (purees) right before 6 months and did them for about a month and then I started doing more BLW w/ the purees for a few weeks and then just stopped doing purees - so maybe 7 months?

KathrynMD · February 2012

idonthavethis:

Well scrambled eggs and noodles aren't bigger chunks that they can hold on to--they are smaller pieces (unlike the chunks of sweet potato that they can hold in their fist).

Right - but they're big enough for her to hold in her fist which is the whole idea.

KathrynMD · February 2012

nezwee:
I usually don't go smaller than a cheerio. I've given her bits of scrambled egg, but she took that off my finger. When I give her banana's, I slice and then quarter the slice. I was cutting the slice into 8th's but she had a harder time picking them up.

try doing it in "sticks" - so slice it once lenghtwise and then either in half or thirds depending on how big the banana is.

nezwee · February 2012

KathrynMD:
nezwee:
I usually don't go smaller than a cheerio. I've given her bits of scrambled egg, but she took that off my finger. When I give her banana's, I slice and then quarter the slice. I was cutting the slice into 8th's but she had a harder time picking them up.

try doing it in "sticks" - so slice it once lenghtwise and then either in half or thirds depending on how big the banana is.

Oh, we have no problem with bananas. She gobbles those up. But I am going to try "sticks" with some sweet potatoes and zucchini this weekend.

Mella&T · February 2012

nezwee:
Mella&T:
I won't be much help but I wanted to empathize. We're having a lot of trouble with solids in general. Bailey will not take anything from a spoon and never has. Miss Independent likes to hold the spoon herself. So, sometimes if I am feeling adventurous (ie feel like a major clean up) I'll load up the spoon and have her go at it. She'll get some in so it can be worth it. We have been doing baby-led weaning since 7 months. We give her pretty much anything we're eating. So, to somewhat answer your question, try giving Mallory anything you're eating (using caution against nuts, extra spicy stuff, honey, etc). Just cut it up into small bite size pieces and see what she likes. Bailey doesn't eat all that much (except for puffs which she could down a whole can if we let her) and I worry that she'll never get it, but I know that's crazy and with time, she will. GL!
I've given her bits and pieces of things we eat, but I'm concerned with food allergies. Do you follow the same food for 3-4days still? We rarely have the same thing 3-4 days straight, though one would think that if she is allergic to something it would show up pretty quick.

We have kinda thrown the whole 3-4 day wait logic out the window. We are not prone to food allergies and just keep an eye on B to look out for any reactions. We're giving her pretty much anything.

SarahKate31 · February 2012

Mella&T:
nezwee:
Mella&T:
I won't be much help but I wanted to empathize. We're having a lot of trouble with solids in general. Bailey will not take anything from a spoon and never has. Miss Independent likes to hold the spoon herself. So, sometimes if I am feeling adventurous (ie feel like a major clean up) I'll load up the spoon and have her go at it. She'll get some in so it can be worth it. We have been doing baby-led weaning since 7 months. We give her pretty much anything we're eating. So, to somewhat answer your question, try giving Mallory anything you're eating (using caution against nuts, extra spicy stuff, honey, etc). Just cut it up into small bite size pieces and see what she likes. Bailey doesn't eat all that much (except for puffs which she could down a whole can if we let her) and I worry that she'll never get it, but I know that's crazy and with time, she will. GL!
I've given her bits and pieces of things we eat, but I'm concerned with food allergies. Do you follow the same food for 3-4days still? We rarely have the same thing 3-4 days straight, though one would think that if she is allergic to something it would show up pretty quick.
We have kinda thrown the whole 3-4 day wait logic out the window. We are not prone to food allergies and just keep an eye on B to look out for any reactions. We're giving her pretty much anything.

Yes I want to do this. The waiting 3-4 day thing is getting annoying.

madladybride · February 2012

We've also done BLW like Kathryn. Generally, we give DD sticks of food, unless the food can't be cut into sticks, i.e. peas, eggs. Then we give small bits, i.e. small enough that if she can't chew it and swallows it whole, she won't choke. DD still has no teeth. DD HATES being spoon fed and will feed herself. It's messy, but it works. Last night for dinner we had lasagna with broccoli (the broccoli was REALLY soft).

We don't have food allergies, so we don't do the 4 day rule, or rather, we abandoned that around 9 months. DD didn't really show an interest in solid food until about 6mos and we started with sweet potato and avocado.

We have to be a bit more careful since she lacks teeth, but we have given her pasta with sauce, sweet potato, squash (acorn and butternut), ritz-type crackers (she sucks on them until they turn mushy. I was eating one and she took it right out of my hand to eat!), cheerios, dried strawberries, dried blueberries, chunks of cheese, broccoli (well cooked), apples softened in the microwave, Beans, rice, couscous, quinoa, well cooked brussel sprouts with olive oil and red pepper, pizza crusts and pizza, bread, toast, oatmeal, peaches, pears.

camdenfaithful · February 2012

The main readiness cue for BLW is they need to be able to sit up unassisted. we started around 5 months giving DD things like rice cakes and toast while we held her because while she wasn't sitting up on her own she does have really good control of her body.

Now we just put her in her high chair and give her whatever we happen to be eating. We are still introducing foods slowly to her but she loves it.

One thing that helped us in the beginning was feeding her a bite of it, pulling away, and watching if she showed interest. If she does we hand it back to her and let her go to town.

And ditto Kathryn's rec for finger shaped pieces. They need to be able to hold onto the food and if it's too small they just aren't able to do so.

Blw can be a little unnerving especially when they gag but it's also amazing to watch how quickly they catch on.

camdenfaithful · February 2012

Dani if you lurk on the AP board they talk about it there and you can get good advice. Sure it comes up on the 6-9 boards too but I don't frequent the larger national boards.

I also have the BLW book if you'd like to borrow it. It's slightly militant in their anti pur?e stance but it's a really great resource and just makes the whole thing seem easy and natural - which it is!!

idonthavethis · February 2012

LoveLossHopeRepeat:

All the BLW stuff is interesting to me, and I may do it with this one. I hated the purees. They're gross and expensive and yeah, I could make my own, but I don't feel like it. I'm leaning toward skipping it and doing the BLW stuff, but I admit I haven't really looked into it. I'm lazy. I'd rather ask my Bump board. Ha!

If it wasn't for the girls on here, I wouldn't even know about it. I love my Balto Bump girls!

I didn't do it for the other two so this is a first for me with Faith. I love it so far.

SnoopyLuv · February 2012

I just ordered a reusable pouch called a Sili Squeeze that LO loves. She won't eat veggies, but will eat anything else.

At this point, food is just for experimenting. I wouldn't worry about how much she's taking in.

This is my favorite BLW blog:

https://baby-led-solids.blogspot.com/

It worked fantastically for us. Variety is key. J loves mandarin oranges, sweet potato baked fries, meatballs. lots of things, except veggies (which she used to eat and love, ugh!)

jnealet · February 2012

We pretty much did what Kathryn did, except we never cut a banana long ways - mostly because I never thought of it.

D1 was on purees for less than 6 weeks, they constipated her like no tomorrow even when I took out the grains. So we went to overcooked foods. We started with broccoli, which was a fantastic way to get her to poop! We abandanded the 3-4 day rule pretty fast and just as fast started giving her things off of our plates. We held of on meats until she was 9 months old and I honestly think it was a mistake to wait that long because we struggle to get her to eat meat still.

We didn't worry that she didn't have any teeth, she could still smash everything with her gums. And we gave her spicy foods and she loved them up until about 2 years old, then everything was "picy".

We let her make a mess, there was a long period of time where she would get a bath daily because she had food all over her. We would take her shirt off before dinner and let her go to town,then straight to the bath afterwards.

And we would let her try everything. There were nights when all she ate were condiments, mostly nights when DH wasn't home and I had to figure out dinner on our own. No, it wasn't all condiments I would add some cheese in there but she would eat katchup, mustard, sour cream and hummus to her hearts content. On a funny note, everyone would make fun of my condiment nights, DH included. On my first business trip, DH learned a new respect for condiment nights. He was sure he could upstage me and started cooking chicken and pasta for dinner. He gave D1 some hummus and brought her highchair into the kitchen. Well, he didn't pay close enough attention to her and he had given her chipotle hummus,which she happily ate. But then, she rubbed her eyes with her hummus hands and all hell broke loose. D1 ended up with a bath and an easy dinner and DH ate his chicken and pasta at 9pm, after D1 was in bed.

So long post short - have fun with food, let your lo explore and try new things. Put whatever you're eating on the highchair tray. Like pp, D1 will eat a crazy array of foods, I've actually had to try new veggies to keep up with her. What she isn't a big fan of is french fries and chicken nuggets but I think we can learn to live with that.

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