Finger Foods

I would like for my girls to start learning how to eat finger foods. I need to know some to start out with so they can practice. I have a big fear of them choking and it just really scares me but I do know that they are going to have to learn sometime. I keep thinking of all the things that are going to need to be accomphlished in the next 3 to 4 months and I get a little stessed about it. The whole eating thing is horrible. This weekend I am going to start giving them their second meal of the day finally. I guess I have issues but if I introduce a second and 3rd meal my mil with have to feed it to them and I guess I am just selfish because that is one of the few things right now that I can do with my babies all by myself(I work fulltime & in laws babysit for me). How in the world do I get them off of 4 bottles a day and drink out of sippies and learn to eat enough in the next 4 months to keep gaining weight? OK now I am starting to scare myself. Thanks ladies

 

Gosh, you sound like me! I'm not far ahead of you. The first finger food we introduced were Puffs. Be prepared for some gagging and coughing ... it totally scared me! But they were fine. We started introducing them after their solids. So they would eat their normal meal, then have some puffs. Now they are totally used to them. Same with cheerios. The only other finger foods I've done are those biter biscuits (which make a royal mess!), little pieces of fruit, little pieces of cheese, rolled up cold cuts and they tried pizza. They didn't love that.

I just started the 3rd meal at 10 months ... and at the same time we dropped a bottle. I introduced the sippy cup around 7 months or so, and for a while it was a play thing, but not they are really starting to drink from it. My pedi told me she wanted them off baby food by one year. And that was an overwhelming thing for me. Working full time, I can't imagine when I'm going to have time to make myself dinner, much less them. I find it easier to open up the baby food containers. So I'm trying not to stress about it. I figure all kids eventually learn how to eat and switch to all table foods, some moms just do it faster than others. Go at your own pace, figure out what works for your family, and good luck!

 

mine love graham crackers. They disolve in their mouth is they just suck on them so I have had very little gagging

 

We started with Puffs & Cheerios. I, too, was nervous, but they did just fine! An occasional gag or cough, but no choking!

I look forward to the day that they can feed themselves. Right now they just push the Puffs around on their tray & knock them to the floor .

Try not to stress! You have plenty of time to get your little ones taking in enough to get off the bottle. It'll all work out...it always does!

 

I actually started the boys on the little jars of diced baby fruit first. We started with peaches because it was so soft when they picked them up and put them in their mouth they just sort of slid down. After that I did the diced apples and then the puffs, cheerios and goldfish.

 

I remember feeling the same sense of worry with my ds. At 9months the doctor told me to cut back on nursing sessions and I thought it would be impossible. She said don't offer it wait for him to ask. And he did! I could tell when he was hungry rather than feeding him on his regular 3 hour schedule. He naturally dropped feedings as his food intake increased. It worked out well and it will for your wee ones, too!!

 

Oooo! We just started finger foods and I love it! We've been dong puffs for a while, so they have some "chewing" experiences but we just started foods. We're doing avocado and sweet potato chunks. It's going really well! They're really smushy, so if they "chew" at all they'll have no problems. I just wrapped the sweet potatoes in foil and baked them. Avocado takes no prep. I find that if I smash it a bit with my fingers, they do even better. We also did peas tonight and that went well.

Oh, and a tip for slippery foods that I picked up-- grind up cheerios or puffs or wheat germ and coat slippery things in it. It makes it easier for them to pick up.

 

Ditto on the puffs for our two, and they LOVE the little cheese puffs that Gerber makes. I started out biting them in half, but now they manage just fine.

They also love meats - especially chicken and deli turkey meat. I just make sure the pieces are super tender and small, and they just gum away at them.

Good Luck!
Suzi

 

Jack and Lily are both refusing the spoon fed baby food and are now totally on table foods. I have no idea if this is okay or not (8.5 months) but there really is nothing I can do about it so, onward we go:

cheerios
cut up fruits - banana, peach, cantaloupe (Lily's fav), any melons
veggie soup drained for the veggies and potatoes
mixed veggies (carrots, corn, peas, green beans)
waffles/pancakes
egg yolk
graham crackers
apples slices in the mesh feeder
bread/toast
mac n cheese
turkey and ham (lunchmeat)
roasted chicken cut up small
turkey meatballs that I made but they did not LOVE mom's cooking
***the mesh feeders are great and whenever we go out to eat we just stuff them with the bread from the restaurant or a biter biscuit or a slice of apple and it buys us a bit of time!

Amy