Baby doesn't like finger foods :(

[poppety123]

Hi everyone,
I have a beautiful 6 month old little girl who I have been weaning for the last 6-8 weeks.
She eats 3 meals a day, has 3-4 breastfeeds and a bottle of formula at bedtime.
Her meals are;
Breakfast - Porridge + 1oz fruit purée mixed
Lunch - 4oz purée veg, usually 3 mixed together
Dinner - 4oz purée veg, usually 3 mixed together plus 2oz purée fruit mixed with porridge

She happily drinks water with her meals and eats beautifully from a spoon.
She took to food immediately so I know I started her at the right time, however she isn't keen on finger foods or attempting to feed herself. Im not a fan of purely baby led weaning, I knew a baby who choked to death, However I do offer my daughter bread, and those nuby nibbler nets with banana and melon in it to suck on. She started out sucking on cucumber sticks but won't do that now either
What can I do to encourage the finger foods and help her to move off purely purees?

Thanks so much
Natalie

[~inbalance~]

It's really early still.  Even BLW babies at 6mos don't often have a clue of what to do with finger foods.  I think offering them is fine, but it might take her several weeks, or even months, to get the hang of it.  I wouldn't worry yet. 

[poppety123]

It's just weird that she used to hold them and suck them dry! Now if I put food on her tray she looks at me like I've gone mad! Im just a bit worried that I've 'spoiled' her with the spoon feeding? I met up with my group yesterday and 4 of the babies are weaning like mine. We offered them all some soft dried pear pieces, the others were all frantically sucking on them and gumming them and mine wouldn't even hold it!? She used to?

[~inbalance~]

Maybe she is teething and it is uncomfortable for her?  Remember, they all do things differently. 

[mianita]

Hi! My DD is almost 8,5 months and still has no idea what to do with finger foods and loves the spoon. I don't worry at all as I think it will change anyway sooner or later she doesn't like to chew and suck on anything else either, all our teethers are virgin LOL and BTW she has two bottom teeth already. It seems to me that it's just part of development and personality and each baby reaches this milestone at different time.

[Texomamama]

Agree with PP's.  6 mo is still really, really young and neither of mine even had the motor skills to use their pincher grasp to get food in their mouths until about 7 mo.  She will get it eventually, when her desire for feeding herself for independantly exceeds her desire to sit back and let you do it for her.

Meanwhile, look at the bright side.  Meals with her are much faster and less messy when you use the spoon, right

[Lemonthyme]

In traditional weaning they used to say 6-7 months for finger foods if you started weaning at 4 months, 7-8 months if you started nearer 6 months.  I wouldn't worry, just keep offering.