Finger food and prem baby

[Hez]

Hi,
I have a 9.5 month old who was 3 months prem so he is 6.5 months corrected and is a little ahead of 6.5 months developmentally we have been told.
We started weaning 4 months ago on purees, moved to texture, lumps and more recently finger foods. He still pulls faces with some lumps and sometimes gags so we havent quite mastered it yet.
I now offer him finger food with every meal and i always spoon feed him (while he feeds himself too), but im gradually getting more and more concerned about his lack of 'eating' when it comes to finger foods.
He will sometimes pick the food up and have a bite / suck on it but doesnt really seem to be that interested (unless its a biscuit or a cheese stick!) and more often than not, it just gets chucked over the side of the high chair. Wet things like breakfast cereal, veggies etc just get mushed in his hands and smeared into the tray or his face or chucked at the walls.
Sometimes the finger foods will sit there and he just stares at it then gets angry and i have to remove it from his tray and quickly spoon feed him before he goes crazy. He is starting nursery in 3 months time when i return to work and i thought he would be really good at eating finger foods by then, but in 4 weeks we havent made any progress at all.
Does anyone have a prem baby and have similar issues with finger foods?  Generally, when do they start to 'eat' it? Any suggestions or do i just continue what im doing?
Thanks.
x

[lilisuze]

i think that type of finger food eating sounds just great!

Smushing/mashing and sucking are brilliant ways for babies to get to know about finger foods. If he is putting things to his mouth then thats all you need for now! and swapping between finger foods and spoon feeding is fine too, let him hold something, while you spoon in the rest. Even help him try with a spoon (i recommend a plastic catchy bib for these times!)

My DS is 15 months now and finger food veggies still get chucked off the side of the highchair. It took him ages to get used to lumps, and still only eats dry lumpy things, soup with lumps for example is a no-go!! but he will eat fishfingers, potato, sweetcorn etc.

I think your DS is doing great, even without his corrected age taken into account. Just keep offereing finger foods as you are doing. And dont worry about nursery, he will do it all there even if he wont at home! they see all the other kids and want to join in!

Stay calm, and let the food fly!

Lili xx