Author Topic: 6 mth old girl...are finger foods ok?  (Read 1071 times)

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Offline marie123

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6 mth old girl...are finger foods ok?
« on: June 15, 2012, 07:18:57 am »
Hi, I have started my 6 mth old on sOlids 10 days ago....so far it's thinly pureed rice cereal, sweet potato, carrot and pear...she is very interested in what we eat and observes keenly when we ate eating....has always been like this from 3 mths old but I held back introduction of sOlids till 6 mths. At the moment her gums are itchy and everything goes into her mouth...her favorites are her white cloth napkins...not too fond of tethers.....I was thinking of offering her a raw carrot to gnaw on :) would this be ok? Actually my mil is with us at the moment and this is one of her suggestions...unsure if this is safe at all. Any ideas? Also what's a good time to introduce finger foods like soft pieces of sweet potato maybe coated with cheerio dust? Thanks!

Offline skatty

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Re: 6 mth old girl...are finger foods ok?
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2012, 07:38:22 am »
Sorry it was a long time ago my dd weaned and we did BLW so she ate more or less everything as far as I can remember but i am not sure if there are guideline now but I do remember that my terrible teether loved gnawing on really cold fruits, melon, pineapple etc and I also bought some small moulds from ebay and would make her tiny ice lollies made of fruit puree. Maybe you could try freezing banana too, that is like icecream if you blend it or like an ice lolly if you keep it whole or in chunks  :)
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Offline creations

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Re: 6 mth old girl...are finger foods ok?
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2012, 08:43:02 am »
For teething you could try one of the white cloth napkins that she likes dip in water and wring out then freeze (in a food bag for cleanliness).  It will be semi felixible and fabric like as it thaws and she chews on it (I'm pretty sure this is one of Tracy's BW suggestions).  My DS liked that a couple of times but mostly he just used a plastic letter from his toy box (also never liked any teethers I bought for him).
My mum also thinks giving raw carrot a good idea but I wouldn't have done that at 6 months tbh.  DS is now 17 months and can handle chunks of raw carrot coming off in his mouth but even though I did BLW, no puree at all, I just wouldn't have offered raw carrot.
Something that is very good if your LO will take it is raw celery though.  it is less likely to bite off in chunks because of the long strands, if LO does bite then there are likely to be strands still connecting it to the long piece iyswim.  In addition it is a natural anaesthetic so she will get pain relief from the numbness it offers as well as from biting down on it.

Teething aside.  Staring fingers food at 6 months is a great idea even if you want to continue with purees alongside.  Keep them in big finger sized pieces or wedges so that LO can grasp in a fist and eat the bit poking out the top.  Avoid small pieces of food as these are far more likely to be a choke hazard (also in the early days avoid whole buts and small round fruits such as grapes and cherry toms as these are just the right size for choking).  Offering exactly what you are eating is a good idea as it gets her used to the flavours that are family favourites and reduces fussiness, but it does involve adapting the way you cook, no salt (this is pretty important), no sugar, no honey.
Try any veg steamed or roasted, long pieces of meat or fish (must check for bones), fingers of cheese (or grated), fingers of toast.
Ensure that LO is sitting upright, no recline at all, for finger foods to avoid choking risk.

There's stacks of idea for finger foods on the recipe threads:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=10.0
You don't have to restrict to the 6 month suggestions, those who do BLW don't follow ages so 9 month + finger foods are also fine and there is a BLW thread of ideas too.  Plenty of ideas to get you started.

Enjoy it, I have SO loved watching my DS learn to feed himself.  Every meal I can't take my eyes off him because I just love watching him tackle his food with such enthusiasm.