I think it really depends on how LO takes to solids. Some are happy to have one small solids meal for quite some time before another is introduced, some are happy to sit in their high chair and just play with a piece of food whilst the rest of the family eats their dinner (being at the family table is really helpful in promoting good meal time habits, the social aspect, watching mummy eat different foods, use cutlery etc it also introduces LO to the regular sorts of foods that YOUR family eats so that there is hopefully less of an issue changing the tastes later on) and others go to 3 proper meals per day very very quickly - mine was one of these. There's no problem with offering two or three meals from 6 months (I know you started a little earlier, we did too as I just couldn't stop him screaming for solids!). I would prob hold off on snacks for several months, no harm in a taste of something you are having if it is healthy but otherwise I'd wait until several months when it's ok for the milk to drop a little before introducing regular snacks (these come at the mid morning and mid afternoon milk times, small snack and sippy cup of water or milk). You just don't want the milk intake to drop too much at this stage.
With finger foods you can just give LO a piece of something you are having yourself, it might mean a change in the way you cook, for example not adding any salt to cooking water (beware of salt content of stock cubes and pre-pack food), no honey, whole nuts, sugar, eggs should be fully cooked - the regular 'rules'. I would just give one or two pieces on her tray to begin with, not because you have to limit what she eats but because more than one thing can be a bit off putting and create a lot more mess than necessary. So for example if you are having vegetables chop into batons/wedges rather than small cubes and steam them. Batons (literally think 'finger') are easier for LO to grasp at this stage and also less of a choke hazard as they can keep hold of one end whilst they eat where as small cubes are harder to pick up and harder to manipulate around the mouth. You can also serve up things like shepherds pie for LO to grab hand fulls of, so long as you don't mind a bit of mess. You can even offer long strips of meat for her to gnaw on, you'd be amazed they can chomp through anything even with no teeth.
I started out with things like oven baked apple wedges, oven baked sweet potato wedges.
There are also some threads here:
Baby Food Recipesfinger foods and BLW threads
crescent moon and do-nut shapes are also easier to grasp for little hands so I used to chop fruit that way when possible.
Wheat is advised you don't give until LO is 6 months, but once she's there, fingers of toast, pitta bread, naan bread etc pasta. you can spread toast with butter or use any purees you have already stocked up on.
Finger foods are also great for helping with the development of fine motor and the pincer grip and speech development as the muscles are worked through their food exploration.
Hope you have fun, I totally loved the whole weaning process. we did BLW, so no puree at all, some foods are naturally mushy, like humous which he ate in fist fulls or spread on pitta fingers. I also offered LO some foods on a pre-loaded spoon or safe fork for him to take to his mouth himself but never fed him.
hth
