Finger foods

[alex and danny]

Hi!  I was just wondering when finger foods can/should be introduced?  I see many different ages and types...so I'm a little confused    Some say 7 months?  What kind of foods are best to start with?
Thanks, Alex

[*Natasha*]

Hi Alex,

I am slowly introducing it at the moment, so far she has teething rusks and arrowroot biscuits. I also want to start giving her cheese as well as a finger food.

[alex and danny]

Hi Natasha!
What type of rusks?  My husband is afraid of chocking with cookies...how's your lo doing with these?  Have you introduced meats yet?  I'm afraid of introducing things too early - can you tell?! 

[*Natasha*]

They are just teething rusks. As for the biscuits she just sucks on them until they are really soft enough to eat. I am the complete opposite Catherine has now had: chicken,beef,tuna,lamb,mince,cheese,couscous,risoni and alot of veges. I also add a bit of vege stock or low salt gravy to her dinner. She loves her food and hasn't refused a thing.

[JacobMarksMummy]

I think 7months is fine. You'll probally find he just plays with it to begin with, you'll have to put it in his mouth for him and eventually he'll master picking it up and getting it in  You can try lots of things cheerios are great as there is no added sugar or some of his fav veggies/fruit cut up in bite size pieces. I used bannana first althou its a bit slippy to pick up! I'm not sure about the rusk where you are but the ones here are full of rubbish and I've never used them so I cant comment but cheese is great if you've introduced dairy.  My DS loves dried fruit like prganic prunes, apricots, sultanas (make sure you clean his teggies after though cos they are full of natural sugars!)

I gave meat when DS was around 8months (not sure of the exact recommened age for that?!) if you find your LO has had a reaction say a rash or diahhera then just hold off that foood for a few months then try again.  Anymore questions please ask! 

[GabrielleD]

This is probably a really stupid question...but can you give them finger foods before they have teeth? My DS has no teeth yet, so we've only been doing pureed fruits/veg/meats/fish. His baby rice cereal is a little lumpy, so I figure he is somewhat exposed to non-pureed items. Do I need to wait to give him Cheerios or raisins ("sultanas" are raisins, right?) until he has teeth? Also, I am from the US so I just need clarification on a Britiish term you were using...what is "rusk"? Thanks.

[jobi]

Hiya, A "rusk" is like a biscuit for baby's, a weaning food. Its made by Farley's/Heinz.
They come in original flavour and banana, peach and other flavours too.
You can mash it with babies usual milk when they are first starting to be weaned then just as a biscuit once older.
Mum can also pinch them to!!! I'm a bit sad mine are to old for them!!
I think you can give finger foods to babes with no teeth as my first 2 didn't get teeth until they were 1 and i remember them chomping on "rusks" and toast etc!!

[Nate'sMommy]

Great topic~ Gabriella, yes, definitely finger foods before teeth.  Poor little Ian is nearly 9 months and not a tooth in sight.  And for the past week he has really been turned off by jar/puree food.  He has been eating crackers - saltines/ritz/graham/teething biscuits (although they get so messy and slimy, I prefer cracker crumbs) since 6 months.  Right now I am trying small chunks of anything he likes in Gerber - diced carrots, green beans, peas (I try to mush the shell a bit so it isn't hard to gum down on), bananas, peaches, pears, scrambled egg yolks, even sticky rice from our Chinese dinner the other night. 

Question to the moms - I have always heard meat at 8-9 months and we have done the Gerber meats - what have you all tried for meat finger foods, especially those with no teeth???

Keep the ideas coming please - I was just about to post this same topic for more good ideas for my little gummer!

[alex and danny]

Thanks for all your suggestions... can some of you share a list of finger foods you have introduced and in what order - also how was it cut..what size, how soft???  I know this may be alot to ask, but I am so unsure about how/what to give my lo.  Thank you   

[Nate'sMommy]

Alex and Danny - Not a lot to ask by any means!  Are you doing these foods for the first time ever, or doing them as finger foods for the first time?  I may be the wrong person to ask - I didn't really do 'order' for finger food - just whatever I could find that would be baby friendly.  I suppose the first thing I did was the Gerber puffed foods and wagon wheels.  They get really soft, really fast.  Then I did bananas and avocado.  For bananas (or anything, for that matter) I cut circles, maybe 1/4 inch thick and cut each circle into 4 wedges.  About the same size for avocado.  Nothing bigger than a cheerio would be.  Ian has had no trouble picking up that size and getting it into his mouth.  Since then, in the same size pieces, I have done:
green beans (just normal canned ones like we all eat only cut to the small cheerio size)
canned carrots (they come in circles like the bananas and I cut them into the wedges)
peas
peaches, diced
pears, diced
cheese (cheese was a challenge for him to pick up so I kinds mushed it into little chunk/balls)
Any kind of bland cracker - graham is his favorite
Scrambled egg yolks

I think, although probably less nutritious, that canned veggies seem to be softer than fresh, cooked.  Like carrots and peas and such.

Haven't tried any meat chunks - kind of afraid since we have not teeth.  Suggestions?
Also, anyone doing any citrus - what is the rule on citrus fruit, anyway?

[jobi]

hmmm good question, theres only jamie(21 months) that will eat oranges etc he had his first one at about 18 months, he is my third though i stopped listening to rules a bit
But all three of them love their toast cut up into squares, jamies the only one that will not eat the crust though and i thought thats what gave you curly hair,hehe.
I cut banana length ways and then in half.

Jamie loves his grapes and walks round with a bowl of them all day, can to many be bad for you??

[Nate'sMommy]

Jobi - re: grapes.  Not if you don't mind the pooping!  Grapes totally make Nate poop a ton.  So do oranges.  I remember we started giving him those mandarin oranges really early (12 mo?) but my postpartum amnesia has gotten the better of me once again!   

[jobi]

you know what his poops are kind of erm........ming!!!
he loves em though so never mind