Finger food questions

[Mom2X&F&V]

Hi. Today was my first attempt in giving dd finger foods from a plate. She loved the Elmo plate, but she did not touch the food inside at all!!! I put porridge and gave a spoon... then a toast then cheerios and neither of them were touched. She wanted to grab Elmo who is inside the plate. So if I gave them in pieces in her mouth she actually ate them. She is abla to put a cookie and a steamed carrot in her mouth if I give it in her hand. So is this like the way that it is? She is not yet interested in picking up food. Should I just keep offering that way until she can do it or I just leave her. I know eventually she will be able to do it so I just keep offering in her plate until she does it one day, right?

[LŠuren]

Sparkling eyes - This is a quick reply - have you tried to give any finger foods such as i.e

Steamed carrot sticks
Bread sticks (no sesame seeds)
Pealed apple slices
Banans chunks
Cooked green beans
toast

[jobi]

i didn't bother with a plate with the finger foods, just put them on the highchair table. Once they were eating meals the same as us which were "messier"  then i gave them a plate!!

[Mom2X&F&V]

Thanks on replies. I put food on her tray and still not interested that is why I put a plate. She does eat bread sticks and carrot sticks, and toast with cream cheese, and cookies and cheerios, but only if I put them either in her hand or in her mouth. I tried pears and banana chunks and she gagged. The thing is that she is not interested in putting food in her mouth, but any other thing she just puts it in and suck....  Is it too early still?

[LŠuren]

Try cutting the banana in half then again length ways, it may make it smaller for her little finger to hold, failing that just keep perceiving.

[Nate'sMommy]

I think it depends on the baby.  Ian is also nine months he is opposite your DD.  He won't eat from a spoon anymore so I am forced to find finger foods that satisfy him.  He has had a really good pincer grasp since about 7 months.  On the flip side, this child refuses to hold his own bottle and/or drink anything from a sippy cup.  He won't even pick it up unless it is to fling it to the floor.
I also don't use a plate or bowl.  He is just too messy and it is easier to just clean one thing - the hc tray.  HTH!

[tylersmommy]

It takes some babies a little longer to make the connection on what to do with finger food. Tyler was the same way at 9 mo, except we had the added fun of him refusing the spoon at the same time. I'd put several pieces of finger food on his tray, pick one up myself, and either put it in his hand or mouth. It wasn't long before he started picking them up himself, then soon after that he started putting them in his mouth. HTH!

[LeslieG]

It is good to hear that I am not the only one struggling with food issues. My DD is 8.5 months and has great control over her pincher's but she just doesn't want to eat anything but cheerios. She is teething - her two top teeth look like they will poke through anytime but she is basically on a hunger strike. She drinks half a bottle. I put the rest in her sippy cup. She will take maybe another oz or two max and then she will sit and eat cheerios or frozen blueberries and nothing else. No spoon will work, she has not had baby cereal in days and once in a while she will eat spagetti.  It is stressful but I know it will pass.

All I can say is that frozen blueberries are super messy but at least they are a fruit!

Leslie