"Stiff" finger foods

[Sarah O]

Hey guys!

I've posted before about my DS's weird need for any finger food to be rock hard...   So what we're currently having success with is:

Grissini (dry hard breadsticks)
Health food store crackers
Very crisp toast/sandwiches
Celery and carrot sticks (just gnaws on them mostly)
Rusks (I try to use these only as a last resort)
Farleys biscuits ("  ")
NutriOs
Prunes (who knew?!)

I've tried the 'roll bits of fruit in O's' thing but for him, he just hates the feeling on his hands.  If it's not hard, he doesn't want it (with the puzzling exception of prunes).  He will eat some other stuff like chunks of banana but only if I feed it to him. So does anyone have any ideas for 'stiff' foods that aren't just breads and crackers and the others I've listed?  Should I try freezing some foods and serving them to him like that or is it hazardous?

Thanks!

Sarah

[*Nicola*]

now that has got me thinking 

all I could come up with were:

healthy cereal bars
cereals
eggy bread
fish/chicken strips in breadcrumbs (don't know if this is stiff enough!)
roasted veg eg parsnips, sweet potato - you could roast them til they were crispy
apple slices
hard cheese cubes/thick slices
homemade pizza  (would he tolerate the topping?)

lol Sarah that's a hard one.  Got me and dp thinking! 

Has he always been this way?  If you wanted to try introducing other foods could you put just the tiniest amount on the side of his plate and fill the rest with his preferred foods? You've probably already tried that so ignore it if so 

[tylersmommy]

Quesadillas are quick and easy. We use whole wheat tortillas and just about any filling with cheese. Heat up a skillet, spray lightly with oil, and thinly spread half of the tortilla with something mushy (mashed beans, thick veggie puree, etc) and top with some cheese. Fold in half and put in skillet, turn over when it's lightly brown. Mmmm...

We made eggy bread grilled cheese sandwiches for Tyler. Make the sandwich with cheese and whatever filling, dip the outside in egg, then fry each side in a skillet.

I'm stealing this from a thread we have going on the toddler board...maybe one of these would work? Mash any kind of cooked veggie with potato, add egg and a bit of flour to bind, make patties, and fry lightly in oil. You can also do the same with shredded veggies and omit the potato if the veggies are shredded finely enough. If you use shredded, make sure you squeeze out any water before adding the egg and flour or they won't stick together.

[*Nicola*]

Mmmmmmmmmmm I didn't realise it was so easy to make quesadillas.  I'm going to try make them    Haven't had them since we visited texas and they are YUM!

What did you think of these ideas Sarah? Any good?

[shannon S]

Sarah,
My dd doesn't like to eat finger foods at this point either. I posted a question about that. She doesn't seem to get much into her tummy.
I had a thought that I hadn't tried re fruits as finger foods. could you use a child's fork and have you lo hold the fork (not sure how old your lo is).  Just thought since it is the feeling in his fingers that he doesn't like.  Of course you would still have to put the fruit on the fork though.

shannon

[Mom to M&M]

Just wondering if you ever come up with any solutions, Sarah. My DD is very similar - she only likes finger foods that are dry - cheerios, puffs, bread. She will eat small pieces of chicken nugget sometimes too. No fruit, no veggies. We haven't tried egg yet and no cheese yet but hopefully soon (just finishing a dairy trial now as DD was intolerant when younger). I've tried coating in crushed cheerios but doesn't help - she gets grossed out (I think) by the slimy feeling and even if she gets  a piece in her mouth she spits it back out. She won't let me finger or fork feed them to her - she does let me still spoon feed her purees.

Any ideas? She also only has her two bottom front teeth and even those aren't all the way through yet.

[Mom to M&M]

Just bumping to see if anyone had any ideas - DD will still not do lumps (although oatmeal thickened fruits and veggie purees are OK) and only will do dry finger foods - cheerios, puffs, graham crackers, bread and chicken nuggets. I've tried boiled and roasted carrots and green beans, soft cooked pieces of pasta, soft pieces of fruit (coated in crushed cheerios), etc. She has a hard time picking them up and if she does get a piece of lets me give her one she gets upset and spits it out and won't try again.

[JennŠ]

Karen, I just made oatmeal bars for Charlotte that she loved.  Mamma thinks they are pretty tasty as well.     Holler if you'd like the recipe.

[Mom to M&M]

Sure - I'd love it. And if you or anyone has any ideas for helping her get over this texture issue so she can eat some non-dry/stiff food that would be awesome too. Thanks Jenn!

[JennŠ]

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64238.0  As you can see, it needs to be played with a touch.     I bet if you used one of her favorite fruits in it, she would give it a shot.  As to her texture issues, have you talked to the folks in growth/development?  For that matter, google oral defensiveness or oral aversion and see what comes up.  I know there are things that can help.

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks again Jenn. I definitely will post in growth & development and do some research too. If it goes on much longer I may give Early Intervention a call for an evaluation too.

[JennŠ]

Another idea I had was put a thin layer of pureed whatever on bread and stick it in the oven to toast it.  Might get her used to the taste of lumpier fruits and veggies?