table/finger foods

Ashley - posted on 03/26/2009

Hi Alaina!

My daughter is almost 9 months old and has been eating table food for quite some time thanks to Grandma! I'm a bit paranoid, so when I feed her what I'm eating, I use a potato masher, that way she's not getting huge chunks. To me, the potato masher is a lot easier and quicker than the food mill I used for my son. She definitely prefers what the family is eating, instead of her baby food. I give her pretty much anything we're having, except for the allergy foods and milk. Sometimes, I use the masher and feed her, other times I cut veggies into small pieces and she feeds herself. And she loves garlic bread! Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and what you feel is right.

Shani - posted on 03/26/2009

Hi Alaina,

My daughter is 8 months old as well and she loves just about all foods. i give her really small pieces of bananas, avocadoes, kuiees, cooked carrots, sweet patotoes, yams, chicken, cottege cheese, meat small pieces of pasta calliflower. she loves to feed her self  and doesn't seem to like the mashed up soup i made for any more boy they grow up quickly. make sure that all the food is cut up really small though.

Calla - posted on 03/26/2009

My 8 month old was more than ready for finger foods!  I get green beans and peas in can, with no salt added, cook them and give them to him.  He also loves the gerber graduates of carrot, apple, pear, and peach dices.  He'll eat just about anything, even though he doesn't have a single tooth!  Start with smallllll pieces and your baby should do just fine.  Cylus eats potato and sweet potato chunks, banana pieces, yougurt, small pieces of chicken and fish, beans, and he LOVES the snacks by gerber like the puffs and zweiback toast, and the rice crackers called Mum Mums.  Just supervise your little one while they try self feeding!

Michelle - posted on 03/25/2009

Hello Alaina! This has truly been one of the most challenging things with my son... hope this will help. They sell little mesh feeders at Babies R Us. I put frozen banana pieces, or fresh cantaloupe in them. They can only pull out as much as the mesh will allow... and the frozen fruit has been soooooo helpful with teething. Kinda messy, though.

Tracey - posted on 03/25/2009

I've given all table foods that I can mash or break up, including milk products and food with eggs in. Her favorites have been the meats (roast beef and chicken) with a passion for stir fry and pudding. She loves the graduate puffs and graduate finger foods as well. I don't think I've found a food she doesn't like actually!

Alisa - posted on 03/25/2009

My boy wont eat the stage 3 foods either. But he loves Puffs! they are dissolvable so it makes for a low chance of choking. But like other people said, we do bananas, mashed potatoes, peas, pizza crust, rice.. we're working on spagetti O's now. Personally, I am afraid to give him meats just yet. But if your daughter has teeth and chews on the foods you give her, I would guess that giving a small piece would be ok.

Nichola - posted on 03/25/2009

my son is 8months...he wont eat the stage 3 baby food so i give him mostly whatever i am eating....noodles...chicken...veggies(cooked) he likes toasted cheese and he has the yobaby yogurt, chunks of cheese mostly anything....just cut up really small...and he has no teeth yet

Bridget - posted on 03/25/2009

I'm going to assume you are avoiding dairy and egg until 1 for the same reason I am - a family history of allergies. Some of the finger foods I give my daughter are - pieces of cooked pumpkin, sweet potato "chips", brocolli florets, steamed carrot sticks, slices of avacado, half a banana, bits of steak cut into fingers. Just look at what her favourite foods are, and cook them in a way that fits in her hand nicely.

Amy - posted on 03/25/2009

Actually, at 9 months your baby is likely ready for some milk, but homoginized. You can give her yogurt at this time too (all provided that there are no milk allergies in your family). Cottage cheese is also a good choice, as older babies seem to love it. Right now, my son is at the same stage as your daughter with food. He wants to eat table food, but it's hard to decide what is appropriate. I give him Mum Mums or Farley's biscuits, and I give him muffins (oatmeal or bran, again, bran depends on family allergies). I tried Fruity Cheerios this morning, and he ate them, but I think they might be a little to hard still. He has 4 teeth. You can mash banana or avacados. Really, anything already soft and mushy you can mash and feed her. good luck, I hope this was a little helpful.

Deanna - posted on 03/25/2009

hi..i give my girls pretty much everything.How old is your girl..they say from about 7 months up it is okay to give them egg yolk(not whites).i give my girls chicken,potatoes,veggies,crackers,cheerios,panckes....they are 8 months old...i just make sure to cut it up into little chunks.