finger food...

Cathy - posted on 06/19/2010

My Jules is doing the complete oppsite and it worries me!! She only wants *grown up* food. nothing pureed but rice real---every now and then. Its been all hot dogs--crinkle fries and chicken nuggets (baked) all chopped up....and shereaches for every veggie on my plate....i know this will not end well (gas and constipation)

Genia - posted on 06/19/2010

grapes cut into quaters, pears, peaches, strawberries, mango, kiwi, apricots (all cut into small chunks and peeled), water melon, cantaloupe, honey dew, blueberries, freeze dried strawberries or blueberries, frozen veggie mix (carrots, peas, lima beans, green beans), cooked broccoli (just cut off all trace of the hard stem), cooked bell pepper, mushrooms, celery, garlic, zuchinni, sweet potato fries, scrambled egg yolks, raw broccoli, celery, carrots and bell pepper (my daughter has 4 teeth and can only get tiny pieces off of bell peppers, can't get anything off the other veggies, but it gives her the taste), whole grain pasta, beans, toast strips to dip in spaghetti sauce, chicken or beef broth, soup, cubed chicken, plain yogurt. Just about anything that's food can be made into a finger food for your baby!

Janet - posted on 06/18/2010

My daughter just finished the stage where she wouldn't eat anything but the super pureed food, ie baby food jars. The best advice I received was "stop giving it to her and only off foods with more texture and finger foods" so for three very messy days we eliminated all jarred baby food and anything without much texture. She would put things in her mouth and instantly spit them out, then rethink it and try again and again and again. If she spit it out about 5 times in a row I learned that she wasn't interested in it and tried something else. Otherwise it took her about 5 times of in and out the mouth for her to decide whether she was going to give it a go or not. Now she LOVES french toast, or eggy bread as I've also heard it called, super easy and good for her. She also likes toast with cream cheese or hummus on it, or on bagels, fried eggs, pieces of real fruit or veggies, mac and cheese (I make it homemade with added vegetables), spaghetti, meat, potatoe pieces, pretty much anything we're eating she'll eat. I know make her "real" oatmeal, not the baby rice and oatmeal cereals as they have little texture and at first she wasn't so sure, but now she adores it. Good luck and with a lot of mess and patience your little one will come around.

Jessica - posted on 06/18/2010

Anything soft cut into pieces the size of an adult finger is fine. Try steamed carrot and celery sticks, chunks of potato or pumpkin, little florets of broccoli or cauliflower, slices or sticks of zucchini or cucumber, segments of mandarin, pieces of pear, peaches or apricots cut in half - you get the idea. If you are meat-eaters, you can use mince, or cut it into thin strips that they can suck the juice out of. Chicken and tuna are great because they are easy to pull apart. My daughter also loves tofu! (The firm style, sliced into strips, or the fried puffy style.) For breakfast she usually has rolled oats cooked with just enough water to cover them, which makes a thick porridge that she can grab handfuls of (spoon is too slow!), sometimes with apple or sultanas cooked in too. She loves yoghurt as well, and hummus or cream cheese on bread or rice crackers.
Pretty much anything you can eat, babies over six months can eat too if it's cut small enough. (Exceptions: don't feed an under-1 honey, due to the risk of botulin toxin; if you have a family history of allergies, be careful with things like shellfish and peanuts.)
Don't force anything, just offer a range of foods at each meal. Expect that most things they won't like straight away; it can take them 10-15 tries to get used to the mouth feel and taste of new foods.

Kelli - posted on 06/17/2010

My son is 10 mo old and he refuses to eat baby food! I have given him avacados and he LOVES them! I have also given him pancakes and waffles cut up small! Graham crackers are good, they get pretty mushy! You could try cooked pasta! My son loves mac & cheese! Green beans cut up are easy to pick up and mash with gums! Hopefully some of these will work for you! Good luck!

Ashley - posted on 06/16/2010

We are having a similar issue with our little one. He will eat any fruit or vegetable as long as I puree it. (I make his food, but it's the same consistency of the gerber foods you are referring to). He will eat bread and the snack puffs but REFUSES to eat anything chopped up (finger food). I've tried fruits, vegetables and cheese. He'll pick it up, attempt to put it in his mouth and make a terrible face.
I think it's just a consistency or texture thing. All we can do is keep trying and eventually they will get the hang of it. I know I didn't really help, but it is nice to know someone else is having the same problem :)