Finger foods ........... ideas for helping the baby work out what he's supposed to do

Hi

Looking for some ideas to get my 10 month old interested in different types of finger foods as he doesn't appear that interested at the moment. We went the pureed food route when I started solids as I wanted (needed) to know how much he was eating (we'd had a very difficult time with breast feeding where he wouldn't feed and couldn't put myself through worry about quantity going again). As with all babies have our ups and downs with how much he'll eat but is doing okay this week.

He will eat some finger foods such as cruskits, little sandwiches with cream cheese, toast and will allow me to hand feed him little balls of cream cheese. But doesn't appear to want to try much else. I've tried peas, carrots, cauliflower, pieces of chicken and fruit but he just pokes them round the tray or mushes them in his hands but doesn't seem to have worked out that he should eat them. He grabs at the sandwiches and cruskits when he sees them but doesn't try to put the others in his mouth. I'm just placing a few pieces on his tray table while he's in the chair and I"m preparing his meal. I also pick pieces up and show him me putting them in my mouth so he can copy. Should I be doing something else? Do I need to offer him opportunity each night and maybe keep it simple and just one thing for a few days in a row? Or would snack time be a good time to offer finger foods?

Cheers

Hi,

Babies learn by example. Sit with them, eat with them - they model themselves after us. Meals should be a pleasant social occasion - that's what eating is all about - time with family and friends, and healthy foods on offer. Your children are going to want what you are having. The world over, children scorn *special* food given to them and eat off their parents plate. Provide the opportunity - but stay cool - this is a 20 year project. We spend the first year trying to fatten them up and the next 19 trying to slim them down.

Some babies take longer than others to really be interested in food too. I've heard of a 10 mth old who was still exclusively bf because he just wasn't interested yet in eating other foods. And he was one of the chubbiest bubbas I've ever seen! If you keep it calm and relaxed and he has the opportunity, he'll take it when he's ready. A baby's digestive system is really only ready for food other than bm sometime between six and nine months, so perhaps your DS is just smart and delaying it because his system is only just getting there.

I'd be interested in ideas too! My 10 month old DD is the same - eats from a spoon, but most finger food gets squashed and played with. She can feed herself 'sticks' of finger food though - toast fingers, rice cakes. Small things like peas etc just get squished... she lets me put them in her mouth though. Maybe I just need to wait til her pincer grip develops.

Not sure if you've tried this, but with Pip I got one of those mesh bag thingies and put watermelon and other fruits in there - he could suck on them, and they are the kind of stuff that will fit through the mesh as he gummed it.

Good luck!!!!!

Wow this post just goes to show how things change AND in such a short period of time. With how he eats now I almost can't believe now that I actually posted wanting to know how to get him to eat finger food. That is practically ALL he will eat now - LOL. About a month ago he became Mr Independent and just wanted to feed himself none of this spoon business Mummy thats for babies!!!!!!

Tommee Tippee make the little mesh thingie and I think I got in just Woolies or Coles.

Like Barb advised I think eating in front of him helped him learn and just placed a variety of food on his tray. He also allowed me to put the food into his mouth so he knew it was a taste that he liked. He certainly used to to try to grab food from me if I am eating in front of him. Little flakes of chicken, shredded cheese, bits of potato, peas and other veggies. One thing I did find however was not to place too much on his tray/plate at the one time. In the begining it seemed to overwhelm him. However once he figured out what to do I found that he was inclinded to stuff everything that was on the tray at the same time which meant he ended up with too much in his mouth to chew/swallow. He also seemed (at some meals) to be happy to also eat from spoon as long as he was allowed to feed himself too. I have persevered with getting him to take spoon food too as I reckoned it would be the easiest way to feed him if we are out and about. Mess I can deal with when at home!

I do a mixture of placing food on tray and using the suction bowls and also got the little pelican bids that collect the recyclables that get dropped. Is funny as he learnt pretty quickly that food dropped in there so will often fish pieces out of there rather than picking up what is on the tray - clever little things aren't they!

Anyway hope that helped. Like everything they do once they get the hang of it there is no holding them back. Enjoy the mess!!!