Do you really NOT do purees when introducing solids?

[spidermama]

On some other posts people were saying don't bother doing purees, go straight to finger foods. My 4th child is 6 months old now and I've started putting a few things in front of him.

Previously I've pureed food for the first couple of months because I thought they couldn't handle anything with lumps.

Yesterday I gave him a slice of apple and he choked and had to be patted on the back etc until the apple was retrieved.

Does anyone really start with finger foods? If so, what do you suggest?

[hercules]

Give mashed banana.

[fqueenzebra]

I def. wouldn't give a slice of apple so young, but did let DS gnaw on an apple core held in my hand. Otherwise we had success with things like bread & butter, pizza crust, chips, cooked brocoli.... And I would spoon feed non-smooth stuff like porridge, mushy cornflakes....

[fqueenzebra]

rice cake, mashed veggies, scraped apple...

[QueenEagle]

Tonight I have done a saucepan load of potatoes, carrots, broccoli and spinach with some butter and put the meal size pots in the freezer. Easy to put in the microwave and be ready in less than 5 minutes. I also use jars and packets if I haven't had time to make any up.

I am only just starting to give him finger foods so I would also be interested to know what to give. ds4 is 7 months btw but I seem to have forgotten a lot of what I did with the others!!

[OxyMoron]

Hiya. I can't find the paper just now, but try doing a search for Gill Rapley's work on Baby Led Introduction to Solids. Gill is the deputy director for UNICEF's baby friendly initiative and has done a lot of research on this. Sorry, I don't have time to elaborate, but if you can find her research it's all there.
Oh, and I started on finger foods. There was some gagging as she learned how to eat, but no choking. Also look up this link from kellymom to check that your babe is showing all the developmental signs for being ready for solids (eg loss of tongue thrust reflex, pincer grip, etc).

hth

[dinny]

Hi Spidermama, had similar wth ds (now nearly 11 months). Started him on solids at 6.5 months and was planning to do the whole baby-led weaning thing but it meant he got really frustrated as not much food actually hit his tummy. So I ended up doing much as I did with dd - bit of mush (banana/stewed fruits/steamedveg) with some easy finger foods (started with bits of soft fruit, then toast, pitta etc). He seemed too hungry sometimes and finger foods frustrated him. He self-feeds totally now - loves finger foods and his spoon. hth a bit.

[QueenEagle]

Am I the only one that really, really HATES this weaning stage?? Waaaay too messy for my liking!

[dinny]

No, me too, QueenEagle Love it when they can just shovel it in themselves.

[spidermama]

Great link oxymoron. Thanks very much. Having read that I reckon I'll wait a bit longer before introducing solids. It makes great sense.

Thanks Dinny, QE and others. I think the key is things have to be steamed so they've a fighting chance of mushing it up in the mouth.

[bobbybob]

I had this brilliant idea to do this, but ds didn't have the motor skills to put anything in his mouth until he was 13 months old. Oh and I kept feeding him things he was allergic to.

[bakedpotato]

I've just started weaning this week. Initially got carried away and gave a soft-steamed green bean, he didn't get it and I have abandoned that and started on veg + fruit purees/baby rice. Very interesting suggestion about waiting for tongue reflex action bcs on Monday the TRA reflex was definitely in evidence, and hardly anything went in, but today it's hardly there at all. My hunch is that my baby has started to learn about how to eat this week, through practise.

[spidermama]

I think that's what happened with my other three babies bakedP'. (Amazing how quickly you forget isn't it?)

I'm quite glad for anything which tells me I don't HAVE to start him on solids yet. I didn't feel quite right about it to tell you the truth.

[MarsLady]

I did purees. The DTs loved them. As to finger foods, what's the rush?

Each to his own. I used to do job lots of purees and bung them in the freezer.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I did purees. DS2 was singularly unimpressed. We ended up largely skipping that phase. He did gag a bit, but never choked.

I didn't give "hard" things like apples early, it was more bread, banana, melon, that sort of thing.

[Magscat]

I started about a week before 6 months & did veg & banana very very mushy, almost but not quite puree.
Have also let her suck/chew on things that I can hold the other end of - e.g. I can hold a brocolli stalk or big strawberry or a bit of bread and she'll munch on the other end. I've just been to wary of her choking to let go of bigger bits of food yet.

[hunkermunker]

Wouldn't start with apple as it's too "pingy" - ie if you bite a bit off, it can ping to the back of your throat in a surprising manner!

DS was weaned onto finger food and breastfed on demand whilst he got the hang of eating. He very occasionally had things from spoons (when I was at work, he was having EBM and the occasional mush as, although I left 20oz milk per shift and feeding him morning and night, he sometimes needed something more). As he got older, he had things like porridge in the morning from a spoon, but always had one himself too.

Because we started letting him play with food when he was 6 months, I wasn't as concerned about allergies, etc as I would have been at 4 months. He had gluten from 6 months (in miniscule quantities, because he didn't eat that much to begin with), but I didn't give him egg, strawberries, much tomato or kiwi until much later (he's still not had kiwi at 15mo as I don't like it so never think to buy it!).

Initially, DS wasn't that interested in doing anything other than play with the food. Incidentally, I am very much of the opinion that it is totally unnatural to expect your baby to have three square meals a day from the word go, which a lot of mums still do. DS loves his food (relishes it and eats with great gusto - he actually cuddles food he really likes by putting it to his forehead and saying "ahhhhh"!!) and this may well be because he's seen it as an enjoyable part of his day, one which he is very involved in because he self-feeds so well. Of course babies who are "traditionally" weaned enjoy food too, so not saying they won't unless they self-feed from the start!!

Hmm, just read the rest of the thread and would like to say that the "rush" to get DS onto finger food was that I knew he had the skills to feed himself, I knew he would really enjoy it and I could not be arsed cooking up separate purees for him!

It is fantastic when out and about - take a sandwich, bit of salad stuff, some grapes and a banana, don't have to worry about heating food up, just put the food in front of him and enjoy your lunch! Or really go seat of your pants and just give him bits off your plate (unless you have a McDonald's habit ).

DS is still not walking at 15mo - to me, starting him on solid food was very much like starting him walking. How bizarre (and totally frustrating!) would it be to say "I'm starting DS walking tomorrow"?! He's obviously a fine motor skill and language baby rather than a gross motor skill baby!

[Magscat]

Hunkermunker - why not strawberries from 6 months?

[hunkermunker]

Allergy potential, apparently. Also avoided the fruits I'm allergic to (apples, plums, peaches and nectarines) until later too.

[spidermama]

Ahhh! How gorgeous to 'hug' foods to his forehead HM.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Some kids are allergic to strawberries, while most other fruit (except for kiwi) doesn't generally cause allergies.

[hunkermunker]

SM, if he was any more cute, he'd be edible himself

[Magscat]

OK. Thanks HM. I hadn't heard about that one and I've even got a Baby & Child recipe book that has them in a recipe that's supposed to be for 6-9 months. DD has only had strawbs once but she really liked them. Will maybe stick with banana & pears for a bit longer now.

[spidermama]

oooohh! Mine's like that HM. My teeth just itch at the sight of him.

[hunkermunker]

Also did egg yolk in sandwiches, but without the egg white - firstly because the egg white makes the sandwich more "fall-aparty", but also because the white is much more allergenic than the yolk.

[hunkermunker]

LOL SM! Know just what you mean!