What finger food for a 6mo just starting weaning?

[mumofeve]

DS is 6mo this week, and I haven't rushed to start weaning him, as he has seemed perfectly satisfied with milk. However, the last week or two he has got very grouchy when we eat in front of him. I have just (yesterday) started him on some baby rice with okay results, but would like to know if I can try him on any finger foods. This is because we all have dinner together as a family (with DD - 3yo - and DH) and I would like to give DS something SAFE to be chewing on whilst we are eating. Is this possible? Friend of mine mentioned just giving him a rusk to chew on, but on the rusk packet it says to only use as a solid (as opposed to mixed with milk) from 9months. I never had this issue with DD, as we had all the time in the world to focus on her weaning, and she ate purees only for the first few months. Afraid that DS will need to be a bit more independant!!!

[MaDuggar]

I did BLW with my DS, and started him on soft cooked carrots & broccolli at 6 months. Also gave him soft bread strips with no crusts. Swiftly moved onto other soft fruits that could be held (peaches, & apple without skin, banana chucks etc) and cooked veg (peeled potato, sweet potato, butternut squash). Also hard boiled egg, cut into strips.

[MaDuggar]

forgot to add,make the pieces of carrot (or whatever) small enough to be held in his hand comfortably ie large batons, small brocolli floret, cut egg into quarters lenghthways

[FaintlyMacabre]

If you are eating as a family you could just give your 6 month old some of the family's meal- i.e. pieces of veg and potato, pasta shapes coated in sauce etc etc.
In fact, you could bypass the baby rice/purees altogether and just go straight for self-feeding family foods at every meal!

[winnybella]

What Faintly Macabre said but it should be cooked without salt.

[ILoveStripeySocks]

^^ Thats what I did, bypassed purees & went straight into Baby led weaning. Gave cooked pasta (plain to start with), soft cooked veg & peeled fruit

[Wigglesworth]

Cooked baby corn, roasted courgette slices, soft bread cut into soilders, slices of melon.

[FaintlyMacabre]

Oh yes, good point about the salt. I suppose I thought that with a 3 year old they are likely to be eating family friendly low-salt stuff anyway.

[PolkSaladLucie]

We are doing BLW - broccoli, carrot, banana, apple, pear etc, all in chunky chip size portions.

Toast is also good, as is mashed potato (they love the texture!).

[lilymolly]

eggy bread
long finger of cheese
all types of fruits
veg steamed until softish
egg scrambled or boiled hard
pasta
slices of roast chicken, beef pork, proper ham,
basically anything that you and your family are eating

be prepared for the mess though!

[JustAnotherManicMummy]

Couldn't be bothered with purees and DS was grabbing stuff off plates at 5 months so started at 5.5mo BLW. He has a bit of what we're having mainly.

So far he has had...

Toast soldiers
Cooked chunks of sweet potato, potato and brocolli
Mashed potato
Bread (with crusts, they're his favourite bit!)
Banana chunks
Sausage
Avacardo chunks
Cucumber
Spagetti (this did not work as too slippery to hold)
Biscuit (when out he grabbed my cookie)
Chocolate chips (only 2 mind, but he loves to suck them. However, they make him hyper and he doesn't sleep... so no more!)
Yoghurt
Chocolate mousse.
Scrambled egg (hideous allergic reaction but that's just him, no reason to suppose your child would have one too).

Be careful with salty food (a little bit of sausage/ham whatever a week is ok as long as just a little bit)

Like MaDuggar says the trick is to make whatever he has hold/scoopable.

Make sure he's sat up right and be prepared for the gagging. Also be ready for him eating just a couple of mouthfuls or so and the rest going on the floor/up his sleeve, down the side of the high chair, in his hair, up his nose, in his ear etc.

There are some good threads on BLW in the weaning topic.

[mumofeve]

Thanks everyone. Guess I am just a little bit scared about him choking!!!! But I remember with DD, that you just have to be brave and their gag reflex is so good isn't it. Will have a go......