How to make a finger food meal appetising without being too slippery to pick up?!

[Jacksmybaby]

DS (9 3/4 mths) has just started getting the hang of finger food. Until now we've been mostly spoon feeding with bits and pieces of finger food added on, but now want to start making whole meals from finger food - not every meal every day but at least one meal a day to be just finger food. So, have breakfast (toast/fruit pieces) and tea (snacky stuff) sorted, but struggling with ideas for "proper cooked" meals at lunch. He would usually have things like casseroles, shepherd's pie, bolognaise, etc, which don't really work as finger foods! So yesterday for lunch I gave his some fish fingers chopped in half, and some cooked baby vegetables whole... and he hoovered down the fish fingers and turned his nose up at the vegs - and who could blame him; let's face it, plain cooked vegs are not the most appetising. So then I dipped them in some cheese sauce to make them more tasty, but then they became too slippery for him to pick up very well. Now, normally with his spoon fed meals he is fine with vegs - but they are chopped up and mixed in with the tastier stuff, and usually have some kind of sauce on them. So, how to stop finger food meals being either a) too dry and unappetising or b) too slippery?! Hope I have explained what I mean properly... sorry for longwindedness!

[ruddynorah]

casseroles etc can be finger food, as can anything at all. even soup if your pour it on bread. look

[bethoo]

my little one likes fishfingers too (he is 8 months), have you tried the mini kievs? also he likes chips, those potato smiley things. i give him peas andsweetcorn as those can be spoon fed whilst he is waving a fish finger in the air! new potatoes maybe with a little bit of butter? yesterday i bought some waffles and crumpets for snacks. hopefully the carb content will help his weight gain too ashe is quite small. also broccoli is fun to eat!

[AitchTwoOh]

why not just give him the veg first? or roast them? i've got to say that i disagree entirely with your thinking... i'd have thought a lovely green bean or orangey carrot would look far more appetising than a fish finger. perhaps he just didn't fancy them that day, or was full?

[Jacksmybaby]

Roasted veg = good plan. Yes, prob should give him the veg first, also. The veg I did were baby new potatoes, baby corn, baby carrots and sugar snap peas - not a hit as I said, but will persevere. Like idea of using bread etc to mop up the wet food. Problem is ruddynorah that from the pics, the bolognaise etc is the kind of stuff he would have problems picking up as it looks a bit slippery... guess he will improve with this though. Ta. xx

[AitchTwoOh]

funnily enough dd still wouldn't thank you for baby veg, i don't know why she dislikes them so much, it's weird. but cheaper for me so hey-ho.
go on, try the spag blog, you know you want to... do it with twisty pasta, they're a doddle to eat.

[Jacksmybaby]

Ah, interesting Aitch. I had kind of been assuming that baby vegs would be best for finger food because they are a good size/shape without chopping (yes I am that lazy!), and also cos they are usually sweeter in taste than other vegs. So perhaps time to explore other kinds to see how he gets on.
Am screwing up the courage to do something really messy and see how he manages - going to be carnage on my magnolia walls!!

[AitchTwoOh]

i'd assumed the same Jacksmy, but nooooooo. dd likes to keep me on my toes. try broccoli if you want to experience mess... it goes EVERYWHERE but they do love it.