Who's never spoon-fed when weaning a baby?

[Twiglett]

This has just come up on 'the rooting reflex' thread and I must admit I'm fascinated and am asking lots of questions

But if there's 2 people already there must be loads more who never bothered with the mushy stuff so my questions are (because I have a 6 month old currently weaning)

Why go straight to finger foods?

What's the theory behind this? Benefits / disadvantages?

What did you start with?

Any problems with choking?

sure there's loads more but that'll do for a start

(really amazed at this concept and very interested)

Did this out of necesity, DD had spoon phobia and wouldn't go near one til 10 months and then only yoghurt, now 17 months and only really does desert and cereal with spoon! This was my no2 and was a relief not to do puree, would consider doing it this way for no 3

Ds eats about 90% finger food and always had. Partly because I wanted him to feed himslf straight away, which seems to have given him confidence in his own little way. He's coming up to 1 now, and can do one or two spoons of cereal alone before he gives up and flings the spoon, which we've recently introduced, and is pretty adept with a toothbrush.

ds isn't keen on a spoon - but doesn't get much quantity by using his fingers. any tips for getting the quantity up ? Meals usually consist of me finger feeding him and him having a go in between.

Twiglett, CAT me and I'll put you in touch with people doing just this

so do you just give them stuff

what do you start with?

was thinking of giving DD a rice cake .. she's had 2 weeks of spoon-fed mush (is 6 months old) and is up to breakfast and dinner most days (well more like brunch and high tea TBH )

Try things they can hold and put to their mouths - steamed carrot sticks work quite well, but DS's favourite is Baby Organix breadsticks - they say from nine months, but he loves them (he's seven months).

He had some clementine today - made faces when he tasted it, but carried on sucking the juice out!

He's had pasta (rigatoni's good - nice shape), he likes the taste of banana, but looks surprised when it slides out of his hand... Broccoli isn't a favourite, but it is a good shape to hold, so we'll keep on trying that!

Just put the food either in a bowl or directly on the highchair tray, don't be surprised if she doesn't know what to do immediately(!), and let her play with it. It's a learning experience!

Rice cakes do make the mouth quite dry, so make sure you offer her a drink with it. I just give DS a bit of boiled water (coolish) in a beaker and offer it to him several times. He's still getting most of his calories from milk, so I don't worry too much about how much he eats - but he is getting better at it!

This is interesting - is this totally instead of spooning in starting with baby rice and then pureed veg/fruit? So you just go straight to finger foods at 6 months?

Never heard of that before but would consider it if other people have found it a good way to wean.

Very interesting for me, too. I weaned ds1 at 16 weeks and did the whole tiresome puree thing, for no real purpose. We don't really have food allergies in our families, and I'm not weaning ds2 until 6 months, I hope.

This certainly sounds like an easier and more natural way to do it!

Do you bother with introducing one thing at a time? I know a local BF counsellor who I think just gave her daughters whatever they grabbed for. I don't think I'm quite that mellow, but I might try to be.

Well I started DD off with rice cakes just because I am lazy and she had been sitting in her high chair at meals with us getting more and more put out at not joining in. Was only a few days later that I started on puree though. She's getting quite good at rice cakes now and yesterday I gave her some pear. Had to hold it myself mainly because it was a bit slippy for her but bear in mind she's not quite 6 months yet (started her on the rice cakes at 5 months). She choked a little bit on the pear but nothing too alarming. Although I do the purees as well I do think early finger foods are a good idea because it means they can eat while you eat which is my main aim.

Twiglett, I have never had any problems with choking, a little coughing maybe but that's all. I bf until 6 months and then I used rice cakes (you can get apple flavoured ones now which I think a re a bit nicer), the Organix breadsticks already mentioned (they used to say 6 months whne dd was little, now they say 9 months but I gave them at about 7 months), strips of cucumber, apple, toast, toasted pitta bread, thin strips of cheese. I also gave him small pieces of stuff like cheese on toast (although I have remembered I did spoon feed baked beans ), pieces of penne pasta or rigatoni (easy to pick up), tortellini filled with cheese. He also had things like pieces of chicken and strips of naan bread when dh had a chicken and mango curry, pizza, he loves picking up bits of salmon, pieces of boiled potato, chips, broccoli, just bits of anything we ate to be honest.

I don't know any theories behind this I just did it to try and make things easier for me as then I made one meal for myself, dd and ds and did not have to bother with the whole pureeing malarkey (also, I don't know anyone else who has done this and some friends looked on in wonder when ds at 8 months polished off a plate of pitta bread and homous). I was also influenced by dd loving finger foods and not liking to be spoon fed. It meant that I could eat at ds and dd ate too. I never bothered with the one thing at a time business (although I did with dd when I was an enthusiastic first time mother rather than a brow beaten second timer!).

HTH!