Finger food

[beckiebee04]

My little one is just over 6 months now and well into a puree feeding routine, porridge at breakfast with bottle and jar at dinner and tea, is this enough? And when should I start finger foods, and what are best first finger foods, she's also got two bottom teeth

you can start finger foods now
best things are cooked veg sticks (think you finger) like carrot ect
banana (i was told by by health visitor to slice it straight down so its thinner so will slip down the throat if need be )
you can try baby rice cakes
cooked pasta
any thing that you think its soft enough and not a choking hazard is fine

toast is good, but not too much as bread is quite high in salt. toasted bagels work really well. brocolli is good, sticks of cooked carrot, potato wedges etc.

my DD is 6 mo and we're doing baby led weaning and so I just give her some of what we are having. she just mashes it around and sucks on it. she loves it. noodles are great as she can get big handfuls of them, pasta, chicken strips she'll have a go at everything.

The only choking hazards at this age are whole nuts, whole grapes (and other similar sized soft
fruit) and often people don't give raw apple or carrot slices as hard chunks can break off. Other than that, go for it. You'll be surprised what she can handle and gum!

I know guidance says anytime from six months try pretty much whatever finger food but having had two little ones I still think this is too early - I've been scared of choking a few times. I would do finger food like a chunk of banana that is just going to mush in their mouths, avocado, cooked sweet potato etc but I'm always cautious with finger foods that are less soggy/soft.
This is just my experience and definitely not what is the recommendation out there. - it's just another view point.
I did find rice cakes ok with my kids, it was things like strips of chicken or pasta that I am reluctant with.

I did purees with my ds (tried blw ) but was too afraid of him choking so didn't do finger food until he was about 8/9 months. He is one now but has always enjoyed toast/rice cakes/banana/sweet potato chunks amongst other things.

I stuck with a mix of finger food and spoon feeding as it suits us better.

For spoon feeding you could puree some of what you are having (and gradually introduce lumps - that's what I did ) as an alternative to jars? My ds wouldn't eat jars so I just mashed up what I had.

I know blw is the thing now but I can honestly say not doing it hasn't made any difference to my ds. He eats really well and isn't fussy at all.