Finger Foods and Highchair Recommendations

[Dexy2020]

Hi all, my little boy will be 6 months soon and was just wondering what would be good finger foods to start him with and any recommendations on highchairs or are they all much the same? :) thank you for your help x

Start with soft fruit or soft-boiled veg. Like boiler carrot sticks, slices of melon or banana etc.

@FrugiFan thank you very much :) and so the mess will shortly begin hehe 😂😂

IKEA antilop is brilliant. You can get a cushion to go with it to help prop him up. So easy to clean.

Anything is a finger food - fruit and veg is great but they can have pretty much any food providing you make sure its cut up to the right shape/size to avoid choking.

@Footlooseandfancy ahh fantastic will have a look at that definately :) quite excited to try him with different foods xx

It's hard work but fun - really recommend an old shower curtain or pvc tablecloth under the highchair to protect your floor/carpet!

@Footlooseandfancy ahh good idea thanks for the heads up 😂😂x

High chairs get messy, which is why you want one that’s easy to clean. That’s the holy grail. Make sure it’s quick to wipe down and that the tray is easy to detach for washing. Some high chairs even come with an extra tray so that if one is being washed, you've got another. Cushions add comfort, but they complicate the cleaning process, potentially involving a washing machine and time spent drying in the sun.
I’d always look for one with a footrest, an adjustable seat height and that folds.
If you’re tight on room, you’ll probably want a minimal chair that takes up less floor space – in which case, a warning: some models are borderline gargantuan.

Avocado
Steamed baby sweetcorn
Omelette fingers
Well cooked penne pasta or bows
New potatoes
Strips of toast
Soft bits of Yorkshire pudding
Strips of cooked chicken
Flakes of salmon or white fish

Definitely second the Ikea antilop. It is so easy to clean - you will soon understand why that is SO important!

Re finger foods, we roasted lots of sweet potato and carrots in strips (like chips basically), also avocado, banana and pear are great textures for them at the beginning. Broccoli is great as it’s naturally got a little handle for them, and you can cut omelette into strips as well.

We tried to avoid too much toast early on but he loved that, and you can spread houmous, avocado and other mashed up things (DS loved peas!) on toast or a rice cake. Also made quite a lot of dhal for him, again a good texture to spread on stuff and full of protein.

Also it really depends on your floor, but we tried the shower curtain under high chair thing and it was easier just to clean the floor (which is tiles). I guess carpet would be a different story!

I second the IKEA chair recommendation. Easy to clean, easy to disassemble if you need to go elsewhere with it and most eateries seem to have them so it's a nice bit of consistency for the baby.

If doing boiled fruit or vegetables, I tended to do it in a cup of water in the microwave if I wasn't having any myself. Much faster. Rinse in cold water to cool.

Also, you can get big transparent plastic mats for under the high chair. DD now eats at the table properly and ours is still underneath her chair to protect the nearby rug. Looks fat better than a shower curtain.

Also not a recommendation but just dont worry if they dont eat much, or anything at all! My daughter ate hardly anything for months and months, I got so stressed about it. But she got there in the end and now shes 3 And eats anything

Thank you all so much for your replies.... So just offer the same amount of milk and he will eat what he wants when he's ready?? :D x

Pretty much. Though save the bottle/boob (if you can) for after mealtimes. They're a little more likely to try the food if they're not already full up on milk.

Strawberries, watermelon, mango and skinned cucumber sticks were firm favourites to start with here.

And I nth the IKEA Antilop. So easy to clean and cheap! Though, since there will always be a gap between baby and the tray (even with the cushion), you definitely will want a mat of some variety underneath to catch everything.

They're a little more likely to try the food if they're not already full up on milk.

Conversely, also don't wait until the baby is ravenous before offering food as they're less likely to take it- they feel hunger and want milk. They have no concept of the idea that solid food will also satisfy that need.

The majority of their calories should come from milk in the first year. Weaning is mainly for iron and so that they gain the skills of chewing and swallowing food so they have them when they need them later on. So don't worry if they don't eat much. The NHS has lots of weaning advice on their website- gives you a rough timeline of how many meals per day to offer by age and gives you some ideas for each stage. Don't try to rush straight into three meals a day.

Perfect! :) thank you everyone really helpful advise xx