Advice! Finger foods for a 7 month old

[tigger2022]

My son is 7.5 months and I’ve been trying finger foods but so nervous about choking. Do you have any ‘recipes’? I know it’s silly but things like pasta and veg - just how soft do you cook it? And how big should the chunks be? I gave him half a banana is that safe? I’m so nervous I’ll get it wrong.

(He doesn’t have any teeth)

Download the Solid Starts app. It lists how to serve pretty much every food according to age

(it's free, as is their website which has an incredible amount of info on solids, BLW, choking vs gagging etc)

Do the squish test. If the food squishes between your fingers it's fine! If it doesn't, cook it a bit longer until he has teeth. Also consider a strip of well cooked steak. They won't actually be able to bite any off but can get alot of iron from sucking and gumming it. Also great for when they teethe!

Cooked carrot sticks are good.

Babies can chew food just fine without teeth.

Sure but if you're nervous about choking as OP has said.....

The first aiders said the 'squish test' is easy: essentially, if the food squishes down, it's more likely to be safe for your child.

"The pressure of your pointer finger mimics your little one's toothless gums.

"So if it can be squished down it's likely to be safe to give.

"If it doesn't squish then it needs to be modified before being given," they explained.

I have an 8 month old and do a mixture of mashed foods and finger. (Also second the solid starts app). Things I have served him -

• strips of toast or crumpet with toppings such as nut butters, cream cheese, avocado, squashed raspberries
• omelette strips
• cooked broccoli/ cauliflower florets
• whole strawberries
• squished blueberries and raspberries
• avocado slices
• pasta ( I used fusilli and a sauce helps with grip)
• cooked carrot batons
• banana split in to thirds
• rice cakes
• baby snacks eg puffs and biscotti
• fish fingers ( as a treat being mindful of salt )
• potato wedges
• asparagus spears

Thank you for the suggestions! I tried banana yesterday, attempting pasta and omelette today. I’m so nervous. Following the guidance on the app though!

My best advice would be to take a first aid course on babies and infants and if you can't do that then watch this video from the St John's Ambulance.

Also, get to know the difference between gagging and choking.

All of this should help to alleviate your anxiety

Hope the new foods went down well today, my DD particularly liked a roast dinner at that age. I can still remover her chomping in a Yorkshire Pudding

I just posted this elsewhere, but this guide is great and shows how to prepare finger foods appropriately for under 1s.

https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/eating-well-in-the-first-year

*remember