finger food for 9m old - help

[sfxmum]

hello there, my dd is now 9months old and she has been weaning fine. however i am over worried about her chocking on finger food. i think this is not helping her learning how to chew.

so far she has had toast and rice cakes. can you offer suggestions for finger foods and rassurance regarding chocking/ gagging - please

i realise i am being rather silly

thank you

or reassurance even

I can't really do the reassurance other than to say just stay close to her while she is eating and keep an eye on her. I never really had issues with my two in this respect.

As for the finger food:
cooked veg - eg carrot batons
slices of fruit - eg apple, pear, banana, half grapes, satsuma segments
cucumber
sandwiches cut into quarters
pasta
breadsticks
slices of cheese

Green beans, fingers of carrot, baby sweetcorn, cauliflower or broccoli florets, peas.
Cherry tomatoes sliced in half.
Banana, segments of satsumas or clementines, slices of apple.
Sticks of cheese.
Breadsticks.

If she can manage toast and rice cakes then she will be fine with finger foods - you have to relax and let her try them. Watch her while she's eating in case she chokes, but do remember that gagging isn't the same as choking - gagging is OK, it's a reaction to the new sensation of lumpy food, and it won't hurt her.

Based on a sample of one (!) I think that some gagging is to be expected and so long as your DD isn't becoming distressed by it, it is part of the learning process and if you can stay relaxed, hopefully she not panic either. I started DD on finger food at 6m and there was a lot of gagging and coughing up bits of food but after a month or so, this became less and less and it hardly ever happens now (8m). You should also read up on what to do if she does choke - sorry, my DD has just woken, or I'd do a quick websearch for a good site. Maybe BBC parenting has some first aid info. Just gives you the confidence you need, I think. Good luck

thanks for quick response, i know its silly. i am a qualified first aider and dont act scared when she gags, exactly because i dont want to give her a 'bad attitude' to food but boy does my heart race!and i do end up avoiding giving food she really clearly wnats to try, like when i am eating and apple, etc.

this has been very helpful thanks

Hi sfx, I'm writing this to the sound of my nine-month ds spitting out bits of apple. He's been having a pretty wide range of finger foods and still gags a bit (apple seems to be particularly bad). We've tried most of the stuff people have said here - green beans, toast and chunks of cheese have been particular favourites.

I was stressed about choking, but (and apologies if this is tmi) felt better after he did choke once. Without being too disgusting, you can get stuff out pretty efficiently if they really do choke, and I've felt quite a lot better since.

I still don't like the noise when he does choke, but it's getting much less frequent (apples aside) and I think it probably is good for him to be trying all these things.

Good luck, and if you find out the secret to getting them to eat fish or meat, do let me know

well she is gumming some toast as i type, didn't seem keen on banana and yogurt i had given her earlier!
lummox -she eats fish just fine, i usually poach fish in milk then mix it with carrots and potatoes, she loves it, but so far its all mushed with only a few bits in. am planning on cooking some baby bolognese soon, will let you know how it goes