Finger feeding and daily menu

[jennyrose]

Hi There,
I'm a new neurotic mother to mumsnet and this is the first time I've posted here on the forum, although I have read quite a few threads in the past and found them helpful. :)
My DD is now 9 months and doesn't seem interested in finger foods at all. People keep telling me to get her onto them but she isn't interested. She may suck on toast, or chew on banana and rusks if I hold them there but flatly refuses to put food in her own mouth. Toys go in no problem but food gets squashed up and goes on the floor. Should I worry and keep pressing the issue or leave it for a while? Personally I think it is just a bit of lazyness - still won't roll around or move yet you see

Secondly, I'm a bit concerned if I am giving my DD a balanced / varied enough diet. I have the Anna Karmel book which suggest 4 meals a day of mixed savouries and sweets. I'm afraid I don't have time for that and I feel awful. Here's a typical day:

Breakfast: Milk, Readybrek/weetabix/baby cereal
Lunch 12pm: Hot dinner previously frozen fish/chicken/bolognaise/etc. With petite filous afterwards
2pm: Milk
4.30pm Tea: this is still quite small and is usually just a jar pudding/mashed banana/thinking of fingerfood and toast here
6.30pm: Bedtime milk

I hope I haven't bored you all to death. Looking forward to some advise and reassurance.
Thanks, Nik x

Hi, the daily meals you have planned are similar to what ds was having at that age. I cant see a problem there.
As for finger foods, I wouldnt worry too much, ds was the same at times and still is at 14months! Think they like to explore the food by pulling it to pieces in their hands!

Hi, DD is just over 9m and has a little more at teatime but otherwise, certainly has the same 3 meals, with milk/snacks midmorning and/or midafternoon so it sounds fine to me!

Just keep offering finger foods (leaving them on tray) alongside her usual meals and one day she'll have a go herself.

Hi JennyRose, we're at 10 months and doing more or less the same as you with the same lack of interest in finger food. I did switch from petitfilous when someone on here said they had a shedload of sugar in them. We're now on those Little Rachel Organics which have less. I've just started mashing up some fish and adding it to his lunch veggies.
I do sit with him and nibble cheese in an effort to encourage him but he just mashes it up and laughs, keeps us both entertained

welshmum, I was just about to add that the entertainment value is quite high. DD loves squishing food and although there is an almighty mess (and she's been eating ff well for months now but it's still just as bad as ever), I'm sure it's worth it as she's enjoying her mealtimes.

Hi JennyRose,
Your dd (same age as mine) is eating much the same kind of stuff. Like Welshie, I give her Little Rachel's yoghurts, I think they have less sugar than PF. Or you could try 'Mums 4' which are sweetened with grape juice or something (expensive). Anyway, that aside, I have only just started giving dd2 soft sandwiches, in pieces about the size of my thumbnail. Most of the time she just sucks them and swallows them whole! Which means they can come back up. I haven't tried anything else yet, it's quite a big step! Why don't you try making the hot food lumpier, to see how she copes, as well as introducing finger foods. Don't forget, she is learning to eat in a new way, so it could take a few weeks for your dd to master it.

By the way, I'm glad you posted the food details, I was wondering how frequently other people give milk at this age. You give your dd milk at the same time mine has hers.

hi, sorry to barge in but ds is terrible with finger food to but loves bread, what do you put in your sarnies?

ta.

I put marmite, cheese spread or sometimes jam (but dd1 never really like it) in sandwiches. After 1yr (?) they can have honey as well. Chocolate spread as a treat... Dd1 really only ever wants marmite when I ask her!

Hi there thanks for all your responses. Nice to know I've really got nothing to worry about and just need to put up with the mess! :) DD will eat sandwiches,etc if I hold them for her but otherwise all squashed up and on the floor. She tends to get bored at meal times if the food isn't shovelled in quick enough so I think that might be a big factor!
Will definatly check out the different types of yoghurt - just assumed petit filous contents would be fine as the packet states suitable for babies. Am going to try lumpier food - as long as cheese sauce is involved anything goes down!
Thanks again, Nik

that sounds like my typical day except i give the sameamount at teatime as dinnertime.

Hi Jennyrose

Annabel Karmel can be really OTT can't she - I wouldn't feel guilty at not living up to her!

The tea meal doesn't sound like that much IME. I would continue to serve finger food alongside the regular meals so if you serve bolog give her a few pieces of pasta, for example. Maybe give her a midmorning snack of finger food that she can do what she likes with.

interesting what you said jennyrose about cheese sauce. i am getting worried because dd (8 months) won't eat her tea unless i drench it in cauliflower cheese. IO work full time so don't have time to make it myself, so i just buy the 4 month cauliflower chees dinner, which is so runny i use it as source on about 4-5 cubes of frozen potatoes/chicken/veg.

is this bad? should i be worried about lack of variety?

my dd also won't put food in her mouth, just the remote control

figured she'd just do it one day?