Finger food for 5 month old

[GirlOutNumbered]

DS2 is 24 weeks. I have been giving him some solids for about two weeks and he now has 3 'meals' a day. Lately he only wants what is on my plate, he has lost interest in feeding from a spoon....
Do you think it too early still for finger foods? I did give him a stick of avocado yesterday and he managed it fine.

I'm still worried about choking!

not too early, loads of people start on finger food straight away and skip purees. search baby led weaning or blw on here. I have a 20 week old and worry about choking too when I start weaning him. but I plan to try sticks of vegetables eg broccoli carrot baby corn mange tout bits of banana etc. I don't imagine any will go in to be honest!

I'd give him things he can't get big chunks out of at that age, eg carrot, pepper, cucumber, pitta.

Then as your and his confidence grows, move on to easier to chew things eg crumpets, banana, soft broccoli.

With purees, have you tried making them thicker and letting him have the spoon?

Yes, he has the spoon, but it's just so messy...... Although he really loves to hold the spoon, finger the food, put food in hair, food on floor. I really need to relax about the mess and just accept it.

Oh custard, do you mean a raw carrot? Just for him to nibble on? I thought about that, you don't think he could bite through?

Yes raw, I give ds a long bit cut in half lengthways, so it's easy for him to hold but too chunky to bite a bit off. Does yours have teeth?

I would give cooked carrot rather than raw, less of a choking risk as it will just mush down

I started with finger foods at 5mo and nothing really went in, it was more about texture in mouth. I then started on purees and stuff that would mush up a few weeks in. Carrots, cucumber etc are easy for them to hold, fruits much less so - I gave DS a slice of mango and I might as well have given him a fish it was so slippery!!
Things like Organix sweet corn rings dissolve in their mouths, so they get used to gumming the stuff, but it's not a lump they can choke on. My mum gave him a (reduced sugar) rusk very early on and he went crackers for it! Messy though...
If we're out and he needs a snack I give him little rice cakes. They don't dissolve quite as much but he's used to it now (29 wks). And he really likes breadsticks as well.
He's just started nursery and is getting proper meals - mushed up chicken casserole yesterday, he eats better than me!!
Favourite though is still mushed up pears

Oh yes, and I would cook the veg first for finger food.

It's unlikely but not impossible about choking so long as he puts it in his mouth. Don't be tempted to DIY!

Roast carrots, squash, parsnip. Broccoli. Peas. Anything with a handle, so don't chop much smaller than ur little finger to start with. Get him used to it then chop to help dexterity.

This bits very good fun! Enjoy!!!

Thanks guys... He hd sweet potato today, kept biting and it kept falling out of his mouth, quite funny to watch!
Have mashed up some sweet pots too, he really likes to chew, makes a real big deal of looking at me and doing it as if to say 'look mum, I can chew like you!'

How mushy should you cook veg for finger food? Thinking if it's really mushy he won't be able to hold it w/o it falling apart, but really worried about choking.

Slightly - I'd steam carrots for 15 mins I think... Can't be sure as I'd probably poke them around that time and see if they were done, and let them go for a few more mins. That's not particularly helpful to you I realise!
Basically you don't want them too firm in case he manages to break off a big lump and can't gum it down to something smaller. If it's mushy, it'll come away in smaller bits and he'll be able to handle it.
Baby's gag reflex is apparently in the middle of his mouth (I read somewhere), further forward than a grown ups. If DS gets a lump of something too far back he makes a god-awful coughing noise (and his eyes water a bit!) and then works the lump forward with his tongue and presents me with a gobby ball of whatever. Much like a cat coughing up a hairball actually...

I would err on the side of mushy if in doubt :)

Ah okay, I was thinking firmer would break off in smaller bits - so the opposite of what I was expecting!

Aaahhhhh, cooked carrot sticks today. He bites big piece off, fails to chew it and then just swallows it whole!! Cried a bit, then carried on. I chickened out and mushed it up for him!

Girl Did carrot sticks here too! He did manage to get a couple of smallish bits off - he looked at me and made gagging noises, I could see the bit on his tongue so scooped it out & he went back to slurping on the carrot.

He seemed to enjoy it but each stick doesn't last that long before getting dropped on the floor.