Want to do finger foods but can't stand the mess! Any ideas??

[BotBotticelli]

DS1 is 6-and-a-half months old. Have been weaning since 5 months and it is going well: a mixture of homemade purees, mushed up bits of what we're eating, and finger foods.

Just came back from a holiday to spain at an all inclusive hotel where DS was loving the buffet every night, he was really getting stuck into finger food in a BLW style (brocolli, melon, pasta, toast, cheese etc), but now we're back home in our small flat, I just can't face all the messand subsequent cleaning involved in making finger foods the main part of his diet.

Is it ok to carry on doing a mix of both purees and finger foods? For example at lunchtime today he had a 2oz pot of homemade beef and sweet potato puree, followeed by a few steamed carrot sticks and then a mango slice for pudding.

Any tips for good, less-messy finger foods?? To explain I am not just lazy: we live in a v small flat with cream carpets throughout, and a v v small kitchen whcih it would be impossible to feed him in. Our dining table is in our lounge in the corner, and so I really don't want DS flinging brocolli all over the living room carpet :-( Wish I had one of those big country kitchens with a table and a tiled floor but alas i do not :(

Have you got a plastic backed tablecloth you could put under his high chair? That would help minimise the risk to the carpets.
I think a mixture like you're already doing is fine. He sounds like he's eating a good variety and happy to eat any way.

Places like Wilkinsons sell cheap shower curtains, how about putting a couple under the highchair? Either that or get a dog

I am quite similar. I do a mixture and offer more clean finger foods, spoon feed the messy bits. It makes me shiver thinking of DS eating spag bol with his fingers.

We got a cheap plastic table cloth (about £2) from a party shop, put it under DS' chair, and give him whatever.

There are some foods which make a lot of mess and others that don't, however I find that non-saucy foods in general are cleaner for the flat and vegetables are cleaner both for the flat and DS. Eg, toast doesn't tend to make much mess on the floor but DS' face will be covered in crumbs, broccoli leaves both of them relatively unscathed. Table cloth protects floor, and I have DS either topless or in full-on Bibetta. I quickly wash his hands and face after eating.

Plastic painters' drop cloths or large cheap plastic tablecloth plus largest bibs you can find with sleeves and plastic lining and let hm rip. You can stick the plastic to the floor with masking tape. Larger size cheap t-shirts are great for bibs and you can line the front easily with some sort of light vinyl fabric (look in a fabric shop). I made some easy bibs using approx age 3 t-shirts from a charity shop 10p bin - I cut the backs out and used the fabric for sleeve extensions, and lined the front.

You can line the walls with plastic too if you think they are in danger.

Serve small pasta shapes instead of spaghetti (rigatoni, macaroni, penne).

Peas are nice finger food.
Diced potatoes (buy soapy varieties, not flowery)
Oven fried sweet potatoes
Broccoli florets
Cauliflower
Diced parsnips
Diced strawberries
Torn-up slice of bread, of small bagels to gnaw on
Blueberries (but not frozen, and blueberries stain)
Slivers of cheese
Burgers cooked and cut in small pieces
Veggie burgers ditto
Chicken breast cut up very small
Diced cooked carrots
Grated potato and parsnip cakes fried and cut in pieces
Pancakes containing various shredded or mashed fruits - apples, bananas, etc.
Tinned peaches and pears (in juice not syrup) diced
Pieces of orange slices

Cream carpet is a huge pita.

LOL at dog suggestion -- I babysat for a family that had a lab and that dog was better than any hoover any time.

Actually it became a bit of a nuisance after a bit as any time the baby waved her hand over the side of the high chair the dog licked it if empty, or snatched the morsel of food if the little hand had food in it, but it was funny all the same. The baby wised up after a few months.

My DS (13mo) and dog play games as DS thinks it's hilarious to feed the dog all his lunch