Nervous about finger foods

[vlooby]

Not unreasonably so, but I'm nervous about giving finger foods. My little girl is 7 months and has just got 2 teeth. Gave her pitta today but would love your tips for keeping it as safe as possible. Have watched videos on gagging and choking to help, but the gagging is horrid!

Honestly she will gag at some point. She would with purées too it's all part of the development.

Just be sensible, no whole grapes or cherry tomatoes, slice and quarter.

Although they aren't exactly the healthiest things going you can get wotsit type 'carrot sticks' for babies that literally melt in their mouths. They are good for weaning as they are a nice shape for them to hold and get used to the hand to mouth action without actually being too taxing to eat and they just turn to mush when wet so difficult to choke on them.

It's not long before they are just cramming everything in as fast as they can and you don't care as long as they are not getting too much of it on the curtains/ cat...

Firstly do not watch videos of gagging and choking ffs. Secondly every child ever has ate finger foods to some extent and the overwhelming majority don't choke. Children do gag. It is new textures and using a new process of transferring solid foods to the back of the throat to swallow. This takes a bit of getting used to and they often gag until they do. If you act panicky, your DC will pick up your anxiety, so relax, try a variety of foods in easy to handle peices and go for it. At 7 months, all my babies in my room were given all sorts of finger foods and never had any problems. Good luck op, you will be fine.

Does your children centre offer a first aid course? It might be worth doing for reassurance and just general safety

Thanks both. I wish I hadn't watched the video. It was on some kind of email I received so I thought I'd click on it. Obviously I know she isn't the first baby to have finger foods and I'm not super nervous, but nervous enough to be grateful for advice from those who've done it already!

Yes @Manpoo but sadly my childcare options are non existent and my little nutter would not sit even vaguely quietly!!

I was terrified, honestly so scared I cried and avoided it. DS is 10 months now and gags less but when he does it doesn't faze me at all. There is no way round it except just to do it, it's really scary but it gets easier literally every time they eat

Thanks @sourpatchkid I suppose it's like everything with babies isn't it. I saw a little boy about 8 yrs old fall in the supermarket today and smack his head in the floor, another baby about 1 year old at baby group had broken his nose walking into a wall..... so after this there will be something else to worry about!

That's a shame. Our children's centre let us bring our kids and they had a 'creche', in reality I breastfed pretty much during the entire session. I don't think watching first aid videos on choking is a bad thing, when they do the rounds on fb I always watch as a refresher for what I was taught on the class.

There are private first aid courses but they'll most likely be more expensive than children centre

Do you know I never checked if any of them offer a crèche.....

Start with things that are easier to breakdown when chewing. As she has teeth you'll prob find she'll wrip finger foods easily and end up with big bits in her mouth. In my experience DS spat anything out that was too big to manage. I was nervous too so gave things I was comfortable with until we got firmer and firmer foods.
Try ripe bananas, roasted parsnips and sweet pot, pikelets..