Finger Foods - Jackson, MI

Hi D.,
It's nice to see another D.!! Anthing mashed up is fine, and any of the crackers made for babies are good also, becasue they're made to crumble up with just a little bit of gumming. My daughter used to like the Gerber veggie/fruit puffs. Have fun!

I would think you will be fine giving him something that can desolve in his mouth, like crackers or something soft

Hi D.,
Like you, I was really apprehensive about starting any kind of foods that weren't the consistency of baby food... I started out with this little stars - they come in all flavors - sweet potato, banana, corn, etc. and they melt in their mouths. Also, Cheerios work really well too. Sweet potatoes and green peas make really good mushy pick-up foods as well.

I also bought this solid food feeders that look like a pacifier with a mesh pocket. These are GREAT to put any solids in that you're worried about - and a wonderful way to introduce fruits and veggies. I put everything in them and my son could suck the juices out - melons, citrus, veggies.

Good luck!
- Adele

If you give him crackers, like ritz, they will disolve in his mouth, especially when his "gums" it! Cherios also work too!
If you give him a thin slice of Banana, he will like trying to feed himself...its mushy, and messy,but he will love it...and I promise, he won't choke!!!!
I did this with both my kids(now 3 and 5 1/2) and I never had a problem with them choking, etc!
Good luck!!!:)

Cherrios and puff snacks. Also, have you tried using a mesh feeder? These are great to use at this stage and you can feed your baby fruits and veggies in it and they won't choke. Also, I've put frozen fruit (bananna and blueberries) in it which is great for sore gums. I've seen these at babies r us and target.

Fun time! both my daughters LOVE mashed potatoes! I also give bananas but I dont mash them I cut it in to small pieces. my 1 year old also loved sweet potatoes, cooked apples, pretty much anything we would east if it could be easily mashed it was fair game! I would test it by taking a fork and mashing it and if it mashed easy then I would cut it up and give it to her, good luck hope this helped!

D.,

By this time, both of my girls were eating dinner with my husband and I. We cut their food into small pieces but they were at the table with us. They ate veggies, meat, and soft breads. This made them a real part of meal time. They can gum an amazing amount of food. Just keep the pieces small enough that they can't choke. But, we didn't buy baby food at this point. When in doubt, blend your food. That way, he begins getting the taste of your cooking and not the Gerber factory's. ;)

I think the perfect thing to start off with is the "puff cereals". These were perfect for my daughter when she first started learning to self-feed. They are a little larger than cherios, so they were easier to pick up, and best of all they dissolved in her mouth. So, I never had to really worry about her choking. Once he masters the puffs you can slowly introduce soft fruits like peaches. Rule of thumb is to cut up foods to be the size of the tip of your pinky.
My doctor told me that the few teeth they have at this age doesn't really help in eating. Their gums are actually very strong and can do the job of mashing up food. My daughter is almost one and she only has two teeth on the bottom and tonight she scarfed down chicken, mac and cheese and green beans! Hope this helps!

Babies do not have to have teeth to have finger foods. Choose foods that disolve easily. Some suggestions would be plain cheerios, small pieces of saltines (low fat low sodium kind) dipped in applesauce, zwiback baby cookies disolve very well. If it disolves in water it will disolve in the baby's mouth. Mashed potatoes are a good first food from the table. Add some meat broth or drippings for extra flavor and vitamins. One of my son's favorite first foods was mashed carrots. I left them lumpier than the baby food kind.
When your baby starts to teethe try freezing small baby washcloths. Wet them and store them in individual zip-lock baggies in the freezer. Let them chew on them when needed. The cold numbs the pain and the rough texture helps te little tooth break through the gum. It really works.
Have a great day.
B from Cookeville

try cheerios.
Our doctor said that cheerios were ok without teeth because they can break them down with their gums.

VERY soft, small veggies, like peas, bits of sweet potato or carrots. Cheerios are good too

When my son started foods at close to the same age we started with those little puffs. They disolve in the mouth and you can get them in fruit or veggie flavors. My son just loved them and would chow them down. They were a great snack. From there he was an overachiever. He wanted cheerios and whatever we were eating. He is now 13 months and there is nothing he won't eat. I would suggest to start with the puffs. You can get them at the grocery where the toddler/infant foods are.

Hi D.,
My name is J. and I have a 14 month old now but our son was late to get teeth. He only had 2 little teeth in the bottom front coming in around 7 months. Our day care was able to mush up food real good and he would eat it. We found the Gerber Graduates for Toddlers crackers made w/whole grain and the L'il Crunchies were very good because they melt fairly quickly in the mouth (we still would break them in half just to be safe). He didn't like everything mushed up but we did find that he liked the food if he could feed it to himself instead of us spooning it in to him. Good luck and don't hesitate to try some of the stuff yourself to see how it melts in the mouth. By the way, his food habits changed week to week so we kept trying things we had tried before every two weeks or so. Oh, and I just thought of canned diced carrots w/peas in the grocery store aisle. Those were soft, a big hit, and not too messy.

Hi, D., We started our son on finger foods before he had teeth...it was difficult for us, since his older sister had teeth at 5 months. We started him with cherrios as his "practice" food....that is, he practices using his fine motor skills by picking them up and putting them in his mouth. Also, cherrios are not "bad" for them and they have a hole in them in the event that he were to swallow without mashing it down. My friend also said that anything we can easily crush with our fingers would be easy enough for their gums to crush. Little bits of apple are nice, since they don't get too mushy (like bananas). Small pieces of pasta might work too. Of course, as you introduce new finger foods, make sure you watch him very closely, to avoid choking hazards. Of course, my little guy wants to try all the things he sees his sister eating! Hope this helps!

My son didn't get his first teeth until he was 11 months old, and he started finger foods way before then. Babies are amazingly efficient at mashing food with their gums! Teething biscuits are good, of course. Gerber makes some star-shaped puff cereal that dissolves easily. Also try FROZEN banana slices in a mesh feeder (e.g., http://store.babycenter.com/product/code/3925.do). You can find these feeders at Target, Babies R Us, etc.

The key with any new food, of course, is to watch your child very carefully while he eats! Good luck!

Cheerios are great. Gerber also makes fruit and veggie puffs. They are star shaped and melt in you mouth and are made from fruits and veggies.

Cheerios and goldfish are very easy for babies to gum and they dissolve quickly. Ritz dissolve easily, too, but they are higher in fat than the goldfish. Something I did with my son was to peel grapes and cut them into tiny pieces. It was a bit time-consuming, but he LOVED it. Also, Gerber has fruit and veggie dices which are a perfect size for his little fingers. In addition to mashed potatoes, you might want to try a baked potato. The texture is a little firmer for little fingers. One thing that was hard for me, but I tried to keep in mind, was that babies don't get bored with food like we do. They like consistency. So, giving them the same thing over and over isn't bad. Also, just because they reject something a dozen times, doesn't mean that they won't fall in love with it the thirteenth time! My son has rejected bananas since he started finger foods, but just recently - at 18 mos - he decided he absolutely loved them and has begged for them! So, don't be afraid to re-offer something he's rejected before. Hope that helps!

I say, why rush it? He should just be experiementing at this point anyway. In fact, some say if they are bf to not even start solids period until they are seven mo because the rush actually encourages food allergies and obsesity.

Try crackers. Put him in the high chair to give them to him. Stay with him. Most of the time with no teeth their saliva takes care of things like that to break it down. Make sure you have a drink there for him. It is something new. If he gets choked up no need for alarm you r there and as long as it's a tiny piece and he gets a drink he will be fine. If you are worried about him choking on something then please make sure you go take first aid/cpr make sure they do the infant with you and adult. contact your local EMS agency they can tell you where to find a class. It is a blessing to have that way in an emergency you won't lose your mind when you need to be calm and helping your child. Trust me I took it when my first was a baby and thank goodness I did cause everything that went into his mouth it seemed like he choked on and I was never nervous. But he is only 7 months so don't rush things. Give him a couple more months and you will probably not worry as much.

Plain CHEERIOS! Dissolve in the mouth AND are great for manual dexterity!

I fed mine peas and carrots, green beans, cheerios (they melt n the mouth), I fed her just about anything that we ate I just mashed it to the point of liquid almost... with a fork.
But if you put the bean and the peas and things like that down on the table, he can get them and gum then to death.

Cheerios are great first finger food. Just lay 2 or 3 in front of him. He will play with them and feel them in his mouth. He may spit it back out. It about feeling them and the texture. He may suck on them til their soft. Obviously watch him closely the first few times, but he will love them. Good luck! W. from Indiana

HI, My son was born just before yours (20 July 07). I was really hesitant to give him non-baby foods but he actually likes them a lot better. He does have 2 teeth but doesn't use those to chew, he just gums the food with his back gums. He even eats the gerber graduate sides because they have more texture than the level 3 baby foods but no large chunks. He can't grasp and eat cheerios or anything like that yet but he does hold and suck on the gerber teething cookies (however he bit one of them in half before so I don't like those as much as gram crackers). It may take a while for him to get used to chewing his food but even without teeth he will be able to.

I starting giving my son the gerber finger foods stars at about 7 months and then gave him little pieces of club crackers at about 8 months. He did have 2 teeth coming in at 7 months but not enough to help him. The finger foods dissolve in his mouth and so do the club crackers. He really enjoys them both. For future reference I just started giving my son diced apples, peaches and carrots from gerber, he is 9 months old and has 2 teeth on the bottom in the front and one up top. The baby yogurt is also a hit with him although it can be messy at times but it is so fun to see him laugh when I laugh because it is all over his face!!!

Try cubed or mashed sweet potatoes intead of regular potatoes. And although they're kind of messy, Rice Krispies dissolve easily in the mouth, and both of my boys enjoyed playing around with trying to get them in their mouths (once their hands got damp with saliva, the cereal would stick). Cheerios are also a great starter finger food.

Hey D.,

Gerber makes these great Wagon Wheels in a variety of flavors that are perfect for beginning finger foods. They are the perfect size for him to hold, and since babies love to put things in their mouths, he will go right for it. After a lot of gumming they pretty much get smushy and eventually become soft and small enough for a baby to swallow. Just be sure to supervise him on his first few wheels until he gets the hang of it. Oh yeah...Gerber also makes these awesome little puffs that dissolve well...they look like dry cereal...beware...you'll find youself thinking that these things are also yummy and sneak a few yourself:) Good Luck...and congrats on making the Deans List!

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that breast milk or formula should be the primary source of nourishment for the first year of life. The immune system begins to function properly between 6-9 months of age so any foods you introduce could potentially cause an allergic reaction later on so try not to be in too big of a rush. Especially if your baby is not showing much interest. I was always anxious for the next stage of development with my first born but learned to relax with my second and third child. It was much more enjoyable to let them progress at their own pace - both for them and for me <smile> Good Luck!

We started both of our kids eating Cheerios around 7 months -- and no, neither of them had teeth yet. Our doctor said Cheerios were fine to give them because they get soft in the mouth so quickly that they basically disintergrate, so there is no real danger of the child choking, even if he/she swallows them. (Put a few on the high chair tray and you may actually get to eat part of a meal in relative peace, plus your son will start learning eye/hand coordination!) Although we never actually did this, our doctor also suggested graham crackers that have been left out in an open package for a few days until they have gotten a little soft.

babies have surprisingly hard gums, and even with no teeth can usually handle most soft finger foods with no problems. my son was eating cheerios, small pieces of cut fruits like grapes bananas and peaches, as well as things like toast and pastas with no sauce even before he had teeth. just be sure that everything that you offer is smaller than the choke size and that you sit with him and don't let him eat unsupervised. also canned veg are good if you can find the low or no sodium ones. they are really soft. also the Gerber little puffy things are good. they dissolve if your baby leaves them in his mouth long enough. hope this helped.

Try him with the mash potato, if not continue with th gerber food and fruits. Good luck as you grow your little one.
God keep U and him well.

My granddaughter is two years old and if you will look in the baby food isle, you'll find food that dissolves in their mouth. My daughter in law showed it to me,so check the boxes and it will say, it dissolves...its thing such as cracker, banannas, strawberries, just little finger foods, in little bites.......

Even if he dosen't has any teeth you can still give him those teething biscits or Gerber puffs. He can just melt them with drool and it teaches his muscule to chew. My son loved them.

Teething biscuits!! Once he gets teeth, they're a no go, so let him enjoy them while he can. They are great!

I used Gerber finger foods with my son at that age. They have these really big stick crackers and he loved them. He just sucked it to death or til he got tired of sucking it. I got the bigger ones so he wouldn't choke. Try those and see what happens

Hi D.,
How exciting! The food stage! When I started both my children on food, I started with veggies (yellow, orange, green..in that order), then got to the fruits (this way, it was less difficult to get my kids from veggies to fruits than the way around). and then went from the thin to thick (less milk in the rice or mixing rice with some baby food), then introduced to finger foods.
When the finger food stage came along, I found those baby biscuits that babies-without-teeth suck on (I think that Gerber makes some). No crackers. Crackers can break and irritate your baby tender throat or worse if the piece is too big. Regular crackers don't melt fast enough or break in powder like Goldfish. Well, there are crackers for babies too. Those sweet potatoes or fruit flavor puff-things. They are in the baby food section. These would work. My kids still love them by the way.
But you know, if he is still pushing the banana or potatoe puree out with his tongue, then he might not be ready for the finger food in general. There is really no rush. Maybe you can check with your pediatrician for guidance (although I admit to not have listened to everything one of my pediatricians had said. I switched to 2% milk because my son was getting terrible diaper rash with whole milk. My pediatrician refused to believe that and demanded that I put my kid back on whole milk. I did not and I did change pediatrician eventually. It was the same pediatrician who gave antibiotics to cure colds by the way).
Have you tried thicker food like porridge, oat meal, etc? But i have a feeling that if little Nik finds banana still too thick, the porridge might not work either. and so, not the finger food.
But you know your baby best. So what worked for me might not work for you and what did not work for me might work for you.
Take care,
S.

D. he will take foods when he's ready. My son is 9 months old and can barely manage tiny itty bitty banana pieces. All of his food is still stage 2. He has 2 teeth and 3 popping through. All babies have their own schedule for when they are ready. Keep offering him the food. Such as if you are feeding him carrots, chop a few bites and put it in front of him. If he doesn't want it, don't push it. My son still doesn't associate the food in front of him that he needs to put it in his mouth (he'll put everything else in his mouth though). He will also choke if I don't make the bites small enough. Don't worry, he'll try it when he's ready!! Email me if you have any more questions.
P.

You have a lot of info here so let me just make a couple of other comments.
One, start with vegies if you want him to eat vegies. Fruits are sweet and more appealing. Vegies vegies vegies!! He will eat them and learn to like them. That said I would stay away from white patatoes. They don't have enough nutrients. Avacados, asparagus, squash, sweet patatoes, peas, green beans. Rice is good and can be mixed to give texture.
Two, be sure your introducing one food at a time to watch for allergies.
Three, remember at this age he is not eating for nutrition breast milk is still satisfying that but to explore foods. Be sure what your putting in his mouth is what you want him to develop a taste for.
Four, 7 months is still young, 9 months is more finger food stage. You can do tiny bites of green beans etc but he really still needs a fairly good grind on whatever your feeding him.
I do like the book "The BIG book of recipes for Babies, Toddlers, and Children 365 quick, easy and healthy dishes" By Bridget Wardley and Judy More. It breaks down recipes by age.
Mary Beth in Ohio

I started my son on Gerber "Crunchies" and he LOVES them. It took him a little while to get used to them, but now they are a staple. They are rice puffs and they dissolve in their mouth. Also, you could try the baby safe feeding rings. We use this still for all sorts of fruit. It helps them learn to bring the food to their mouth without worrying that he will get too much and choke. The biggest thing I have read is just to try all sorts of flavors and textures. We did this early and so far it seems to have worked because my son is not a picky eater. Let's just hope this continues. Good luck with the transition to finger foods.

My daughter loved peas (reheated frozen ones) as finger foods in her high chair (just watch to make sure they go in the mouth and not up the nose!). Fresh apple is great if you grate one up (just like you would cheese).

Something that we tried that worked really well until she got teeth was a mesh baby feeder. You can put whole foods in there (like cooked chicken, bananas, berries, steamed veggies, etc) and they can "chew" on the mesh bag and only get little pieces out through the mesh so that they can't choke on it, but they can get used to chewing on something. Here's a link for the Munchkin brand, http://www.babyage.com/products/43302_munchkin_munchkin_f...

I found mine at Target but I have also seen them at BabiesRUs and Baby Depot.

Hope this helps!

Hi. My daughter is 15 months and when I started her on finger foods I also used a mesh bag that you can put fruit in. She could chew the fruit and the only pieces that she got were so tiny she couldn't choke on them. I can't remember what the name is for the mesh bags, but you can find them in baby stores, and I think Wal-Mart has them too. Hope this helps!

The rule I heard when we went through that a few months ago, is that you can feed anything you can squash with your tongue. My son had Ritz crackers first since they melt in your mouth.

I then started making my own teething biscuits with recipes from www.wholesomebabyfood.com. He loved the baby pancakes and cereal bars.

Try Gerber Graduates fruit/ veggie bites; they dissolve quickly in the babies mouth and are easily digestible. I think 7 months is a lil young to be given finger foods because he lacks the tongue control to move the food around his mouth just yet. I'd stick to the infant food and cereal for now until he can keep most of the food in his mouth and exhibits chewing movements of his jaw. And i'd get used to the mess when he eats too because he's gonna be making messes for YEARS to come! Good Luck!

I have an almost three year old (on the 22nd) Cheerios are a great first finger food! They will gum them and they get soft and you don't have to worry about him choking on them. Just give him one at a time until he gets used to them. My son never liked potatoes and still doesn't. He doesn't even eat french fries! Good luck!

Hi D.!
I would try the Gerber finger foods, the ones that melt in their mouths. They have these puffed wheat stars in all different flavors that are really great. My daugher is 14 months old and still loves them. Your son will be able to gum them while they're melting. Gerber also has jarred diced fruits and veggies that are all really soft. To save money however, just dry the canned fruit and rinse them to get all the sugary syrup off. For the veggies, buy the frozen ones, they have lest sodium, and cook them down so they're pretty mushy. You can also give small pieces of bread. I hope this helps!

Cheerios are the best food to start with. Then you just carry a little baggy with you wherever you go. Just give him a few at a time. Don't sweat it, he'll get to big people food soon enough and when he does, please don't buy into that finish everything on your plate notion. Children always know when they are full.. In addition, introduce everything you eat to him that you eat. My girls eat Thai food, Indian Food,Mexican food, you name it they eat it or try it. We did not live by the chicken nugget menu. Hope that that helps.

My advice: do not rush things. Time goes by so quickly. Talk to your pediatrician. There are guidelines as to when to move to the next level of feeding. It can actually be dangerous to start certain foods too early depending on the childs development.

Here, I just wrote a whole book for you! ;)

My daughter didn't get any teeth until she was 11 months, so I totally understand your concern! :) A great tip I read in trying to find food they can eat is to try it out yourself first. Does a food get pretty mushy if you smash it with your own tongue? Most kids are actually much better at handling it then we'd first expect. Also, don't worry about first impressions. Most likely he'll reject any food at first because everything is new. (However, I've heard that the foods you eat can flavor your milk if you two are nursing. Don't know how true it is, but I do know my daughter eats better than my hubby!!! At least after she was about 18 months and suddenly started eating like a real child!)

Like several people said, he may be a little young for solids, but it depends on how he takes them, as they mentioned. If he's making chewing motions, though, he should be fine. Just start with softer things first, as it sounds like you're doing. Slippery things are hard to pick up, though, like canned peaches, etc. Someone gave the advice of tossing them in wheat germ, cracker or cereal crumbs would probably work too.

Fruits, because they're sweet and often have a more mild flavor, often take about 3-5 tries for them to be accepted regularly. Vegetables typically take longer since they are less sweet and often have a stronger flavor, like 10-15 tries! Don't give up, though, and don't make a big deal about it if he refuses something, which I had a hard time doing when I really liked a certain food myself! Just plan on offering several different foods through the meal and let him eat what he wants of what's there. Also, offer the new foods first, when he's hungriest! He's less likely to be willing to eat a new food if he's content with what he's already eaten or likes what he's been eating better.

Much of this is easier said than done, esp when it comes to having an assortment of foods on hand. My girl wasn't a big eater in the least, so I had to have a few bits of this and a few bits of that. Those 1/2c. glad or ziploc containers definitely came in handy during this period! Oh, and sometimes zapping a fruit/vegie for a bit in the microwave will make it just soft enough for him to eat. However, this may change the flavor, which may be bad or good.

Before crossing something off the list, offer it differently than you did before: mixed with a beloved food, fresh when he's only had it cooked, etc. My girl hated cooked carrots, but I discovered she loved them raw, so I chopped them in tiny cubes so she wouldn't choke on them.

Anyway, here are some suggestions. A good rule of thumb is the harder something is, the smaller you cube it.

fruits: (make sure they're ripe so they're softer)
- bananas, as you've tried
- apples, cooked
- peaches, fresh or rinsed if you use canned ones, can cook too
- pears, same as above, can cook too
- mango
- blueberries, cut in 1/2
- grapes, I actually started out cutting them into like 6 pieces so I knew they wouldn't be a choking hazard! :)

vegies:
- carrots
- squash, cooked
- peas
- broccoli, cooked or raw and diced down the road
- cauliflower, cooked (My girl LOVED cauliflower! I was shocked!!!! Cooked, though, is much milder and sweeter than raw. We both love it cooked, but don't care for it raw.)
- spinach--hold off on this until he's a year because of the nitrates in it, or something like that. Surprisingly, my girl loved fresh baby spinach, and she likes the frozen chopped stuff mixed with her pasta and parmesan cheese, same w/ broccoli!
- asparagus, steamed & cut small as he gets a little more used to solids - when my girl around 18mo, I handed her some at the grocery store so she could see what it looked and felt like, and I asked her if we should take it home and eat it. Then I turned around to look at something else, and when I turned back, she was happily chowing down on it!
- bell peppers, diced & cooked
- potato, baked and diced

proteins:
- beans - cooked and cut in half, she loved beans!
- peanut butter, spread thinly (if no food allergies in fam)
- meats, cut very thinly across the grain so that they'll fall apart more easily. Meats cooked in liquid (soups, pot roast) are the most tender.
and as he gets a little better with solids:
- eggs (if you don't have a history of allergies in your fam); I always had issues with hard-boiled eggs because the yolks were so terribly messy. I preferred scrambled eggs with milk added to them as they were cooking so they'd be nice and tender. This was one of the ways I was finally able to start sneaking cheddar cheese into her as well!
- Parmesan cheese, grated (my girl LOVED it)
- shredded cheeses
- melted cheese (she quickly liked cheddar melted on tortillas, but she hasn't warmed up to cold cheddar yet...I haven't pushed her on that one, though, because I didn't like cold cheddar either) ;)

grains:
- puffed grains (cereal aisle) they're way cheaper than the gerber puffs and healthier too
- bread, cubed (whole grain is better than white, white gets kinda sticky and clumps up in a baby's mouth--just as too many raisins will when he's a toddler! Watch out for that!)
- pasta (orzo was a little too small....elbow is good, but I think I did still cut them in half for a while...invest in a good pair of kitchen shears, they're awesome for cutting spagetti & other pastas! Just stick the pasta in a bowl, snip around several times and you're done!)
- rice - my girl didn't digest brown rice very well, but we still fed it to her on occasion cuz that's what we were eating (came out whole in her diapers!)
- tortillas, diced (she hated the spongy feel of bread, but she liked tortillas)

As you can see, they can really pretty much eat anything you eat, especially once they get the hang of it. Just make sure it's soft first. Oh, and SOUP is great for that! We visited my in-laws at Christmas when she was little, and she was eating more than she'd ever eaten in her life. At first, I felt like a poor cook, but then I realized 1) she was going through a serious growth spurt and 2) we were eating lots of soup! Soups of all kinds are still a favorite, and you can sneak any new food into soup!

I've actually taken advantage of this time of introducing new foods to my daughter by trying out new foods myself. Although my picky husband hasn't always appreciated it, we've had a great time and learned that there really are a lot of other healthy, enjoyable foods out there, especially when it comes to vegies! (You just have to learn how to use them.)

My daughter did not get teeth until she was about 9 months so I was in the same boat. I did cheerios and broke them in half and she did great on those. I also did the "baby" goldfish and broke them in smaller pieces. I was a little paranoid but she did fine in both situations.

I'm an "old" mom, now a grandmother, but I would say, don't push the finger foods. He may be on Jr. foods until he is l-1/2 years, especially if he is late getting teeth! Regular table food, even mashed up, can be lumpy and cause gagging and possible choking, which is a bad experience and may inhibit the baby's future eating. So I'd say, don't rush!

I had a similar situation. When I tried everything and it did not work, I realized that I was making it all about me. I wanted him to chew already. He was not ready. So I backed off and let him progress on his own and stopped trying to rush him. How he is 11 months and no longer on mashed foods. He is chewing everything. I no longer have to run anything through the food processor. They grow so fast, so don't try to rush it, its fast enough.

When he has some teeth and is ready, try Gerber Graduates Finger Food.

Good Luck and God bless,

i gave my little girl, biter biscuits, gerber puffs and freeze dried fruits, crackers, cheeze puffs, cheerios, etc. all stuff she could "gum" on. all those things dissolve pretty quikly once a baby starts slobbering all over them. just watch her with it all so she doesn't choke. just stay away from hard stuff like raw fruits and vegies, banana chips, candy, etc. also, tardget carries this contraction that looks like a mesh bag with a handle, i can't rember what it called, but you can put stuff like orange slises, babanas, and other softer textured foods, in it and the baby can gnaw on it and get the flavors 7 juice but not the pulp.

Hi: Crackers are okay. Your little one will only suck on it anyway, not chew it. Cracker sticks would probably be the best or animal cookies are good also. J. M

Ritz crackers broken into smaller pieces melt in their mouths, small pieces of teddy grahams are also good. The mashed potatoes are a good idea too. Small pieces of bread...pretty much anything that with the mixture of saliva gets soggy will be alright for him. Get creative but stay simple just to protect his stomach until he gets used to it. Good luck and have fun.

I have a 2 year old daughter named savannah and I have a degree in early childhood. I have worked in childcare for 7years and we have alot of parents that think their child will choke on finger foods,but if you start you child on finger foods at a early age they will get a taste for it. They can eat bananas,can fruit,cooked carrots,green beans, peas,apple sauce and mashed potatoes. Then at about 9months old you can start him on chicken nuggets cut up,fish sticks,hot dogs cut up,spaghetti,rice,grilled cheese,hamburger, fresh fuit cut up,cookies, crackers,raisins,and french fries.

Why are you mashing his bananas? That seems like a huge mess. I cut them lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch chunks and let them have at it. Same with most soft foods. Those gums can do the job on soft foods without you mashing--he may not like that nasty, gelatinous texture at all.

Both of my children got there teeth in early so they were eating regular foods pretty early but mashed potatoes should do well with your son since he has no teeth,anything that is easy to gum or swallow. Good Luck

~L.

Gerber and Beechnut both make little puffy snacks that look almost like cheerios. Some are star shaped, some heart shaped. They melt very quickly in baby's mouth and don't clump like crackers. I think they come in either banana or sweet potato flavors. My eight month old LOVES them! If you use small cut up pieces of fruit that are slippery, try coating them in dry rice cereal of groung wheat germ. Slippery stuff could slip right in to baby's airway. Most importantly, baby isn't ready for finger foods until he tries to chew or gum them when in his mouth. If he's pushing his tongue foward, pushing the food out, he probably isnt ready developmentally. Good luck with the mess:)

Don't worry about no teeth. The front ones they get first are very little use for them for eating solids anyways.

Like others have suggested, just start small and soft. Cheerios, Gerber puffs, fruits, veggies, bread. I stay away from the bitter biscuits because my daughter gets chunks of them off (but she has teeth).

Good luck and have fun! Don't worry about the mess either...no matter what or when, they will get messy. :)

Those biter cookies by Gerber are great for now. They are extremely hard, so he'll mostly suck on them and make a big old mess, but he will have fun AND get used to something of substance in his mouth.
Kim
www.kimberlyhelms.com

I have three children, and from my personal experience with three vastly different personalities, I have always gone by the rule, you can start "finger foods" when your child has started to crawl. I wouldn't recommend offering or suggesting finger foods until you have a crawler. In fact my daughter crawled at six months and she never touched table food until she was a year! She spit it out.
There is a correlation between crawling and eating and I would hate to have your child choke on even smashed bananas (yes, it happens). Really, there is no hurry. They grow up fast enough, trust me! ...every child is vastly different, all three of mine are.
Enjoy spooning him his foods and once he's ready, get him going on smashed table foods.
It's really risky at seven months to go further. Seek advice from your pediatrician too. They're very helpful.
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I am actually very shocked after having just read so many "helpful" responses to be anything but! You have a 7 month old infant! This is a little baby. Please Do NOT give him cheerios or crackers! I can understand the mesh food net that they gnaw on, but certainly those Gerber "puffs" are FOR CRAWLERS, please read the labels and warnings. PLEASE, before you offer this baby anything.

I liked all of the canned vegetables. They are all soft and gummable. Greenbeans, carrots, peas. Have fun!
Steph

I also have a son who is 7 months old (July 26 also named Nicholas, different spelling though!!) and I make his own food, but I also have a 22 month old little girl, and I wouldn't rush the finger foods just yet. Teeth aren't always a must in order to eat certain finger foods. Gerber makes these veggie and fruit puffs which melt in your mouth and plain cheerios do too. I wouldn't rush on to crackers just yet, they do make certain cracker/cookie like foods for little guys like our boys - Biter Biscuit, or Zweiback also by Gerber are good ones to try. Careful when giving it to him as some of the crumbs that he will bite off might cause him to choke/cough. Always sit with him when he has one until he is older and is use to eating those. As he gets his pincer grasp going then you start with the small finger foods. Remember no raw vegetables until after a year, you can do cook soft carrots and other soft veggies as he gets older, but again, there is no rush on any of this! If you want look into making his own food, not that I'm against buying food, b/c I did with my first, but it's so much fun, easy, quick and way cheaper than buying those little jars of food. I do have a small stash of baby jars when we happen to go out somewhere or in case I don't have a particular vegetable or fruit that is not in season. If you're interested in making his food, email me and I will gladly suggest some books or give you any advice in how to start. Again don't rush to the finger foods just yet, baby steps when it comes to food, as the lactation center told me it's not about stuffing him with foods as it is introducing the different foods there are and the different textures. Mamas milk (or formula) is the priority before the foods. And if you're worried that you don't have time, believe me it takes as much time as it does to cook and clean up after your dinner to make his food. I will usually pick a vegetable that we are eating, and make more than what we would normally consume, and after dinner take what is left over and throw it in the food processor and within a minute I have pureed vegetable of choice. It's going to be so much fun as he gets older and we can start to combine vegetables and I can throw most of whatever we don't eat and he'll have dinner or lunch for several days! Check out http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ for some great tips/ideas etc...

Hope that helps!
A.

D., the mess is coming whether you like it or not. I suggest plastic mats for the carpet, magic erasers for the walls and large bibs that catch food for the clothing. My son was a super messy eater...actually, he still is messy! You may want to try giving your son unsalted corn on the cob. My mom gave it to me, and I gave it to my kids. They like to suck on the natural juices that come out. You can try cutting the niblets off with a knife and giving him just the cob. That will get him comfortable with holding food in his hand (it's just the right size). It's also great for teething babies. Good luck!

I know the gerber fruit & veggie puffs are wonderful fingerfoods... they turn to mush almost instantly. They worked for our little guy