Basic Finger Foods

So, I was thinking I would start my babies on finger foods (cheerios, peas, puffs, etc) around 9 months. Right!?! Well, then I was looking at this survey we have to fill out for the pedi at 8 months, and several of the questions related to the babies' ability to pincher-grasp, pick up small items/crumbs, etc. When did you start offering these foods to your babies? I'm not talking about a whole meal's worth...just a few practice pieces here and there (maybe something to keep them occupied while we eat our dinner!?). Anyone have any unique finger foods their babies loved?

 

We started giving them the puffs close to 6 months bc they were "chewing" their food and they both had teeth. They still struggle to pick them up themselves but it does occupy them for some time bc they reaalllly concentrate hard on doing it They prolly get 1 in their mouth for the 10 on the floor...but hey, its practice right?!

 

At nearly 7 months, one of my babies has two teeth that just broke through the gums last week, and the other has none. What, if any, finger foods would you recommend? The one with no teeth is sitting fairly well for several minutes, the one with two teeth doesn't really sit on her own, but is getting close. I know that is supposed to be a prerequisite for finger foods, too.

They do grab at everything if we're holding them while we're eating. They want it soo bad! One nearly ate a napkin at dinner tonight!

 

My pedi told me that you can start offering the finger foods pretty early on. If they can get it to their mouths, they will be able to handle eating it. If they can't get it to their mouths, they aren't ready yet. That advice worked for me. I would start with the puffs since they melt really easily.

 

We just started finger foods at 7 mos at the recommendation of the developmental specialist at the hospital (since we were 6 weeks early, we see the specialist every 3 months...) We've been doing solids for a while now... and the specialist said that finger foods will help develop their fine motor skills (and will also help with my DS's temper when he is hungry for a bottle!)

Oh, and my LO's really seem to like the Mum Mum wafer crackers that dissolve, as well as the puffs...

 

At about 7-8 months, I would put a few puffs broken in half on their trays to keep them entertained while I spoon fed them. It wasnt until about 9 months when they started doing it themselves. They can work on their pincher grasp with toys on the floor too.

 

We started with puffs & Cheerios around 7 months. It's great practice for hand/eye coordination & it keeps them occupied for awhile. I always gave them finger foods while I ate my dinner & I was able to eat in peace. And they don't need teeth to start finger foods. They don't actually chew with their front teeth anyway & their little gums are hard enough for chewing.

 

We just started giving them finger food today actually. They will be 8 months tomorrow!! Apple Cinnamon Wagon Wheels and they kept wanting more!! They seemed to know exactly what to do, went straight to their mouths. They dissolve in their mouths. GoodLuck

 

ITA! It's great when they start feeding themselves because they are MUCH less fussy while we're eating dinner. They both had the pincher grip at about 7-8 months, but it took Jack a while to figure out how to get the food to his mouth. They both "chew" up everything with their gums, and Jack just recently started crunching his Cheerios between his new front teeth!