What finger foods to start?

I'm terrified of DD choking....she's 7.5 months now, has one tooth.
She doesn't quite have the pincer grasp, altho she's getting there.
She's not too thrilled with the pureeed solids. well, some days she
is, others not at all. She definitely likes picking at our plates. So
suggestion was made to try finger foods. But how does onegive them?
Kellymom and Drsears both talk about 'soft cubed foods' - how small?
I'm so worried anything is going to make her choke!

On Feb 16, 11:03?pm, "cjra" wrote:
I'm terrified of DD choking....she's 7.5 months now, has one tooth.
She doesn't quite have the pincer grasp, altho she's getting there.
She's not too thrilled with the pureeed solids. well, some days she
is, others not at all. She definitely likes picking at our plates. So
suggestion was made to try finger foods. But how does onegive them?
Kellymom and Drsears both talk about 'soft cubed foods' - how small?
I'm so worried anything is going to make her choke!

Make things so small that even if she swallowed them whole they would
make it down. Also give her things that are super soft and
dissolvable. All my babies had several teeth by that age so I'm not
the best one to come up with suggestions, but Cheerios seems to be the
big favorite.

Leslie

On Feb 16, 11:03 pm, "cjra" wrote:
I'm terrified of DD choking....she's 7.5 months now, has one tooth.
She doesn't quite have the pincer grasp, altho she's getting there.
She's not too thrilled with the pureeed solids. well, some days she
is, others not at all. She definitely likes picking at our plates. So
suggestion was made to try finger foods. But how does onegive them?
Kellymom and Drsears both talk about 'soft cubed foods' - how small?
I'm so worried anything is going to make her choke!

rice crispies too. i'd sprinkle a handful on her tray and it would
keep her busy for quite a while trying to pick them up and get them to
her mouth. when she was a bit older i gave her small cubes of cheese,
teething bisquits, slices of banana cut in half, cubes of tofu (we're
vegetarian). i didnt give her many fruits because they seemed too
slippery and would turn brown, and the sweetness caused stickiness and
i'm not a big fan of stickiness.
nancy

"cjra" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm terrified of DD choking....she's 7.5 months now, has one tooth.
She doesn't quite have the pincer grasp, altho she's getting there.
She's not too thrilled with the pureeed solids. well, some days she
is, others not at all. She definitely likes picking at our plates. So
suggestion was made to try finger foods. But how does onegive them?
Kellymom and Drsears both talk about 'soft cubed foods' - how small?
I'm so worried anything is going to make her choke!

The pincer grasp will come quickly--with DS it seemed like it happened
overnight. Just keep the pieces pretty small, so even if she swallows them
whole, they won't hurt her. We have no allergies in my family at all, so
beyond the biggies (shellfish, peanut butter, citrus, etc), I tend to let DS
have whatever he's interested in--I don't avoid wheat or dairy. But I do
still advise waiting a day or three after most new foods. So you may have to
edit my list, depending on your concern about allergies.

This is what DS (9 months) eats as finger foods:

Any veggies cooked very soft and cut into small cubes work well (I like to
make stew and then give DS pieces of the veggies--potatoes, green beans,
peas, various legumes, carrots, etc)
Rice (makes a mess, beware)
Cheerios, Rice Chex, Rice Krispies (you're looking for cereals that
practically dissolve on your tongue)
Cheese--I take a thin slice of cheese, tear pieces off, and roll a small
ball with my fingers--it softens it up and makes it a manageable size
Soft fruits--banana (I quarter slices), very ripe peaches and pears, avocado
(these can be slippery, but I'm amazed at how well DS does), cooked apple
pieces, peeled & quartered grapes
Well-cooked pasta pieces
Lightly toasted bread, cut in small pieces
Crackers broken into small pieces--I had to do some research to find
crackers that dissolve on the tongue quickly--I lean towards graham crackers
(minus honey) and wheat Toasteds
Mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes (offer these right before bath g)
Bits of fish, ground meats

Is that helpful? I know it's scary the first time.

--
Jodi, sahm to
Oliver (6 years)
Arwen (3 years)
Milo (9 months)

In article .com,
"cjra" wrote:

I'm terrified of DD choking....she's 7.5 months now, has one tooth.
She doesn't quite have the pincer grasp, altho she's getting there.
She's not too thrilled with the pureeed solids. well, some days she
is, others not at all. She definitely likes picking at our plates. So
suggestion was made to try finger foods. But how does onegive them?
Kellymom and Drsears both talk about 'soft cubed foods' - how small?
I'm so worried anything is going to make her choke!

Firstly, I am sure you would not let her eat unsupervised. The risk of her
choking to death is therefore very small. Secondly, choking hazards are
anything really hard (eg raw apples, raw carrots) or anything that is likely
to break into small hard pieces (eg corn chips, ginger snaps). Thirdly, you
should expect some gagging as DD learns to manage the food in her mouth, works
out how big a mouthful she can take, that different textures need different
approaches etc. Gagging is *not* the same thing as choking. Of course a CPR
course is always a good investment, but you are more likely to need it later
on. Curious toddlers tend to be the ones that inhale dried peas/ball
bearings/marbles, not tiny babies.

The first finger foods I offered were probably summer fruits. Rather than
cubes, try thin slivers of rockmelon, peach, apricot, kiwifruit etc. They
don't need much chewing and are easy for baby to hold.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

On Feb 18, 10:28 am, "hobbes" wrote:
"cjra" wrote in message

oups.com...

I'm terrified of DD choking....she's 7.5 months now, has one tooth.
She doesn't quite have the pincer grasp, altho she's getting there.
She's not too thrilled with the pureeed solids. well, some days she
is, others not at all. She definitely likes picking at our plates. So
suggestion was made to try finger foods. But how does onegive them?
Kellymom and Drsears both talk about 'soft cubed foods' - how small?
I'm so worried anything is going to make her choke!

The pincer grasp will come quickly--with DS it seemed like it happened
overnight. Just keep the pieces pretty small, so even if she swallows them
whole, they won't hurt her. We have no allergies in my family at all, so
beyond the biggies (shellfish, peanut butter, citrus, etc), I tend to let DS
have whatever he's interested in--I don't avoid wheat or dairy. But I do
still advise waiting a day or three after most new foods. So you may have to
edit my list, depending on your concern about allergies.

This is what DS (9 months) eats as finger foods:

Any veggies cooked very soft and cut into small cubes work well (I like to
make stew and then give DS pieces of the veggies--potatoes, green beans,
peas, various legumes, carrots, etc)
Rice (makes a mess, beware)
Cheerios, Rice Chex, Rice Krispies (you're looking for cereals that
practically dissolve on your tongue)
Cheese--I take a thin slice of cheese, tear pieces off, and roll a small
ball with my fingers--it softens it up and makes it a manageable size
Soft fruits--banana (I quarter slices), very ripe peaches and pears, avocado
(these can be slippery, but I'm amazed at how well DS does), cooked apple
pieces, peeled & quartered grapes
Well-cooked pasta pieces
Lightly toasted bread, cut in small pieces
Crackers broken into small pieces--I had to do some research to find
crackers that dissolve on the tongue quickly--I lean towards graham crackers
(minus honey) and wheat Toasteds
Mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes (offer these right before bath g)
Bits of fish, ground meats

Is that helpful? I know it's scary the first time.

--
Jodi, sahm to
Oliver (6 years)
Arwen (3 years)
Milo (9 months)

Thanks for all the tips. I think we'll stick to the pureed stuff and
the fruit in a mesh feeder awhile longer, that seems to keep her
occupied. I'll slowly give her things off my plate.