Need some suggestions for finger foods

[nigele]

Arrgghhhh... Tom is on a baby food strike. He does not want any mushy food from a spoon. The only thing he will currently eat, besides breastmilk is Gerber Biter Biscuits, and he really only sucks on them. I'm hoping this is only a phase but it is really frustrating!! Since he is not gaining weight, his doctor wants me to give him any food that he will take and the only things he seemed to like in the last couple of weeks were things that he could really grasp (toast, crackers, biter biscuits, etc.) Does anybody have suggestions on other things I can try to give him? Here is a quick run-down of what I've already tried:

Bananas
Zwieback toast
Ritz crackers
Cheerios
Bagels
Rice cakes
Nutri-Grain bars

TIA!

[newbelly2002]

Dante was on a strike about 1.5 weeks ago. nothing but fruit did the babe want. And that only for a bite or two. In retrospect (since the first tooth popped through a few days ago), I think he was teething.

What I found worked:

cucumbers cut into quartered sticks--Dante gummed them and gnawed and, hopefully, sucked some of it down. The cool was also good for the sore gums.

soft, ripe pears in large chunks--he was grooving on these and they dissolved in his mouth

also, cooked fusilli pasta. I cut the fusilli to make sure he couldn't choke. He didn't eat much, but enjoyed what he did. And, of course, zieback.

The Germans also like to give their babies soft bread with a bit of thick creamcheese (frish kase) or liverwurst on top. I'm just not that daring. Good luck!!

Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b33a3c3de467

[mamahill]

I read your post and honestly couldn't come up with anything (I swear I was smart once!). Then I just fed Ainsleigh lunch and I came up with a few:

how do you feel about dairy? we buy the string cheese sticks and then slice them crosswise to make little circles. Then cut in half for moons (and smaller mouths). Ainsleigh likes mozarella, but I think they're making other cheese in sticks now too...
goldfish - nuff said
does he like yogurt? i know plain whole milk is best, but when all they'll eat is toast or your peach yogurt, I say, let her eat peach yogurt! She loves it.

I noticed most of it is carbohydrates, so I'm trying to think if there are any fruits (few) or veggies (just carrots) that she likes. I steam the heck out of the mini-carrots and then slice them crosswise for more circles. She'll eat those occasionally.

Also, she's weird and doesn't like warm pasta, but give it to her cold and she thinks it's a treat. I discovered this with macaroni and cheese. She likes it cold - plus, they aren't a slippery (the frustration factor goes down!)

Have you tried juice? I know they're high in sugar, but if you get a 100% juice, maybe that would help with some vitamin c? I usually water it down, but she seems to really like it.

These are just some of the things that came to me. At the ped's yesterday I expressed concern over Ainsleigh's "week of toast" last week. She laughed and said, "Wait till she's 2!" But then she went on to say that studies have been found that when parents offer an assortment of foods, over 2 weeks babies will take what they need. Somedays it may just be one thing, but the key (she said) is to make sure you continually offer the right foods. Eventually, they will get the vitamins they need.

I just read in Ellen Satyr's book that slightly defrosting blueberries are good snacks, but I guess you'd have to make sure they don't become choking hazards. I'm going to try them next.

Hope this helps. I know it sure is frustrating! If you come up with any other finger food ideas, share! (i need new ideas)

edited to add: just saw Paula's post about cucumbers... I hadn't even thought of that! Am adding cucumbers to the grocery list!

[newbelly2002]

The cucumbers came out of desperation.

It was a Sunday, no stores were open, we were out of Zweiback (when a certain Muffin fed the last piece of toast Chaucer instead of eating it), and Dante had refused three types of baby food but was still screaming. I threw open the fridge and saw: a cucumber! And there you have it....necessity, mothers, invention and all that.
HTH!

Paula, Mama to Dante 8/1/02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b33a3c3de467

[lukkykatt]

DS is just shy of 10 mos. and here are some of the foods that he likes:

*bananas
*pancakes/waffles broken up into little pieces
*cheese slices broken up into little pieces
*grilled cheese sandwiches broken up into little pieces
*pasta
*soy hot dogs cut up into small pieces
*cooked green beans, carrots
*fresh mini cheese ravioli (I think buitoni makes them)
*and of course, cheerios, the perennial favorite

As he reaches for his finger foods, I sneak in baby food or yogurt. He is distracted, and doesn't seem to mind that way. I also keep a supply of plastic toys on his tray as a diversion.

Also, since Tom will eat toast, maybe you could try to fatten it up with some cream cheese, hummus, jam, or soy nut butter? Anything to get in some extra calories.

Good luck!

[trumansmom]

Have you tried canned green beans broken into little pieces? They are Truman's absolute favorite, and have been since he was about Tom's age.

And Truman's a little older, but some of the earlier foods he liked were diced beets (go figure!), cooked spinach and other greens, regular toast, lots and lots of yogurt and apple sauce, Kix, oyster crackers, and mashed potatoes and gravy.

And for what it's worth, Truman (now 16 1/2 months) just came off a food strike this morning. He only had cheese nips and apple sauce for over 24 hours. Argh. So tonight will be a biggie!


Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01

[Hallie_D]

Andrea, are you a vegetarian? I am and was planning on DS being one as well. When did you introduce soy products? I eat tons of soy stuff but was wondering when it was ok for ds (just over 10 months) to start. (I'm sure he gets lots of soy through my breast milk!) I am getting tons of pressure from family and friends to give him meat. He has always been small (is just now 16 lbs) and isn't a big eater so I'm always looking for something new to entice him. Right now he seems to love cottage cheese and cheerios the best.

Thanks,

[Karenn]

Hi Lisa,
We're in the same place! Colin will take a spoonful of food and then clamp down on the spoon and hold it with his teeth, shaking his head until I let go of the spoon. Then, we he gets hold of the spoon with his hands, he'll throw it to the floor. I'm taking that as a sign that he wants to be in charge of feeding himself. :)

I was reading old posts about finger food and found a couple of ideas that worked for Colin. One person suggested cutting everything into sticks, and that seemed to work pretty well. I was worried he would bite off more than he could chew, but it didn't seem to be a problem. He especially liked cheese sticks. I sliced them so that they were about 1/4 inch thick. Rachels had suggested grated apple and that was a huge hit yesterday. I also baked a sweet potato and then mushed the flesh into little squares that were big enough for him to pick up. And, I also tried little pieces of chicken that were really tender and was surprised to find how easily he could chew them.

Let me know if you come up with other things that work!

[sweetbasil]

Let's see...going through DS's first year calendar (good thing I wrote all that down, since my brain is gone!):
*small very young early peas (canned)
*diced beef hot dog
*scrambled eggs
*kiwi fruit (seeds in diapers are the low point on that one!)
*rice
*goldfish
*animal crackers (broken into pieces)
*golden grahams (broken in half)
*rice krispies

HTH...and good luck!

[cara1]

cheese
halved grapes
halved grape tomatoes
pita bread
I'm not sure if Tom is too young for this, but DS holds a chicken tender (not breaded, just cooked) and munches on it. Also likes fish sticks.

[ginalc]

Have you tried shredding fruits like apples and peaches into little slivers like you shred cheese? Also good to shred are zucchini, squash, yams, beets, bits of oranges, grapefruit, etc.

They are especially fun for little fingers to try and pick up and most babies love the change in texture!

Also, I would strongly urge you to avoid the halved grapes and grape tomatoes!

They are a Pediatrician's NIGHTMARE! And a great choking hazard!!!
Check with your pediatrician before feeding smaller halved fruits.

gina, mom to 3

[lukkykatt]

Hi Hallie,

I am not a vegetarian, but at home we do mostly follow a vegetarian diet. I did not specifically ask about soy, but at DS' 9 month visit, I asked what table food he could not have, and was told honey and the allergens (eggs, milk, nuts, etc.). So I started giving some soy products just before he turned 10 months. Maybe he gets two "servings" of soy a week. I did the same with my first son and never had any problems.

My really good friend is a vegetarian and so is her daughter, who easily outweighs my older son (her peer). My friend is now nursing twins, who are younger than my younger son and already as big as he is. So, I think as long as your ped knows your intentions, he/she can give you pointers and you should have no problems. Alot of times, I think children just settle at the size they are meant to be. If you are wondering if it is ok to start on soy for your son, just give your ped a call before you do.

I haven't done this yet with my baby, but one of my older son's favorites was sauted tofu with baby peas (of course he would never eat this now, lol!)