How do you graduate from homemade purees?

[sarahsthreads]

I don't think we're quite ready to throw in the spoon, but Carrie's becoming more and more interested in self-feeding and I'd like to have options other than Cheerios. :) She manages bits of crackers and things just fine with no teeth in sight, so at what point can I start letting her try more adventurous finger foods? I'm really terrified of her choking, despite having taken an infant CPR course a couple of months ago. But on the other hand, I don't want to hold her back if she can handle other things, and I'd like her to have a bit more variety in her self-feeding efforts so we're prepared for the day she absolutely refuses to be spoon-fed.

Right now she has:
cheerios
puffed rice
animal crackers (these are new from yesterday, but they're kind of soft and I break them into small pieces)
diced baked sweet potato
banana chunks
Gerber fruit & veggie puffs (although we're backing off on these now that she can handle cheerios because they have a bit more sugar than I'd like - they were really good for before she started using her gums to chew, though!)

I feel like we're in a bit of a rut. I tried steaming diced apples, but I don't think she liked the texture so much - plus they were slippery. Are very small pieces of raw apple OK? I know whole grapes are a huge no-no, but if they were cut into quarters? Or are the skins a bad thing? And along those same lines, she loves pureed blueberries, could I give her fresh ones cut in half or are skins a problem?

I know I could cook and dice any of the veggies she's had, but that brings up another question - do you all make fresh food for every meal or is there some way of storing the diced things that's as convenient as freezing purees? I don't generally cook for myself at lunchtime, I just make a sandwich or something, so I think I'd find it difficult to cook lunch for Carrie every day. (Thought I obviously will if that's my only option - I won't starve my daughter just because I'm lazy about my own food!)

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[psophia17]

For the record, DS is a great eater, and always has been. He's gagged maybe 5x, and those times because he loved his new food so much he stuffed a handful in his mouth and tried to swallow all at once...

He also insists on self-feeding, but knows that yogurt and other mushy foods are Mama-assisted.

Other finger foods that DS had to start:
Diced buttered toast
diced cheese
thawed frozen peas
boiled frozen veggies
quartered grapes
diced ham
cold cuts ripped into small pieces (about an inch square)
canned veggie soup, with the soup part rinsed off
diced canned beets
grated raw carrot
diced raw apple
raw pear slices (much softer than apple)
pasta with butter & grated parmesan (rotini work really well)

Also, a lot of tastes of what the family was eating - if we were eating it, then he got to try some, unless it was spicy.

ETA: Storage wasn't a huge problem for us - most of these foods could be prepared really quickly, and they were generally lunchtime choices. Breakfast was almost always mushy with Cheerios as appetizer, and dinner was some form of whatever we were having, topped off with something from above if need be.

[babyready]

My DD is only a about a week younger than yours and we've just started the finger food thing. It is so tricky, trying to find things that are easy enough to grip, but not so big that they choke. She love veggie puffs, but we're also going to back off on those a bit because of the sugar.

Anyway, a couple of days ago I started cutting blueberries in half and she loves them! They aren't too slippery (I set them skin side down, so they don't stick to the tray) and they are yummy! I was so worried about the skins, but they were no problem at all! We've also done peach slices, but they were just too slippery and she got frustrated.

HTH!

[babyready]

Great list! Thanks for the ideas!

[daniele_ut]

It sounds like you are well on your way! We are just starting finger foods now, and I have had a fear of choking too. I have been feeding him Gerber Veggie puffs and he seems to like them. I have read several posts recently about concern for sugar in them. They do have 1 g of sugar per serving, but that is the exact same amount of sugar per serving as regular Cheerios. Granted, the serving size for Veggie puffs is 1/2 cup and Cheerios is 1 cup, but I've never seen DS eat even close to 1/2 a cup of veggie puffs anyway. Cheerios *are* whole grain, though, so definitely healthier in general, but if sugar is the only concern, the veggie puffs aren't that bad, IMO.

[mudder17]

I would add tofu (DD liked it uncooked better than sauteed) to the list. Also, if it turns out your DD can handle quartered grapes, I would try halved blueberries. The skin is much easier to handle than with grapes. Also, sweet potato pieces work very well.

Oh, I should also say that Kaya has always been very dextrous with her mouth and has done the gagging thing less than 5xs. But gagging is okay, because it helps them figure out how to move the food around their mouth.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ies/candle.gif for Leah

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif , 16 months & counting


http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catca..._4_Kaya+is.png

[sarahsthreads]

Well, we tried plain pasta tonight - ziti cut into little pieces. (No butter or grated cheese because we haven't started dairy yet after a not-so-great experience with yogurt.) I think it was a bit on the sticky side for her because it was plain, and she made scary noises, but didn't really gag.

I gave her some quartered grapes yesterday, but after the first one I peeled them because she chewed it for a long, long time with the skins on and kept looking at me like I'd given her poison or something. Of course, this is the same child who earlier had tried to eat a sticker that I'd put on her hand to distract her while changing her diaper and had a complete and utter meltdown when I dug it out of her mouth. ;)

We're going to experiment with cottage cheese next week, and if that goes well I'll try giving her small bits of cheddar or something, and I thought I might also try black beans, because those would be really easy for her to pick up one by one.

Thanks for all the other ideas!
Sarah :)

[JBaxter]

Try sprinkling a little infant rice cereal on steamed apples peaches and pears ( or canned ones). It doesnt give it much extra flavor or texture but it makes them easier to pick up. DH used to chuckle about me "breading" Nathans fruit.

[mommymy]

Thanks for the ideas. I too was wondering what types of finger foods to give and am afraid of choking. My son is 10 months. Can i give broccoli?

[MarisaSF]

black beans
frozen peas (yep, she loves them still frozen!)
chex
goldfish crackers (she likes pretzel, but we don't give them to her often)
carpet lint (try telling *her* that's not a food!)