How do I introduce finger foods to my 8 month old?

[Lisa J.]

My son just turned 8 months old and the doctor said that he can try to start eating finger foods.

I tried giving him one of those Gerber puff cereal things, and he will sometimes chew on it and swallow it, but other times he will start to gag on it. Should I not be giving him these unless he can chew them and swallow them no problem? Or does this take some practice?

I've also tried those Baby Mums crackers and the Gerber yogurt melts (I give little pieces of those to him) and the same thing happens.

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[meatballs]

rusks r the go

 

[Jade]

Real food is much better like Fruits,Veg,Toast and bread sticks just cut,slice it up put it on his tray and let him feed himself

 

[Mum2Chloé]

My daughter is the same age and we also started finger foods. Gagging is normal! We give her pieces of toast, small bits of fruits/veggies. She also has mum-mums, aaroroots cookies(we give the cookies whole and she kinda just sucks on them). Just make sure you cut the pieces small so he don't choke and for the veggies/fruits to make sure you boil them a bit to soften them up. Sit by your baby at all times and it will get messy, so get your broom ready! Lol. Good luck!

 

[Chef Kimi]

Those puffs melt easily, try one you'll see! lol I think the gagging is just from him learning how to swallow not choking, and as long as you are near and watching him he will not have a problem. Babies have to be taught everything, your son is just learning how to eat. It does take practice. I used to give my son those gerber teething cookies, so he could learn how to bite and chew (they melt easily once they bite it, and can get quite messy but its good practice) He also loved the gerber dried fruits that melted too!

Most baby finger foods sold by people like Gerber are designed to melt easily in the mouth so that a baby can't choke. (Like even if he is choking, his spit will make it dissolve and go away instead of being lodged in his throat) These foods I used for him to practice on, once he got the hang of it we used real food.

I also gave my son Cheerios as they were small and easy for him to grab, it took some practice but once he got the hang of it he was loving it! I also gave him tiny cubes of cheese, cooked chicken bits, cooked veggies, etc things soft and small so he wouldn't choke and could practice eating "real" food. What you are doing now is fine, no need to freak out! Like I said, just keep an eye on him so you know he's not choking!

 

[Linda R]

Dice up what you are eating, place the food on his high chair tray and let him feed himself.

 

[Pippin]

Any new skill, even a natural one (like eating) takes a bit of practice. So yes, sometimes he'll gag, and sometimes he'll chew and swallow. As he gets more practice, he'll get better at it.

Still, I'd skip the puffs and melts. They're just baby junk food. Try REAL foods -- cut up veggies, fruit, cheerios, shreds of cheese, etc. He may also do better with larger pieces -- if he can barely feel the bit of cracker in his mouth, he may not realize that he has to chew it up.

And by 'give it to him' do mean you put it into his mouth? Into his hand? Try just putting it on his tray and letting him pick it up.