https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 01 May 2026 09:12:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224564 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:02:39 +0000 Adira 1224564@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cmomma17: hahahaha! It's hard to imagine that one day these cute little babies are going to be teenagers!</p> <p>@hilsy85: haha, thanks girlfriend! Sometimes it helps to keep it in perspective! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224487 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:48:30 +0000 cmomma17 1224487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One day he'll be a teenage boy eating you out of house and home! ;) </p> <p>You'll be posting about your sky high grocery bill and trying to figure out how to get him to eat less! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224482 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:47:30 +0000 hilsy85 1224482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't worry...he's not going to go to kinder eating only purees :) Just keep trying! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224388 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:29:21 +0000 Adira 1224388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@plantains: Okay, maybe I need to try giving him more time with the finger food first because I swoop in with the purees! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224351 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:20:50 +0000 plantains 1224351@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I gave her a lot of time, and then even when i topped her off with puree, I would leave the finger food on her tray while I was feeding her so she could grab bits here and there if she wanted to. I also tried to have her eat when we did and eventually she wanted to be like us and started trying more things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224345 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:18:26 +0000 Adira 1224345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@buffalove: @tinyperson: Thanks! It sounds like I should just keep offering him foods, but he may just continue to not be interested for a while still! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224328 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:13:49 +0000 tinyperson 1224328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO didn't know what to do with finger foods till just past 9 months. We kept practicing, and one morning it just clicked and she picked up all her Cheerios and ate them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224303 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:06:12 +0000 buffalove 1224303@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS wasnt at all interested in finger foods at that age. He didnt even cut his first tooth til almost 9 months. I think he started eating puffs around 10 months, and went almost immediately to cheerios. it was like once he started, he couldnt get enough of crunchy, interesting foods. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224302 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:05:22 +0000 Adira 1224302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Polish: haha, okay, I guess I'll just keep trying then!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224293 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:03:52 +0000 Mrs. Polish 1224293@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: that's how we started. I just stuck with it and he finally changed his mind. He'll eat at some point. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224288 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:02:46 +0000 Adira 1224288@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Polish: I haven't recently, but I have tried putting food (like puffs or a bit of carrot) directly into Xander's mouth and he was totally disgusted!</p> <p>@2PeasinaPod: That's a good point! Plus Xander was slow to be interested in solids in general, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he's not into finger foods yet! Plus we're not even on more than one meal a day consistently anyway! I guess I just need to make sure I continue to give him opportunities but try not to rush it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224279 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:59:55 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1224279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: We were really worried that he wasn't feeding himself and he was getting so much older. We brought it up to his pediatrician who told us not to worry yet and to just keep trying to get him to do it himself, but help him along. My nephew was also a very late bloomer in feeding himself. He didn't start until he was around 13 months. He's 3.5 years old now and is doing wonderfully.</p> <p>I think we always worry so much when kids don't hit their milestones exactly when others do...and while that's something to watch, not every baby is the same. Some take much longer to do things than others in certain areas. S started walking a week before his first birthday which was before he started feeding himself! He hit all of his milestones in the same week it seemed! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224260 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:55:51 +0000 Mrs. Polish 1224260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're not doing blw, and I started with the puffs by putting them into his mouth. Once he got the pincer and realized that he liked them he started doing it on his own. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224253 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:55:10 +0000 Adira 1224253@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2PeasinaPod: Thanks!! Your experience with S makes me feel better! I guess there's no real rush to him feeding himself!</p> <p>@cmomma17: That's true! I guess I could always give Xander a spoon to play with even if he's not really using it to eat! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224247 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:53:22 +0000 cmomma17 1224247@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Blue: I have the funniest picture of my LO when I gave him broccoli on Halloween. Betrayal is a good word for it! :)</p> <p>@loveisstrange: I think LO loves cantaloupe more than me! :)</p> <p>@Adira: I give LO a spoon pretty often. He can't use it correctly at all, but I figure it doesn't hurt to let him play with it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224244 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:52:59 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1224244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>S wouldn't feed himself until just a few days before his first birthday. He also had a lot of issues with textures and would only start eating puffs broken up in fours around 10 months. Solids were a big struggle for us at first. </p> <p>Now that he's 13.5 months old, he's a champ and can't get enough. He won't even let us feed him with a spoon anymore...he wants to do everything himself. </p> <p>Just try to be patient and keep offering them. He may just not like the texture. Try taking an avocado and mashing it so that it's not solid, but not yet a puree...just chunky and see if he'll go with that first. You can try the same with a banana or the mesh feeders work to start off first as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224231 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:49:39 +0000 looch 1224231@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: You and me both! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224226 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:48:52 +0000 cmomma17 1224226@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I offer something new every few days! I'm doing more BLW so like with cantaloupe I give big chunks, maybe 2 inches-ish? I leave part of the rind on so he has something to grip. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224218 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:47:15 +0000 Adira 1224218@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Thanks for the tips! I'll have to try all of that, haha! Or, you know, I'll just go to college with Xander so I can continue to feed him purees. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224199 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:39:52 +0000 looch 1224199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I forget where I saw this but what you can try is to cut a banana in half and then remove a small portion of the peel, so that there's a "handle" and he can grab it that way. Or you can crush up some cheerios or use baby cereal as "dust" and lightly toss slippery foods to give him a bit of traction.</p> <p>I gave my son a spoon at around 8 months, not because he could actually manage it, but because he wouldn't eat if he didn't have it. Eventually, he started gumming the spoon and then one day he accidentally got some food on it and it was a magic moment, lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224195 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:37:58 +0000 Adira 1224195@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@loveisstrange: Thanks for that! I tried apple slices last night, but had zero success. I'll try the canteloupe and honeydew this week (assuming his naps allow it)! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224190 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:36:55 +0000 Adira 1224190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Blue: haha, glad to hear the Dudes are in the same boat as Xander! Now I don't feel so bad that Xander's not so into it!</p> <p>@looch: I do try to model it, but maybe I need to it more! And I do wonder if maybe he doesn't like the way the food feels on his hands, but I'm not sure how to tell if that's the problem or not. He gets purees all over himself and doesn't seem to mind that! How old was your son when you gave him a spoon? I'm not sure Xander would be able to figure out how to use it. I let him use the one I'm feeding him with sometimes and while he'll often put it in his mouth, he usually turns it upside down first! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224184 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:34:33 +0000 loveisstrange 1224184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: Apples, melon, etc, I always cut into strips so she could grab them. C loves, loves, loves cantaloupe and honeydew so that might be a good one to try. She started eating melon at around 8 months. Grapes and berries I cut in half. Bananas, I cut into little discs/slices. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224179 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:33:44 +0000 looch 1224179@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son didn't like to touch food with his bare hands, so we introduced a spoon very early on in the game, which led him to self feeding his cereal, yogurt and applesauce.</p> <p>Do you model what he's supposed to do? I had to do that with my son, he didn't get what he was supposed to do with stuff on his tray until I showed him, repeatedly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224177 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:33:30 +0000 Mrs. Blue 1224177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The boys rarely get something into their mouth, but when they do they usually look disgusted, move it around a bit, and then spit it out. You should have seen the looks on their faces the other day when I gave them a spear of cooked broccoli to chew on. You would have thought I have them something that had been dead for years. It was like utter disgust and betrayal all at once. So, yeah, we're not big on the finger foods either, yet. :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224172 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:31:48 +0000 Adira 1224172@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cmomma17: @loveisstrange: Sounds like I really need to try more things! With regards to fruit, how small would you cut it up? I have some honeydew, watermelon, and canteloupe I can try, but I wasn't sure if I should chop it into tiny pieces or go the BLW approach and give him bigger pieces to grab. What do you ladies think? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224165 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:30:14 +0000 Adira 1224165@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@petunia354: I feel you! And Xander's 2 months younger!! I guess they all eventually get there in their own way and own time though, right? I don't know any adults who are still eating solely purees, haha.</p> <p>@plantains: Thanks! Can I ask how long you'd let her play with the finger foods before offering the purees? Maybe I'm not giving Xander enough time to really try them before I actually start feeding him food I know he'll eat... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224163 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:30:02 +0000 loveisstrange 1224163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would just keep offering different things until you find something he likes. C LOVED hummus, so I'd give her bread or crackers with hummus and she'd go to town. She also likes any fruit (I used to cut up grapes and berries (mostly blueberries and strawberries). She also loved sliced cucumber at that age. </p> <p>I never really worried about cooking things or it being softer, I just only fed her with total supervision in case it got away from her. You can also try putting some good flavoring into it. C LOVES cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Baby foods dont have to be bland. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224156 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:29:09 +0000 cmomma17 1224156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>C is hit or miss. A few things he's gone nuts over (banana, cantaloupe), other things he could care less. Some days he's just not in the mood and I can't get him to even try.</p> <p>I just keep offering once a day. I figure he'll get there in his own time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/fingers-foods-need-advice#post-1224150 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:27:45 +0000 plantains 1224150@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I offered finger foods first and then topped her off with puree, and I limited the finger food to one meal per day until she got the hang of it. I put the bits on her high chair tray and let her pick them up. </p>