Finger food for weaning babies

Ultimate Guide to Baby Led Weaning (and Best First Foods)

Learn the basics of how to do the feeding approach known as “baby led weaning” and the best first foods for baby to make starting solids easy and fun. Plus: Learn why it’s perfectly okay to use a combined approach of blw and purees.

Baby Led Weaning

The feeding approach known as “baby led weaning” or “BLW” for short, is a style of feeding infants that allows them to feed themselves right from the start. The food is offered in thick finger-size pieces and is soft and easily squishable between your fingers. This way, the food is both easy to hold but has a low risk of choking.

TIP: This method became popular about a decade ago after the publication of the Baby Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Food by UK author Gill Rapley.

BLW Baby

One of the many reasons that people are starting to opt for this style of feeding more and more is simply that it’s easy. In many cases, you can modify foods you’re already making to share with your baby and there’s not always a lot of separate cooking involved. It also allows a baby to have control over what goes into their mouths, which sets a good precedent for letting them eat intuitively from the start.

What age should I start baby led weaning?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a baby is ready to start solids with baby led weaning when:

They’ve doubled their birth weight (at least).
They can hold their head up well and are starting to sit up unsupported.
They show signs of being interested in food (watching you eat, reaching for food when you’re eating, etc).
When you feed them, they are able to move the food around in their mouths—rather than spit it right out.

TIP: Look for a highchair that allows a baby to sit up relatively straight so they can have good posture and better control over their arms and hands.

How to Start Baby Led Weaning

The first time you offer solids is such a fun milestone, so you’ll be ready once you follow these simple steps.

Make sure baby has hit the milestones listed above to let you know that he’s ready to start.
Get the highchair ready and adjust the straps and foot rest as needed.
Plan to introduce water when you start solids. I recommend a trainer cup.
Choose one food to start with and plan to offer only one food at a time.
Stop when baby starts to fuss, turns his head away, or shows any other signs of not wanting to continue. It’s usually fairly obvious when they are done!

TIP: If you start offering solids and baby just doesn’t seem interested at all, it’s okay. Take a break for a few days or a few weeks and start again. Each kiddo has their own unique timeline.

Best Tips for Starting BLW

Here are a few more tips to consider and review before you get started.

Understand the gag reflex. Gagging is different than choking though and is most often a sign that baby is learning to move food around in their mouths—and to get it out of their mouths, which is a skill you want them to have!
Brush up on the basics of how to know when baby is ready to start solids. (Go back to the top of this post for the signs to look for.)
Set them up for success with a highchair that allows them to sit up straight and has foot support.
Sit with them as you offer food.
Check your own expectations of what will happen and simply allow your baby to take the lead.
Start with one new food a day or every few days.
Vary the textures of foods you offer to start exposing baby to many right from the start.
Offer water in a sippy cup or small open cup.

TIP: Remember that breastmilk or formula will continue to satisfy baby’s hunger for the first few months of eating solids. Do not expect solids to replace milk feedings at this age.

First Foods for Baby

Starting solids with baby led weaning or purees are both perfectly acceptable ways to introduce a baby to solid foods—but the topic can get so heated! There’s a lot of pressure to do it the “right” way and I’m here to say that there isn’t one. You 100% can do one or the other, or combine the two to make it work for your family. It’s all good!

Remember, the goal with first foods for baby is that they’re introduced to flavors, nutrients, and foods they can easily eat or suck on. It should be an enjoyable milestone for all involved.

TIP: It’s a good idea to get into the habit of offering an iron-rich food since iron stores in babies start to run out around 6 months and they’ll need to start ingesting it in their food.

Best First Foods for Baby Led Weaning

Here are some of our favorite first foods to offer baby led weaning style. You want foods to be finger sized so they are large enough that baby can’t force the whole piece into their mouth, and a shape that’s easy for a 6 month old to hold with their chubby little hands. These are some of our favorites.

Roasted sweet potato wedges
Roasted apple wedges, skin on to help them hold together
Roasted or steamed broccoli florets (big enough for baby to hold)
Melon slices
Thick mango slice
Banana with some of the peel still on
Toast sticks with mashed avocado
Avocado spears (make sure the avocado is ripe and soft)
Lamb or beef, on the bone or a large piece for baby to suck on
Dark meat chicken, on the bone or a large piece for baby to suck on.

TIP: The foods should generally be soft enough to squish between your fingers with the exception of the large pieces of meat. If baby gnaws a piece down into a smaller piece, replace it with a larger one to avoid her putting a chunk of food into her mouth.

Baby Led Weaning Banana

To serve a banana to a baby, wash it well, then slice it in half. Cut off an inch or two of the peel, but leave the rest of the peel on so it’s not slippery for baby to hold. They’ll suck on the top part like a little popsicle! You can also help them hold the banana if needed.

Foods to Avoid Serving While Doing BLW

You want any foods you offer to a baby while doing baby led weaning to be soft enough to squish between your fingers and safe for them to eat and digest. Plan to avoid:

Anything hard, sticky, or crunchy (like raw apple or carrot, whole nuts, crackers, or a big spoonful or nut butter)
Added salt
Cow’s milk (which is difficult for kids under 1 to digest; plain yogurt is fine though)
Added sugar (they simply don’t need it)
Honey (to avoid a risk of botulism)
Super slippery foods that would be hard for baby to hold (which can be frustrating)

TIP: Always sit with your baby and watch them try to eat. They are your best guide for making adjustments to the foods you serve.

Baby Led Weaning and Choking

There are many parents who dislike this method of feeding because it often sounds like a baby is choking. And while there are surely some incidences of choking, what’s more likely is that a baby will occasionally gag on a piece of food that gets into their mouth that they weren’t expecting.

But remember: Gagging is a sign that baby is doing what she needs to in order to move the food around in their mouth as they learn to eat. It usually sounds more dangerous than it actually is.

TIP: If the sound of gagging really freaks you out, you’re not alone. Consider offering more preloaded spoons with purees to start your journey more slowly.

How to Cut Foods for BLW

You generally want the food to be big enough that it would be difficult for baby to put the entire thing into their mouths. Here are some specifics:

Foods that are roughly the size of a finger, so about a 4-inch stick.
Foods that are easy for the baby to pick up—they can’t pick up small pieces until closer to 9 months when they develop the ability to use their fingers in what’s known as a “pincer grasp”.
Foods that aren’t too slippery—so you can wash and leave some of the peel on fresh foods like bananas, avocado, kiwi, and mango.

TIP: You can also go even bigger if you’re worried about size. Think half of a slice of bread or a big chunk of watermelon.

Will my baby actually eat much food with BLW?

Probably not at first. There will likely be more tasting of the food than eating of it and that is totally fine. They will still rely on breast milk or formula at this age for their main nutrition, so don’t expect them to suddenly start eating full meals. (They’ll get there in a few months, but it takes time!)

Do babies need teeth for baby led weaning?

No! Gums are super strong and front teeth aren’t used for chewing—that happens when the back molars come in. Teeth really have nothing to do with whether or not a baby can eat solids.

TIP: Learn more about what to expect from teething here.

Can you mix baby led weaning and purees?

Absolutely! I think it’s a great idea to mix the two methods simply because it gives you many more options for foods and allows the baby to experience more textures. I recommend allowing babies to feed themselves preloaded spoons—so you put the puree on a spoon, then hand it to them to actually put the spoon into their mouth—so they still have control over what goes into their mouths.

TIP: Feeding some purees is also helpful if you’ll be sending food with a baby to daycare since the care provider may not have experience with blw.

Best First Foods for Baby: Purees

Here are some of our favorite purees to start offering baby when they’re ready to start solids. Remember: There’s no evidence that says that you need to start with vegetables versus fruits, so go with something that tastes good to you. Start with single foods pureed smooth and offer just a little at a time on a spoon.

Mashed roasted sweet potato puree
Mashed avocado puree
Mashed banana puree
Butternut squash puree
Applesauce, unsweetened
Mashed pea puree
Oatmeal baby cereal (with added iron)

TIP: One of my favorite baby food companies is Amara Organic Baby Food, a company using a nutrient protection technology that makes organic purees just as good as homemade. I love how easy they are to use when I need a shortcut and that they have fun baby-led weaning recipes on the side of every box! (paid affiliate link)

How do I know when baby has had enough?

If your baby is eating and then starts to turn her head away or just refuses to open her mouth, she’s done! Babies may also start to fuss if they’ve had enough. Learning this new skill takes time and babies can become tired fairly quickly into the process, so don’t expect them to always eat very much or to last very long at the table. This stage is about exploration!

Baby with preloaded spoon of yogurt

How to Let Baby Self Feed Purees

I love offering purees on a preloaded spoon. To do this, the parent, puts some of the food on the spoon and hands it to baby. Then baby can bring the food to their mouth all by themselves. This gives you some of the same advantages of baby led weaning, but can be more comfortable for many parents.

Remember, you can mix what you offer, going back and forth between purees and blw finger foods, so you can offer the same food two different ways to let baby explore. The main goal is to avoid forcing baby to take more bites than they want to, which can sometimes happen with purees.

Baby eating peanut butter toast stick

When to Introduce Potentially Allergenic Foods

In recent years, guidelines have been updated on when to introduce potential allergens including peanuts, eggs, and shellfish, so unless you have a family history of a food allergy, you can go ahead and introduce them soon after baby starts eating solids. In fact, research is showing that introducing these foods early can actually protect baby from developing an allergy. Talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns.

TIP: Thin unsweetened peanut butter with water to form a very thin Peanut Butter Puree until it’s about the consistency of regular yogurt and offer a very small amount on a spoon or spread on a toast stick.

What does a baby led weaning meal look like for months 7 and 8?

Until a baby is closer to 9 months and is able to pick up smaller pieces of foods, but after they have gotten the hang of one food at a time, I try to offer 1-2 foods they can feed themselves and one puree. This offers them a chance to ingest more via the puree but still feed themselves a range of textures. You can do more or less food following the lead of the child.

TIP: My Baby Food Chart has loads of with ideas for blw foods and purees by month.

Recipes for Every Stage of Starting Solids

If you’re ready to start solids with baby, or you’re just curious what it looks like to do a mix of baby led weaning and purees, check out my Yummy Baby Food cookbook. It goes stage by stage with specific foods to start in each, with simple recipes and easy feeding tips.

Listen to a recent podcast episode to hear about some of the basics of BLW with our guest Megan McNamee, MPH, RDN, CLT, and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in pediatric nutrition who runs Feeding Littles.

I’d love to hear any questions you have with BLW or if your baby had a first food that I didn’t list here. Please comment below to share your experience!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Amy Palanjian

Cuisine American

Course Dinner

Calories 28kcal

Servings 1

Banana

▢ 1 small ripe banana with peel on

Roasted Sweet Potato

▢ 1 small sweet potato + 1 teaspoon olive oil

Roasted Apple

▢ 1 small apple + 1 teaspoon butter or neutral oil

Roasted Broccoli

▢ 1 cup broccoli florets + 1 teaspoon olive oil

Sauteed Green Beans

▢ 4 green beans 1 teaspoon olive oil

Melon

▢ 1 small piece watermelon or cantaloupe

Avocado Toast

▢ 1 slice whole grain bread
▢ 1 tbsp ripe avocado

Avocado Spear

▢ &frac18; ripe avocado

Lamb or Beef

▢ 1 lamb chop, roast, or steak

Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs

▢ 1 chicken thigh
▢ 1 tsp olive oil
▢ 1 garlic clove, optional

Banana with some of the peel still on

Cut a banana in half. Use a knife to gently cut around the peel about 2 inches down, leaving some of the peel on so that the banana is easy for baby to hold and less slippery.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Wash and dry the sweet potato. (You don't need to peel it.) Cut in half, then cut lengthwise into strips. Cut each strip in half again until each is about 1/2-inch thick. Slice in half horizontally if the sweet potato is very long. (Each strip should be about the size of your finger.) Place into a bowl and toss with the olive oil. Spread onto prepared baking sheet and roast for 22-25 minutes or until soft. Let cool slightly and serve.

Roasted Apple Wedges

Roasted Broccoli Florets

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the broccoli onto a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, coating and mixing well until all of the florets are a little shiny and coated with oil. Roast for 15-18 minutes or until tender. Let cool slightly and serve.

Sauteed Green Beans

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove cover and taste one to see if it’s soft enough. Cook for an additional minute or two as needed.

Melon slices

Avocado Toast

Avocado Spears

(Make sure the avocado is ripe and soft): Cut a thick strip of avocado and offer to baby. You can leave the peel on if that makes it easier for baby to hold (just wash it first).

Lamb or Beef

Prepare a roast, steak, or chop without salt and with butter or olive oil until cooked medium well. Offer a thick slice at least the size of your finger or a drumstick.

Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs

Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken thigh and top with a few slices of fresh garlic, if desired. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove cover. Flip over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes uncovered or until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F.

Add spices like garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, or any other non-spicy flavor you like to make these more interesting.
Offer just one piece at a time when starting out.
If baby gnaws a piece down into a smaller piece, replace it with a larger one to avoid her putting a chunk of food into her mouth.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat briefly if needed.
Remember that it's normal for babies to take time to actually ingest the food. Part of the process is exploring all of the senses related to the experience of eating.

Calories: 28kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 23IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

Printable Baby Food Chart: BLW, Purees, Finger Foods

Make feeding your baby easier with this free, downloadable baby food chart. It has straight forward ideas for what to feed baby from when they start solids on up to one year—including purees, baby-led weaning style foods, finger foods, and more.

Baby Food Chart

Starting solids with a baby can be so fun and often a little challenging—but this baby food chart will help. I’ve compiled my best ideas for which foods to serve based on age and development of the baby to make it easy for you to make decisions in the kitchen.

This infant feeding chart is meant to help remind you of options you have at each age. It is not meant to add any pressure or function as a checklist of foods you have to serve (unless you want to do that!).

TIP: Download your free printable baby food chart here.

What baby foods should you start with?

Whether you start with purees or baby led weaning, starting with flavorful and nutrient-dense foods is a simple way to think about introducing foods to a baby. I love simple foods like roasted sweet potato, avocado, banana, and apple puree as first foods for a baby.

Remember that a first food is just that—a first food. It is not going to be the sole thing that determines how your child likes all foods. It can be sweet or savory, or from a variety of food groups. I would do your best to make sure that the food is easy to eat, has some flavor, and that the environment in which you offer it is free from pressure and, maybe even joyful!

What age should baby start eating foods?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting to start solids until a baby is 6 months, and to go with wide variety of foods, introduced one at a time. But many pediatricians still say it’s okay to start rice cereal at 4 months.

If your pediatrician recommends this at the 4 month check up, ask their thoughts on the recommendation from the AAP.

TIP: Learn more about starting solids here.

How much food should I feed my baby?

The best way to know the right amount of food to give to a baby is to follow their lead. It should be very clear when a baby is done eating—they will close their mouth, turn their head, and generally make it very hard to feed them. (They may also play with their food, which is a fine way for them to interact with the foods at this early stage.)

It’s okay if baby eats very little to start. It’s also okay if they surprise you by being very interested in food!

TIP: Download your free printable baby food chart here.

6 Month Baby Food Chart for Purees

If you’re ready to start solids with a baby, here are some foods you may want to start with. This list is perhaps more broad than you expect, but more recent research shows that it’s a good idea to introduce potential allergenic foods earlier and that lots of flavor is a great way to set baby up for eating a range of foods as they grow.

Don’t feel like you need to serve all of these foods (you 100% don’t!), but it should give you a range of ideas to consider based on season, availability, and your own preference.

Almond butter puree
Apple Puree
Avocado puree
Banana puree
Baby oatmeal
Bean puree
Butternut squash puree
Egg yolk, hard cooked mashed with water
Green bean puree
Melon puree
Pea puree
Peach puree
Peanut Butter Puree
Pear puree
Pumpkin puree
Sweet potato puree
Whole milk plain yogurt
Single ingredient baby food

TIP: Find more in depth details on how to know if your baby is ready to start solids here.

6 Month Baby Food Chart for Baby Led Weaning

If you decide to use the baby led weaning method of feeding, you’ll want to cut these foods into the shape of a finger or larger. The foods should also be soft and easily squishable between two fingers—like the texture of a roasted sweet potato wedge or ripe avocado.

You don’t need to feel like you have to serve all of these foods by any means, but it should give you a range of ideas.

Apple, roasted wedge
Avocado spears
Banana
Beef, ground (large piece)
Beef hamburger patty (sliced)
Beet, steamed or roasted
Broccoli florets, roasted/steamed
Cauliflower florets, roasted/steamed
Chicken, dark meat shredded
Cucumber
Green bean
Egg, hard cooked
Egg in omelet, sliced
Figs, halved
Lamb
Mango slice
Meatball
Melon slices
Peach, very ripe slice
Pear, very ripe slice
Potato, roasted wedges
Steak slice
Sweet potato, roasted wedges
Toast with mashed avocado
Toast with mashed sweet potato
Toast with light smear of peanut butter
Toast with mashed hard cooked egg
Watermelon slice
WiId salmon

TIP: Find my Ultimate Guide to Baby Led Weaning here.

7 Month Baby Food Chart

With a 7 month old baby, you can add in a few more foods including those with more acid like citrus. Continue serving the foods on the 6th month list, or introduce ones that you didn’t get to in that first month.

Baby rice crackers
Bean puree
Beet puree
Brussels Sprouts, pureed (or large piece for BLW)
Guacamole
Kiwi puree (or large piece for BLW)
Hummus
Mango Puree
Mixed ingredient baby foods
Orange segment for BLW
Pineapple puree (or large piece for BLW)
Prune puree
Strawberry puree (or large strawberry for BLW)
Spinach puree
Smoothies (simple)
Tomato sauce
Tomato sauce with ground meat

TIP: Try my 10 easy No Cook Baby Foods.

9 Month Baby Food Chart

As a baby nears the 9 and 10 month mark, they will begin to be able to pick up small, pea-size pieces of foods with their fingers. This development of the “pincer grasp” means they are ready to start sampling table foods.

A good rule of thumb is to cut foods to about the size of a pea and to serve them very soft and easily squishable between your fingers.

Bread-like textures in foods like pancakes and muffins may be difficult for your child, so you may want to moisten them with water, applesauce, yogurt, breastmilk, or formula.

Remember that babies learn to eat a variety of paces, so follow the lead of your baby and avoid pressuring them to eat foods or amounts of foods that they aren’t ready for. If a baby turns their head away, closes their mouth, shakes their head, or cries, they are done with food and it’s okay to end the meal.

Continue serving foods from the previous months. And try adding:

Banana, diced and mashed slightly as needed
Barley, cooked until very soft
Beans, slightly mashed
Beef, ground
Blueberries, diced
Cheese, shredded
Chex cereal
Chia seed in smoothies, yogurt or oatmeal
Chicken, ground
Chicken, shredded and chopped into small pieces
Clementines, diced (you may want to remove the slightly tough membrane)
Cottage cheese
Corn
Flaxseed in smoothies, yogurt or oatmeal
Goat cheese, soft crumbles
Grapes, diced (never whole)
Kefir, plain
Meatball, diced
Muffins, diced (moistened if needed)
Millet
O cereal
Oatmeal
Overnight oats
Pasta
Peas
Potatoes, roasted or mashed
Puffs
Raspberries, diced
Pancake, diced (moistened as needed with applesauce)
Quinoa
Rice
Salmon, small pieces
Tofu, diced
Tomatoes, fresh
Tilapia, small pieces
Turkey, ground

TIP: Find my best Early Finger Foods, which will cover this stage and early toddlerhood.

Best First Finger Foods for Baby

I put together my go-to first finger foods for babies, which may help you narrow down which foods to start with. Each of these is a nutritious whole food that’s soft and easy for baby to eat. It’s helpful that many of these foods are ones that us grownups like too, so it should make meal planning and prep for the little ones easier on you!

Printable Baby Food Chart

Grab your free copy of my downloadable Baby Food Chart with access to my entire Resource Library of Printable charts by signing up for my newsletter.

Ten truths about weaning a child

Congratulations! The first six months are over. Now it's time to feed your baby. Many books have been written about weaning a child from the breast . However, nutrition for kids can be quite confusing and competitive, and yet another thing that makes the average mom feel a little cheesy and inadequate.

Contents:

What every mother needs is the pure truth about weaning a baby. This is the real truth! Here they are, ten truths about weaning a baby.

On excommunication

1. The rule of six months is rarely observed

"When is the right time to wean my baby from my chest?" should be one of the most searched phrases on Google among parents, along with " why is my baby crying? " and others we won't mention, mostly dialed by moms when dads go to bed. From observation of many mothers I know, the truth is that the right time to start the introduction of baby food is different for each child.

There are reasons why the Department of Health guidelines say that babies should not be weaned for up to six months. Studies have shown that breast milk or formula provides all the nutrients babies up to this age need, and children in studies had fewer gastrointestinal and respiratory infections. But it's a hotly debated topic, and many mothers begin introducing complementary foods before six months of age. Following the example of friends or Soviet pediatrics. There is also a persistent misconception that with artificial feeding it is worth starting complementary foods much earlier, from about 4 months.

But it turns out that the baby himself gives signals that he is ready for weaning. The classic example is stealing food from your mother's plate.

Seriously, before weaning, the mother needs to make sure that the baby sits well on the high chair and holds his head steady. It is also worth paying attention to the reflex of pushing out the tongue, whether the child can swallow food; babies who can't will push food out every time, not just once in a while. The very minimum age for complementary foods should be 17 weeks (four months), because before that, the baby's digestive system is simply not ready.

Good foods to start complementary foods are mashed marrow, rice, steamed apples. As a rule, weaning foods begin with vegetables and cereals and are gradually introduced to fruits, fish and meat over several weeks, not days. Milk or formula remains a vital component of a baby's diet until at least one year old.

2. Ready-made baby food isn't so bad

The truth is that ready-made baby food is actually a good complementary food option, and the perfect lifesaver in a force majeure situation.

3. Self-weaning really works

about weaning

Child-guided weaning is the art of getting babies into solid foods by allowing them to explore, pick up, chew, and eat the right pieces of soft food they choose themselves instead of spoon-feeding mixed food. By self-selection, I don't mean that they will do it in a shop, in a supermarket. And I do not propose to give pieces of new food without control.

The idea is that self-weaning is intuitive feeding where the child learns food on their own and the parents provide healthy and safe food at the table. This method results in less fussy eating, a wider palette, a healthier weight, and aids in the development of hand-eye coordination and chewing.

Walk at the pace of the child, determine tastes and textures based on his preferences and the possibilities of already acquired experience.

4. If you don't like it, then you need to cook it differently

Who knows that pears go very well with broccoli or apricots with chicken? How about rice and cauliflower? Curd with garlic? We have certain food combinations in our heads, but kids are a blank slate who can try and enjoy all sorts of incredible food combinations. Therefore, I advise you to use cookbooks on baby food from different countries, because what is familiar to Russia is unfamiliar in Portugal.

5. It's dirty and it stays dirty

We invest in things that can be washed quickly and easily. Washable bibs, washable high chairs (no small parts where food will get stuck for years), washable pets. Everything will be covered with liquid puree, even mom and her hair. If there is a carpet in the kitchen, then you should get rid of it. In summer, it is ideal to feed your child naked, with an oilcloth under the chair. A kitchen renovation to be done after 5 years of age.

6. French kids spit food

" French kids don't spit food " by Pamela Druckerman is a brilliant book about parenting. It's only worth buying for the food chapter. An American married to a British man and living in Paris, Druckerman notices that all the French children she knows eat well and have impeccable table manners, while American and British children are fussy and moody at meal times. She attributes this to a radically different cultural approach to food and the dining experience in general, from the weaning stage onwards. It's not true that French kids don't throw food, but it's true that they have a set of gourmet rules that we could learn from. One of them is the seventh truth. ..

7. The value of good habits

French children learn good eating habits from the very beginning. Meals are taken at regular and predictable times, over-snacking simply does not exist, and one meal can consist of three or more meals, often starting with a fruit/vegetable/salad dish, before meat or fish, and a small selection of cheese or yogurt afterwards.

Meal time is a special part of the day that is spent with friends and family and given time. Adults set an example for children. Rushing while eating Bad idea; what is saved in time now will be lost later in negotiations with children who will not sit at the table beautifully.

8. The freezer is your best friend

Babies eat tiny portions of food and sometimes they crave one tiny spoonful. The rest is best frozen for later use. I wrote about the remains of baby purees and where to use them here. You can buy special freezer containers, bags, etc., but even ice cube trays are fine for small quantities.

In this case, a lot of time and sanity is saved if at least some of the homemade dishes are in the freezer. If suddenly mom has a lot of time every day to cook fresh food, then it is better to put yourself on the bed and sleep. You need a break.

9. What they love today, they will hate tomorrow

As soon as mom is happy that he has eaten broccoli [insert product of choice], they will shut their mouths even at the slightest whiff of it. No tantrums (mother's) will change anything. This is what small children do.

10. The really important things to take seriously are…

Milk should still be the main food for the baby during weaning. In addition, do not forget that other liquids will be required - we develop the habit of keeping water within reach.
Never leave a child unattended when he is eating. It is important to know how to help a child who is choking - it is a good idea to study this topic before starting complementary foods.
There is a list of choking hazards and the risk of allergic reactions. I think it is worth studying, memorizing or printing. This is the case when a well-done home preparation will save a life.

Please, I remind you to cut, cut, cut all food into small pieces. A large piece is the number one cause of choking in infants and young children. Therefore, even if there is confidence in the child and his skills, until the age of 5, food must be cut into at least 4 parts, depending on the size.
We always check the temperature. Before serving food on the children's table, it is worth checking it for the optimal temperature for the child. Baby food without outside help or any difficulty.

Finger food is a fun way to encourage the development of motor coordination and skills for biting, chewing and self-feeding. Food in pieces should be easy to grasp by children's fingers and long-term storage, and should not contain bones or seeds.

As soon as the child begins to take food with his fingers and put them into his mouth with reasonable hand-eye coordination, then the fun begins! Let your child experiment with soft snacks such as a banana or peach that can be “hand-mashed” to the right consistency. The more a child experiments with finger food, the faster he will masterfully feed himself.

Finger food helps keep a child's food interest. As soon as he begins to feed himself on his own, then new taste horizons open up for him. What child refuses to try to bring the product to his mouth on his own, even if he didn’t really like it before.

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Very often mothers think at what age should they give finger food to their baby.

Honestly, even for me it's a difficult question. It's just that sometime between eight and nine months, the baby began to eat small pieces of food. The change in the consistency of food by age is very well described in the WHO recommendation, so it should be guided by.

Consistency of food up to a year. Click on me!!!

However, you should not do it blindly and try to feed the baby in pieces at a certain age, perhaps he will not be ready yet. Children are all different, some want food in pieces, almost from the beginning of complementary foods, others are not ready for lumpy food for up to a year or more. Therefore, any decision on finger food is made based on the child and his readiness. An excellent preparation for finger food is a nibbler, which will prepare the child for lumpy food.

The child has no teeth
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A child's gums are incredibly strong, as is the tongue, so the number of teeth is not an indicator of whether to give finger food or not. If the decision has been made to start complementary foods and the baby is doing well with mashed foods, then you can safely start giving small pieces of soft food when the baby is ready for it. At this stage, it is important to let the child try to eat food of a different consistency, more complex, in order to train the maxillofacial apparatus. Thus, the child gradually prepares for the full chewing of food with the help of the entire jaw, teeth and tongue.

Knowing if finger food is safe for a child

A good rule of thumb to help prevent choking is to avoid anything hard (e.g. raw carrots), round (e.g. whole grapes), sticky (e.g. , spoon of nut butter) or too much gummies (such as gummies). At first, the child is given pieces of food in the form of sticks, which can be easily clamped in the child's chick, later, when the child begins to control the finger grip better, you can move on to cubes. At first, finger food should be soft, boiled and melt in your mouth. As a child learns to manage with such products, it is possible to complicate the task and switch to fresh soft foods, etc.

Foods that squeeze easily between fingers are good for older children and for younger children. Around 16-18 months, many babies are ready for more complex textures. During this period, cutting food into pea-sized pieces is also a good idea - many babies tend to put large pieces of food in their mouths, so small cubes are used to avoid choking. We always adjust the sizes of products according to the age and eating experience of our own child.

Usually the first finger food is biscuits or baby biscuits, which are very soft and dissolve easily in the mouth. The baby first sucks it, procrastinates, and learns to roll pieces of food in the mouth with the help of the tongue. A little later, when the teeth appear, you can give the product a little harder, for example, a soft apple, some parents play it safe and give a baked apple without a peel. Later, as new foods, vegetables and fruits are introduced into complementary foods, they are offered in the form of finger food, such as boiled broccoli or cauliflower. In general, the child can be offered almost all products in the form of finger food, which is introduced into baby food.

Should the product be peeled or not?
We give an apple to a child without a peel.
The first finger foods in the form of vegetables and fruits are given without skins. Yes, the skin of many fruits and vegetables contains valuable nutrients. It is often recommended to leave the skin on in order to take full advantage of the nutrients contained in the product. But removing the top layer from fruits and vegetables helps reduce the amount of pesticides that may be in the product. Peeling fruits and vegetables helps avoid choking hazards due to the rough texture of the skins. The peel also usually sticks to the palate in the child's mouth, thereby hindering him, and can be there for a long time, and when the child swallows, the probability of choking in the absence of an adult nearby is higher. Getting rid of the skin at the beginning of complementary foods also helps prevent disorders
Banana is convenient to eat with a small hand
digestion. And we also take into account that there are some vegetables and fruits, such as pumpkin and avocado, which need to be peeled, because their peel is really inedible. It is not worth getting rid of the product from the peel for a long time, only at first. Usually the first couple of months of complementary foods and exposure to finger food. Then the product with the peel is given to the child in the presence of an adult, after which it is advisable to check the baby's mouth to see if he swallowed everything. Forcibly open your mouth should not be, play the game "Show your tongue or where are your teeth." By the age of 1.5, the child copes well with the peel of fruits and vegetables, if it is too rough, then it easily spits it out.

Choking

The presence or absence of teeth does not mean that a child can chew. Sometimes children can bite off a piece of food, try to swallow it whole and choke, so never leave a child alone while eating. Some children can store food in their mouths like hamsters, so we always check to make sure the child has swallowed everything before leaving the kitchen. You can read the article on suffocation here.

Our finger food

At first I gave biscuits to my first child, later I switched to a fresh apple, mostly fresh fruit, he sucked and procrastinated more than he ate. Later, food appeared in the form of a toy, i.e. we crumbled it, crushed it, and sometimes something got into our mouths. However, since breast milk is always given at the end of complementary foods, I was not too worried about whether the baby was full or not.

With the second child, finger food was a gradual transition from the nibbler. We used it for about a month, then I ventured to give the first pieces of food. But to be honest, the child himself tried the first pieces of food, namely, he stole an apple and took a bite. The first experience of finger food is always scary, because at first the child often coughs and spits out food, he is learning, so it is important to be with the child, if something goes wrong, then the parent will be able to provide first aid. I remind you that the child is suffocating quietly, not a single sound. If he coughs, clears his throat, then everything is within the normal range, you need to help get rid of the food that interferes. Rules for helping with choking know before introducing finger food into complementary foods. It is imperative to look and study, and then give a new consistency of complementary foods.

Of course, at first, only one type of finger food is placed in front of the baby, later a plate is bought, divided into three to five sections, which is filled with finger food. The baby is already given a choice of what to eat, so you can easily determine the taste preferences in nutrition.

Finger food quick hacks
- The first finger food should be well kneaded between the gums.
- Food in pieces should be age-appropriate - do not offer an 8-month-old baby whole eggs .
- If the child cannot raise his head and sit up unaided, do not offer him finger food.
- The child should always sit in an upright position, not walk, especially at the first meeting, when he is offered baby food in the form of pieces, to avoid suffocation.
- NEVER leave your child unattended when serving finger food.
Examples of finger food

The first finger food is a biscuit or a baked apple. Those. food that does not need to be chewed, it melts easily in the mouth without additional help from the child. You can start with foods that have been well received by the child in a pureed form on a spoon, serving them in convenient cubes or pieces - the size of a pea for harder items, the size of a stick or wedge for softer foods.

Examples of finger food are:
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- pieces of soft bread or crackers
- Soft cheese, Cheedder or Mozarella
- Banana
- ripe pear without peel
- Ripe soft green apple without a peel, the first time you can give boiled
- boiled cauliflower 9008 carrots
- Boiled potatoes
- Boiled green peas
- Boiled pumpkin
- Boiled fish
- Boiled meat in the form of meatballs
- Pasta
- Quail eggs, etc.
*All products must be familiar to the child or introduced into complementary foods.
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