Finger food for my 11 month old?

Question

My 11 month old daughter is eating well. The only finger foods I have given her are veggie puffs, arrowroot crackers, and rice rusks, she is getting tired of these and needs more of a variety. I would like to give her cut up fruits and veggies but I'm scared she'll choke. Think she's ready? any advice?

She only has 2 teeth! both on the bottom.

Answer 1

My daughter only has two teeth and she eats all of the following;
scrammbled eggs
pancakes
Green beans
Squash
pinto beans
fresh pineapple
bananna
rice
zucuinni
olives
mango
corn
potato
(all of the vegitables have been cooked so they are easy for her to mush up with her gums)
Dont be afraid to try just start out with small pieces. If she is doing fine with the veggie puffs she should be fine to try these.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

You are probably confused because of the mis-use of the term "choking" in the English language...

When you say an adult is choking on something, you mean that it is partly lodged in the windpipe, and she/he is coughing it up.

But with a child, the danger is when a food is *fully* lodged in the windpipe and she *can't* cough it up. (Coughing it up is uncomfortable, but not dangerous for the baby.) The foods that are dangerous are those that are the size of the windpipe and are hard (like raw carrot or apple), firm (like whole grapes), or sticky (like peanut butter on a spoon).

You can make these foods safe for a baby by changing the size *or* the texture. So...grate the carrot or apple, cut the grape in half (so it isn't too firm to be coughed up), or spread the peanut butter thinly on a cracker or piece of bread (but peanuts should *only* be given after a year old if you live in the US or if either parent is American because it is also a highly allergenic food).

Answer 4

I was terrified about introducing things too soon too because of choking, but I think I was overreacting.By 11 months old you can give just about anything. Stay away from hard veggies like carrot sticks, eggs, nuts, popcorn and make sure hot dogs are sliced not just sideways but down the middle as it is a choking hazard as well. Also try to introduce things one at a time so you can watch for allergic reactions.

Answer 5

Don't worry about the teeth, those little gums are hard so that they can start to chew. I would cut the veggies into sticks then cook them until soft. Sit down with her when she is eating. My kids hated pureed foods and were on finger foods by 7 months (son) and 8 months (daughter). Cheese is a good one too.

Answer 6

It all depends on how many teeth she has, but it sounds like you are giving her quite a bit of texture now, so I'm going to assume she has teeth. That being said...
I give my 10 month old son...
crackers, cereal, dried fruit that you get in the baby section at wal-mart, bread, soft veggies and fruit, graham crackers,
He pretty much gets tastes of everything we are eating. I think you just need to make sure you chop everything up really small for her.

Good luck!

Answer 7

My daughter is the same age and can now eat just about anything that we can. Don't give her anything that won't get mushy in water, like hard pieces of meat, nuts etc.. I'm always scared she'll choke too but she's getting better at chewing every day. She has top two and bottom two teeth.

Answer 8

oh yea she is ready. my daughter has been eating finger foods since 10 months. just got to watch them like a hawk! try cut up pears, peaches, banannas, bananna bread, rice, mashed potatoes, popcicles, yogurt, kix cearal, cheerios. the list goes on and on. use your imagination, but be careful for those that don't go down to easy or are too strong in flavor. good luck! happy eating!

Answer 9

Munchkin makes this food holder thing...it's great!! You can put fresh or frozen fruit and veggies in it and the baby can't choke. It has sort of a mesh "bag" on one end and a handle on the other end. Target carries them. I put biter biscuits, honeydew, watermelon, apples, carrots, zwieback toast, cantaloupe, and bananas in it for my son. He loves it!!

P.S. If your daughter is teething it'll help her if you use frozen fruit!

Answer 10

she's ready give her greenbeans or cooked carrots peas banannas cooked diced potatoes...how about gerber graduates fruit snacks...give her cheerios kix my 9 month old eats these things