How can you tell if your infant is ready for finger foods?

Question

Well cooked veggies; crackers; etc. He has two bottom teeth; 8 months; sits without support, stands holding onto something, creeps, not crawling yet. He bits the spoon when I am feeding him Stage 2 foods. I tried Stage 3 last week and he just gagged.

Answer 1

My 7 1/2 month old son is already eating finger foods. Just be careful what you give him. I buy the Gerber graduates snacks. He loves them and they dissolve in his mouth so he can't choke. He also loves teething biscuits. I have given him mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, and anything mushy he won't choke on.Give it a try. At first it will seem as your baby is playing with it instead of eating. It will take a few tries for your baby to figure it out.

Answer 2

He sounds ready!
If he sits alone is a big indicator. It's between 7-9 months

** When should I introduce finger foods?

When your baby's between 7 and 9 months old, he'll probably let you know that he's ready to start feeding himself -- by grabbing the spoon you're feeding him with or snatching food off your plate.

At first, your baby may just rake food into his hand and bring it to his mouth, but eventually he'll figure out how to use his thumb and forefinger to pick up food. This fine motor skill milestone is called the pincer grasp.

Answer 3

Usually when they are ready for finger foods, they will start grabbing them off your plate...Have your tried bits of banana yet or Cheerios? These are two very common ones to start with. Peas and carrots or corn or Kix cereal or well-cooked macaroni are also all quite common. My children loved beans and small blocks of tofu and chicken hot dogs sliced and then quartered to avoid choking hazzards.

Answer 4

Stick with the Stage two for a while, but offer little bits while you are cooking!! Silly things like bits of peppers, slices of cheese, toast crusts etc! You will soon see what he wants to try!

Answer 5

Can he pick things up on his own? I'm not gonna ask if they end up in his mouth, because his theory probably is "if it fits in my hand, OF COURSE it'll fit in my mouth!"

If he picks things up and puts them in his mouth, then try some finger foods. Give him a handful of Cheerios to play with while he's sitting at the highchair. If he eats more than one or two, then start other finger foods.