Finger Foods - South Beloit, IL

Hi A.
My son had the same issue. He was also premature - born at 29 weeks. I took him to a therapist (where they do the follow up visits for St John's) anyway, this is what they did and it worked like magic! You have to teach your son to chew. You will want to take dry cereal, puffs, crackers, etc and crunch it up into crumbs. You will take your finger, put some crumbs on it and rub it against his gums (in the back, on the bottom) and tell him to chew, chew (you will want to make the motion with your mouth as well so he can see you do it).
Soon you can make the crumbs bigger. It also helps for you to give him those plastic baby tooth brush (gum brush) things for him to chew on.
My son was close to a year and only on soft food so that is when I saught out advise. He was quick to learn to chew and then he could not get enough especially of the baby puffs - these are a little easier since they melt in the mouth.
Good luck!

When both of my sons were 8 months old, they ate stage 1 baby food and sometimes I would mash up a fresh banana or make jello and slowly, start introducing things like that to them, since there was more flavor in people food. i was also overly cautious giving them solid food, so I waited until they were a year to introduce finger food and even then, it was more like the consistency of stage 3 food. I waited, until they were 1, due to their digestive system not really maturing until then. Maybe you can talk with your pediatrician to get ideas and tips. Our kid's pediatrician loves visits and questions similar to your situation since it's educating parents and not treating a sick child that day, kinda a change of pace for the doc.

Good luck in what you find and what you try. Enjoy and love your little guy because they grow before you know it!

L.

It sounds like he has an overactive gag reflex. Have you talked to your doctor?

I would say that he is still getting ready for real food. Don't rush it! It is good that he is reaching and noticing the food but ocntinue to give him just a taste of these things. Usually people food has too many spices and too much salt for him to like at this point. Talk to your pediatrician too becuse there could be a medical problem going on that you would not want to ignore. Good luck.

Hey there A.,

Sometimes it's best to ease into eating solids. Maybe try first with just some rice cereal mixed with what he already has (breast milk or formula). You can get it in the baby section of any grocery store. Then the only thing that's new to him is the rice. Then after he's been eating that for a week successfully, try one other new thing.

I remember that every time my daughter tried a new food, she made a horrible face. Even if she loved it! It was funny, at first I thought that she didn't like it, but she did, she was just making a face like she didn't. Hee hee! My niece was the same way. :)

Good luck to you!

C. Smith
www.EnhanceYourWayOfLife.com

I have a 9mo old and we had similar problems with her when we began to introduce finger foods. I found shortbread cookies from the box at the store basically disintegrate when they get wet. she LOVES them and there is no worry about choking. we only give her 1-2 per day. my suggestion is to find some finger foods that do not require chewing at first. good luck!

If you go in the baby food section of a grocery store, there's these small, somewhat star-shaped crackers called "puffs." That was one of the first finger foods we started my son on. He also threw up carrots and peas (but also he hates veggies). He was addicted to those for a while where he wouldn't eat anything else. But it's a start : )

i'm suprised he doesn't like cheerios, but my son didn't start eating those until 1 year old. I guess puffs taste better??