Moving 10month on from spoon feeding.

[GTbaby]

Question for the FF mummy experts.
Right I'm setting off on the finger food mission. This is scary lol as I hate mess and our carpet is cream.

Ds is 10months old and feeds well from a spoon.

So to start me off I bought some soft dried apricots.
Shall I give these cut up?
I was thinking of giving him broccoli n carrots? Do you boil a few every day? Can I boil and keep in fridge? If yes can I re heat in microwave? Or maybe dunk in boiling water?

I've given him melon, banana, bread , pear as finger food before, however he will not eat it. He likes having it to play with and will mush it in his hands. But will not put it anywhere near his mouth.
A few times when I hand him the food he opens his mouth, expecting me to feed him, so I guess he knows its food but just doesn't know how to feed himself. So any tips on encouraging eating also appreciated s

[Indith]

do you ever eat together? they tend to copy you so you could just share I just cook one meal for the whole family. babies do play with it and mush it, it is part ofexploring texture. then sometimes they start eating, especially if you are eating together and not making a big thing of the mess. sometimes they need to encounter a food a few times and mush it to smithereens a few times before they decide to eat it.

often children eating separately turns the meal into a spectator sport nd more throwing and mushing happens than if you eat together.

[GTbaby]

Thanks indith.
We have breakfast together.

Prob with our meals are they are very spicy. I'm giving him lentils which I cool down with yogurt to get him used to the taste. But nothing really that lends itself to finger foods.

Will try finger foods at lunch time maybe, then I can just eat what he is eating. As I usually have my lunch during his nap enjoying the peace

[Indith]

doesn't have to be finger foods, they can manage most things with hands my youngest adores a nice curry with rice and just scoops it up. ditto pasta and sauces etc. give a spoon alongside and he will work out how to use it in time, you can hand him loaded spoons to put in his mouth himself too. don't get too caught up in finger foods, just offer your normal diet, perhaps portioning off a little during cooking to adjust spices.

[StuntNun]

I thought babies were okay with spicy food so long as they get used to it young. You could mix in some natural yoghurt to cool it temperature wise as well as spice wise. Also he can eat e.g. channa, dahl, chapatti, roti and rice for example.

[JellyCurls]

GT my advice is similar to above. Let him eat his normal foods. Try 2 spoons, one for each if you and let him play with it while you feed him. Have you tried him with the crusts of toast? My 2 loved chewing on them. Carrots very soggy if re-heated have you tried raw veg?

Weaning is all about exploring the textures, some will make it to mouth most onto floor and in hair. Eat at same times as him, be prepared to let him feed you and enjoy the mess