Hellobee

As promised here is part two of our adventure. If you missed part 1 you can read it here.

After Little Tea Cup decided that she was no longer a fan of the spoon and it became clear that we were shifting to full time baby led weaning type feeding style, I realized that I had no idea what I would give her to eat. I mean she has had “beginner basics”: mum-mums, puffs, a Lil’ Crunchie or two  and some serious amounts of avocado and mango, but a whole meal – I had no idea how to get there.

I started researching, talked to our pediatrician and looked at my baby led weaning cookbook and realized that she could, with some simple modifications, eat most of the things that we ate. So we decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Here is what we fed Little Tea Cup in those first two weeks of self feeding.

Please note: I am by no means on expert on this topic and I suggest talking to your doctor before starting your little one on finger foods. This is just what worked for us.

F R U I T S  &  V E G E T A B L E S

Avocado – The very first food I gave Little Tea Cup and I have to say one of the messiest. It is however, a great place to start because it is so easy for babies, even those with no teeth, to mash and swallow.

Mango – Sweet, juicy and easy to mash up for little one. For an added bonus, put this in the fridge and it is great for sore teething gums.

Banana – Once Little Tea Cup started to get the hang of taking bites, banana has been a go to fruit in our house. I simply cut it into slices and she picks them up and gnaws on them. These are also great for teething.

Raspberries – I cut these into quarters and she loves them! I think they may be her favourite fruit and they seem to be easy to swallow.

Strawberries- I was nervous about strawberries because they are a little more firm and sometimes small enough for a little one to stick the entire thing in their mouth. I started off giving Little Tea Cup the biggest strawberries in the bunch and letting her gnaw on them (watch them very closely to see if they are ready for this!). I still sometimes hold the berry for her and just let her bite off small chunks.

Broccoli – I steam these until they are flexible and then give them to Little Tea Cup in easy to hold onto pieces. Broccoli really is the perfect finger food!

Asparagus- Another simple and fantastic baby holding food. I steam these until they are flexible and then let Little Tea Cup have the entire spear to eat.

Tomatoes – They are very messy but Little Tea Cup really likes to eat tomatoes. I cut raw tomatoes into medium sized pieces and peel off the skin. The flesh of the tomato is easy for Little Tea Cup to chew.

Sweet potato – This was one of Little Tea Cup’s favourite vegetable puree so I wanted it to stay in her diet as a finger food. I make her baked thick cut sweet potato fries and she loves them!

G R A I N S  ,  E G G S  ,  &  M E A T S

Toast – We make it so it is just toasted and then take off the crusts and cut it into easy to hold strips. She loves eating these while we are having our morning toast.

Pancakes – I make these from scratch and make them quite thin. We cut them into strips.

Pasta – Penne noodles and bow-ties are Little Tea Cup ‘s favourites, but she also enjoys spaghetti noodles. I usually serve then with a little of the meat or tomato sauce that we are having for dinner to give them some flavor.

Eggs – My doctor recommended only using egg yolks until Little Tea Cup is a year old. I make Norah yolk only scrambled eggs with veggies.

Cheese – Little Tea Cup has tried lots of different cheeses {no soft cheeses until she is older on doctor’s recommendations} and loves them all. I give her a slice and she happily works on it.

Chicken – The first meat we tried with this style of eating and it went very well. I made simple grilled chicken breast and took her’s out before I added in the sauce for ours. I then cut it into strips.

Beans – Little Tea Cup has tried many different kinds of beans, which may surprise you because of the shape. I mash them a bit so they lose their shape and make sure they are soft.  She loves them and eats them with both hands!

Ravioli – This could have fit in the pasta category but I put it separately because Little Tea Cup really loves these. I make my own, or buy them and they are stuffed with all kinds of different things.

First piece of watermelon at a birthday party this weekend!

So far so good! Next up different meats and more “real meals” with new spices added!

What finger foods did you start your little one on? What is their favorite finger food?