Finger foods

Until recently, Jacob has received nutrition in one of two ways: liquid (breast milk) and pretty-much-liquid (vegetable and fruit purees.) But, with four teeth proudly in place and his eight-month birthday a few days behind him, we finally forayed into the world of “real foods.”

Because I’m pretty paranoid about choking—this kid can find the smallest piece of anything, a piece of tissue paper, a leaf from a fake plant, and turn it into a weapon of death—we started out with the Gerber Puffs. After scanning their ingredient list, they went into the “baby junk food” category of my mind, but they dissolve in his mouth, so I figure a little sugar is worth his safety. Plus, they’re not as slippery as fruits or vegetables cut up, so they’re easier for him to grasp.

His first experience with the Puffs went as you would expect. After placing a puff on his tray, he spent some time inspecting it, probably trying to decide whether to eat it or make friends with it.

Finally, he picked up a puff in his chubby little fist and directed it into the general vicinity of his mouth.

That’s where things got interesting. As often as not, the puffs ended up smashed between the crevices of his fingers, and to get them out, he happily sucked away on his fingers and fists. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective enough.

He eventually got the hang of it, and it wasn’t long before we had moved on to black beans. (Smushed between my fingers first, of course.)

These weren’t as big of a hit, as you can see but he soldiered on.

Eventually, he swallowed, and from there, it was all smiles.