Baby feeding - what to give?

When weaning D he happily ate anything I put on a spoon. I tried to make sure he always had at least one "finger food" per meal but because I started weaning just after 4 months he didn't really have the motor skills to do "baby-led" in any shape or form so we mainly did purées at the beginning.

However Iz had a very different mindset... She did *not* want to be fed at all for the first few months, preferring to do it all herself, and so I suddenly had to think a lot harder about mealtimes! In some ways it was easy as I usually just gave her a portion of whatever D was having (so by 5 months she was eating spaghetti bolognese and full roast chicken lunches!) but other days I felt like I was giving her the same foods over and over.

At 5 months she was happy to use a spoon... now she much prefers her fingers!

Mmmm chicken curry!

So here is a list of all the finger foods Iz has eaten so far (she's currently 10 months old). It's definitely not exhaustive as I'm sure there are a fair few things I've forgotten but it's a rough guide and will hopefully be helpful to anyone struggling to think of appropriate finger foods for their little one :)

She doesn't always eat the right thing... :)

All of these foods are ones Iz feeds herself - and has done from the start of weaning (around 5 months). She does have other food too (eg today she had some mushed up Moussaka) but she feeds herself at least 2/3 of each meal - even breakfast if I'm feeling brave about the Ready Brek tidy up! Lol

Self-feeding - messy but fun!

Fruit

Grated Apple

Strawberries

Banana strips

Mango

Watermelon

Pears

Tomatoes

Blueberries

Raspberries

Orange slices

Veg

Avocado

Broccoli

Carrots

Courgette

Cucumber

Peas

Peppers

Green beans

Sweetcorn 

Sometimes she eats, sometimes she plays ;)

Carbs

Toast with marmite/peanut butter

Pitta strips with humous dip

Jacket potato

Sweet potato chips

Rice balls

Rice cakes

Breadsticks

Spaghetti

Pasta shapes

Couscous

Pesto wraps

Rice in curry or tomato sauce

Mini shredded wheat

Painted toast we made for Valentines Day (aged 6 months)

Homemade pizza

Protein

Scrambled egg

Eggy bread
Baked beans
Peanut butter

Chicken strips

Beef strips

Flaked fish

Meatballs

Mince (in bolognese sauce)

Loves spaghetti!

Eggy bread - very easy way to give babies egg

Dairy

Yoghurt

Frozen yoghurt cubes

Grated cheddar 

Mozzarella slices

Babybels 

Frozen yoghurt pot = baby-appropriate ice-cream!

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Overall I'm really happy with how Iz's weaning has gone. She's pretty happy eating anything which definitely makes my life easier! Here she is at 10 months tucking into a plate of homemade fish fingers, peas, pasta, meatballs and grated cheese :)

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How did you wean your babies? Any tips or other foods that I could try giving to Iz?

Disclaimer: Iz followed an accelerated weaning regime (similar to D) on the advice of a consultant allergy specialist so what she ate may not suit you or your baby. Take professional advice if you have any concerns.