How to start with finger food ?
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finger food/BLW for children - an exploratory trip toward food joy
What is finger food/BLW ?
finger food/BLW is a way of serving food to babies where they are allowed to pick the food themselves with their hands, and later with cutlery. It encourages the child's curiosity and promotes motor development. Many also find it easy as it is easier to offer family food early in the food introduction.
- BLW is an English expression which is an abbreviation for Baby Led Weaning (often translated as "baby-led food introduction")
- Involves food introduction on the child's terms through finger foods/finger foods from about 6 months
- The child learns to eat food on their own from the start (instead of being spoon-fed)
- The child's own exploration and ability guide the introduction to solid foods.
- Food introduction is done with whole pieces of food, instead of portions of puree
- Plockmat is a Swedish term that would be translated into English as “finger food”
- Means food that children can eat themselves. finger food is therefore not a method in that sense, but rather a way of offering/serving food.
- Picking food means that you can mix pickling food with spoon feeding if you wish, depending on what suits the unique child.
- Most babies are ready for solid foods at 6 months, but not all
- The child gets to know the family's food early, which can increase the chance that the child will appreciate it later in life.
- The child gets used to different textures early on, which can create greater food variety in the future.
- The child develops motor skills and independent eating. This can create greater participation at the dinner table for the child and often makes life easier for the parents.
- Portion size and food intake are regulated independently by the child (appetite control)
finger food from 6 months
Think Big - Start with big pieces of food
A 6-month-old won't eat his fill at the first meal, maybe won't even put anything in his mouth. The first time is more about smelling, feeling, throwing, mashing. Let your baby get to know food with all his senses – at his own pace. And continue with formula/breastfeeding.
Think big: Start with large, soft pieces of food that your baby can grasp with their whole hand, such as broccoli, black pudding sticks, etc.
The same food for everyone
Children under one year old can eat pretty much the same food as the rest of the family. Don't make a fuss about it, but instead adapt how you serve family meals. Children love to imitate - eating the same food makes learning easier and makes mealtime a positive experience of togetherness.
Consider offering foods that are fairly soft but easy to grasp, such as sweet potato sticks, slices of liver pâté, cooked broccoli,porridge sticks or omelette/pancake in strips. Sandwiches with butter and/or liver pâté are also perfect for practicing motor skills. Slippery foods that are difficult to grasp can be rolled in seeds or sandwich crumbs. For example, avocado or banana. But in general, it is good to offer the baby what the rest of the family eats as often as possible.
It may seem strange that a small baby should have larger pieces of food than an older one. But their hand position plays a role in how food should be served.
Until they are around 8-9 months old, babies use the palmar grip (meaning the baby grasps objects with the whole palm of the hand) to grasp and bring food to the mouth. In order for them to be able to grasp food pieces, they need to be large enough for the palmar grip. A good size is about 2 cm wide x 5-6 cm long.
In addition to the baby being able to grasp the piece of food, it is also safer to have large pieces at that age, as small pieces are not registered as easily by the brain and can be trickier for a baby to handle in their mouth.
The consistency should be soft so that the baby can chew without teeth but not too soft so that the food piece falls apart when the baby tries to grab them. You can test by pressing the food piece, if you can push the food through quite easily then it is the perfect consistency. If you can push the food piece through quite easily then it is a good consistency.
Is your child ready to eat yourself ?
Security aspects
Signs that your child is ready
Before introducing finger foods, it is important to make sure your baby can sit steadily, has a stable neck, shows interest in food, and can bring objects to their mouth.
READ MORE HERE
Difference to quell and put in the throat:
Swallowing is a natural reflex and part of a baby's development as they learn to eat solid foods. The purpose of a gag is to push the food further into the mouth so that the baby can start chewing again or spit it out. So gagging does not mean that the baby is choking - on the contrary, it protects against that.
READ MORE ABOUT NIGHTLIFE
Which products are best to start with ?
Our favorites for food introduction
Favorites for food introduction
The book that both educates and inspires about finger foods for children from 6 months. A solid recipe section with food suitable for the whole family.
With our pre-spoon, your baby can discover purees and porridge on their own. The spoon's specially designed holes make it easier for food to stick and not fall off.
Porridge sticks are a perfect snack for the little ones, as the oblong shape is easy to grasp. With a porridge stick mold, baking is quick & easy.
Great guide to flavor training for babies - so you can promote your child's future eating habits
Learn all about early taste training and how it can promote your baby's future eating habits. What does the research say? How do you get started? Here we go over...
Common questions about picking food
Finger food is a way of offering food where the baby/child eats themselves either with their hands or with a spoon.
Finger foods give children the opportunity to explore a variety of textures and consistencies at their own pace, from an early age. This can lead to a healthier relationship with food and greater enjoyment of eating.
Many people worry about how their children will be able to chew finger foods without teeth. The good news is that it goes very well. Young children process food with their tongue, palate and toothless jaws.
Children only get molars when they are a little older (over 1 year old) and waiting to introduce solid foods until then can have negative consequences for the child's eating development.
Children don't learn to chew by eating puree, they learn to chew by practicing chewing different textures in their mouths.
Read more here
Make sure your baby shows signs of being ready for solid foods. She should be able to sit up in a chair on her own, be able to bring objects to her mouth on her own, and show an interest in food. Maybe your baby is reaching for your food or looking at your plate with fascination, then there is probably interest!
Consider offering foods that are fairly soft but easy to grasp. For example, sweet potato sticks, slices of liver pâté, cooked broccoli or omelette/pancake strips. Sandwiches with butter and/or liver pâté are also perfect for practicing motor skills. Slippery foods that are difficult to grasp can be rolled in seeds or sandwich crumbs. For example, avocado or banana. But in general, it is good to offer the baby what the rest of the family eats as often as possible.
Small babies don't have a pincer grip so it's big pieces that matter at first. The pieces should be longer than the palm of their hand because small babies (6 months) often can't open their palm on request. It may feel scary but it's actually safer with bigger pieces than smaller pieces when it's a small baby! If they take too big bites they spit it out again.