Making Mama's Kitchen: Peanut Post: Finger Foods Continued

have you tried these Cheerio things?

they are AWESOME!

Lately, I have been trying to introduce more and more finger foods into Annalyn's diet, as she is getting much better at 1. getting food into her mouth and 2. "chewing" it up once it's in there (with her gums, of course - still no teeth!). She absolutely loves Cheerios and puffs. We often joke that we could probably take her to a movie on a Friday night as long as she had an endless supply of Cheerios (rest assured, we have no intention of testing this theory).

But softer foods are another story. She does fine with small pieces in her purees, but will not consistently eat them on her own. I think it's a texture thing - she doesn't like the squishy feel of it in her hands. I've even tried dusting small pieces of mango and banana with Cheerio dust to make it easier to pick up. She gave the banana a try, but after a few pieces started her very adamant "no" head shaking.

Cheerio-dusted bananas

& purple puff treats

She liked the cottage cheese I gave her mixed with a blueberry/banana puree, but when I gave her a few pieces to eat on her own, she refused it.

locked it up and threw away the key!

Next, I tried some cooked barley, but still no luck. I even tried melting some cheese on it (thinking, precursor to mac 'n cheese?), but still my stubborn girl just wouldn't give in. I figure all we can do is keep trying. No sense in forcing it on her.