Finger food/snack ideas for 9 month old?

[disneymoon0606]

My DD is seven and a half months old right now, and will be 9 months on our upcoming trip to WDW. She's just starting to get into finger foods and likes the Gerber Puffs, but I'm wondering if anyone has other ideas for finger foods we can bring into the parks with us when we're in FL. Basically, foods that don't have to be refrigerated, but are easily chewed by a baby with no teeth. Right now she needs things that are relatively dissolvable or soft, but I guess she will be able to do other foods by the time we go. Thanks!

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

Gerber has some other choices, but my boys always liked the puffs the best. They also liked the banana cookies - although they can be messy. The baby goldfish are good at that age too. Bananas are good to take along too.

 

[dsnymomof4]

Cheerios are the best - and easy for them to pick up and eat.

 

[disneymoon0606]

Thanks for the ideas. I've been thinking some more and here's what I've come up with - let me know if you think these might work!

*rice cakes - I believe these dissolve fairly easily, although it's been ages since I've had one myslef
*cereal bars - should be soft enough I would think

Any other ideas?

 

[princessmom29]

I did not like cereal bars with DD at that age. They were too sticky, and stuck to the roof of her mouth. How about good old fashioned cheetos? I know they are junk, but dd loved them and somtimes you have to pick your battles. If the pacify a cranky toddler in line I say bring 'em on. Gerber makes some pasta pickups that I would just drain and dump on the stroller tray. DD ate them cold just fine and as long as I had a baby wipe to clean up we did fine.

 

[alexis_fate]

Pudding cups and applesauce in cups work great!!!
We took DS a few months ago when he was 10 months with no teeth.

Tracy

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

By 9 months, my DD was on table foods exclusively (other than breastmilk/formula of course), but no pureed baby foods. Baby gums are REALLY strong (you know that if you've breastfed!) and can break down many foods... I think the rule is that if it's something you can smush with your finger and your thumb, they can eat it, regardless of teeth (the first teeth that come in aren't really chewing teeth anyway). Anyway, along those lines, there are lots of choices out there! Once they've tried the basic stuff and you know it's safe, life is so much easier for finding food options.

-Fresh (soft) fruits... bananas, ripe pears, ripe peaches
-Cheeses if there are no dairy allergies are GREAT! I know they do require some refrigeration, but we bring string cheese on the plane and they're good for a little while not refrigerated.
-Crackers or biter biscuits (biter biscuits tend to be more messy)
-Cheerios, Puffs, Gerber "Wagon Wheels," unsalted pretzels (or if you get a big soft pretzel, the salt is easy to wipe off), goldfish crackers (they make a whole grain variety now), animal crackers
-freeze-dried apples and pears (Costco sells them, and I saw them at CVS today, too, with Disney characters on the front and in other varieties - peach, strawberries, etc - and we saw them for sale at Disneyland earlier this year so they may be available at WDW)... they melt pretty easily in your mouth and are JUST fruit (no added sugar or anything)
-Cereal bars (they have some made for kids, but we buy the organic ones at Trader Joes due to the better price)... they're sweetened with organic cane juice, so they're a treat for us and not an everyday breakfast food, but very handy to carry along!
-Gerber makes jars of apples and green beans (probably other kinds, too)... I think they're pricey for normal use, but a great way to bring fruits and veggies along (although not on a plane because they're kept in water)

I hope you have a great time!!

 

[allie1078]

cherrios, grahm crackers, cereal bars(gerber has some in the graduates that aren't are messy as the ones in the cereal aisle)gerber puffs, wagon wheels, goldfish crackers, individual fruit cups(drain the juice). check out the gerber graduate stuff, they have lots of finger food type things.

 

[Anonomom]

I can't recommend freeze-dried fruits and veggies enough. There's a brand called "Just Tomatoes" that sells an amazing variety. When DD was 9 months old, she gobbled down freeze-dried peas and corn like there was no tomorrow. They also sell a variety of fruits that DD also enjoyed, though for some reason not as much. You can find them at Whole Foods or Fresh Market, and I think they also have a website. The great thing is that they last forever and don't tend to get crushed in the diaper bag. Now Gerber and some store brands are making them, although at a huge markup.

For a treat, DD liked the baby-sized goldfish crackers. They're crunchy, but she was able to eat them even without teeth (she didn't get her first tooth until she was 12.5 months old).

Gerber also makes some freeze-dried yogurt drops. I can't say whether they're good for a child as young as yours (since they only came out a few months ago), but my daughter loves them. They dissolve very easily in the mouth.

 

[soontobewed07]

We went to Disney when our DS was 9 months he ate most of what we ate. Eggs for breakfast fruit peeled grapes he loved the chocolate crossaints, french toast loaf strawberries.

We bought yogurt melts, animal cookies, water, juice just about anything he wanted to try

By the way we spoke with our Ped. before we left who okay'd eggs and chocolate.

 

[disneymoon0606]

I can't recommend freeze-dried fruits and veggies enough. There's a brand called "Just Tomatoes" that sells an amazing variety. When DD was 9 months old, she gobbled down freeze-dried peas and corn like there was no tomorrow. They also sell a variety of fruits that DD also enjoyed, though for some reason not as much. You can find them at Whole Foods or Fresh Market, and I think they also have a website. The great thing is that they last forever and don't tend to get crushed in the diaper bag. Now Gerber and some store brands are making them, although at a huge markup.

These look great! But will they be chewable enough? I remember my niece had dried apricot bits once and ended up swallowing them whole. I guess I could buy them and give them a try and save them for later if she can't eat them yet. Thanks!

 

[mygirl]

By 9 months, my DD was on table foods exclusively (other than breastmilk/formula of course), but no pureed baby foods. Baby gums are REALLY strong (you know that if you've breastfed!) and can break down many foods... I think the rule is that if it's something you can smush with your finger and your thumb, they can eat it, regardless of teeth (the first teeth that come in aren't really chewing teeth anyway). Anyway, along those lines, there are lots of choices out there! Once they've tried the basic stuff and you know it's safe, life is so much easier for finding food options.

-Fresh (soft) fruits... bananas, ripe pears, ripe peaches
-Cheeses if there are no dairy allergies are GREAT! I know they do require some refrigeration, but we bring string cheese on the plane and they're good for a little while not refrigerated.
-Crackers or biter biscuits (biter biscuits tend to be more messy)
-Cheerios, Puffs, Gerber "Wagon Wheels," unsalted pretzels (or if you get a big soft pretzel, the salt is easy to wipe off), goldfish crackers (they make a whole grain variety now), animal crackers
-freeze-dried apples and pears (Costco sells them, and I saw them at CVS today, too, with Disney characters on the front and in other varieties - peach, strawberries, etc - and we saw them for sale at Disneyland earlier this year so they may be available at WDW)... they melt pretty easily in your mouth and are JUST fruit (no added sugar or anything)
-Cereal bars (they have some made for kids, but we buy the organic ones at Trader Joes due to the better price)... they're sweetened with organic cane juice, so they're a treat for us and not an everyday breakfast food, but very handy to carry along!
-Gerber makes jars of apples and green beans (probably other kinds, too)... I think they're pricey for normal use, but a great way to bring fruits and veggies along (although not on a plane because they're kept in water)

I hope you have a great time!!

i agree. my two were NEVER into baby food - absolutely refused to eat it. by 9mos they were totally on table foods - whatever we ate with a few modifications. some faves of my kids:
applesauce (buy the little cups - no refrig. needed)
graham crackers
ritz crackers
nutrigrain bars (broken up)
CHERRIOS (a gift to all parents)
bananas
soft fresh pears - diced
puffed rice
bits of cheese
yogurt
cottage cheese
pancakes

 

[Bren's Mom]

There's a big difference between dried and freeze-dried. Disneymoon, the apricots your niece had were probably dried. Those can be very chewy.

FREEZE-dried fruits/veggies are great for babies.

 

[Survivor:Disney]

I second the Just Veggies Peas. My daughter loved them! Of course, peas were her favorite baby food. The Just Peas are healthy as they are only peas and nothing else! They are pricey, but they last a long time. The corn is also good. It is sweet.

Gerber and others also sell freeze dried fruit bits, such as apples and pineapples, in little packages in the baby food aisle. These get soggy in the humidity so you have to eat them soon after opening.

I didn't like wagon wheels for my daughter because I thought they were too hard and didn't dissolve fast enough. Choking is one of my fears so I may be a little over cautious!!

Also, Gerber makes some sort of veggie puffs that are good. They are like small Cheetos puff, but a different flavor.

 

[Anonomom]

They should be chewable (or, more precisely, dissolvable). The peas, in particular, are almost powdery in texture. They kind of shatter in your mouth, with no bits to chew, really. Fruits can be a little chewier, but nothing that should cause choking. The texture is more crispy.

One tip -- if you buy the Just Tomatoes brand, squeeze and shake the package to make sure they're fresh. If the fruit is sticking together or seems to be in one clump, it's gone stale and will be a little chewy (though not as chewy as a dried apricot). Fresh Market, in particular, is terrible about letting stale or expired foods sit on its shelves.

These look great! But will they be chewable enough? I remember my niece had dried apricot bits once and ended up swallowing them whole. I guess I could buy them and give them a try and save them for later if she can't eat them yet. Thanks!

 

[Jenvenza]

Gerber Puffs
Cheerios
Graham Crackers
Baby Mum Mums
Gerber little Crunchies - like Cheetos, but not bad for you!

 

[disneymoon0606]

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm excited to get to the store and buy these things so DD can try them out. I've been lucky enough that DD really likes her baby food for the most part. She rarely has jarred food, as I've made most of her food thus far, so that might be part of it. But now that she can feed herself it certainly frees up my hands to get other things done. And at the parks we obviously won't have homemade food, so she can feed herself while we eat our own meals. Thanks again!

 

[Princess Roo]

One thing my pediatrician pointed out to me, that I hadn't really thought about, is that babies that age don't get "bored" of food like we do. So there is nothing wrong with the majority of the finger food snacks being plain old Cheerios. No need to buy the more expensive and less healthy Puffs, wagon wheels, etc. just for the sake of variety!
One other thing we did was buy the half-size cans of fruits and vegetables, which now mostly have pop-tops, for in restaurants. You can get the low-sodium vegetables and the fruit that is packed in juice instead of heavy syrup.
With DS we were very careful about food introduction, but with DD we're more relaxed. As long as it's healthy and doesn't have nuts, she eats what I'm eating - I just break it up into smaller pieces.

I'm going to go check out freeze-dried veggies - hadn't heard of that before but it sounds cool!

 

[disneymoon0606]

Good point about not getting bored with foods. DD does seem to have trouble eating Cheerios right now, although in another month she might be up to them. Right now, though, they just seem to float around in her mouth and she can't chew them, so the puffs work better.

 

[Princess Roo]

Good point about not getting bored with foods. DD does seem to have trouble eating Cheerios right now, although in another month she might be up to them. Right now, though, they just seem to float around in her mouth and she can't chew them, so the puffs work better.

My son had a little trouble with them at first and I would snap them in half...a bit time-consuming, but got him used to them.