Soon to be 8 months-finger foods

My son will be 8 months on Feb. 7th.  I was surprised to read that I could start giving him some finger foods such as cheerios or puffs.  He only has his two bottom teeth,  I am afraid of him choking.  Please let me know if I should give him finger foods this month and what I can give him.  Thanks!!!

When your baby's between 7 and 9 months old, he'll probably let you know that he's ready to start feeding himself — by grabbing the spoon you're feeding him with or snatching food off your plate. Any food your baby can pick up with his fingers is considered finger food. Cheerios are a great start, cut-up pasta, small chunks of cheese, rice cakes or toast in tiny pieces, or raisins. Choking is always a hazard, so never leave your child unsupervised.

if you go to the baby isle where ever you shop at. they have all kinds of different things to give infants as finger foods. I prefered the gerber food myself when my son was little plus they seem to have more items and more flavors.

At 8 months old, your baby should be getting ready to start finger foods. Talk with your doctor and get his advice on what types of foods your baby should able to consume safely. According to the Academy of Pediatrics, (http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/pages/Getting-Started-with-Solid-Foods.aspx)

• When your infant is about 8 to 9 months old, give her finger foods or table foods that she can pick up and feed to herself. Make sure she’s not putting anything into her mouth that’s large enough to cause choking. Do not give small infants raisins, nuts, popcorn, or small or hard food pieces that can be easily aspirated.

Just to be on the safe side, discuss your plans with your pediatrician before you begin! If you have the chance, call your local hospital and see if you and your husband can take a Child CPR class.. It is great knowledge to have in case of an emergency!

Gill Rapley has some great books on finger foods.  You can give your baby long, narrow foods such as slivers of avocado, baked sweet potato fries, slivers of fruits cooked until they're soft.  Also, stalks of broccoli work well.  Your babe can hold the stem and chew on the florette.

We did baby-led solids once our baby hit 6 months and we loved that method.  Our daughter never ate pureed foods.