Finger Foods

Baby is a good eater, but no teeth yet! He sometimes eats two jars of baby food at one sitting! and is showing some interest in feeding himself, holding his spoon and picking up his bowl. He has been able to hold his own bottle for awhile and loves to suck on washcloths. I am looking for some cookbooks and ideas for making baby food at home. For now, we are working on some chunkier baby foods before we start the finger foods.

My Baby Week 32
Can you believe your baby is almost 8 months old? Your baby may be able to play peek-a-boo, clap her hands, creep or crawl, and may be able to pick up small objects using just a thumb and a forefinger. Some infants may even begin trying to pull to stand while holding on to someone or something.

As your baby’s hand dexterity increases, you may want to start feeding her some finger foods. Remember, all finger foods that you decide to give your little one should be cut carefully into small pieces. It’s best to keep all pieces pea size for their safety. Also, choose foods that they can gum or that will dissolve in their mouth without chewing.

You may want to try:

* Small pieces of a whole-wheat bagel or bread
* Small pieces of crackers
* Small pieces of rice cakes
* Small pieces of ripe, pitted and peeled bananas, mangos or cantaloupe
* Small pieces of cooked vegetables, like sweet potato.

Child-proofing your home

Now that your child is becoming more and more mobile every day, you want to take a few extra precautions around your home. It’s important to remove or secure all cords to blinds or drapes. If you can’t remove them, be sure they are securely fastened up high, out of your baby’s reach. Also, avoid placing furniture within reach of any window cords. Additionally, be sure to install window guards so that no windows can be opened more than 6 inches.

Keep all dresser drawers closed and if possible install safety latches. This will insure that your infant won’t pull the drawers out and onto herself. Similarly, keep houseplants out of your child’s reach so they she won’t pull the plant and pot over and on top of herself. Remove unstable furniture like old chairs, gate the stairs and pad sharp corners on coffee tables and other furniture. Also be sure there are no plastic bags left around from any shopping trips or from any dry-cleaned garments.

Toy Chests

In planning your baby’s play space, you may want to forego toy chests entirely and opt for open shelves and baskets. Not only can the heavy lids on toy chests crush your baby’s little fingers, your little one could also climb in and be trapped inside with no air. If you do have a toy chest and would like to continue using it, consider removing the lid. If this is not possible, be sure to put in ventilation holes, to provide some air should your baby accidentally be locked inside.