The results of a small study may not sit well with many parents. It was found that only two out of nine first-finger food products met the safety guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
AAP's Criteria For First Finger Foods
The AAP recommends that baby's first finger foods should be soft, easy to swallow, ideally cut into smaller pieces to avoid choking. The indication that a baby is ready to try finger food is when he or she is able to sit up unassisted and able to bring objects to the mouth.
Researchers from Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York said that the only foods that met all the criteria of AAP for first finger foods for the babies were Gerber Graduates Fruit and Veggie Pick-ups. Meanwhile, grain food products such as Cheerios and Gerber Graduate Puffs hit high marks for dissolving quickly.
However, Gerber Fruit and Veggie Melts, Gerber Lil'Crunchies and Gerber Arrowroot Cookies did not perform nearly well. They presented their findings at the Pediatric Academic Societies in Baltimore on May 2, Today reported.
First Finger Food Blind Test
Study co-author Dr. Ruth Milanaik, director of the Cohen's neonatal follow-up program, and her colleagues blind-tested nine products, which are targeted to "crawlers" or babies, who are ready to take in finger foods. These food products were mostly melt, cooked produce, puffed grain products, biscuits and cereals.
They found that these first finger foods were potential choking hazards, Parenting.com reported. According to Milanaik, Gerber Yogurt Melts performed the worst among the first finger foods, becoming condensed and marshmallowy after being left out over an hour.
"They didn't hold up over time if they were left out," she says. "In the real world, kids might not eat them all. They cost $5 a package, so you put them in Tupperware and bring them out again. They could be a choking hazard."
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More so, Gerber Graduates Wagon Wheels were also found to be choking hazards. The researchers said that the size is a bit too much for a little-inexperienced mouth. There's high chance that a 5-month old baby will choke on the huge Wagon Wheel.
The companies behind the first finger food products were already notified of the findings, CTV News said. It is encouraged that parents and pediatricians try the products themselves before giving it to the baby, especially when a 2013 study commissioned by the CDC said that 12,000 children end up in emergency rooms because of choking.
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