Gerber Graduates Puffs, Apple, Banana & Sweet Potato (3 Count, 1.48 Ounce Each)

Gerber Graduates Puffs

Gerber Graduates Puffs are delicious snacks made with whole-grain goodness that melts in baby’s mouth. These whole-grain snacks can help your child master self-feeding, because they're just the right size for learning to pick up. They're nutritious, too, with eight vitamins and minerals to help support healthy growth and development.

This product should only be fed to seated, supervised children who are accustomed to chewing solid foods.

At A Glance

• 2g of whole grain per serving
• Good source of five B Vitamins, Vitamin E, Zinc, and Iron
• Easy to chew and swallow
• Kosher (pareve)

Picking Up Finger-Feeding

At around 8 months, your Crawler will be able to grasp and pick up small pieces of food. She won’t have mastered this yet, and she may start by using her entire hand and all her fingers, but let her experiment. With practice, she’ll refine her finger movements and develop the ability to skillfully pick up one piece of food with just her thumb and forefinger. Don’t worry about how messy finger-feeding can be. It helps develop motor skills, particularly hand-eye coordination, and it makes her feel more independent. Foods fit for finger-feeding are:

• Small bite-sized pieces of soft-cooked vegetables or soft fruits, like ripe banana pieces.
• A texture that dissolves quickly in her mouth, like grain snacks or yogurt snacks made especially for Crawlers.
• Foods that are easy to pick up, like well-cooked pasta pieces.

Babies at the Crawler stage still have small tummies, so it’s best to offer three meals and two snacks a day. Snacks play an important role in a healthy diet, and with all sorts of different shapes and sizes to choose from, can help her master self-feeding. Since this is when your baby learns to mash and chew, the first snacks you choose should dissolve easily. When she starts to get the hang of it, she can try more textured snacks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know when my child is ready for Graduates products?
Graduates offers a line of products that are appropriate for the Crawler, Toddler, or Toddler 2+ (ages 2 years and up) stage of your child’s development. Read the package for the developmental cues that indicate your child may ready for each product.

My baby is a picky eater. How can I get her to try new foods?
Your baby is growing up right before your eyes! She laughs. She waves “bye-bye.” And she may turn her head away from the spoon if she doesn’t want to try a new food. If that sounds familiar, here are some hints for feeding your finicky eater:

• Offer nutritious choices. Serve her mashed fruits such as Gerber 3rd Foods Banana Strawberry and vegetables such as Gerber 3rd Foods Sweet Potatoes. Also offer whole-grain choices, dairy options like sliced cheese and yogurt, and chopped, lean meats or poultry.
• Allow a little play. Mashed potatoes and applesauce may seem more appealing if she can finger paint with them first.
• Let her experiment. If she wants to dip her cheese into her peaches, let her. What tastes good to her may not taste good to you!
• You might try introducing a new food along with a familiar food, even mixing the two. For example, if your child likes bananas, introduce peaches by mixing them with bananas.
• Keep at it. A food that’s refused today may be accepted tomorrow. It can take several tries before your child accepts a new food. Try not to only serve foods she seems to like. Offer new foods or familiar foods served in a new way, such as mashed banana served on a piece of waffle.
• Be creative. Older babies like bright colors and fun shapes. Try serving your child foods such as Gerber Graduates Yogurt Melts snacks or Gerber Graduates Puffs.

Though mealtime may seem challenging right now, your persistence will pay off. You’ll be helping your child establish healthy eating habits. If your child doesn’t seem to like a new food, don’t be discouraged. Some experts say it may take a minimum of 10 exposures to a new food before he may decide that he likes it.