Banana peels and the like

A quick (probably slightly) question:
Those who practice BLW, how do you offer fruit like bananas, melons etc?
I am a bit uncomfortable with leaving the peel on cause of all the chemicals and general ickiness. Do you scrub it clean before offering?
I gave my son a piece of an apple today and while he REALLY went for it, he got annoyed fast cause it kept slipping out of his hands so I can imagine this gets even worse with something like melon. But I also know he will put the non-edible part in his mouth cause that's just what he does. ;)

Any ideas welcome :)

Babies figure out pretty quick what part of the fruit that can and cannot eat. I used to give bananas to my LO half peeled, so he could hold onto the less slick un-peeled part while eating the peeled part.

Have you ever read the book "Baby Led Weaning" by Rapley? She says the same thing. As long as it isn't a choking hazard it is okay to let baby figure out what is and is not edible on a piece of fruit or veg.

If you don't like giving your LO a fruit peel, but peeled fruit is too slippery for baby to pick up, you can always try peeling the fruit and then rolling it in something crumb-y, like cereal flakes. That enables baby to get a better grip on the fruit without you needing to leave the peel on.

sassypants: No, I don't have that book. I got another one from a children's dietitian that is advocating this method in the Netherlands (currently living here, was at one of his presentations) but it doesn't say anything about it.
My concern isn't the choking part (already figured my little man is very good with moving food around his mouth and spitting out whatever is too big/not suitable) but the 'stuff' that is used to on the peels to make fruit either last longer or appear nicer etc. That and a whole bunch of people touching it with dirty hands..
(a bit of a germophobe when it comes to these things...)

mommal: hm, sounds like it's worth a try. :) (next to manically scrubbing the peels of banana :D )

honestly, our house has just been a mess since ds started solids.

early on, dh would actually peel individual grapes and slices of orange for ds. that is dedication/time i never had.

Oh, I guess I misread. I thought you were already scrubbing the skins. You can buy fruit cleaner spray, though I hear it is just watered down hydrogen peroxide. Someone can correct me on that.

Most melons are slick, but watermelon is pretty easy for little hands to grab, cut into strips, like french fry shaped. Bananas, if you look at them, are kind of split into 3 sections the long way. If you peel it, cut it, then squeeze it slightly it will split into narrower pieces, which are easier for little hands to grab, too. Figuring out how to hold on to slippery things is part of the learning (and fun) of BLW.

Audrey, you seriously peeled grapes? I thought I was crazy for all the effort I went through pitting and slicing cherries for my LO. The day he figured out how to spit out his own pits I was so happy I called my mom to tell her, haha.

good lord, no, *I* did not peel grapes. but dh did, religiously!

Wow, fruit cleaner spray? I had no idea such thing exists..Though I am not sure I can get it in the Netherlands.

It makes sense it's all a learning process but it gets a bit heartbreaking when you see that a little one wants to eat but he just can't grab it right. He really got super frustrated and I made him some applesauce which he devoured. I am thinking some middle-way might be more appropriate for my son. Cause he loves eating and he loves exploring new foods so I am thinking I'll keep offering chunks and see if he can manage to hold them without too much frustration and puree some things to keep him fed. ;)

just remember, "keeping him fed" is primarily about nursing (or formula) now! until a year, solids are just for fun. so it actually doesn't matter one bit how much he gets to his mouth.

I peeled grapes, I didn't know that was that crazy!!