If you’re mom to a baby or toddler, no doubt you’re already familiar with Gerber Graduates. This line of older-baby foods is always prominently placed in the baby grocery aisle. They have everything from apple roll-ups to zwieback toast (A to Z! Literally!), all made for little ones just “graduating” from baby food and making the transition to big kid food. Everything dissolves quickly and is made for little fingers just figuring out how to get food from point A (table) to point B (kisser).

The Bean’s first-ever finger food was Rice Krispies, which were the perfect size and consistency for him as a starter food, but quickly became a burden. Rice Krispies are so small, they end up everywhere and are hard to keep track of. Plus, they’re not exactly a filling food, so the Bean either had to eat lots of them or have something else to fill him up.

(Still, I highly recommend Rice Krispies for your kiddo’s first-ever finger food. To see a video of The Bean eating these little gems, click here.  It’s seriously the cutest thing you will ever see.  In your life.  Ever.) 

When we were finally ready to move on from the Rice Krispies, we discovered Gerber’s Puffy Stars, a great alternative to Cheerios. (Especially if you’re like me and see only a choking hazard when you look at a Cheerio.) Puffy Stars are about the same size as Cheerios, but because they’re made for little ones, they dissolve more quickly in the mouth before being swallowed. They come in a variety of flavors, too – apple, banana, even sweet potato. The Bean LOVED them, and still does.

We made great use of these little stars for breakfasts and snacks, and they were always a popular choice.

As the Bean got a little older, though, we wanted to give him something even more substantial.  Daddy Bean had been intrigued by the wagon wheels for a while, but I was scared of them. They look kind of like really big Honeycomb cereal pieces, round and, well, wagon wheel-like. Bigger than the Bean’s mouth, so he would have to actually bite off a bit at a time with his two little teeth, getting it a little slobbery and soft before he could swallow it (or so Daddy Bean thought).  But they looked like Big Kid food to me, and we didn’t have a Big Kid. We had a very Little Kid.

We bought the wagon wheels, but they sat on my kitchen counter for at least a week while I worked up the courage to give them to the Bean. Daddy Bean asked every day, and every day I said, “I’m not ready yet.”

But then one day I was ready. We put the Bean in his high chair and placed a wagon wheel in his tiny hand, then backed away – but not too far away – and waited. I was ready to pounce at the first sign of choking.

The Bean turned the wagon wheel in his hand a few times, checking it out from every angle. He looked at Daddy Bean. He looked at me. We looked at each other and back at him. There was a lot of looking going on.

Finally, the Bean pulled the wagon wheel to his lips and, in a single swoop, shoved the whole thing in his mouth. He then began to gag.

I pounced like a spider monkey, and yanked that snack out of that kid’s mouth so fast his head could have spun.

“That’s it! Never again!” The Bean was destined to dine on a diet of Puffy Stars and baby food for the rest of his life, as far as I was concerned. Daddy Bean did not dare argue.

But a week or so later, for some reason, a little voice inside my head said, “Don’t look back, you can never look back.”

Wait, no, that was Don Henley’s little voice.

What MY little voice said was, “Try again.” So I did.

This time, it worked. The Bean grabbed the wagon wheel out of my hand and immediately took a bite. He sucked on his wagon wheel piece, rolling it around in his mouth and getting it good and slobbery-soft before swallowing, just like he was supposed to. Another bite followed, same thing. And another, until the  wagon wheel was no more. A big smile followed.

Cut to Now, about six months later. Wagon wheels have become my very favorite snack food for the Bean. They’re easily portable, and almost always make him happy when he’s fussy. Best of all, because they’re not tiny like Cheerios or Rice Krispies, or even Puffy Stars. I can hand him one in the car and know that it will keep him occupied for a few minutes without making too much of a mess.

Wagon wheels go with us everywhere.

The Moral of This Story: I highly recommend both snacks if you’re looking for starter foods and you’re on the go. The Bean gives both two thumbs up! (Unless one is in his mouth.)