I was intending on doing pures from the start because similarly to you i was mortified 😬 but we did a first aid course which gave us a lot of confidence and I also did a course with the NHS on starting solids in our local family centre which was quite helpful. My LG went about 2 weeks and started refusing pures 😅 so we went into finger foods and never looked back. And we barely have 4 teeth 😅
Go for it! Our LO for sure much prefers feeding herself - little miss independent 😂 I would definitely recommend having them eat with you at meal times as a positive environment (you probably already do!) and because they learn a lot from watching you, like how to chew etc if he's got 8 teeth already, he'll have no issues tearing stuff apart haha our LO is all gums and still manages to! Maybe start with softer foods first if it will help to ease in? Happy to give ideas if it helps! And you can download the Solid Starts app to see how to prepare food based on baby's age 😊
I found the solid starts app useful for suggestions on how best to serve foods to minimise any gagging. Since your LO is old enough to be practicing his pincer grip, you should be fine with bitesize pieces with most things. Baby gag reflexes are also much further forward than ours to reduce choking risks naturally
Join the group on Facebook ‘weaning the blw way’ I was just like you, petrified of him choking. There were times id even have a panic attack watching him eat solid foods! I joined the group and learnt so much. My little boy now eats solids and eats them so well. I promise it gets easier! Xx