Introducing Finger Foods to Your Baby

Finger Food Mania: Tips and Recipes for Introducing Finger Foods to Your Baby

By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers

There is nothing cuter than watching your little one chase food around the highchair tray with her fingers, and seeing the sense of accomplishment in her face when a tiny little piece of food actually makes it her mouth.
When your baby is between eight and nine months old, you can begin to introduce finger foods to encourage your baby to begin self-feeding. It is very important that the texture of finger foods be very soft, so that your baby can “gum” the foods. To get food soft enough for gumming, many of them will need to be cooked.

Examples of finger foods that can be served raw include small pieces of:

• Banana
• Avocado
• Tofu
• Semi-hard cheeses — Jack, Colby, (introduce over 12 months)
• “O” shaped cereal
• Puffed rice cereal

Examples of cooked finger foods:

• Apples slices
• Pear slices
• Whole asparagus spears
• Carrots sticks/rounds or baby carrots
• Zucchini or yellow squash rounds
• Broccoli spears
• Sweet potato slices or cubes
• Whole green beans

To smooth the way for introducing finger foods here are few tips that may help you out:

• Always feed your baby in a “seated position.” The risk of choking rises as you introduce finger foods.
• Never let your baby eat foods without adult supervision.
• Don’t be in a rush. Introduce finger foods one at a time and slowly add different ones.
• Continue to feed your baby softly, pureed baby foods for most of the meal, and transition to more finger foods over a six- to eight-month period.
• Start with foods your baby likes.

Here are few toddler finger food recipes to help you get started with finger food fun!

Sweet Potato Cubes – Yummy Toddler Food

Your baby will like the bright orange color and sweet taste of these little morsels. Babies have a natural sweet tooth developed from drinking breast milk or formula, which are sweet. The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes make them a favorite baby and toddler food!

Cinnamon Apple Slices

Your baby will like the sweet juicy flavor and the challenge of picking these up will help develop her fine motor skills. These are super easy to make and great for any meal or as a snack!

Storage: Lasts four to five days in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer.

What Age to introduce:

About nine months

Dusted Tofu Cubes

These nutritious, little cubes are fun to pick up and they taste good too! For a little variety, you can use banana instead of tofu.

Age to introduce:

Over 12 months (without flax seed 8-10 months)

Your toddler is sure to love these yummy toddler foods.