Finger Food Fun

Finger foods should be offered at 7-9 months. Letting baby have finger foods to self-feed is frightening, but it essential for baby to learn. Use the following tips as guide for starting to offer finger foods.

Some babies are eager to feed themselves, while others are content to still be spoonfed. The palmer grasp comes first and allows babies to pick up things with and hold things in the palms of their hands. Long crackers and strips of toast are appropriate. When the pincer grasp is developed, babies enjoy using their thumbs and first two fingers to pick up small pieces of food. Some prefer soft and slippery to hard and crunchy. To improve intake and eating skill, introdice foods that can be self-fed:

• Teething biscuits with smooth edges
• Bite-sized pieces of soft, cooked vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, or frozen peas
• Partially frozen peas (crunchy and cold is pleasant on teething gums)
• Bits of soft fruit peeled and cut in tiny pieces: banana, peach, pear, apricot, watermelon
• Finger jello
• Pieces of dry cereal
• Goldfish, Ritz, or graham crackers
• Bit-sized bits of soft wheat bread or pita
• Scrambled or hardboiled egg
• Cooked pasta
• Shredded or ground meat: lamb, chicken, turkey, beef/hamburger

By baby’s first birthday, she will usually be enjoying three meals and two snacks a day and be able to eat in small pieces nearly whatever the family is having.

Use the following recipe to start introducing finger foods to baby. Let the fun begin!

·         Wrap a few soft, pita bread triangles in foil and warm in the oven. Spread hummus or guacamole on the pita slices. Serve with thinly sliced, peeled, apples.

More information can be found in Nurturing with Nutrition by Melanie Bazarte and Lucille Beseler. If you would like to purchase a copy of the book or speak to a nutrition professional, please call the Family Nutrition Center of South Florida at 954-360-7883 or visit nutritionandfamily.com.