FINGER FOOD MANIA
Finger
Foods for 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:
1. Always feed your baby in a
“seated position.” The risk of choking rises as you
introduce finger foods.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Start with foods your baby likes.
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