Weaning your baby is a major milestone for both Mom and baby. Baby is entering the world of real food, and Mom is slowly backing off as her sole food provider!! Weaning in most places follows nearly the same pattern - starting with smooth purees, to textured mashes and then on to finger foods as baby's fine motor skills improve and she masters the pincer grasp. Although I followed the traditional weaning pattern for my daughter as well, we started off on finger foods fairly early - right at 6 months! During this process, I collected a long list of finger foods for babies and toddlers which I've decided to share with you, my lovely readers! If you've been a longtime reader of this blog, you probably know that I've shared a list of 50 Fruit and Vegetable Finger Food Recipes earlier. The list below is going to be a master list, including those recipes as well as some new ones.
If you and your baby are beginners in weaning, you can read our guide on How to start finger foods for Babies? to get started.
If you are practicing baby led weaning, then you can start off with the baby finger food recipes listed here as early as 6 months.
Finger Food Ideas for Beginners
When your baby is beginning solids for the first time, his aim won't be too accurate since his muscles aren't fully developed. So, longer pieces of food offer him a better grip than short ones. To begin with, an approximate length of 2 inches will work perfectly for your baby to hold and gnaw upon, and you can adjust the length according to how your baby manages to eat. The list of foods below are the very first finger foods to introduce to your baby, after which you can move on to more complex recipes.
Cut the vegetables into thin long pieces and roast them slightly in a wok with ghee or butter. You can also sprinkle a few spices like cumin for more flavor.
Wash, peel and cut the vegetable of your choice into thick sticks and drizzle a few drops of oil (vegetable or coconut). Season with spices of your choice.Cook in a preheated oven for at least 20 minutes on each side, turning the sticks midway during cooking. The seasoning can be any one or a combination of pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Vegetables that can be baked are:
Peel fruits and cut them into sticks; they can be eaten either raw, baked or roasted. The following fruits are ideal for first finger foods:
Cooked Meat
Chicken is a great way to start eating meat and it can be given to baby as a strip of meat or on a leg bone. Ensure that it is washed well and cooked thoroughly before feeding it to your baby. You can also opt for red meat that is minced or turkey, cooked well till soft.
Boiled Pasta
If you are adventurous, you can introduce boiled whole wheat pasta to your 6 month old as well. Ensure that the pieces are not a choking hazard.
Finger Food ideas for Older Babies
Once your baby is used to the first level of finger foods, he can move on to the next level with more complex textures adn flavors. This will usually be around the age of 9 or 10 months, but follow your baby's cue before introducing any new dish.
Patties & Fritters
Remember that no two kids are alike; just because your older one was feasting on chicken at 8 months, doesn't guarantee that your younger one will do the same! Give your baby a variety to choose from, so that he gets the chance to try out various flavors. You'll soon discover which ones he prefers, and you can make good use of this information! All these foods are great recipes for fussy toddlers and many of them also work as travel foods as well. You can always customize these recipes to your family's liking, and soon you'll find that everyone now looks forward to mealtime!!
Lots of Love,
COMMENTS ( 1 )
posted on 15 January at 06:30
Awesome! Its genuinely remarkable paragraph, I have got much clear idea concerning from this post.