Best Baby Finger Foods

Finger Foods for Baby

If you’ve decided to start solid foods by taking the baby led weaning approach, you will be introducing big, soft-cooked finger foods from the start.

If you are taking the traditional weaning approach of starting with purees, you will most likely start offering finger foods around 8-9 months of age when you and your baby feel ready to move forward with texture.

Regardless of which method you choose, the goal is to offer finger foods by 9 months at the latest.

That’s because familiarity is a BIG part of taste and acceptance, and the earlier the exposure to all the different flavors and textures, the greater their acceptance.
If your baby stays on pureed textures for too long, it may be much more difficult to get them to accept different textures later.

If you’re feeling anxious about offering textured foods from the start and want to take the traditional weaning route where babies are spoon-fed purees or the combination approach (you do you!), here’s how to safely move forward from purees to textured foods.

Can Babies eat Finger Foods without Teeth?

While you might think babies can’t eat foods that aren’t pureed until they have teeth, the reality is they don’t need teeth to enjoy table or finger foods.

Did you know that we actually chew with our molars, not the front teeth? And if you wait until the molars come in (normally around 12-18 months)  to move on to table foods, you would totally miss that critical “window of opportunity” for developing food preferences.

Not to mention, failure to move from purees to textured foods by 9 months may lead to increased risk for feeding difficulties later in life.

So how are they able to handle table foods without the molars? With their strong gums! And it is our responsibility as parents to make sure that the foods are appropriately cooked and served, and that’s what I want to share with you!

Do keep in mind, I’m sharing general timelines & guidelines here. What’s most important is to follow your baby’s lead as every child is so different and they develop at their own pace.

Easy Baby Finger Food Ideas

• Soft-cooked carrot sticks
• Avocado slices rolled in hemp seeds
• Small pieces of soft fruit
• Healthy pancakes for babies
• Teething Biscuits
• Baby meatballs
• Soft Muffins for babies
• Puffs and Dry Cereal
• Steamed sweet potato cubes
• Soft scrambled egg
• Rice cakes: Light and airy, topped with mashed avocado or nut butter.
• Whole grain toast strips: Lightly toasted with avocado or a thin spread of nut butter. Here’s a guide to choosing the best bread for babies as well as topping ideas.
• Cucumber sticks: Peeled and softened for easy chewing.

Finger Foods – Protein

Be sure to click on the links for more details on each of the specific foods.

• Beef
• Beans
• Chicken – shredded, diced, strip
• Eggs – scrambled, hard-boiled
• Lentils
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Shrimp
• Tofu

Related: Top Iron-Rich Foods for Babies and Toddlers

Soft Finger Foods for Baby – Vegetables

• Asparagus
• Beets
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Butternut Squash
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Parsnips
• Sweet potato – these sweet potato slices are so fun!
• Zucchini

And as you see in the image above, do not be afraid to season your baby’s food from the start!

Also check out: Vegetables for babies (with 30+ recipes)

Baby Finger Foods – Fruits

• Avocado – sliced into wedges or bite-sized pieces. See avocado for babies for serving tips.
• Apples – serve similar to pears. For more information on how to safely serve, check out this guide to apples for babies.
• Ripe banana – try soaking in peanut butter. Be sure to thin it out as globs of peanut butter or any nut butter is a choking hazard
• Blueberries
• Grapes – hold off until 9 months and be sure to serve quartered.
• Kiwi – Halves, quarters, bite-sized
• Mangoes
• Melons – large thin rectangles
• Pears
• Peaches
• Strawberries

For more, check out this master list of Baby Led Weaning Recipes

6-8 Month Old Baby

9-11 Month Old Baby

By this age, babies are learning to move food side to side within their mouths as well as forward and backward. They are also starting to learn the concept of biting (hopefully anyways).

Shape

Your baby is mastering their pincer grasp and able to pick up small pieces of food between the thumb and index finger. Therefore, you can begin to cut food into small bite-sized pieces.

But do continue offering larger pieces of food so they can learn to take bites.

Texture

You can start serving slightly firmer foods by shortening the cooking time for veggies, roasting more often rather than just steaming, etc. Depending on the number of teeth your baby has, chewing ability, and your comfort level, you can start offering finely grated raw fruits and veggies.

If your baby constantly turns into a competitive food eater (like mine did), here are some things you can do to help slow them down:

• Help set pace by placing small amounts of food in front of her at a time either directly on the table/tray or a plate. I personally just took the plate away every time his mouth was full and encouraged him to finish chewing before offering his plate again. It was tedious but worked well for us.
• Offer utensils (here are our favorites). Using it requires fine motor skills which will help slow down pace.

You may also be interested in: healthy baby snacks

Finger Foods for 12+ Months

Shape

Again, try to encourage your child to learn to take bites by not cutting up the food as much. As always, role modeling can do wonders in helping them to learn this new skill.

If your child is continuing to shove food, learn how to teach them to take bites.

Texture

You’ve done the hard work! At this point your child should be able to handle almost all textures and eating like the rest of the family. Can you start offering crunchy vegetables? Yes! Here’s a guide on how to introduce raw vegetables to your little one in a safe and fun way.