Finger food suggestions

♥ From my book; What should I feed my baby?

Dear parents.

Giving your child finger foods to eat allows them to practise their manual dexterity and co-ordination. Babies can usually start eating finger foods around 7–9 months old. It varies between children when they are ready. Parents need only make sure that they are never alone when eating finger foods and make necessary arrangements so that food does not get stuck in their throat. They cannot eat in the car! To begin with, the bites are made very small – the size of a raisin. Gradually parents will learn what kind of food their child manages to eat, chew and swallow. But it is always sensible not to give them too much at once since they tend to stuff their mouth with too much food, which could raise the risk of something getting stuck in their throat.

Super finger food

♥ Small pieces of ripe avocado.

♥ Well-ripe fruit, washed, peeled and cut into very small pieces.

♥ Cooked soft vegetables, cut into small pieces.

♥ Peeled courgette, cut into very small bites.

♥ Organic dried cranberries (good if soaked for at least an hour in water).

♥ Organic goji berries (good if soaked for at least an hour in water).

♥ Organic stoned prunes (good if soaked for at least an hour in water), cut into small pieces.

♥ Organic stoned dates (good if soaked for at least an hour in water), cut into small pieces.

♥ Organic dried apricots (good if soaked for at least an hour in water), cut into small pieces.

♥ Organic raisins, in moderation and definitely organic (good if soaked for at least an hour in water).

♥ Cooked sweetcorn (preferably organic)

♥ Cooked brown rice (preferably organic).

♥ Hard-boiled yolks (preferably organic) (or eggs after your baby is one year old) cut into small pieces.

♥ Whole grain bread without coarse grains (such as spelt/kamut, gluten-free or sprouted), cut into pieces.You can put organic butter on the bread, or olive oil.You can also let the bread pieces float in a bowl of water, organic milk, almond milk or rice milk (depending on the age of your baby) and let your baby fish them out.

♥ Organic spelt/kamut pasta or gluten-free pasta cooked well and cut into small pieces.

♥ Cooked beans (I rinse them first in a sieve if I buy them ready and I recommend buying them in glass jars and not tin cans).

♥ You can buy a very safe food feeder net for your baby so they can nibble on foods without the choking hazard. Check it out!

It’s a great idea to give finger foods as often as possible when you feel your baby is ready. I recommend the common sense approach when it comes to pureeing for your baby because some babies get the hang of chewing very quickly, enjoy it and should therefore be allowed to feed themselves as often as possible all kinds of finger foods. Some might be ready a bit later than other, which is perfectly normal and wonderful, we are all unique (and in our uniqueness we shine!). But try around the 8-9 months to mash your baby’s food by hand when possible (instead of pureeing it) and sometimes simply cut your baby’s food into small pieces to try to get your baby use to new and coarser food textures as well as feeding him or herself. Also bear in mind that babies usually feel that less is more when it comes to meals, so keep it simple at mealtimes (which is a lot less work). Variety in foods is best thought of in terms of a few days or a whole week. 

Love

♥

Ebba