Any small, bite-sized food that can be easily picked up and eaten by your baby is called finger food. Introducing finger foods to your baby can be exciting, but it’s natural to worry about things like choking or infections. However, you can prevent these issues by always watching your baby while they eat.

When is the right time to start finger foods?

You can introduce finger foods to your baby when they are about six months old. Even though they don’t have teeth yet, their gums are strong enough to mash soft foods.

Here are some signs that your baby is ready for finger foods:

• They can sit upright in a high chair.
• They try to grab the spoon or bowl when you’re feeding them.
• They seem frustrated when they see you eating and aren’t sharing with them.

Watching for these signs will help you know whether your baby is ready to start exploring finger foods or not!

Understand Your Baby’s Eating Habits:

• It’s completely normal if the babies try to grab the food using their whole hand, rather than using their thumb and forefinger (pincer grasp). They will develop this skill as they grow older.
• Gagging is natural when babies try a new food. This is a natural reflex that helps prevent choking. This also gives a training to their mouth.

Finger Foods For 6 Months Old

• A well-cooked homemade cereal cake or muffin cut into small chewable cubes.
• Naturally soft, seedless fruits cut into small, pea-sized pieces are perfect for babies. Examples include ripe bananas, seedless watermelons, kiwis, raspberries, and blueberries.
• Small pieces of avocado are also a good choice as they are soft and a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Soft cubes of cottage cheese or tofu are other healthy finger foods to introduce to your baby, cooked well into an easily smashable texture between your thumb and forefinger.
• You can also give your baby vegetables like diced carrots, sweet potatoes, radishes, or small florets of cauliflower and broccoli. Just cook them a bit longer than you would for yourself to make sure they’re soft enough for your baby to eat. These are packed with important vitamins like A, C, and K, as well as minerals like magnesium, potassium, and zinc. These are ideal for baby-led weaning.

Finger Foods For 8 Months Old

• Long strips of toasted bread or cereal are great now that your baby has developed a better grip. These long pieces are easy to hold and chewable.
• Steamed fruits like apples, pears, plums, and peaches can also be served to them as a good option for finger foods.
• Scrambled eggs are also a good option to be introduced at this age.
• Small cuts of steamed pieces of meat or chicken can also be given as finger foods.
• All the foods your baby started eating at 6 months can now be offered in slightly larger pieces, as their chewing skills have improved a lot.

Finger Foods For 11 Months Old

• You can offer well-cooked rice and dal made into small, easy-to-grab cubes to your 11-month-old.
• Bite-sized bites of chapati mixed with dal or vegetable gravy is another option to be chosen as a finger food.
• Slightly mashed, well-cooked beans are another great finger food that your baby can easily hold.
• Steamed potatoes or sweet potatoes should also be included in their diet. Cut them into long sticks and boil them until soft.
• All vegetables can be given in easily graspable shapes, but these should be cooked for longer than you would for yourself. As your baby grows older, you can choose to cook the vegetables for less time, so that they learn to chew firmer textures of the veggies.

Conclusion

A mixed approach while feeding your baby, can always be tried. Along with feeding them a puree with a spoon, do present some finger foods in a plate within their reach, which they can eat along with being fed by you. This helps your baby in learning the habit of self-feeding. Finger foods for your little one, should always be organic, unprocessed, and well-cooked options. Food must be simple and natural—there’s no need to add extra sugar or salt, as it can be harmful to their developing bodies. Let their tiny taste buds be introduced to the goodness of real and wholesome foods!