Are you stuck in a finger food rut? Wondering what you can offer your baby or toddler to munch on as a snack? Oh, baby, we have a MEGA list of finger foods for toddlers and babies for you and your little one! #getinmybelly
Why is offering finger foods important?
When your baby is around nine months old and is excited about food, having tried purees and various textures, they’ll be able to start picking up small pieces of food with their fingers, known as a pincer grip.
Now when I say finger foods, I don’t mean wheeling out a trolley of canapes, I mean foods that your baby can feed themselves from their high chair tray. Choking is almost always a parent’s first fear when a baby starts feeding themselves so it’s important to minimise the risk.
Finger foods are SO good! via GIPHY
Minimise the choking risks
Always supervise and have your baby sitting upright in their high chair when eating. Remember that a baby’s mouth is small, so serve pieces of food that are also small (about the size of a pea). Keep your food offerings not only small but also soft enough to squish between your fingers and then your bub’s gums. Squashed food is also easier for your baby to pick up, keeping these times happy times for your cherub and not a time of frustration.
Finger foods for toddlers and babies you already have in your fridge
You can buy prepackaged finger foods from the baby aisle at the supermarket but chances are, you already have loads of options to offer at home in your kitchen! All of the foods below are suitable finger foods for toddlers and babies – with the exception of several being better to hold off until the second year due to acidity or excessive stickiness.
50 finger foods for toddlers and babies
Brilliant breads and cereals
Good news, if you have a loaf of bread you have finger food! Here are some brilliant finger foods for toddlers and babies straight from the pantry!
- Rusks
- Toast soldiers or quarters
- Pikelets, cut into pieces
- Rice, cooked and clumped together
- Finger or ribbon cut sandwiches (soft fillings and crusts removed)
- Plain cooked pasta
Fabulous finger fruits
When it comes to finger foods for toddlers and babies, fruit is almost always a winner – likely because it’s naturally sweet. Some fruits can be quite acidic which can sometimes lead to nappy rashes so hold off on giving those foods until later.
- Strawberries, ripe and sliced
- Blackberries, soft and quartered
- Blueberries, soft, cut in half and squashed
- Raspberries, soft, halved and squashed
- Cooked apple slices
- Banana slices, cut in thirds
- Peach slices
- Medjool dates, pitted and cut into pieces (toddlers)
- Soft pear slices
- Nectarine slices
- Kiwi fruit slices (toddler)
- Rockmelon slices
- Papaya slices
- Dried apple rings (toddler)
- Sultanas (toddler)
- Raisins (toddlers)
- Dried cranberries (toddlers)
- Mango, small dice
- Avocado
- Watermelon cut into batons
- Pineapple pieces, cut thin (toddlers)
- Orange segments, cut into small pieces (toddlers)
- Mandarin segments, cut into small pieces (toddlers)
Delicious finger food vegetables
You might find it odd to offer random vegetables as a finger food snack but I assure you, little ones don’t know any different and will LOVE mowing down those fluffy green trees.
- Green peas, cooked and squashed
- Green beans, cooked
- Pumpkin, steamed or baked
- Sweet potato, roasted and cut into small pieces
- Carrot sticks, cooked soft
- Cauliflower florets, steamed and tender
- Broccoli florets, steamed and tender
- Corn on the cob, cooked tender
- Parsnip sticks, cooked tender
- Roasted red capsicum, cut into pieces
Perfect protein bites
If you’re cooking meat in the slow cooker or cooking a pulled roast, this is the perfect kind of tender, splintered texture for your baby to pick up. You can even put some aside to freeze for another time to make it easier to keep offering without having to churn out a roast every time. LOL.
- Cheese sticks (toddler)
- Grated cheese
- Sliced omelette
- Cooked fish, free of bones
- Cooked chicken, shredded or diced
- Cooked beef, shredded
- Cooked lamb, shredded
- Cooked pork, shredded
- Cooked turkey, shredded
- Little meatballs, mashed (toddlers)
- Tofu, baked and soft
Feeling hungry? ME TOO. We hope you have a blast introducing these finger foods for toddlers and babies to your own little one. Watching them explore and learn how to pick up food with their own fingers, is SO much fun – babies love this milestone, so have your camera ready to catch a few delightful – albeit messy –Â photos. Let the delicious fun begin!
