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Baby Starts Finger Food

Just about any bite-size food that your baby can pick up and eat himself qualifies as a finger food. Finger foods are fun for your baby to play with and an important first step toward independence. And even though food play can get messy, don't be too quick with the cleaning rag: Let your baby enjoy this important learning experience that helps develop fine motor skills.

When your baby is between eight and nine months old, you can begin to introduce finger foods to encourage your baby to begin self-feeding. It is very important that the texture of finger foods be very soft, so that your baby can "gum" the foods. To get food soft enough for gumming, many of them will need to be cooked.

Actually you don't have to wait until your baby has teeth before starting finger foods. Even if you 6-7 month old has teeth, they are not going to begin chewing foods until they are much older.

You'd likely wait until you child is sitting up well without support and has the coordination to hold and bring foods to his mouth with a thumb-finger grasp, which is usually at about 7-9 or 10 months of age.

Your baby will probably let you know when he's ready to move up to finger foods by grabbing the spoon you're feeding him with or snatching food off your plate, for example. Eventually baby use his thumb and forefinger (the so-called "pincer grasp") to pick up food. Some infants do better if you offer something new, including finger foods, when they are very hungry and are less likely to get distracted. Other babies get quickly frustrated if they are very hungry and do better if you offer finger foods as a snack or after they have eaten some other foods.You may have to experiment to find what works best for you and your baby.

Even if you think your baby is ready for finger foods, be sure to always supervise your child when he is eating them in case he does choke.

Food Good For Finger Food

Your baby may have a good appetite but not many teeth, so start with foods that he can gum or that will dissolve easily in his mouth. As he grows into a toddler you'll be able to give him bite-size pieces of whatever you're eating. Remember that your baby's also learning about texture, color, and aroma as he feeds himself, so try to offer a variety of foods. They should be easy for him to handle but not present a choking hazard. And be sure to choose fare that's appropriate for his age.

To smooth the way for introducing finger foods here are few tips that may help you out:

• Always feed your baby in a "seated position." The risk of choking rises as you introduce finger foods.

• Never let your baby eat foods without adult supervision.

• Don't be in a rush. Introduce finger foods one at a time and slowly add different ones.

• Continue to feed your baby softly, pureed baby foods for most of the meal, and transition to more finger foods over a six- to eight-month period.

• Start with foods your baby likes.

Good choices for you baby's first finger foods can include

baby crackers

pieces of bread

plain wafer type cookies

dry cereals, like cheerios

cut and well cooked vegetable pieces, like green beans, potatoes, or peas

pieces of soft ripe fruits (bananas, etc.)

small pieces of cheese

cooked pasta

small pieces of well cooked meats

Examples of finger foods that can be served raw include small pieces of

Banana

Avocado

Tofu

Semi-hard cheeses

Puffed rice cereal

Examples of cooked finger foods

Apples slices

Pear slices

Whole asparagus spears

Carrots sticks/rounds or baby carrots

Zucchini or yellow squash rounds

Broccoli spears

Sweet potato slices or cubes

Whole green beans

Other Finger Food Favourites

O-shaped toasted oat cereal or other low-sugar cereal

lghtly toasted bread or bagels (spread with vegetable puree for extra vitamins)

small chunks of banana or other very ripe, peeled fruit, like mango, plum, pear, peach, cantaloupe, seedless atermelon

small cubes of tofu

well-cooked pasta spirals, cut into pieces

thin cheese strips or very small chunks of cheese

chopped hard-boiled egg (after 12 months)

cut-up raisins, apricots, stewed dried prunes

cut-up grapes, cherries (pits and seeds removed), blueberries

small pieces of cooked soft vegetables, like carrots, peas, zucchini, potato, sweet potato

small or cut-up well-cooked broccoli and cauliflower "trees"

small (pea-size) pieces of cooked chicken or other soft meat

rice cakes broken into small pieces

cubed soft foods

grated or scraped pear, carrots

small pieces of ripe banana or avocado

sliced kiwi

cooked carrots/peas/green beans

cooked pasta in shapes and colors sprinkled with some parmesan cheese

whole-grain bread strips

pieces of toast or crackers

frozen blueberries, peas, or corn right out of the package