Baby Finger Foods

I have a baby who prefers to feed herself and this means finger food time.   The typical age to start finger foods is 8 to 9 months old.  The best place to have finger foods is in the high chair, which prevents choking, rather than a car seat.  Resist the urge to offer your baby high sweet items such as cookies, try and stick to fruits and veggies.

Here are some suggestions for baby finger food and what to make:

Steamed broccoli – cut into small pieces
Steamed or baked yam – peel and cut into cubes
Cooked Peas
Grapes – Always cut in half
Steamed Cauliflower
Small bites of chicken or turkey
Rice crackers
Rice cereal
Fruit cut into small pieces only if the fruit is soft like kiwi or mango
Baked apples cut up
Cooked carrots cut up

Allegra loves eating with her hands and favors broccoli, blueberries and rice!!

Introduction of Solids

You won’t want to begin trying solid foods until your baby is somewhere between 5-8 months of age.  Some research suggests that it is better to wait until 6 months of age to introduce solids as the undeveloped digestive system can be sensitive and food allergies can develop.  Since breast milk is such a great food I decided to wait until Zara was at least 6 months to begin any food introduction.

You should always nurse your infant first before offering a solid food. Offer whole foods in as close to the natural state as possible (mashed and cooked fruits and vegetables, cooked cereal grains, etc.). At about 9 months you may let your baby attempt to feed herself as part of her exploration.  Each item needs to be individually introduced for 3 days at a time to make sure delayed food sensitivities don’t crop up within the 72-hour window.  If your baby shows any of the following symptoms eliminate it for a while before you try it again. Don't offer any combinations until all the foods have been introduced individually.

Diarrhea

Constipation

Unusual fussiness

Lethargy

Stuffy/runny nose

Coughing/wheezing                                

Ear infections

Change in personality                               

Rash around mouth or anus (or other skin reactions)

It is very import how and in what order you introduce your food groups.  I prefer the following order and within each group I’m including the foods and the order I used for Zara.

1.     Vegetables:           

a.     Yellow/Orange vegetables first: squash, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots (corn is a common allergen so wait until 1 year)

                                               i.     For Zara: kopacha squash, butternut squash, sweet potato, yam, carrots

b.     Green Vegetables:  green Beans, broccoli, spinach, peas

                                               i.     For Zara:  green beans, peas, broccoli, spinach

c.      Various colored: cauliflower, purple yams, bok choy

                                               i.     For Zara: cauliflower, purple yams

2.     Fruits:  Limit these and think of them like a desert always giving veggies first: applesauce, pear, banana, papaya, mango, prunes, peaches

a.     For Zara: applesauce, pear, mango, prune, peach, papaya

b.     Hold off on all citrus, pineapple and kiwi until 1 year as these are hard on the tummy due to acidic content

3.     Proteins:  Lentils   Zara:  Lentils Hold off on the rest of the bigger beans and meats until baby is 1 year or more.

The easiest way to make baby food is to steam the fruit or veggie in distilled or filtered water and then blend using the distilled water that captured some of the nutrients while steaming. I recommend freezing in cubes for easy reheating.  Use the silicon ice cube trays as the food is easier to pop out and put in a bag.  See the photo of me doing this with squash.  That way once all the food is introduced you can easily mix and match.