When your baby is between 8 and 9 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 your baby can gum the foods. To get food soft enough for gumming, many of them will need to be cooked.
Examples of finger foods that can be served raw include small pieces of:
Examples of cooked finger foods:
To smooth the way for introducing finger foods here are few tips that may help you out:
Here are a few finger-food recipes to help you get started with finger-food fun!
Sweet Potato Cubes
Your baby will like the bright orange color and sweet taste of these little morsels. Babies have a natural sweet tooth developed from drinking breast milk or formula, which are sweet. The natural sweetness of sweet potatoes make them a favorite among babies!
Directions
Wash, peel and dice a sweet potato into small cubes about ½-inch in size. Place the cubes in microwave-safe dish, cover, and cook them in the microwave on HIGH for 5 to 7 minutes. Let them stand for 5 minutes. You'll know they are done if you can mash them with a fork.
Add a little spice in her life: Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or ground ginger on the sweet potato cubes before you cook them for a little extra flavor.
Storage: Covered container. Stays fresh four to five days in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer.
Age to introduce: about nine months
Cinnamon Apple Slices
Your baby will like the sweet juicy flavor, and the challenge of picking these up will help develop her fine motor skills. These are super easy to make and great for any meal or as a snack!
Directions
Wash, peel and core 1 to 2 golden delicious apples. Cut the apples into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices of apples in plastic bag and sprinkle a dash of cinnamon over the apples slices. Close the bag and shake it up so the cinnamon is distributed evenly over all of the slices. Place the slices in a microwave safe dish and cook them in the microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes. Let them stand for 5 minutes. They are done if a fork slides into them easily. Cool completely before serving.
Storage: lasts four to five days in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer.
Age to introduce: about nine months
Dusted Tofu Cubes
These nutritious, little cubes are fun to pick up and they taste good, too! For a little variety, you can use banana instead of tofu.
Ingredients
1/4 tsp. flax seed, finely ground
1-2 Tbsp of Cheerios (or other cereal) OR 2-3 graham crackers
5-6 1/2-inch cubes of firm tofu
Directions
Place ground flax seed and cereal/graham crackers in a bag and crush into crumbs. Add tofu and shake lightly to coat the tofu cubes with the crumb mixture. Serve immediately.
Age to introduce: older than 12 months (without flax seed 8-10 months)
Source: http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm/2/cmi_1727335/code_12743
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