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
Daily Mail - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:57:07 GMT
Experts say around 20,000 lives a year could be saved if Britons simply tweaked their diet to include one gram less of salt a day, an extra piece of fruit and less saturated fat.
Opelousas Daily World - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:55:34 GMT
The Atkins diet has changed little since 1972, slashing carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes and allowing beef, butter and cheese. Now others carry the torch for the late Robert C. Atkins with The New Atkins for a New You.
The Weber State University Signpost - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:36:01 GMT
Students at Weber State University are using or talking about the revolutionary hCG diet that promises the average hCG-dieter rapid weight loss averaging 1 to 3 pounds per day.
HealthDay via Yahoo! News - Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:03:41 GMT
TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- When the cost of junk food increases, people consume less of it, a new study has found.
The Charlotte Observer - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:11:09 GMT
March 20 marks the 25th anniversary of the Great American Meatout, billed as "the world's largest annual grassroots diet education campaign."
Contra Costa Times - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:08:20 GMT
Food & Wine Events"A Chemical Reaction" — 6 p.m. March 11. This night at the Rheem Theater includes a screening of a provocative, award-winning film about how one doctor began a movement to reveal the health risks of landscaping chemicals and effected policy change to ban cosmetic uses of
seattlepi.com - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:41:08 GMT
Among the hottest trends in quick-service restaurants are healthier options for children, snack-size items and bite-size mini desserts, all of which can have significantly fewer calories than typical fast-food fare.
Peoria Journal Star - Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:11:29 GMT
So the food label says "sugar-free." Or some other such euphemism that indicates those sodas, cookies, chewing gum, syrup or fudge bars are sweetened with something other than straight-up sugar.
Memphis Commercial Appeal - Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:00:00 GMT
What you should knowA healthful diet -- lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein -- will provide most of the essential vitamins, protein and minerals your body requires. Our body often absorbs nutrients better if we eat them rather than take pills.A daily multivitamin or supplements may be required for some people to ensure they get needed nutrients.Sometimes food and diet supplements ...
WJXT Jacksonville - Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:52:47 GMT
Results of a 20-year study released on Monday found that both weight and risk for diabetes decreased for people in communities where fast food prices increased.
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