What's The Best Finger Food For Baby?

Giving finger food for baby is one of the first steps to independence as soon as baby can sit upright easily and has a thumb finger grasp he is ready. You don't have to wait until baby has teeth, because even if they have several they won't be using them for chewing at first.

Babies soon learn to grab. They are also quicker than you'd think at putting things in their mouth.

So, you can begin using finger food at about 6 months. Refer to the Baby Miles "rule of thumb" development pattern for how finger food for baby can be used to stimulate fine motor development.

Just make sure that anything you do give is soft and will break into very small pieces in order to avoid any danger of choking. This means that things such as slices of banana are o.k., but hard raw apple slices are best avoided.

Also, don't leave baby alone while he is eating... just in case. And make sure that older kids know that they should always check with you before giving baby anything to eat.

About Commercial Finger Food For Baby

There are a number of commercially made product s for this stage of baby's life. However some commercial products can contain more salt and especially sugar than you might want to give baby. They can also include grains that you might want to avoid.

About Homemade Finger Food For Baby

Homemade is easy and less expensive. If you want to avoid gluten, buy or make a gluten free loaf. Cut it in thick slices and dry these out in an oven at 100 C for about an hour or an hour and a half. You can make a lot at once as they will last if they are packed into a container with a tight lid.

Some suggestions for baby finger  foods:

• small pieces of cheese

• cooked peas

• shelled and cooked broad beans

• wafers

• digestive biscuits ( graham crackers)

• dry cereals such as Cheerios or puffed corn

• cooked pasta

• pieces of avocado and mango

Avoid foods that are slippery - you will just have a frustrated baby and even more food to clean up off the floor than usual.

Some foods are better cooked first to make them soft enough

• slices or sticks of carrot and parsnips

• cooked cubes of sweet potato or apple

• florets of broccoli or cauliflower

• chick peas ( gabanzos)

If you cook half inch cubes of sweet potato or squash sprinkle them with a little cinnamon or nutmeg before giving to introduce a new flavor. These will keep for several days in the fridge in a covered pot or you could freeze spare vegetables in tiny portions.

Tofu cubes can be covered with crushed crumbs of graham cracker and served as they are. Just place the cracker in a plastic bag, crush with your rolling pin and then add the tofu cubes and shake until they are covered in crumbs.

What To Do If Baby Ignores Finger Foods

Some babies just aren't interested at first. Don't worry. Just wait a week or so and offer the food again. Choose a time when the baby is hungry, i.e. before giving formula or breast feeding and when he is more likely to attempt to feed himself.

You will delight to see your baby triumphing as he manages to get the food into his mouth - just start with foods he likes anyway and off you go. Enjoy.

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