by Muriah Summer

Created on: October 06, 2010

Whether parents choose to follow baby-led weaning, or the more traditional route of offering baby cereal and purees first, they usually offer finger foods sometime during baby's first year. But what is safe, tasty, and easy for baby to eat? This article is geared more towards parents who are following the more traditional route, but proponents of baby-led weaning may find some useful information here as well.

-When can baby have finger foods?-

The point at which baby is ready for finger foods depends very much on the individual baby's development. Most babies are ready sometime between 7 and 10 months. The baby needs to have the ability to move food around in her mouth and mash it with her teeth and gums. She needs to be able to sit well and without support. Wholesome Baby Food recommends that she also have a well developed pincer grasp, which is the ability to pick up an object with the forefinger and thumb. However, finger food can be a great motivation to learn this important skill, too.

Don't be concerned if your baby doesn't seem interested in finger food yet. Babies develop at their own pace, and as long as she is getting the nutrition she needs, usually there is nothing to worry about. However, if you really are concerned about your child's development, it never hurts to consult with your pediatrician.

-What foods should baby have?-

As with most baby feeding questions, there is no hard and fast rule for what finger food to give first. However, it should be something soft, easy to mash and grasp, and able to be cut into small pieces. It may be helpful to start with something baby has already had in puree form. That way, she will be familiar with the taste and you don't need to worry about the four day rule.

Some good first finger foods are
- Ripe fruit cut into small pieces. Banana, peach, mango, pear, apricot, and melon are all soft when ripe. Be sure to remove seeds and skin before giving the fruit to baby. Fruits can be slippery and difficult to grasp, so try coating them with cereal dust, wheat germ, or powdered baby cereal.
- Soft-cooked vegetables such as sweet potato, carrot, green beans, peas, asparagus, or broccoli. Cut them into small enough pieces that baby won't choke.
- Commercial cereal such as puffed rice or O's. These do usually have a small amount of refined sugar even in the plain varieties, so don't offer them unless you're comfortable with that.
- Cubes of tofu dusted with cereal or wheat germ.
- Grated or cubed cheese.
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