When your baby reaches the age of about eight or nine months, she might be ready for finger foods. Whether a finger food is age appropriate for your baby depends on a number of factors including your baby's developmental stage, how soft the food is, and how easy it is to chew or gum. Your baby should also have developed the ability to feed himself before eating the recipes below.
Sweet Potato Fries
These baked fries are soft and tasty. They are appropriate for babies who have been eating solid foods and are at least eight months old.
Ingredient
Medium sweet potato, peeled
1 tablespoon oil
Dash cinnamon
Method
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Peel, and wash the sweet potatoes. Cut them, lengthwise, into thin sticks.
Toss the potatoes with oil and cinnamon.
Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Allow to cool before feeding to your baby.
Chicken Fingers
These chicken fingers provide soft protein a baby can eat with her fingers. They are appropriate for children ages eight months and up.
Ingredients
1 cup ground chicken
1 carrot, grated
1/2 small onion, grated
1/2 zucchini, peeled and grated
1 small egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Method
Spray a broiler pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
Combine chicken, carrot, onion, and zucchini in a small bowl.
Roll chicken mixture into eight small sausages.
Dip chicken sausages in eggs, and then roll in bread crumbs.
Place chicken fingers on the prepared broiler pan.
Place under a broiler for ten minutes on each side.
Allow chicken fingers to cool before serving.
Apple Muffins
These tasty, tender muffins are perfect for babies ten months and older. Bake them in a mini-muffin pan to suit a much smaller appetite.
Ingredients
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup grated apple
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together both types of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In another bowl, combine applesauce, egg, vanilla, and sugar.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Fold in grated apple.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until muffins are set.
Cool before serving.
Fluffy Eggs
These eggs have fluffy whites and solid yolks. Cut up and placed on small pieces of toast, this makes a delicious breakfast for babies 10 months or older.
Ingredients
One whole egg
One piece of whole wheat toast
1/2 teaspoon butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Toast bread in toaster. Using a cookie cutter, cut a round out of the center of the toast. Keep the circle and discard the rest. Spread the round with butter and place on a baking sheet.
Carefully separate the egg into white and yolk. Set the yolk aside in a small container.
Place the white in a small bowl. Using a mixer with whisk attachments, whip the egg white until it forms soft peaks.
Spoon egg white into a mound on top of the toast.
Make a small well in the middle of the egg white with your spoon.
Carefully pour the egg yolk into the well.
Bake in the oven until the yolk sets, about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into pieces and serve.
Baked Tofu Sticks
These soft tofu sticks are dusted with crushed graham crackers and then baked. They are appropriate for babies eight months and older. Older babies may enjoy dipping the sticks in yogurt.
Ingredients
1/2 package firm tofu
1/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Cut tofu into one inch by 1/2 inch sticks.
Crush graham crackers into crumbs and add cinnamon.
Toss tofu sticks with graham cracker crumb mixture.
Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake until cooked through with browned graham cracker crumbs, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving.
The Right Start
Giving your baby finger foods made from wholesome ingredients can help him learn to enjoy healthy foods. It's a great start for a lifetime of healthy eating.
