Is finger food for babies good? Given the tremendous response to our Veggie Finger Food post, I couldn’t resist sharing this article a bit earlier than planned. In case you missed it, we previously covered the telltale signs that indicate your little one is ready for finger foods. Now, let’s delve into the benefits of introducing finger foods and explore why they can be a nutritious and exciting option for your baby

When Do I Know My Baby is Ready for Finger Foods?

Determining when your baby is ready for finger foods typically occurs between 7 to 9 months of age. Look for these signs:

1. Baby can sit upright independently.
2. Baby no longer exhibits the tongue thrust reflex, where food is automatically pushed out of the mouth.
3. Baby has developed a pincer grasp, allowing them to hold food between their fingers.
4. Baby demonstrates hand-eye coordination, enabling them to pick up food and bring it to their mouth.
5. Even without teeth, babies can safely enjoy finger foods by using their strong gums to gnaw and squash the food.

By observing these milestones, you can confidently introduce finger foods to your little one.

What is an ideal Finger Food ?

1.The guide to the perfect size of the finger food will be the size of the baby’s fist and preferably chip shaped.

2.For slippery foods like banana coat the food with rice flour or wheat flour.

3. The finger food should be cooked in such a consistency that is easily mashable between the gums.

What can be given as finger food?

 Vegetables and Fruits make the best finger foods followed by chicken, cheese and bread.

Delicious Finger Food for Babies and Toddlers: 25+ Irresistible Fruit Recipes

Fruits make great finger food for babies, they are sweet and juicy and babies love to munch and suck upon them. 

I.  Apple

1. Steamed Apple Cubes

Wash, peel, decore and cube the apples. Steam it and after cooling, give your little one pieces that can be held in hands.

2. Baked Apple

• Wash, decore the apple, cut them into wedges with the peel (without peel, the apple will turn mushy)
• Sprinkle cinnamon powder over the fleshy side.
• In baking pan fill upto 2 inches of water and place the apple wedges and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
• After it is cooked, peel the skin and serve after cooling.

3. Roasted Apple

• Wash, peel, decore and cut the apple into cubes.
• Steam the cubes.
• In pan, melt butter and roast the apple with little cinnamon powder.

4. Bite sized apple

If your little one loves raw apple, just cube them into bite sized pieces and feed the baby.

5. Apple Pancakes

6. Apple Muffins

7. Apple fritters

  Ingredients

•   1 apple
•   1/3 cup flour
•   1 egg
•   Bread crumbs
•   Cinnamon powder –  1 pinch

 Method

1. Wash, peel and grate the apple.
2. Mix all the ingredients together
3. In a tawa, laddle out the mixture into rounds and flatten them a bit.
4. Sprinkle vegetable or olive oil over the fritters and turn the 2 sides and cook.
5. Cool and serve.

8. Baked Apple Chips

• Wash the apple and slice the apple horizontally into round shape slice. No need to decore the apple, just remove the seeds.
• Preheat the oven at 200 degree.
• In a pan place the sliced apples, sprinkle cinnamon powder over the apple slices..
• Bake them for 90 minutes and allow to cool in a wire rack.
• Crispy chips ready.

9. Fried Apple Rings

This is just like your onion rings but sweet and yummy !!

This can be given to babies above 1 year.

Ingredients

• 1 Apple
• 1/4  cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 1/2 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• A pinch of salt

Method

• In a  large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and set aside. In another bowl mix egg and buttermilk.
• Slice the apple into 1/4 inch thick slices and use small biscuit cutters to cut the apple in gradual slices and discard the central slices which have the seeds.
• Mix the 2 batter and dip the apple rings in them and deep fry them.
• The rings can be coated with powdered sugar for older children.

II.  Pear

10. Bite sized Pear

Wash, peel and cut the pear into small pieces enough for the baby to hold and munch.

11. Baked Pears

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter the baking pan.
• Wash, peel and cut the pear into wedges.
• Sprinkle cinnamon powder over the pear wedges.
• Bake them for 30 minutes on each side.

12. Roasted Pears

Wash, peel the skin and slice the pear into wedges, in a pan melt little cheese or butter and roast the pears with cinnamon. 

13. Pear Chips

Wash, peel the pears, slice the pears in our regular slicer (that we use for slicing potato for potato chips)

Either bake or deep fry them. Toss with cinnamon powder, a pinch of mishri sugar and serve.

14. Pear Muffins

15. Pear Pancakes

III. Watermelon

16. Watermelon Fingers

Watermelon are very soft and easily pliable, so follow the easy steps to get the perfect watermelon fingers.

How to cut the watermelon for little fingers

a. First cut the watermelon into half

b. Then flip it on one side and cut slices into it.

c. Turn it the other way and cut more slices in the opposite directions, and you can easily pull out the slices.

17. Watermelon Popsicles

Cut the watermelon into triangular wedges, insert a Popsicle stick to the broad end.

IV. Banana

18. Cut Banana

The Banana can be sliced to small pieces and fold in with bread crumbs and serve.

19. Banana Pancakes

20. Banana Muffins

21. Banana Popsicle

Cut the banana into thick wedges, insert a popsicle stick and freeze them. It works out great in soothing teething pain.

V. Papaya

22. Cut papaya into small pieces that can be held by your little one.

VI. Mango 

23. Frozen mango pops

Cut the mango into thick fingers, insert a stick and freeze them. Great soother for teething.

24. Mango Muffins

25. Mango pancakes

VII. Avocado

26. Wash and cut Avocado into two, cut into small pieces and roll in bread crumbs and serve.

For more baby food recipes, visit Recipe Index.

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