So with the Veggie Finger Food being a great hit with readers, posting this article little earlier than I intended.
I have already discussed the signs of readiness for finger foods in the previous article, for those who have missed it, read below…..
When do I know my baby is ready for Finger Foods?
Babies usually are ready for finger foods between 7 to 9 months.
1. Baby is able to sit upright.
2. Baby does not thrust the food out. (Tongue thrust reflex)
3. Baby has pincer grasp, so that the food can be held in their fingers.
4. When the baby achieves hand eye co-ordination, so that they can pick the food and put in their mouth.
5. Even if the baby has no teeth, finger foods can be given as they can gnaw and squash the food with their strong gums.
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.
25+ Fruit Finger Food Recipes for Babies and Toddlers
Fruits make great finger food, 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
- Wash, peel and grate the apple.
- Mix all the ingredients together
- In a tawa, laddle out the mixture into rounds and flatten them a bit.
- Sprinkle vegetable or olive oil over the fritters and turn the 2 sides and cook.
- 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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The information presented here is meant as a guide and does not replace professional medical advice. You should always discuss your baby’s dietary requirements with your doctor.
How to feed puri bhaji to 1 year old my son still eats mashed food
Hello Shraddha,
Start introducing your child with Finger foods. Give different textures of foods. Start with ingredients that your child likes to eat. Now that your child is 1 year old you can feed Smoothies, Milkshakes, Noodles, Cutlets, Fried rice, Yogurt, soups with mashed veggies/meat initially later small chunks, Homemade Muffins, Cookies, Biscuits etc can be fed to your child. You can make a tactic of reward system where if your child 1 solid food you can feed your child with favorite dishes, or tire your child out and when your child is hungry give foods which your child normally doesn’t eat.
Hi hema,
My baby doesn’t like eating food at all.. Fed up with all techniques.. Please suggest me some ideas..
He like good day biscuits and ceralac..
Hi Mythili,
This is faced by most of the moms dear. Foremost thing is to stop giving snacks or foods with preservatives and artificial sweeteners. That would help in building the appetite. Then gradually give fresh fruits and vegetables as finger foods. Instead of big meals, give small volume of healthy foods frequently.
Mam my lo is 8 months old.. I am really scared of giving finger foods as I think what if he bite bigger size and cause choking, can this happen?
Hi Prisha,
Please give small pieces of finger foods and supervise. You can first keep in your hand, make him bite little by little, then give him and make him eat in the same way. Please don’t give big pieces.
Hey hema….lov ur blog u r helping new mums so much..
My one year old can’t follow this food chart
She eats well twice a day just and no mid morning and evening snacks coz m working mom and she doesn’t eat with anyone else
Is dis okay?
I feed her after office and before it
You have to get her used to eating with someone else when you are at home. Make her comfortable to eat with that person even in your presence.
Hi dear hema
Please mention how to make apple smoothie for my 8.5 month old baby
Here you go dear https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/watermelon-smoothie-recipe/ and https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/apple-milkshake-recipe/ I have not particularly tried apple smoothie.
Hi dear hems
Can u please mention how to make apple smoothie for my 8.5 month old baby
HI Sanila, if your looking for smoothie recipes you can check by searching.
Dear Mam,
i have a son- 9th month now. he is looking very lean. can u tell me how to increase his weight with his food menu.
Thanks.
Hi Hema,
Can I giv sapota when my 13 months baby has cold.
Hi hema
Can you help me with a substitute for egg pls. My lo loves to try flavours
You can check our Eggless recipes here
Hi Doc,
Sooo many thanks to you. I was looking for ways to make my daughter eat fruits..will try all of these. A little question, which ingredient I can use to substitute egg, especially for fried apple rings. I was thinking to substitute it with milk but fried apple rings also has buttermilk in it, so confused..tia
Regards
Neha
Hi Neha,
I will try a substitute for egg and get back to you
Txs Hema… For different recipe’s.. As of now my Son (now 10months) enjoys eating all the fruits raw as he has very strong gums… He eats fruits like banana, mango,watermelons, papaya. Is it ok to give him chikku…
Txs a ton..
With lots of love
MB
You are welcome Mubaraka 🙂
Dear Hema,
First of all superb article. Thanks a ton.
Lemme know which all flours can be used in fried apple rings, apple fritters etc???
Regards,
Kavitha
Besan can be used for apple rings and fritters
Hi Dr Hema,
For making fruit pancakes, the flour which is used is gram flour (besan) ? My lo is 8 months plus.Just had this query, giving thm the fruits in cubes/chips form will not get choked for thm. Thank you.
Hi Aparna,
You can make pancakes in Whole Wheat Flour, will be posting the recipe soon. try giving the fruits cut into long thin strips and let them suck like a lolly. Hope this helped
Hi Dr , from which month can we start avacado ?
Hi priya, Avacado is one of the safest foods and you can start from 6 months