Please keep in mind that your baby should only be offered finger foods that are soft, easily mashed and age appropriate!

Read our tips and hints for offering your baby finger foods and learn about the developmental readiness needed for your baby to enjoy baby finger foods!

HINT: Grind up cheerios, graham crackers, wheat germ etc.. into a fine powder and coat the food bits for easier pick-up!

FRUITS take out seeds! Fruits make great baby finger foods! Colourful and highly nutritious, small soft bits of fruit will have your baby’s fingers pinching away for hours!

soft baked peaches - diced
small dices of ripe banana
small bits of ripe mango
dices of ripe pears
small dices of melon
small bits of avocado
squished blueberries
kiwi - diced small (seeds should be ok for baby over 10 months old)
small dices of mixed fruits for a “finger fruit salad
VEGGIES

soft baked sweet potato dices or sweet potato fries (see below for recipe)
soft baked white potato dices
small dices of soft cooked carrots
small dices of soft cooked peas
small dices of soft cooked broccoli
small bits of soft cooked green beans
small bits of soft baked butternut or acorn squash
small dices of soft cooked veggies mixed for a “veggie finger medley”
OTHER OFFERINGS

tofu cubes “dusted” and diced into tiny cubes
soft cooked pasta (ditalini or cut up rotini)
small bits of soft cheeses
Read about Introducing Cheese to Your Baby
small dices of soft cooked chicken, beef or turkey
cereals such as Multi-Grain Cheerios or Oatie-Os
petite toast points with a fruit puree spread or thin cream cheese
Tofu Finger Cubes

1 Package Firm Tofu (we love Nasoya)
Crushed/Powdered Cereal, Crackers, Granola or Wheat Germ

Slice tofu into small cubes that are manageable for your baby.
Toss tofu in a Ziploc bag with crushed Cheerios, crushed graham crackers or crushed granola
Close bag and toss to thoroughly coat tofu cubes ? serve as finger food for snack or as protein source at a meal

Sweet Potato Fries

Preheat oven to 400degrees(F)
Scrub sweet potatoes (approx 6 medium/large ones) clean and/or peel them if baby cannot handle the skins

Cut into sizes that will suit your needs or, cut into strips that you may then cut down after baking

In a large bowl, add about 1/4 cup of olive oil.
To this you may add cinnamon, ginger, a pinch of brown sugar, etc.. (I add cinnamon and sometimes a bit of brown sugar).

Toss the cut up sweet potatoes into the bowl and stir so that the potatoes are drenched with the olive oil mix.

Dump mixture onto a baking sheet and drizzle the remaining olive oil in the bowl over the potatoes on the baking sheet.
Stir and swirl the potatoes on the baking sheet before placing in oven.
Bake for approx 30-45minutes or until tender.

The skins may become crispy but the actual potato “meat” will not. They will be a bit mushy like. These will not look or bake up like regular white potato French Fries so don’t be alarmed!

This is the basic way to do it and you can improvise as much as you want

Banana Pancakes
(courtesy of Elaine)

Slice bananas thinly
Coat with pancake batter

Lightly fry in pan until golden brown
Serve as Baby Finger Foods for snack or at breakfast time

Back to Top

Easy Brazilian Fried Bananas
(you may use plantains as well)

Peel a banana and slice it in half; lengthwise.
Add 1tbs of butter to a small frying pan and melt butter.
Place banana ?inside? side down in butter in the pan.
Fry for approx. 5 minutes then turn over gently (bananas get very soft and may break apart)

Fry for 5 more minutes until both sides turn a golden brown
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar (or leave out the sugar and just sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon) Remove from pan and serve warm

If appropriate for your baby’s age/stage, you may also saut? onion, and tomato and add banana/plantain for frying to this dish for a Caribbean flair - just leave out the cinnamon/sugar!

WonTon Snacks*

Age: 10-12 months and up.

Buy wonton wrappers and fill them with various things:

banana & cream cheese, wrapped them shut, brushed with butter and dusted with date sugar.
Broccoli & cheddar, wrapped & lightly fried them…extra yum!
Eggplant & ricotta, wrapped and baked as the banana/cream cheese ones above.
Use your imagination and your child’s favorite foods as fillings!
*These may be fried or baked. For those that may not be able to handle harder/rougher textures, these do not need to be cooked until crisp as a typical wonton would. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes YUM!!

Applesauce or Fruited Gel Squares (10mos and up)

1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (or add thin dices of banana, peach, pear, grapes, blueberry etc)
2 cups apple juice
3 small packages unflavored gelatin

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon into applesauce and set aside.

Pour 1 cup cold apple juice in 8×8 pan and sprinkle gelatin on top. Heat remaining 1 cup of apple juice in the microwave for 3 minutes or until boiling.

Stir boiling juice into the gelatin and cold apple juice. Stir in applesauce. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour and then stir to keep applesauce evenly distributed. If you do not stir when in the fridge, the applesauce settles to the bottom, but it still tastes great! Refrigerate for an additional 2 1/2 hours or until firm. Cut into squares with a knife, or use cookie cutters to cut into shapes, and serve.

Instead of pureeing - chop or cut foods into small bits and give as a Snack. Use whatever fruit, veggie and/or meat combo you please. Make sure that baby has had each ingredient individually first serving up your Snack or Meal creations!

Salt and sugar are never needed when making baby food. Omit these items, preferably at ALL times, in your baby’s everyday meals! Other spices such as cinnamon, garlic powder, pepper etc.. may be introduced as early as 7 months with your pediatricians consult.