Great First Finger Foods
It’s a good idea to offer
finger foods alongside your baby’s first purées, since they will help
her to develop the skills she needs to feed herself. They’ll also
accustom her to different textures and tastes.
Try:
Steamed vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower
Graham crackers
Lightly toasted bread fingers
Melba toast
Miniature rice cakes
Very well-cooked pasta shapes
Chunks of tuna or poached chicken
Chunks of banana
Apple slices or chunks of mango or pear (soft-cooked or canned)
Peeled, sliced apricots
Peach slices
Soft blueberries, halved and peeled
Seedless grapes, peeled and cut in quarters to prevent choking
Finger foods under supervision
Watch your baby carefully
while she eats finger foods, since they can cause her to gag and choke.
Encourage her to cough to expel the offending food. Try not to panic in
her presence; you want your baby to associate mealtimes and food with
pleasure and fun, not an anxious mom!
Ideal Family Meals
It’s a good idea to get your
baby accustomed to eating family food early on so she learns to enjoy
the taste, and also feels part of the social experience of eating as a
family. Be aware, however, that salt must not be added to food intended
for babies under one year of age.
Suggestions for family meals that can be puréed:
Poached or steamed chicken with garden herbs (anything goes), mashed potatoes, and green vegetables
Hearty root-vegetable soup
Lightly steamed cod with spinach and new potatoes
Meatballs in a light tomato sauce with noodles or rice—if you grind the meat finely and make small meatballs, she can eat them as finger food
Sweet potato, carrot, and ginger soup
Broccoli, leek, and cauliflower bake
Dahl—this
Indian staple will introduce her to a number of fragrant spices, and is
ideal for babies if you run it through the blender first
Fishcakes with avocado salad—form
her “cakes” into firm balls (make sure all of the bones are removed)
before baking or lightly frying; her avocado can be puréed (skip the
traditional squirt of lime—babies under one year should not eat citrus)
Shepherd’s pie, with a creamy mashed-potato topping
Fish pie with mashed-potato topping
Oatmeal with fresh fruit purée (give hers an extra spin in the blender and use her usual milk to thin)
Chicken and vegetable casserole
Chicken poached with apricots, sweet potato, and grapes, and served with rice for the family
Peach and apricot compôte—serve yours with fresh yogurt, and hers with a little extra water as her own delicious dessert
