Finger Foods for Older Babies

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Archived Q&A and Reviews

When can 6-month-old move to finger foods?

I started feeding our 6 and a half month old baby solids at five months. She is on pureed vegetables, fruit and cereal. I want to know how and when I should move onto more solid finger food. My problem is that she has 6 teeth and bites anything put into her mouth. When I tried to give her, for instance, a slice of apple she bit off pieces and I am afraid that she'll choke. Has anyone any advice about how to deal with this and when an appropriate time would be to move on from pureed food?
Thanks
Janet

Regarding finger food, I found waiting til my kids showed interested really worked. My daughter loved being fed and was not very interested in finger foods for quite awhile (can't remember specific ages, but it was after she was walking). My son, on the other hand, was very eager to feed himself from early on. He would watch the rest of the family eating -- eyeing all the food as it went from our plates to our mouths with the intensity of an avid tennis fan. He also wanted to use utensils and cups and could feed himself before he could walk. They both learned to walk around 13-14 months so there is quite a range in there.

In terms of types of food, cut things into tiny bits that are too small to choke on, e.g. cut apple slices up into even tinier bites. Taking the skins off fruits like apples and pears helps too. Also cooking vegies, and fruit until it is very mushy (and then cutting it small) so they can gum it works. My kids liked things such as cooked broccoli (the florets), potatoes, and carrots. Cooked frozen peas and mixed vegetables were also a big favorite. It helps to mash the peas a little. Also noodles cut up, canned soups like minestrone work after they've been cooled. As do small slices of cheese, bagel, and the ubiquitous cheerios. Basically anything the family eats as long as it's small bits and soft enough to gum. Be creative.

We had good luck starting with bread products. They are less of a choking hazard because they turn into mush inside your baby's mouth even if they aren't properly chewed. Cheerios are a wonderful food: they're fairly wholesome, babies like them, and they even promote manual dexterity! I'm not sure about the age for introducing them. I'd guess that if you have no reason to worry about wheat allergies then introduce them around 7-9 months, but you should ask your pediatrician. Beth

My 10 month old didn't start solids til 6 months, as he was fine without them. He had some eczema, so our pediatrician said, he may be prone to food allergies so don't push the solids too early. After all, in many (most?) other cultures, infants are on breast milk solely for much longer than their first 6 months. Don't rush the solids; offer when the child is interested and in need of more (lasting) calories.

If your child has finger dexterity and can pick up bits of food, a good choice that is easy (no prep work) and virtually no choking hazard is bananas (my son loves them). Don't give him a big piece to hold and chew off of, unless you watch him carefully (too big a bite and he could choke) and if you don't mind the big mess-- my boy certainly doesn't! Instead, cut thin round slices and cut these in half or so. Then, even if the child can't chew/mush the piece smaller, if he swallows it, it won't get stuck in his/her throat. But still, always ALWAYS watch your infant when he is eating any solids. Always. Regarding peas, instead of mashing them up, I simply pop them (a bite between my teeth) (helps with swallowing, tasting, digesting, etc) and feed them to him one by one or a few at a time, letting him do the picking up and feeding of himself as much as he wants. Now, at 10 months, I might let him try them whole and see how he does.

Bits of bagel are great when he's got some experience with solids. Bagels don't crumble much (compare scones!); bite size bits of bread is ok also. Peg

That depends. Is she reaching for the solid food on your plate? If so, let her experiment with it but be vigilant. If not, don't worry about moving on, solid food is mostly for tasting at this age.

At 7 months we started giving our son Healthy Times teething biscuits. They used to melt and fall apart in his mouth and he'd start gagging. We called the company and they said that they really weren't intended to be eaten entirely, which I interpret as meaning they weren't intended for kids his age (then they sent us a freebie box of samples which was very kind as I love most of their products).

On the other hand, a certain amount of gagging is part of the learning process. I can't tell you how many times I lurched towards an apparently choking child only to see that he had worked it out on his own. As of a year he's been handling most foods, including chokables such as raisins and grapes, quite well (though I'd never give these to him unsupervised). Sophie

Finger foods for 10 month old

Jan. 2004

Does anyone have advice about starting their baby on finger foods? Our son is 10 months old and has been eating solids since he was 6 months. We feed him all kinds of cereal, fruit and vegetables, in pureed form. He enjoys being spoon fed very much and eats everything willingly. However I find myself terrified to try feeding him finger foods, as I am so afraid he will choke! We tried feeding him some mashed banana over a month ago and he gagged. He does enjoy eating solid fruits and vegetables with his ''baby safe feeder'' which has been very helpful but I wonder if it's holding him back. I know some babies are feeding themselves a wide variety of finger foods by now and wonder if he should be too. Any advice for a first time mom? Thanks in advance. Oakland Mom

Go for cheerios. They turn to mush and they are great for helping the baby to figure out how to hold things between finger and thumb and negotiate them into the mouth. Other things work, too. Go for the Toddler carrots and green beans. These are basically mush in the solid form and are great for that self feeding thing. Don't worry. Gagging in the beginning is normal. I was afraid that my child would never eat finger foods after a gagging experience when I first tried cheerios. Dad got her hooked on them however when I wasn't around and able to object. :-) anon

Our pediatrician is very big on finger food for babies 7 to 14 months old. You're lucky that your son is still enjoying the pureed foods, both my kids (my youngest is 10 months old) started turning down baby food at 9 months. You might check with your pediatrician. My has a pamphlet on introducing solid food that touches on early finger foods and then has hand-outs on menu suggestions as the children get older. The rule of thumb seems to be if the food can fall apart in water, it's not a choking hazard. Eggs and peanut butter are to be avoided until after 12 months; strawberries until after 9 months. Some great suggestions from the doctor: breakfast: pancakes or french toast (cut up, no syrup); yogurt spread on bread; cottage cheese spread on bread; fruit breads cut into strips lunch/dinner:

-protein: meat spreads on bread or toast; cheese in all varieties (I've found that shreaded or sliced cheese works best); hamburger patty broken up; cheese melted on bread I've also fed my baby sliced deli-style turkey, chicken and bologna, cut-up turkey dogs (skin peeled) and my own chicken shreaded.

-veggies: peas, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus tops--all cooked until tender but not mushy; beets; regular and sweet potatoes or yams, baked and cut up or mashed (my baby loves to feed herself handfuls of mashed potatoes; you can melt cheese over it, too)

-starches: pasta in all shapes with different sauces (mine loves the corkscrew pasta); rice (you can firm it up with some cheese); bread and toast; crackers; potatoes (see above); beans fruit: bananas; soft pears; minced apples; canned fruit (drain off the liquid); strawberries (after 9 months); grapes (skinned and quartered)

Have fun and don't be afraid to experiment. This is a really neat time; you can actually take your baby to restaurants without packing a separate meal! Gwynne

A 10-month-old should be able to eat a pretty good variety of finger foods that are either pretty soft (fruit chunks like pear, melon, kiwi; avocado chunks, tofu chunks, tortellini that are slightly overcooked), or that will dissolve when wet, like cheerios, bread, or crackers (like graham). Start with the stuff that feels softest to you, and see how it goes. It's not so much that you're ''holding him back,'' but right now he would probably enjoy learning to eat a wide variety of foods, and babies who eat a wide variety tend to be slightly less picky toddlers If you're worried about choking, just make sure you a! re right there beside him when he does it, and that you have had the appropriate first aid classes. Probably the latter's as important for helping you relax as it is likely that you'll ever need it. Karen

Mine's the same age, and lately she wants to do all her own feeding. Things she likes:
Os banana chunks frozen peas whole-grain bread, biscuits, and rolls (white bread *is a choking hazard) graham crackers tortilla chips (surprised the heck out of me)
Sara

Ideas for eager 11 mo-old

March 2004

I am seeking suggestions on how to add more variety to my daughter's culinary experience! She is only 11 months old and I am already in a rut- ugg. She LOVES to eat, so I want to encourage her interest, rather than give her the same thing day after day. She currently eats what I would assume is normal (and not much more than what is on this list): cereal, banana, yogurt, pureed veggies & fruit (broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, plums), tofu, avocado, cheese, and, her favorite, chunks of pears. I find myself grabbing from the freezer the same foods day after day for each meal. My mom sent us a baby food cookbook by a cordon bleu chef (??), but the recipes are more elaborate than what I prepare for myself! However, I love to cook for our baby and would appreciate any yummy suggestions/combinations (even if they seem obvious or too simple to you, please pass them on). What do you suggest I add to encourage my baby's interest in food? By the way, she has 8 teeth and is working on her molars if this makes any difference. Thank you for your help. PS- For all of you breastfeeding advocates- we are with you!!! She nurses 5 times a day, but really loves the solid food! Encouraging a Future Food Connoisseur

Hi! I'm pregnant now with my first child, so I can't give you advice from my experience, but my mother-in-law and my sister-in- law say to just give the baby whatever you are eating. You can mash up or cut up some on your own plate and then feed it to them. You don't need to give them their own special food. My little niece who turns one this week loves to try and eat EVERYTHING her parents eat. I have seen other parents do this too. As long as there is some variety in your diet, your child will get that too. Hope this helps, anon

Once my daughter had her first taste of ''grown-up'' food, she turned her nose up to baby food. Now, she frequently eats what we're eating unless it's spicy (in which case, I set some aside for her before I spice it). I make sure everything is small enough and soft enough for her to eat and she does beautifully!

Here are some things I've been feeding my daughter since she was at least 11 months old:
Hummus chunks of avocado garden burgers steamed baby carrots (I leave them whole so she can pick them up but make sure they are soft enough) beans - she loves white beans cooked in stewed tomatoes, plain black beans, chick peas cooked with sweet potatoes and curry, lentils and spinach, mild veggie chili tofu stir fried in tamari and garlic small pieces of steamed brocolli quiche scrambled eggs soft bread with almond butter and a bit of jam poached salmon whole wheat pasta mac n' cheese blueberries goat cheese
My kid nurses a bunch still too. But she does love her food. Hope this helps! raising a foodie

You didn't say if you were vegetarian, but it sounded like it, so I will only mention chopped chicken and ground beef just in case my impression was wrong.

But there's LOTS of other stuff. At this point, she probably doesn't need the veggies and fruits pureed; the veggies can just be steamed until soft, and can include cauliflower, baby carrots, baked winter squash, zucchini and/or summer squash, edameme. roasted bell peppers, peas, and sweet corn.

For fruits, try kiwi, melons, sliced grapes, sliced blueberries. At 1 year they can have strawberries and raspberries as well.

Milk products can include cottage cheese, and other sources of protein would be various kinds of beans, and egg yolks (pretty soon she'll be able to eat whites too -- then scrambled eggs are great!).

Pasta is a big hit, with or without sauce; ravioli and tortellini were some of my son's favorites. Crackers that dissolve work well (and if she's got her molars, you don't even have to worry so terribly much about this).

Slices of toast cut into pieces, or pancakes, french toast, or waffles are nice. Some babies really like sticky balls of rice. Good cereals are nice too, of course.

My son ate all of this at about a year (and he's a terrific eater now -- all through his twos he would eat almost anything); most of the cooked stuff I just made in quantity and froze in ziploc bags, pancakes and waffles included. Also, you can start to try bits of whatever you're serving for dinner, cut up into small pieces, as long as it's not too spicy, or chewy. Pasta with sauce is popular with some babies, as are stir-fries.

Babies also often like to dip their food. My son at 18 months liked mild salsa; I have a friend whose child to this day loves hummus and baba ghanoush (sp?) There's lots of great stuff out there -- have fun! Karen

At 11 months old, and given her eagerness, she should be eating pretty much whatever you eat. There is no need to puree her fruits and veggies any more! (Some things, like apple, you probably need to peel still, but slices or chunks are fine for a baby with 8 teeth.) And unless there is a family history of allergies (in which case you might delay certain things, like eggs, longer), by 1 year the only things you need to avoid are shellfish, peanuts and peanut butter (best to wait until age 2 or 3, for allergy reasons) and the obvious choking hazards like raw carrots and whole nuts. And don't give her too much citrus fruit or tomato at one time, because the acidity can cause a very painful diaper rash! Other than that: Pasta, with a variety of sauces. All kinds of bread, muffins, crackers, noodles. Soups and stews. Seasonal fruit (try adding berries to her cereal to give a little extra interest to a staple). Sushi. Potatoes, in any form. Any type of meat, as long as it's cut into small pieces. Smoothies. Incidentally, since you say she loves to eat, I doubt you really need to ''add'' anything to ''encourage'' her! But it certainly can't hurt if the fun of introducing her to new foods gets *you* out of a diet rut. :-) Holly

My preschool-age daughter eats all types of food and always has. I never made anything special for her. I just fed her whatever I made for myself, just less spicy and cut/mashed in small pieces. This also forced me to eat better, more whole foods and on a regular schedule. LC

We gave our 11 month old just about whatever we were eating (except nuts, egg whites and honey). He, of course, had his preferences... his favorites were: paella- like rice with tomato-based sauce, chicken and peas; lentil soup with vegetables; chicken cacciatore, garden burgers (this is a great standby!), pasta with sauce. He also really liked the broccoli flowerettes (cut small), and small slices of raw vegetables like cucumber and tomato. My son at 16 months has as many teeth as yours now and eats nearly everything (it is amazing what they can chew with so little in the way of teeth!) I don't think you need to puree things if you'd rather give pieces of food or more textured food. Have fun! cooking in Berkeley

hi, Yes, the feeding rut is a tough one - but easier to get out of than you think.

Fruits: Pick a new one every month or so, and let her try it - remember in the beginning they may not like it. Try coating in yogurt. My baby loves: blueberries, honeydew, mangoes, strawberries (organic), oranges, bananas, apples, nectarines (almost in season!), and cut grapes. Also, they may love one thing for a week then hate it - don't get stuck, just rotate, try something new. Most of them I cut and/or peel - get ripe fruits to prevent a choking hazard...wait till after 1 year for the citrus (watch for allergic reaction) and strawberries. If getting fresh produce is tough, try getting a whole honeydew and cutting up and freeze in individual portion sizes... Your baby already has teeth so you don't have to puree anymore! They will love trying soft chunks of food. Try roasting the sweet potato (just wash, cut in halve/quarters and brush olive oil) and bake in the oven. Give baby 1/4-1/2 inch chunks and watch her stuff her face! As long as you moniter them w/ the food, they usually handle it and prefer to the soft ''baby'' stuff!

Pasta: try fun curly q's and spiral pastas that are easier for them to hold onto. At this stage just serve plain. Then you can add some veggies (like peas or little tomatoe bits (after 1 year)mix in some soft spinach), then cheese or butter...

Cous Cous: so easy to make and fast! Try using chicken or veggie stock instead of water, add some (i like black beans) beans, cheese, and butter for fat and flavor. Trader Joes has a convenient small box. Remember, as little as 1/2 a cup makes several servings!

Yummy rice: This is super easy: Using rice cooker add one cup of rice (white, or long grain or basmati too), one can chicken stock, one can diced tomatoes, one can black beans, you can add garlic and salt to taste (depending if your chicken stock is salted or not). Just set your rice cooker as usual and tadah! fast yummy rice and beans - a perfect protein! good luck! fast and fun cooking

Hi, I have a one year old and he likes variety so I have gotten to the point where I give him almost everything I eat. He likes picking up the food and putting it into his own mouth. He has to inspect everything first. He stopped accepting pureered food at 6 months so we have been searching for ideas for a long time and now have a much easier time feeding him since we give him what we eat. Cooked kidney beans he loves ( i get them pre- cooked in a can, rinse them off and he's set) he also eats tofu and steamed veggies and fruit chunk without pureeing it. Just in chuncks. eggs are another favorite. he likes meat. peas, whatever I eat I let him try except (pb, honey,and lettuce) hope this helps a little. I know I went through days I didn't know what to feed my baby but realized I was making it harder on myself then nessesary. Laurel

This one's easy -- she should eat what you eat, cut up into finger foods. Really! I know after months of baby food, you're in the habit of thinking of baby food as something different than your food. But you're about to have a toddler, and the earlier she's brought to the family table, the better. Less work for you, too. I was a little concerned making the transition at first but my daughter has been fine and enjoys it. If I am having something that seems too spicy or less wholesome than I would wish, I can fill in those old baby-food standbys. You still have another month of avoiding egg whites, milk, and honey, and you'll have to decide what you're comfortable with for peanuts and peanut oil, but, other than those, give her your food and have fun! home cookin' mama

I am the french mother of a 9 months old girl and a 3 years old boy, so I went through this stage of food diversification. Examples of recipies for NOON here after, with ingredients you didn't put in your list. Ask for more if your child is pleased with that(for 4 o'clock...).
FIRST RECIPY, CAULIFLOWER-EGG: 150 g cauliflower, 50 g potatoes, 10 g fat (either butter or wheat germ oil, no standard vegetable oil yet); Boil potato chunks into 150 ml water (NO SALT), 3 minutes, and add cauliflower chunks. Keep gently boiling until fork tender (about 12 minutes total, if the potato chunks are small enough... otherwise a little bit more !) puree with a fork (so that there are still recognisable bits !) add 10 grams butter (a little bit less than a tbsp) OR wheat oil germ. Add an egg yolk (no white yet at this age because there is a risk of becoming allergic). Add 1 tsp finely chopped parsley (not if people allergic to celery and related plants in your family). SECOND RECIPY, ARTICHOKE: 150 g artichoke hearts, 35 g ground meat (either chicken or lamb or beef), 10 g butter or wheat germ oil (this recipy better with butter). Cook the artichoke hearts in water (NO SALT) together with the meat, until fork tender (10 minutes ?). Puree artichokes and meat separately with fork. Add butter to the artichokes. OTHER combinations without details (but the basic rules are always the same: cook in water with NO SALT, puree not too finely, try to separate ingredients, add 10 g FAT). TURNIPS MIXTURE: 150 g turnips, 50 g potatoes, 35 g meat or an egg yolk, 10 g fat (butter or wheat germ oil). SPINACH MIXTURE: 300 g spinach, 100 g potatoes, 35 g meat or fish or an egg yolk, 10 g butter or wheat germ oil.
ADVICE FOR BEING ABLE TO COOK EVERYDAY AT NOON: always have 35 g portions of meat frozen. I usually buy half a pound of ground meat (chicken, beef or lamb) and make 7 or 8 portions of it, which I freeze. I always have at least two sorts frozen at the same time. Considering that you can give an egg yolk once a week, fish once a week, and ham once a week, you need 4 portions of meat each week... with the frozen one, you never turn saying: oups, I have no proteins to give today). Claire-Colette

Here is the list that my mama's group put together some months back -- finger foods, mostly, but lots of yummy treats that your almost-one-year-old should enjoy and have fun with!
FUN FINGER FOOD IDEAS! (for when babies want to feed themselves) DAIRY any cheese -shredded, cubes, or cut into sticks string cheese FRUITS melon chunks banana chunks or whole kiwi, chunks berries (chunked or halved, then whole) avocado chunks grapes - peeled and quartered or halved apple sticks, whole apples, peels removed soft pear chunks frozen berry mix (from Trader Joes) VEGGIES cherry tomatoes sliced tomatoes asparagus broccoli (chopped or trees) cauliflower, cooked squash cubes sweet potato fries from Trader Joe's cooked carrot/potato/other root veggie chunks LEGUMES edamame cooked peas cannellini beans green beans (canned cut or fresh cooked) garbanzos black-eyed peas PASTA/RICE radiatore fusilli long noodles cut up farfalle macaroni pennette tortellini ravioli farfalle sticky rice MEAT/POULTRY/FISH/EGGS/OTHER PROTEIN deli ham or turkey slices ripped into quarters chicken nuggets, cut up or whole (try frozen for teething) scrambled egg (or egg yolk) hardboiled egg (or egg yolk) frittata tofu cubes or sticks (soft, firm, baked) rotisserie chicken, cut across the grain salmon, cooked, flaked, or chunked BREADS/CEREALS pancakes toast (cut into quarters)pancakes croissant toasted Eggo waffles crusty bread bagels/mini-bagels (frozen for teething) Cheerios Rice Crispies Rice cakes small graham crackers zwieback sweet/savory bread pudding biscotti COMBINED ITEMS: quesadillas (bean and cheese, salmon and hot pepper cheese, veggie) pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, tomato sauce; cut zucchini pancakes Eggos (with cottage cheese, cream cheese, cinnamon and sugar, or jam) bread, bagel, or pita with hummus bread or bagel with avocado grilled cheese sandwiches (remove crusts if desired and cut into chunks) tuna or egg salad on bread (remove crusts if desired and cut into chunks) soft cheese spread on bread chunks
Jane

I have a 9 month old who was not ever crazy about pureed foods (mine or store bought). We're basically feeding her whatever we eat -- and then saving leftovers for her. 11 months is certainly time when you can leave pureed foods behind and go to pretty much anything that doesn't create an allergy worry. You can serve pieces of meat, risotto, rice, beans, vegetable bits, yogurt, egss (scrambled or hard boiled are easiest for them to pick up), cheese, whatever. Mine is crazy about fish, chicken, beef and pork (no vegetarian here) and potato (cooked however). A real meat and potatos girl, I guess). Of course, the pieces should be quite small and I stay away from asparagus stalks and the like -- things that are too ''stringy'' (but she loves asparagus tips!). sabrina

It sounds like your child is already eating a nice variety of foods, and maybe you're worried about her diet not being varied enough because you're comparing to our adult diets where the sky is practically the limit! You probably haven't been feeding your child solids for more than five or six months, so if you think about it, it's an amazing thing that she's eating the variety of foods that she is. I'm just adding this in because I think we parents are sometimes so hard on ourselves about feeding our little ones. But regardless, I somtimes feel like I'm feeding my ten month old daughter the same thing over and over too. A friend recommended the book, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron which I've found very helpful. Some stuff is just too structured and rigid for me in the book, but I've found the suggestions for different foods very helpful. Have you introduced different grains, i.e. barley, oats, millet, quinoa, etc. in addition to the standard rice cereal? Have you thought of adding ground up flax meal to cereal to add omega-3 fatty acids to your child's diet? Also, you might want to try egg yolk. Crumbled pieces are good for picking up. And Oatios are good fun for them to eat also. I've found some in bulk at Whole Foods that do have wheat germ in them, but not sugar. There's also beans-pureed and eaten on their own, or mixed in with other veggies to make ''stew''. Have you tried mango yet? My daughter LOVES sucking the mango off the pit! What about kiwi? Yoghurt? These are just a few more suggestions for you. Monika

My baby, who just turned one loves the following:
toast, whole wheat or white pretzel sticks or bread sticks, try to find ones with little or no salt cheerios chicken and turkey lunch meats -- the Diestel brand is good because there are no preservatives used, though salt is pasta rice cooked in homemade chicken broth until it is very, very soft homemade chicken and rice or pasta soup meatballs cooked in broth so that there is no crust on them; I use beef, but you could also use ground turkey or chicken crackers potatoes ''real'' oatmeal cream of wheat grilled cheese sandwich, cut into small cubes
The following contain eggs, which some doctors say to wait until 1 year to give:
scrambled eggs silver-dollar pancakes french toast fritatta
I have found that the best way to find new foods is to try to give the baby a little of what you're already eating. For example, if you're having pasta, you could take your portion out and leave your baby's portion to cook a little longer. I then shred some parmesean cheese onto the pasta and have put a little butter on it, though that gets greasy, and I don't know now necessary butter is. I also made a frittata with potatoes, eggs and onions, and discovered that my son really likes things with cooked onions. You could also try cottage cheese, though I haven't had any luck with that. Have fun! personal chef for baby

I work full-time, so I don't have much time to cook at night, either. Things my 1-year-old likes: quesadillas (rolled up so she can hold it and eat it), rice with pieces of chicken in it, soup, noodles (not the long ones, but the short fat pastas) with sauce and parmasan cheese, scrambled eggs with chunks of tofu, macaroni and cheese and bran muffins (she really likes the blueberry bran muffins from trader joes). Trader Joe's also has frozen mexican and brown rice that you only need to put in the microwave for 3 minutes and its GREAT.By the way, she also has 8 teeth, and has never choken on any of it. Not-so-gourmet chef

With my second child, I stopped making ''baby food'' and simply gave her what we were eating (within reason - nothing she couldn't handle without teeth). I would maybe water a few things down if I thought they were too spicy, or cook it a little longer in the microwave if it needed to be a bit softer. It's a lot easier, and for now, anyway, she eats a more interesting variety than my older child did at the same age (younger one is now 19 months). She does like spicy and highly seasoned foods, even olives and other pickled items (cut up small), tomatoes off Zachary's deep dish pizza, curries her sitter makes, salad dressing (she sucks it off the lettuce), etc. I just hope she doesn't follow her older sibling's very narrow view on food later...! Still learning...

First, you can probably stop pureying the vegis. If you baby has teeth, she can eat peas, and soft cooked broccoli, green beans, zuccini, carrots and other vegis. My baby at that age loved beans, including garbanzos, red beans, pintos, etc, and trader joes sells cans of organic ones. Cut them in half if you're worried about choking. Also try small pasta, rice, barley (the whole grain, not the cereal), all kinds of dry cereals, small pretzels, toast, and tamales. Some people say wait until one year for eggs, but I think I started scrabbled and hard boiled eggs around 11 months,and my baby loved them. Have fun! Lee

I would suggest other tastes such as different kinds of cheese, even strong ones, olives, pickles, different sauces on pasta, etc. My daughter liked all of the above from the time she started solid food. good luck to your future connesseur!

Finger food for 11-month-old with 2 teeth

My baby is 11 months old and has 2 1/2 teeth. Somewhere I've read that this age is good for self-feeding with a spoon due to the urge to imitate etc. My baby is very familiar with spoons through play at mealtime and other times, but I haven't seen her put it in her mouth with the right side yet. Since her food is mostly mashed due to the limited number of teeth, I think it might be too early for her to spoon-feed herself. Any tips or clues about when a baby is ready for this? She loves fingerfood, which works snackwise but what about lunch and dinner? I don't want to limit her in her newfound abilities, yet, as a full-time working mom, I'm not creative about training food for her and have been feeding her the baby jar food for main meals. (My husband and I eat out big for lunch and only snack in the evenings. So, we don't really cook during the week). So, any tips on fingerfood that dissolves easily in the mouth, are welcome as well!

For fingerfood that dissolves easily in the mouth, try frozen miniwaffles. Don't cook them though, give them to her frozen. This way they do not crumble, but mush instead, and as an extra added bonus they help with teething pain because they are cold. We got the mini's because I noticed my daughter usually got full before finishing the bigger waffles. Hope this helps! Huan