At around 9 months, your baby can start to eat finger foods. Usually, fine motor skills are reasonably well developed to reach for and grasp small items of food and find her own mouth. Follow a few simple guidelines when choosing an appropriate food item, such as whether it is small and soft enough. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to introduce healthy foods before your baby's tastebuds have been corrupted by overly processed foods and additives.
Fruit
You can offer any kind of soft fruit if you cut it small and peel it. Bananas are appropriate, as are cantaloupes, melons, nectarines, mangoes, kiwis, oranges and avocados. Avoid unpeeled items completely even if they are small, such as grapes or grape tomatoes. Instead, peel the grape and cut it into quarters.
Cooked Vegetables
Boil carrots or potatoes and cut them into very small pieces. Any kind of vegetable that is not stringy will work--sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, are all good choices. Always make sure the vegetables are really soft and cut very small. When in doubt, put it in your own mouth and determine if it sticks to your gums (it should), and whether it is soft enough.
Toast
Make finger toast by cutting toast into thin strips, covering it with shredded cheese and broiling it until the cheese melts. You also can top the toast with guacamole or tomatoes diced very small, as well as cheese that you melt over top of all of it. Strips of toast that your baby can dip into yogurt also are options. Toast is really the only form of bread you should offer as finger food; untoasted bread becomes a choking hazard, especially white bread.
Pasta
Cook pasta until very soft, and cut into small pieces. Do not offer spaghetti since it could slide down your baby's throat too easily. Cooked rice and cereal that has been softened with milk or juice are safe choices.
