Your baby is ready for finger foods once he or she is able to grasp and hold small items. Finger foods not only introduce your baby to a variety of new foods and different tastes and textures, but according to Iowa State University, they also help babies develop motor skills and coordination. Select bite-sized finger foods that are easy for your baby to smash and swallow.
Vegetables
Allow your baby to sample a variety of healthy and nutritious vegetables as finger foods. Always remove the seeds and peel of the vegetable before serving them to your baby. Cook vegetables until they are soft; fresh, raw vegetables pose a choking hazard to babies. Serve your baby small pieces of cooked and cooled potato, sweet potato, butternut or acorn squash, and carrots. Cooked peas, small pieces of cooked green bean and broccoli are also good finger foods for baby. Combine several vegetables together to create an interesting vegetable salad for your baby.
Fruits
The sweet flavor of fruits provides your baby with a new taste experience. Cut or diced pieces of soft fruit are ideal finger foods for your baby. Remove seeds, pits and peels before feeding fruit to your baby. Small pieces of very ripe pear and cooked apple are good finger foods for babies. Diced pieces of ripe melon, mango and avocado work well as finger foods. Banana, kiwi and cooked peaches and smashed blueberries are healty, sweet finger foods for your baby. Mix a variety of small, soft pieces of fruit together for a delicious fruit salad.
Grains
Use finger foods to introduce a few new, healthy, whole grains into your baby's diet. Small squares of lightly toasted, whole-wheat bread or bagel are good finger foods for your baby. Multi-grain, small, round breakfast cereals travel well and make excellent baby finger food. Cut whole-wheat french toast, prepared without egg whites, into small pieces and serve to your baby as a finger food. Remove all crust from bread before you feed it to your baby. Cooked pasta spirals are a good choice; cut into small pieces they are easy-to-eat finger food for babies.
Dairy, Meat and Fish
Let your baby sample various meats, cheeses, fish and poultry as finger foods. Small pieces of soft cheeses like gouda are good finger foods for your baby. Well-cooked, soft pieces of fish, ground beef and chicken are excellent sources of protein and make healthy finger foods for babies. Remove all skin and bones from poultry and fish before serving them to your baby. Egg yolks are healthy for your baby; scramble a few yolks or hard boil an egg and mash the yolk for baby to eat with his or her fingers.
