For new parents, watching their infant happily grappling with a bowl full of finger foods is a significant step. It's a first measure of independence for your baby, and it means that your child can entertain and feed herself while you attend to other duties in the same room. However, some children have special dietary needs that rule out many common finger foods. If celiac disease is common in your family, for example, you might want to avoid finger foods containing wheat or gluten.
The Importance of Finger Foods
At some point between their sixth and eighth month, most babies reach the point of eating finger foods. This is a notable developmental milestone, for two reasons: it's a significant step toward weaning the baby onto solid food and it's a sign of appropriate motor development. A study published in 2012 on the British Medical Journal's BMJ Open website suggested that infants who self-feed finger foods, instead of passively swallowing spoon foods from their parent, tend to have fewer weight-gain problems in later childhood.
Fruits and Vegetables
Many of the healthiest finger foods for your child are fruits and vegetables. They should be chosen for a variety of factors, including blandly palatable flavors and soft textures. They should also be cut small enough to be easily lifted with tiny fingers, and not present a risk of choking. Peas or pieces of cooked carrot or sweet potato, diced small, are good choices for vegetables. Small chunks of cut-up bananas or kiwis are a good fruit option. So are peaches and other tender stone fruits, or berries such as blueberries that don't have hard, woody seeds.
Breakfast Cereals
Another common finger food parents feed their growing babies is pieces of dry breakfast cereal. These are convenient for many reasons. They require no cutting or preparation, they're already in a finger-friendly size and they're easily packed for travel. Many cereals contain some wheat or gluten, but there are gluten-free equivalents available for most popular brand-name cereals. Some of the major brands are innately gluten-free, and will say so on their labels. Avoid giving your baby sugary sweet cereals, which can give her a premature sweet tooth and lead to her refusing healthy foods at meal time.
Biscuits and Crackers
There are several types of biscuits and crackers suitable for infants. Teething biscuits are an obvious example. While the major brands usually contain wheat, gluten-free versions based on rice and other grains are readily available. Other snack foods are innately gluten-free, including many brands of rice cakes. Read the label carefully to verify whether your favorite brand contains any trace amounts of gluten. Full-sized rice cakes can be broken into small pieces for your child, or you can purchase miniature rice cakes that she can easily handle.
