Babies experience a fast learning curve when it comes to eating. After 6 months, most can grab food and start feeding themselves finger foods. A couple of months later they master the pincer grasp and can pick smaller pieces up and feed themselves.
The benefit? Self-feeding not only fosters self-regulation of eating, but it also gives kids their first feeling of food independence. No more relying on someone charging at you with the spoon. And although it’s messier, it makes feeding easier on parents.
So which finger foods are best? Here’s a good list to get you started!
1. Soft meat
Many experts recommend meat as an early food because it contains iron, zinc, and arachidonic acid which are all important for brain development. It’s also absorbed more efficiently than plant and fortified foods, meaning babies may need less to meet iron demands. By nine months, breastfed infants need to get 90 percent of their iron and zinc from complementary foods to meet their nutrient needs.
Tough meat is a choking hazard so stick with meat that’s soft. Cook beef in the slow cooker or switch from the breast to dark chicken and turkey meat. Chop into small pieces or consider soft strips baby can easily eat.
2. Eggs
Choline has been identified as a nutrient of concern for small children, playing a key role in brain development. Although found in some plant foods, choline is mostly found in animal foods including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
Eggs contain 125mg (all in the yolk) and babies 7-12 months need 150mg and this jumps to 200mg for 1- to 3-year-olds. So scramble them, hard boil them or make a frittata or omelet.
3. Fish
DHA plays a critical role in retinal and brain development during the first twenty-four months of life. Getting two servings of fish per week is important to meet needs, and also make fish a regular part of a child’s diet.
Oily fish like salmon, trout, and tuna have more DHA but all types of fish are great to eat. Try salmon/tuna cakes, baked fish, or tuna mixed with pasta dishes. For safety guidelines on feeding kids fish, see
For more on safely feeding children fish, see these recommendations from the FDA
4. Cooked, chopped veggies
Intake of vegetables when kids are young help to facilitate liking later. In Fearless Feeding we write “Research tells us that introducing vegetables early, rapidly increasing the vegetables offered, and repeatedly serving fruits and vegetables helps maximize acceptance during infancy and later in childhood.“
Because young children naturally favor sweet over bitter, go ahead and serve veggies many ways. Try roasting, dips, and sauces, putting in soups and stir-frying. Chopped soft veggies prepared any way makes a great compliment to any meal.
5. Soft, chopped fruit
Soft chopped fruit is one of the easiest items to give baby — just chop and go. Avoid large chunks of slippery foods like cantaloupe and always cut grapes in quarters. Also, tough fruits like apples can be grated.
6. Rotate grains/starchy vegetables
Notice I didn’t say one type of food here. This is because Consumer Reports recently tested commercial foods made for babies and toddlers and found about two-thirds had concerning levels of at least one of these heavy metals: cadmium, inorganic arsenic, or lead. Products containing rice and sweet potatoes had the highest levels of such heavy metals. And it didn’t matter if the product was organic.
So rotate different grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes and beans. Don’t rely on one and serve every day. Have cheerios on hand, use iron-fortified cereals in recipes, try whole wheat in baking and include potatoes cooked and chopped. Green peas make a superb finger food (just thaw and serve!).
7. Natural cheeses
Grated cheese or cheese sticks sliced lengthwise and chopped makes a perfect finger food. You can also melt cheese on veggies and/or bread.
8. Avocados
About half of 12-24 month-olds fall short on vitamin E which has to do with the type of fat babies are offered. To up the vitamin E, include plant fats like vegetable oils, avocado, nut and seed spreads (below).
Chopped firm avocado works or try it mashed on toast strips, making it easy for baby to eat.
9. Nut butters
Although large chunks of nut butters are a choking hazard, thinly spreading nut butters on toast or adding to other foods is a good way to go. Nut butters have vitamin E and magnesium and research shows early introduction may reduce the risk of developing food allergies in high-risk kids.
10. Combination meals
For quick meals that contain a variety of food groups try salmon cakes, veggie or bean burgers, frittatas, meatloaf, turkey burgers, lasagna, fruit-filled pancakes or waffles, sandwiches (grilled or cold). Chop them up and you are good to go.
Prepare these meals ahead of time and freeze them for quick meals later on. When possible, add in extra veggies.
What are some of your baby or young toddler’s favorite finger foods?
For everything you wanted to know about feeding your young child, check out Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters From High Chair to High School
This post was originally published in 2010 and updated on 4/19.
I think Cheerios make a good finger food.
My younger daughter did not like any babyfood-style food. No cereals of any sort, nothing pureed. Around 8 months she started eating Cheerios and b/w 8 and 10 months that was her only solid food. Cheerios and breastmilk. Then she started eating more. All regular table food. She totally skipped the babyfood thing. I was kinda worried at the time, but she was growing fine and it’s not like I could force her to eat the other stuff.
But because of that -I think of Cheerios as the perfect finger food. 🙂
Some babies are just not into puree food. Cheerios is great. My kids still eat it!
Quick question…I have a 15month old infant…is it possible for him to choke on peas???
Cathy — peas, especially when they are cooked and soft enough, are not usually considered a choking hazard. In general, foods bigger than a pea need to be cut up. Grapes and hotdogs that are bigger, round and hard are choking hazards.
This is the BEST list of toddler-friendly foods I’ve found!! So many websites are not mentioning foods like fish, eggs and kidney beans. My daughter just turned 1 and she eats a wide variety of foods. She will eat anything!! Thank you for adding the info about serving vitamin c rich foods with beans to increase iron absorption. Good to know! 🙂
Thanks Amy!!
A great help! My son just turned 1 two weeks ago. Since my mom won’t come for babysitting anymore, I desperately need more help!!!! So good to find this website….Still need helps though.
Great list! Meat is always a struggle for my 14 month old. I saute ground beef ahead of time. When cooled I refridgerate. When completely cooled I crumble it inside a ziplock and freeze.
When I need a quick lunch for Jace I heat a couple of tablespoons of meat with some grated cheese the spread onto bread. Fold and dice it up viola! Cheeseburger sandwich. Some sliced carrots and diced banana and avocado and we are good to go!
I would add tofu, especially Trader Joes Teriyaki Tofu!
GREAT list! I hadn’t thought of grating apples.
My daughter LOVES avocados. She would eat an entire one at every meal if I let her! I didn’t know that they helped with iron absorption from beans, but that is great news, because she loves beans, too.
I am a mother of 2 my eldest is 2 and my baby is a year old both my kids were born at the same weight, but we had problems with my one year old since birth she kept throwing up her fomula milk and refused breast milk even after I had pumped out and bottled it, my grandmother told me to try cows milk I had to boil it with brown sugar and finally she whas drinking milk I knew the milk wasn’t feeding her so I started with baby cereal. We went to a clinic to have both my girls checked out my eldest had tonsolites and they couldn’t find the problem with my baby, they sent us to the nearest hospital. The sister at the clinic said my baby was criticaly under weight and that she needs to get to a hospital now, after an hour they found that she had a bit of an ear infection. My worry is that she is still very tiny and weighs 8kg’s. I am sceard my baby is underdoveloped although she is a very happy and energetic child, but I don’t want her to grow into a eating disorder as she doesn’t want to be fed and eats very little when feeding herself. Please I am desperate and need help.
Charmaine — you really need to see a pediatric dietitian or feeding specialist. Ask your doctor for a rerferal and visit eatright.org. Professional help in this case is key!
Try feeding her cottage cheese. My daughter is picky too and loves it. Also I feed her goat milk with organic maple syrup and probiotics. It’s more fatty the cows milk, and easier to digest.
She might be lactose intolerant if she’s throwing up milk. My daughter was having a big problem with that as well. We started giving her Silk Almond milk. If she doesn’t drink original, they have other flavors. And for picky eaters, like the milk, try different flavoring. My daughter didn’t like spinach, but as soon as I mixed it with artichokes she ate it.
Hi Ms. Jacobsen!
This is so good news to my 1 and 9month old daughter….
thanks.
I like to spread a tiny bit of peanut butter onto whole wheat toast and then cut it into strips. Is it safe to feed that to my 1 year old? Also, another quick lunch we do often is a chicken and cheese quesadilla on whole wheat and corn tortillas. Thanks for the great tips!
Hi I would like to know if children under six months can be fed soft porridge made from mealie meal.My mom is giving it to my nephew and my sister throws a tantrum about it everyday so I would like to know if it is a danger to my nephews health.Thanks
The GI tract is ready for solids by 4 months (for term babies) but that is only part of the story. Single grain cereals are fine and that sounds like what this is. Babies also need to be developmentally ready for solids and by 4 months many are not. They should be able to sit in a hairchair, hold their head up and show interest and be able to let you know when they’ve had enough. Most major organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months so there are advanages (decreased infections etc.) to waiting to around 6 months. Whether or not it is safe for the baby to eat this, it really is up to your sister when to decide when to start solids. Good luck!
Ayanda, how old is the child? Usually, no food until 6 months old. It used to be 4 months old but I believe they have not moved the age to 6 months old. Baby’s system is not ready for food at an early age. I think you can google some research studies…or consult a pediatrician.
The child is four Months old.Thanks Cathy for replying:)
Hi Ms. Maryann,
I really wanted to know if my/a 2 year-old has to experience bad bowel, if it is normal for her/their age. because my 2 yr-old daughter experienced this kind of bad bowel like sticky and watery… Oh, I really wanted to know if how am I going to deal with it…if this harmful or not or is it normal or part of her stage…pls tell/help me about this…what are the foods essential to her health….
Thanks a lot…
Sami Ross
The list is really exhaustive, thanks. I have a few questions that keep bothering me. My mother-in-law lives with us and irrespective of how I feel she feeds certain food items to my 20 month old boy. I want to know if they are good source of vitamins and minerals for my baby.
Potato, grapes, spicy food, white rice and white bread, chicken pieces (not grounded).
Sujata — Grapes are a choking hazard so make sure they are cut and not served whole. Potatoes are fine (good source of potassium) and if your son accepts spicy foods go for it, especially if that matches your family’s food preferences. Kid are much more accepting when they are under 2 years of age and it’s a good time to get in a variety of flavors and spices. Chicken is a good source of iron just make sure it is soft and not served in big chunks. Of course whole grains are more nutritious than refined (white bread) but some int he diet is fine. Good luck with your mother-in-law….I know it can be challenging.
My son turned 1 just 2 months ago, he does not want baby food since he was like 8 or 9 months old, but now he does not want to eat variety of food, how can I reintroduce nutritve food for him?
My son is 14 months, he does not want baby food since he was 9 months old, usually he ate well, but now he refuse to eat variety of food, please advise me how can I reintroduce nutritive food to my toddlers?
My son recently turned 16 months and still eats baby food (stage 3 beechnut brand). He has become so selective with what table foods he’d actually will eat. He does love broccoli and rice and chicken when he’s in the mood. He will eat bananas and grapes. Other than that his diet has caused me to become uneasy. The doctors advise that he is a healthly 28lb 35 in baby boy and quite strong if you ask me. Breakfast and lunch foods seem to b the most difficult to get him to eat. If it has a bit of texture he’s spitting it out. HELP! How can I get my son to eat table foods and retire the baby foods for good?!
While it’s hard to tell for sure, a red flag for feeding is a child who doesn’t accept table foods by 16 months. I highly recommend not pushing the issue with him as it can create long-term food aversions. Provide the food in a relaxing and supportive atmosphere and he will do better with eating. I also recommend you have him evaluated by a speech or occumpational therapist who specializes in feeding issues to rule out any problems. Good luck!
This is one of the first sites that I’ve EVER found where the author of the articles (who also happens to be a professional on the topic) actually responds to reader comments. This is an OUTSTANDING article and a very helpful, wonderful website. Mrs. Jacobsen, keep up the good work for parents like me who need your advice! 🙂
Thank you Heather. This made my day!
I have twin boys who are about to turn 3 and one of them is a very picky eater. He always prefers sweet foods, such as peanut butter and jelly, fruit and yogurt. If I don’t serve him something he likes, he won’t eat anything at all. Lately I haven’t been able to get him to eat his vegetables, any meat and most dinner foods I prepare. Any tips on how to get him to try new foods and to like vegetables again?
.Is my 13 month old aloud to have stuff w peanut butter in it ???
The AAP no longer recommends waiting to introduce food allergens, like peanuts, but chunks of peanut butter is a choking risk. Just watch for signs of allergies if your child eats something with peanut butter/
this is a important site for me i can adopt many ideas from this site.
My daughter is 16 months and is a nightmare to feed. She eats very little at every meal and rarely eats anything that I have prepared for her. I buy fresh meat and vegetables and spend hours cooking and freezing dinners for her but she wont touch them, instead she nibbles from our plate which I know is very bad. I have put her on multi-vitamins to try boost her system.
The only food I can get her to eat without a fight is cheesy scrambled egg – after reading your recommendations I am going to try her with eggs and spinach and she also loves raisins. But I would like to know what I can do about her not eating a full meal. I have spoken with the doctor who said this is fine and quite normal, she said that eventually my daughter will eat properly, but I don’t like to think of her been undernourished in the meantime.
Your help is appreciated 🙂
Thanks for such a helpful article!
My 16-month old has recently become very picky with what he will eat. He no longer wants to be fed and prefers to feed himself, so I’m always on the lookout for new ideas when it comes to finger-foods.
One thing he really loves is a big chunk of banana (like 1/3 of a banana at a time) that he can nibble on. I will also give him a small, peeled apple and he really likes that.
Just as an FYI — sweet potatoes can also be peeled, cut into bit-size chunks and then boiled until soft (instead of the microwave method mentioned here).
Also, I’ve read that, when serving meat to little ones, it’s best to not include cheese because calcium can hinder iron absorption.
If some finger-foods (like sweet potatoes) are too slippery for them to pick up, you can roll them in wheat germ (which is very healthy) to help give it some texture and make it easier for them to grab onto.
i give my 9moth cerelac infant cereal, but dont know if i should continue. Though he dats any tin u give him
Thank you so much! My daughter is a year and we have been terrified about what we can feed her, this has been a big help!
I lightly toast a slice of whole wheat bread, spread low fat butter on it and then cut the slice into little strips. The whole wheat provides much needed fiber, and the butter provides energy. My 9-month old loves it so much…I don’t mind having to clean up after she butters up everything with her little hands, because I know she’s eating.
Thank you for writting such a great article that attracts such a responsive auduience.
FYI- We do a scrammbled egg with rice to round out my daughter’s breakfast. She loves it.
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My 18 mo old refuses meats, fish, beans, peanut butter, and eggs. She will occasionally eat cheese. We feed her yogurt every morning, but she is getting frustrated with being spoon fed. She doesn’t like cereal either. Basically, she’ll eat fruit, some vegetables, and milk. I am concerned she is missing out on protein and iron. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much. I have a shopping list now. My Granddaughter is lactose intolerant so it’s a challenge to come up with snack foods. If anyone else is in the same boat “Liddells” dairy products have been a life saver. They have a range of lactose free milk, butter substitute, cheese and yoghurt. I usually find them in the cold section at Coles.
My new thing I’ve been giving my 1yr old daughter is strawberry cream cheese on a bagel. There are so many other flavors I haven’t even tried yet. This list was very helpful as well as everyone else’s suggestions. We all know what it is like to get in a rut with what to feed our kids.
Great blog and great questions from readers! This has been helpful, I have a 15 month old boy who is also still eating jarred baby food in spite of our trying to give him what we’re eating first…90% of the time he just picks at “our” food so we end up heating a jar. He’s about 80cm and 25lbs, it freaks me out when I change his bum and he can suck his stomach WAY in, makes me think he’s too skinny. He’s had scrambled egg a few times but it’s like if he has something a few times, he loses interest. I’m going to try baked sweet potato tonight. I just think he must be bored getting the same things all the time…
I have an almost three year old, but since he started eating solids he doesn’t like a lot of veggies so, I still puree them and put them into the foods that we do eat…and serve veggies on the side, just in case he gets the taste for them–hopefully.
Hi, thanks for the tips. I have a 5 year old and a 1 year old, they seem to like mackerel with noodles. Scrambled eggs or omelette with tomatoes cheese and mushrooms. They love a big old slice of water melon and strawberry’s, blueberries and raspberries, cheese on toast. I also make the 1 year old some purred foods, like Apple which i mix with porridge, she likes to use the spoon too, so i get 2 and help her. She loves sweet potato either in a thick soup with chicken and carrots or with butter cheese and spinach. She loves to have finger food and i just let her go for it and get messy as long as she’s eating it all.
they also love lightly breaded white fish and waffles occasionally.
i will be using the tips i have read and hope my comments are useful for someone. Thanks
hi dear thank u so much for giving idea for what to give to the toddler. it includes everything for their growth n health. once again Thanku. GOD BLESS U.
Hi. I love these finger food ideas. My daughter is now 24 months old, so she is 2, and her eating habbits have never really concerned me, until now.
She only eats foods with high protien content. Ishe use to love all her veggies raw, like green beans, broccoli, even salad, now.. She hardly even eats dry pasta or peas. She only wants meat, cheese, yogurt, milk, egg! She has never liked cheerios, she has always been a healthy eater with a good appetite. I use to give her cucumber slices and half an apple got a snack.
Now its a slice of cheese and an egg. Dinner is the most difficult, most nights its 2 drumsticks and a yogurt!
Pls help. Should i see a someone in regards to her overeating on protien.
It’s pretty typical at this age for kids to scale down the foods they like. I would keep serving a variety along with items she accepts. For more see my picking eating series or my e-book From Picky to Powerful http://www.amazon.com/Picky-Powerful-Transform-Outlook-Battles-ebook/dp/B00P4TN356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414986273&sr=8-1&keywords=from+picky+to+powerful
Sounds like a plan. I just always fear of the amount of food she wastes. Ill offer her food she use to like first, she rejects it and about half an hour offer it to her again. When she refuses it then, i resort to the meats and dairy. Thank you for the advice! And as im busy cooking and slicing, Shes is always taking the peeled slices and throwing them away, or feeding her babies around the table, and that way, while im bisy cooking, she has already had a handful of the veggies iv been slicing. Lately… Not anymore. But i hope its just an age thing… Lets see how it goes!
Leonie! What is your secret! I’m trying to get my twins to eat MORE protein, haha! They are so picky it can be disruptive to the family and I worry about their nutrition. They love Cheerios like other posters said, which is the one of the only ways I can get them to eat protein (milk) and they like Peas of Mind veggie french fries because they can pick them up and dip them. I don’t want to give them chicken nuggets, but they will eat sweet potatoes.
How do I get them to eat more green vegetables?! I think the color is bothering them? What is a good starter green veggie besides frozen peas?
I’m going to try everything on this list!
Erratic eating normal at toddlerhood. This page goes over the basics http://www.maryannjacobsen.com/toddler-feeding-strategies/
Hi. My thought on the matter is, i have notices that i have to kickstart her motabolism daily. Like when she wakes up, instead of giving her a glass of milk or her tea, i give her oats with grayed apple, yogurt and raisens, a slice of eggie bread, cream of maize with roasted almaonds.
If i give her fluids first, she does not get hungry the whole day.
If she eats first thing when she wakes up, its almost like it encourages her metobolic rate to speed up and she gets hungry every 3 hours after that. But, when is is hungry, i offer her the healthy stuff first, raw first, an then cooked. And if she still does not eat that, i give her the high protien stuff she likes, so maybe try they high protien stuff first, and then the stuff he usuallly eats. Also, seperate the foods, they usually go on what it looks like, put the variety of foods on a small table and say, “your food is on your table, when you want some, its there.” And then show them. They always end up playing and coming to pick on it, it takes up to an hour for my daughter to eat a complete meal, because she walks past it and picks something up and eats,(. She knows the rule is you eat at the table,) so shell stand there and eat until what she has in her hand is finished and then comes back in 3-5 min to have more.
My daughters best meal is brusselsprout noodles with grated cooked chicken
Thank you so much for the article on safe foods that are not a choking hazard for toddlers. Family and friends comment I’m too worried about what I give my son, however I know choking on food or non food items is not only serious but overlooked. Thank you for the pet food warning. I have cats and keep their food in easy reach of my son..the dry food is small but a hand full can definitely be a choking hazard. Moving it right now!!!
My go to for my 15 month old daughter, I make a huge batch of beef stew in the crock pot, use the blender and freeze portions for the week! It has everything she needs, meat, veggies, potato, and she loves the flavor! Also another go to is the seedless cuties/halos ( mandarin oranges) i cut them in thirds, and she goes to town. Also 1/2 and avacado and 1/4th banana mashed together is a great source of vitamins, since my daughter refuses to drink milk, and the banana helps with the bitter taste.
Hi,, My little princess won’t eat rice items but she ll ve enough fruits daily . she s a 14 months old and I started giving fruits like banana , pomegranate, apple,orange, pappaya, watermelon daily and she ll have chapati also. Is it sufficient for her or do I need to give anything else?
Cerelac is great way to fulfill your baby daily dietary and nutritive requirements. It has Iron, Calcium, Fatty Acids and Vitamins thats helps child in early stage development.
After you start your baby on solids, the search for different types of safe, tasty food begins. We have some easy bite-size snack suggestions that your child will love.
https://www.parentcircle.com/article/5-healthy-finger-foods-for-your-toddler/