Transitioning to finger foods

The question regarding transitioning to finger foods comes up often. We're all excited to get to this point, but when we do... what can we feed them?

Here are some suggestions that club members provided:

• soft cooked pasta
• Gerber puffs
• brown rice
• cottage cheese
• baby yogurt
• soft cheese
• avocado chunks / guacamole
• whole grain couscous
• cooked green beans (soft)
• hummus on soft pita bread
• ripe apricots
• cooked carrots (diced and very soft)
• Zwiebeck crackers
• shaved or grated apples
• banana (cut small)
• ripe peaches
• small pieces of well cooked broccoli florets
• scrambled egg yokes with/without cheese
• tofu cubes rolled in (coated with) crushed cereal (Cheerios, Kashi Mighty Bites, etc)
• baked or steamed (until very soft) chunks of sweet potatoes or squash with cinnamon and/or nutmeg

All cubed and pieces of food, no matter how soft, should be very small. For the soft and somewhat slippery items, crush up cereal (like Cheerios, Kashi Mighty Bites, etc) and roll/coat the food chunks with crumbs. It will make it easier for your baby get a grip and pick up (and save them the frustration).

A great website for all things baby food, including first finger food ideas, is wholesomebabyfood.com. Here is the link to the finger food page which lists some other food ideas and recipes.

What additional tips do all of you have for transitioning to finger food? What resources did you use to get ideas? What favorite foods did your baby have? Give us your input!