I commented on facebook a while ago asking for ideas for toddler finger food and the response was overwhelming! 23 comments and 2 likes. So… I thought I’d archive the ideas for posterity below. Please feel free to comment with more ideas! I get tired of feeding Julian the same old stuff. And I need to fatten him up. So ideas for fatty foods welcome! So far whole milk, avocado and yogurt are our top three fat filled menu items.
Ideas for Toddler Finger Foods
-
Jen Laughlin Peas? I squash hady’s when they are too big.July 23 at 7:18pm · · 1 person
-
Gretchen Mather Ah yes! Peas, cut up cooked sweet potatoes…the wheels are a turnin’July 23 at 7:22pm · -
Jennifer Katz Merritt Avocado!July 23 at 7:30pm · -
Abby Allan Taylor LOVES avacado!! Then the yogurt melts are good for on the go. Also, in the frozen organic section Dr. Praegers makes little spinach things for kids, amongst other vegetable souffle type things!July 23 at 7:30pm · -
Hope Canter Noar Watermelon–my grandkids loved that. Mac and cheese is a possibility–as long as the pasta is cut up.July 23 at 7:33pm · -
Daniel Corbera That’s great Gretchen. I don’t know much about kids, but how about string cheese and dried fruit like mango, prunes, and peach?July 23 at 7:35pm · -
Tanja McGuckian soft tofu, cut up…edamames are still on Em’s list of favs;)July 23 at 7:44pm · -
Gretchen Mather ooo great ideas everyone! Dan, dried fruit comes a bit later when kids start to be able to chew things. Right now Julian has two teeth total! so soft things are greatJuly 23 at 8:01pm ·
-
Gretchen Mather just found this list online too (many of the ideas you already mentioned!)July 23 at 8:06pm ·
-
Gretchen Mather Hummus
chunks of avocado
garden burgers
steamed baby carrots (I leave them whole so she can pick them
up but make sure they are soft enough)
beans – she loves white beans cooked in stewed tomatoes, plain
black beans, chick peas cooked with sweet potatoes and curry,
lentils and spinach, mild veggie chili
tofu stir fried in tamari and garlic
small pieces of steamed brocolli
quiche
scrambled eggs
soft bread with almond butter and a bit of jam
poached salmon
whole wheat pasta
mac n’ cheese
blueberries
goat cheeseJuly 23 at 8:06pm · · 1 person -
Tracey Gibbins Krumroy There is a book called super baby food that walks you through a ton of options for beginning eaters. she’s a hippie so take it with a grain of salt but I found it full of recipes and great ideas.July 23 at 8:20pm · · 1 person -
Alyssa Menissian Guirguis I was going to suggest canned beans even as is…usually soft enough for finger food (though the skin cod be problematic). Also, hard boiled eggs cut small might be better finger food than scrambled.July 23 at 8:24pm · -
Sara Ontiveros I love Super Baby Foods, too – I didn’t make my own porridge like the author does, but it was a good guide for what foods are good at what age.July 23 at 9:03pm · -
Lindsey Turner Lukis We do tons of steamed veggies, Gretchen. Starts good habits young
July 23 at 9:14pm · -
Jim Anderson Whenever Misty goes to any baby showers, she always gives out Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder:http://amzn.to/enJgVz everyone she has given one to has always commented on it’s usefulness when the kids start eating, it would help sneak in some of the dried foods and pickles, things that need chewing. Awesome food selection though!
Baby will enjoy the great flavor, nutrition and goodness of whole food while red…See MoreJuly 24 at 12:10am · · -
Eric Engel Twinkies!July 24 at 10:40am · -
Gretchen Mather oh i have the fresh feeder! need to use it more though. thanks Jim. and Twinkies Eric YES!July 24 at 10:43am · · 1 person
-
Terrie Savage Mashed potato, pumpkin, apple, pear. Anything you can cook and mash. Whole grain rice.July 24 at 1:46pm · -
Tracy Clarke How about sweet potatoes? I cut them into steak fry size and brown them up a little with olive oil.July 24 at 7:48pm · -
Lisa Messier Wilcox Meatballs. Here’s a recipe – these come out super soft and good first meat for baby: 1lb ground turkey (regular, not lean breast meat), 1c panko bread crumbs, 3T pesto (Classico jar), 1 egg. Mix w/fork. Form balls. Put in slow cooker w/ a can of crushed tomatoes. Cook ~3 hours (longer is fine, just do it on low). We just had them last night and it made me think of your post and how much my kids liked them when they were little. Btw – adding bread crumbs and egg to burger meat makes it soft enough to cut into strips for finger food too. We did a lot of bison for the iron. You can even slip some pureed veggies in the mix.July 26 at 2:30pm · -
Gretchen Mather thanks Lisa! Ps how are your kiddos? Julian says hi (literally, he is starting to wave!)July 26 at 3:42pm ·
-
Kerry Gilmore Momnie Soft berries are great ones…I buy organic frozen blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc, so when they thaw they are softer than regular berries in the produce section. Incredibly messy, but easy to “chew” for our toothless wonders!
July 26 at 7:23pm · -
Rachel R. Gilliar I think I have one that hasn’t been mentioned yet. One of my girls’ favorite foods is french toast. When they were just starting finger foods, I’d cube it into little bit-sized pieces. I used challah or cinnamon raisin bread to make it. And always made sure to use lots of eggs (to pack in the good food) and really let the bread soak to absorb it all. They love cinnamon, so when I use challah, sometimes I add cinnamon or penzey’s baking spice to the liquid (in addition to vanilla) before soaking the bread. As they got better with food, I’d make the pieces bigger — first strips, and now I just give them the whole piece.
Love this!
PB & Graham Cracker sandwich. Sometimes I just hand Ellie a little plastic spoon with peanut butter. Of course, if there is a family allergy of peanuts, wait until the kiddo is 3yo.
Kidney beans
Frozen peas–great when teething and great for fine motor skills such as developing the pincer grasp.