Now let’s talk about finger foods… Finger food rule number one: At least one fruit and one vegetable every day. Finger food rule number two: French fries are NOT a vegetable.
At this stage in the game, the choices can be overwhelming. When choosing finger foods for your baby, try to find options with low salt, and little or no added sugar. Low fat options can also be good as long as they are not substituting the fat with high-fructose corn syrup, salt, and a long list of shelf-stable chemicals to avoid the fat. Children enjoy the pure taste of foods; they don’t need sugar and salt to make foods enjoyable. (Notice how I said pure, not plain.) Remember, this is the best time to prevent picky eating, and to foster healthy eating later in life. Some great finger food choices include:
Steamed veggies, such as green beans, lima beans, carrots, yams, zucchini, peas, etc. (Most vegetables can be bought frozen and then steamed in small quantities in the microwave for a quick meal).
Fresh fruit, or fruit canned in its own juices (avoid fruit canned in “heavy syrup” due to the high sugar content) such as peaches, mandarin oranges, mango, pears, or strawberries. Avoid pineapple and grapes until age two or three.
Cut up pieces of chicken, tofu, pork, or turkey. The next time you cook one of these foods for dinner, just make an extra portion, then cut it up into small pieces and stick it in the freezer to reheat later.
Small pastas, brown rice, low-sodium crackers, potatoes, breads (whole grain are better than white), quinoa, etc.
Yogurt, cheese cubes (REAL cheese, please, not “processed cheese food”), leftovers from last night’s dinner.
A sippy cup of water or milk at each meal is also a good idea. Juices are unnecessary and provide relatively empty calories.
Mealtimes can also be the perfect time to set up positive social habits surrounding food.
Be sure to sit down when eating. Don’t allow your baby to wander around the house with a banana in her hand. Also, make mealtime as relaxed and pleasant as possible. It can be difficult to remember not to rush through meals, especially when we rush through every other part of our day, but taking the time to enjoy our food and our company keeps us healthy in more ways than one. Bon appetite!
