25 finger foods for babies & toddlers
Hiiiii! I’m popping back in to share some baby foods that have been on our plate lately.ย In the near future, I hope to share a real recipe, photos and all.
Last weekend we took a quick trip up to Napa – SO wonderful. And before my mom arrived to watch Demi, I startedย pulling together aย list of baby foods. It then occurred to me that my mom would know how to feed an 11-month old but itย then occurred to me that it’s nice to have a list of foods ready to go – and that some of you might find it helpful as well! (By the way, everyone survived and I didn’t even cry!)
I’ve had so much fun feeding Demi. We’ve put an emphasis on vegetables and real foods, but of course, we rely on some packaged snacks, pouches and frozen items. Many of the items I prepare ahead of time and freeze in individual portions so that we always have some ‘main course’ items ready-to-go. The BEABA Silicone Trayย (affiliate)ย makes freezing portions so easy,ย I highly recommend it!
Breakfast for Babies
Cheerios: Or other low-sugar cereal.
Steel Cut Oatmeal: I make this for myself, so it makes sense to share some with Demi. Add some flavor with cinnamon.
Yogurt: Greek or regular, but ALWAYS full-fat. Please don’t feed your little babes fat-free yogurt. (Sometimes I’ll add a little apricot flavor.)
Cottage Cheese: Demi loves feeding herself chunks. (See above re: fat.)
Bread + Spread: We use sprouted bread with a thin layer of PB, cream cheese and preserves, grass-fed butter or plain.
Lunch or Dinner for Babiesย
Pasta with Pesto: Tossย lentil or whole wheat pasta with pesto. Add minced sun dried tomatoes for extra flavor.
Broccoli & Cheddarย Bites: A veggie-packed dish that combines lots of broccoli, whole grains and some protein. A favorite!
Polenta Pizza: Tomato paste + cheeseย in between polenta slices. Lightly fry until golden brown.
Egg & Veggie Scramble: Any veggies, with a scrambled egg.
Bone Broth + Quinoa + Peas: This hybrid soup goes over well. I scoop out the peas andย let her feed those to herself. Bone broth has more protein and fat than regular broth.
Flaked Fish: Best to choose low-mercury and wild-caught if possible. Salmon, rainbow trout, pollock are good choices.
Sliced or Shredded Chicken: I’ve started roasting a chicken on Sundays – which means meat (and bone broth) for all of us throughout the week. (It’s also an affordable way to buy organic chicken.)
Frozen Food: I like to keep some Dr. Praeger’s Carrot & Zucchini Cakes and Trader Joe’s Vegetable Pakoras on-hand.
Side Dishes for Babies
Peas: Easiest side dish ever. Keep a bag of them in the freezer.
Green Beans: Another really easy one, Iย keep a bag in the freezer and lightly steam with water in the microwave.
Avocado: This is one of Demi’s favorites. If there’s avocado on the plate, it’s the first thing she goes for.
Cucumber: Persian cucumbers are a staple in our house, and now Demi eats them too! Remove the seeds (and peel if it’s a regular cucumber) to serve. (Persian cukes are small and have a thin skin that you don’t need to remove.)
Roasted Vegetable: Carrots, squash, potatoes, broccoli…anything really!
Snacks for Babies
Cheese: Anything goes! Because we’re frequently snacking on cheese after Demi’s dinner, she usually requests a cheese course to finish her meal. ๐
Fruit:ย Cantaloupe, pears, apples, banana, citrus…again, anything goes.
Green Smoothie: I make a big batch of this green smoothie for Richie and I on a regular basis, and have started saving some for Demi, too.
Seaweed Snacks: Nutrient dense and so tasty.
Peanut puffs: Our Pediatrician recommended introducing peanuts at six months in the form of Bamba, but Choopko tastes better (IMO). They dissolve easily!
What do you feed your little ones? I’m always looking for more ideas.
great tips! i’ll have to revisit this post in the future! ๐
Yes you will! You’ll have so much fun feeding your little babe!
Great post! Also, the link to the silicone tray isn’t working for me ๐
Link the silicone tray Emily posted: http://tinyurl.com/beabatray
Thanks Heather! ๐
Glad you find it helpful. I hope Calvin approves. ๐ Not sure what happened, here’s correct link if you still need it. http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027UYT4O?keywords=beaba&qid=1456172730&ref_=sr_1_3&s=baby-products&sr=1-3
Thanks!
Awesome tips! Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome, glad you find it helpful!
Thank you! I needed these suggestions, as we’re currently moving from purees to more finger foods. I’ve been hesitant to give my LO anything with egg whites (baked goods, plain eggs, etc.) until she is 1 though. When did you begin introducing them to Demi? Did your pedi give the OK?
Yay, I’m so glad you find it helpful! Finger foods are so fun. ๐ Our Ped said all food (except honey, of course) was ok at six months, but I know this differs Doctor to Doctor. I didn’t necessarily avoid egg whites (especially if it was in other foods), but if I gave her fried egg, I gave her mostly the yolk and just a little white.
Ok thanks!
I love this! Will definitely use with my 9-month-old. Can you explain more about why full fat is best? ๐
I hope your baby approves. ๐ I actually think that everyone – baby or adult – should eat full fat for many reasons. The main reason being that fat is not bad! We need fat to absorb nutrients and vitamins, but it’s also much more satisfying and not that much lower in calories than most of it’s low-or-no-fat counterparts. (I also think it tastes much better!) And for some products like half & half, when the fat is removed, sugar/corn syrup is added, which is not healthier or more nutritious in my opinion. Here’s a good article: http://time.com/3734033/whole-milk-dairy-fat/ Does that help?
Yes, thanks! It tastes so much better.
I’m not a baby but I’d eat any of these meals…also, I’m going to start requesting a cheese course at the end of dinner from now on. Smart girl! ๐
It’s basically a good life plan. ๐
Hi Emily! I was wondering if you have any good baby food breakfast recipes that can be made ahead of time? I am not much of a morning person and my 11-month-old is an early riser. Every morning at 5:45 he is awake and wondering what’s for breakfast. I would like to make some breakfast bars out of steel cut oats, but the (few) recipes available online call for a lot of sugar and/or butter. I would like a simple recipe that calls for limited ingredients that I can use to make breakfast for my son on Sunday night so I can just heat it up in the mornings for him during the week. Do you have any suggestions?
What about just plain steel cut oats? I make a big batch on the weekends (for Demi and myself!) and we eat it all week. I serve hers with yogurt and sometimes fruit. You can also cut cooked and cooled steel cut oats into slabs and pan fry with coconut oil – it’s really good!
Hi Emily ๐ My baby boy is turning one next week. I was wondering if you have any good suggestions for frosting for his smash cake? I’m already making a boxed cake from the grocery store, so I would like to avoid a sugary frosting to top off the sugary cake. I have been reading a lot about full fat yogurt frostings, but I’m concerned it will taste bitter and not sweet, like frosting should taste. I also don’t want the frosting to be liquid-like. I want it to look thick and fluffy on the cake, like, well, frosting! A lot of yogurt frostings I feel aren’t thick enough to cover the cake, so you can see the cake under the yogurt and the yogurt gets runny and liquidy. Any suggestions on how to make a thick, creamy frosting that provides some nutrition for my little one on his big day? Have you made a cake for Demi or tried any frosting alternatives like coconut milk or yogurt?
Happy Birthday to your little boy!!! I just made a cake last weekend, good timing! ๐ I made a frosting out of cream cheese, peanut butter and maple syrup (based off of this recipe: http://www.hellobee.com/2014/03/03/healthy-chocolate-cake-with-peanut-butter-cream-cheese-frosting/) and it was baby-approved. I thought it had the consistency of regular frosting. A friend of ours used greek yogurt (frosted RIGHT before serving) and I was surprised by how nice it looked. If you used vanilla greek yogurt, it would taste sweet to your baby…let me know how it goes!
Love your blog! Especially the most recent toddler post which I emailed to my sister! So much goodness!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Tia! (And for sharing!) ๐
Thank you so much for sharing this outstanding blog… I find it very needful & informative as well… Keep sharing more food news!!!
When I will have a baby (not so far in the future) I will feed him a high fat low carb diet. It saved my life, more or less, solved 15 years of suffering within a month or two.
So, egg(s) in the morning as soon as he can chew it, softer meats etc.