My one year old is finally getting some teeth, which means he can enjoy some of the many foods that we eat! Also, he’s very recently started to hate spoon feeding and is enjoying his independence. In finding healthy finger foods for him, I really struggled after a few weeks to give him variety. I’m blessed with a child that eats (nearly) everything I put in front of him; and I owe it to him to give him nutritious options instead of filling his little system with junk.
*Babies and toddlers should ALWAYS be seated and supervised when eating.*
Here is my ever-expanding list of good first foods, all of which are broken up in to dime-sized pieces or smaller. Feel free to add your suggestions in to the comments!
Whole grain breads, oatmeal English muffins (toasted or not)
Pastas (preferably wheat or whole grains)– We prefer spiral since they are easy to break up and provide plenty of area for breathing if it gets stuck in their throat.
Crackers (wheat, grains)— we avoid crackers with seeds since he doesn’t digest them well yet.
Cheerios (all flavors)
Graham crackers
Bananas
Avocados
Sweet potatoes
Peas
Steamed carrots
Squash/zucchini steamed, skinned
Sweet potatoes
Pears
Peaches
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Kiwi (I remove the center and most seeds)
Cooked, shredded chicken and pork
Soft cheeses, cut into tiny cubes (I buy block Colby or string cheese)
Healthy meat cuts/slices broken up
Eggs (egg whites until 1)
Pancakes or pancakes with fruit mixed in.
French Toast
Beans and lentils (cut anything round in half)
Small pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers
Pasta salad mix
Mac N’ Cheese
Morningstar Meat Crumbles (soy often is not good for babies. Keep it to one small portion if you’re going to add soy in to their diet. I am a vegetarian, so I’ve tried to add a few vegetarian options in to my son’s meals. Quorn is a good soy-free option.)
Super small bits of apple (or, large chunks that they can chew on)
Pieces of green bean
It’s particularly important to find fiber rich foods for their systems, because up to this point their diets have been mostly liquid and puréed.
Also, my son seems to pick out the brightly-colored foods first, which is great because these are usually nutrient-rich! Raspberries, carrots, and blueberries are his favorite.
-Katie
