It sometimes seems impossible to make your little one use spoons, fork for eating. Are you feeling like spending more time at your kid’s mealtime in making them use tools? If yes, then finger foods are the good choice to make your toddler’s mealtime an interesting activity.
When the little ones want to feed themselves it is the perfect time to introduce them to the finger foods. Self feeding can be messy sometimes but it helps kids develop motor skills. Finger foods allow the kid to enjoy the texture and taste by playing with the food. Finger foods helps kid to enhance motor skills.
This article discusses the benefits that finger foods offer to babies. It presents the homemade nutritious finger foods for babies.
Benefits of Finger Foods:
Here are the few benefits that finger foods offer to your kid:
1. Oral Motor Development:
Finger foods enhance the jaw strength and make your kids familiar moving their tongue in all the directions.
2. Sensory Processing:
Eating food not only includes taste but also other sensory activities like sight, touch, movement, smell, hearing, and balancing. That means your toddler is learning to map all the sensory signals associated with the eating along with learning self eating.
3. Desensitize Gag Reflex:
The gag reflex is a condition where the throat undergoes contraction when something comes in contact with the roof of the tongue.
Newborns are born with a very sensitive gag reflex. It starts to desensitize once they start an oral exploration journey with the finger foods.
4. Fine Motor Skills:
Your toddler will develop self eating and precise movement of muscles.
The other benefits of finger foods include your toddler may develop self regulated appetite. It makes you stress free and reduces the fear of picky eating.
You can introduce finger foods to your kid at the age of 7 at which the jaw movements are beginning to develop.
Healthy Finger Foods For Toddlers:
Here are a few children’s healthy finger food:
1. Fruit Finger Foods:
Here are the few fruits that are sure to please your toddler:
- Steamed apples
- Sectioned bananas
- Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries (halved if large)
- Diced strawberries
- Diced kiwi
- Sectioned watermelon
- Diced mango
- Chopped cherries
- Dice ripe pears with skin peeled off
- Sectioned cantaloupe
Fruit Finger Food Recipes:
Here are the few finger food fruit recipes:
A. Banana, Avocado & Apple Muffins:
These delicious muffins do not contain any added sugar. They are naturally sweetened by the avocado and banana.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Medium sized banana and avocado
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
How To Prepare:
1. Add flour, oats, baking powder, and baking soda to a mixing bowl
2. In another bowl mash the banana and avocado and add apple sauce, milk to it.
3. Add this wet mixture to the flour mixture and blend it properly till all the ingredients are combined properly.
4. Preheat the oven at 180C and arrange the paper cases in muffin tray.
5. Transfer the mixture into paper cases and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
6. Make sure to remove the paper cases only after the muffins are cooled down to avoid sticking.
B. Baked Apple Chips:
Apple chips are the best finger food for 2 year old baby.
How To Prepare:
- Wash the apple and cut it horizontally into slices. Just eliminate the seeds and no need to decore it.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Place the apple slices in a pan and sprinkle cinnamon powder.
- Bake them for 90 minutes and serve it to the baby after allowing it to cool.
2. Vegetable Finger Foods For Toddlers:
Toddlers can easily eat solid foods that are not allergic to them. Vegetables provide the kids with several vitamins and minerals which are essential for their growth. Your toddler can have steamed finely chopped vegetables.
Here are the few vegetables that can be given to your toddler as finger foods:
1. Green peas
2. Broccoli
3. Sweet potato
4. Summer squash
5. Butternut squash
6. Spaghetti squash
Vegetable Finger Food Recipes:
Here are a few veggie finger foods for toddlers.
A. Peas and Beans:
Ingredients:
- Beans of your choice
- Salt
- Peas
How To Prepare:
1. Wash the beans well before cooking
2. Add the peas when beans are half cooked and then add peas.
3. Cook until the beans are soft.
B. Broccoli and Carrots:
This recipe is rich in fiber which help kid deal with the constipation. This recipe is rich in vitamin C and A.
Ingredients:
- Broccoli
- Carrots
How To Prepare:
1. Cook broccoli and carrots until they are soft.
2. Serve it to your toddler once they are cold. Sweetness of the carrot balances the broccoli.
C. Mac and Cheese:
It is loaded with cheese and milk which help in strengthening the bones.
Ingredients:
- Cooked macaroni
- Grated cheddar
- Parmesan cheese
- Two cups milk
- Half cup bread crumbs
- Quarter cup butter
- Two and half tablespoons all purpose flour
How To Prepare:
1. In a saucepan melt the butter.
2. Add milk and cheese to the melted butter one by one and stir it well till it becomes a thick sauce.
3. Take macaroni in a cooking pot and add sauce, breadcrumbs to it. Cook until it turns brown.
D. Spinach and Creamy Baby Pies:
Spinach is a rich source of vitamin k, vitamin A, Vitamin C, and folate.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain flour
- 80 grams butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup double cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup brown bread crumbs
How To Prepare:
1. Take a flour in a bowl and add butter to it. Keep adding butter and water to it until it resembles a sticky dough.
2. Make small thin circles out of the dough with the help of cookie cutter.
3. Place these dough circles on a greased mini muffin baking tin and refrigerate for few minutes.
4. Take a saucepan and add olive oil to it. Add garlic to the heated oil and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the finely chopped spinach to the frying pan and stir for 2 minutes. Do not overcook as you may loose the good nutrients.
6. Add the cream and little amount of black pepper remove from the heat after mixing well.
7. Transfer this mixture on to previously refrigerated dough circles in muffin tins.
8. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese mixture onto muffins.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins turn golden brown.
E. Mini Pea Pancakes:
Pancakes are the perfect healthy snack for kids which are loaded with proteins.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 50 grams feta cheese
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 2 eggs
How To Prepare:
1. Cook the frozen peas as per instructions on the pack.
2. Mix all the ingredients well in a mixing bowl.
3. Lightly grease the pan and heat it on a medium flame.
4. Drop the spoonful of this mixture on to the pan and turn it to the other side as soon as the bubbles appear.
5. Cook until it turns golden brown.
F. Cereal and Nut Bites:
Cereals and nuts make this mixture a healthy recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup oat cereal
- 1/3 cup chopped almonds
- 1 cup seedless dates
How To Prepare:
- Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and make small balls out of this mix.
- Refrigerate these balls for about 10 minutes before serving
G. Tofu Sticks:
Ingredients:
- Organic sprouted tofu
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground garlic
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
How To Prepare?
1. Cut the tofu into long strips and extract as much water as you can from it to get a crispy crust.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients leaving aside the sesame seeds.
3. Once the tofu is pressed place it in a bowl and pour the sauce mixture on it it covering all sides.
4. Place it on the baking sheet and sprinkle sesame seeds and flip it after 20 minutes and bake the other side for another 20 minutes.
5. Serve this with peanut butter.
H. Potato and Peas Cake:
This vegetarian recipe is very easy to prepare and carry outdoors.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups boiled and mashed peas
- 1 large boiled potato
- Salt
- 1/4 cup cornflour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Water
How To Prepare:
1. Mix the potato and peas. Pat this mixture in the shape of bread.
2. Add a teaspoon of salt to the cornflour and mix it with a small amount of water to form the batter. Dip the potato bread in the cornflour mix and drop them into a heating oil in a pan.
3. Allow them till they turn a golden brown colour.
3. Nonveg Finger Foods:
Before serving your toddler nonveg finger foods check for any food allergies or consult your pediatrician.
Here are the few non veg finger foods for your toddler:
Cooked and grounded beef
Baked and diced chicken
Backed salmon diced into small pieces
Diced meatballs
Nonveg Finger Food Recipes:
Here are the few nonveg food recipes that you can serve your toddler.
A. Rainbow omelet Cakes:
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 red pepper
- 2 spring onions
- 1 small carrot
- 2 tablespoons sweetcorn
- 50 grams cheddar cheese
- 3 large eggs
How To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Warm the oil in a pan and add grated pepper and onions to it.
3. Add grated carrots and corn to the above mentioned heating pan.
4. Break the eggs, whisk it well and add the mixture in the heating pan, grated cheese to it.
5. Spoon the mixture in silicone line muffin tins and bake thyem in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
B. Quinoa and Fish Baby Bites:
This recipe is rich in omega 3 fatty acids and helps in improving the eyesight and heart function.
Ingredients:
- Half cup cooked quinoa
- One cup roughly chopped baby spinach
- Four eggs
- One small can of tuna
How To Prepare:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Spoon this mixture into silicon trays and allow it to cook for 15 minutes.
C. Paleo Turkey Breast Nuggets:
Ingredients:
- Turkey breast diced into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons almond meal
- 2 tablespoons Tapioca
- 2 teaspoons mix dry leaves like parsley and curry leaves.
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup almond milk
How To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls.
3. Dip the turkey slices in the wet mixture and then roll it through the dry mixture.
4. Place the coated pieces on baking tray covered with baking paper.
5. Lightly spray the macadamia oil over the turkey pieces and bake it in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.
D. Rice and Chicken Nuggets:
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced boneless chicken
3-4 cups of rice flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
How To Prepare:
1. Boil the chicken pieces in shallow water for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the required amount of salt to the rice flour and roll the boiled chicken pieces in the flour few times so that a thick layer of flour is formed on the chicken pieces.
3. Pour the tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan and drop the chicken pieces into it. Fry the pieces till the nuggets turn golden brown.
Tips for Feeding Finger Foods to Toddlers:
Here are the few tips that make easier for the baby to eat finger foods:
1. Make sure to cut the fruit slices not too big or not too small.
2. Never force your kid to eat food and they may not eat all the meals all the time with the same interest.
3. Do not feed the foods that are associated with choking hazards. Some of the foods include hot dogs, nuts and seeds, whole grapes, chunks of meat, popcorn, raw vegetables, etc.
4. Make your kids seated while eating in order to avoid choking. Do not allow them to jump while eating.
5. Make your baby sit at the family meals.
Finger foods are the best choice to make your kids enhance their motor skills. Finger foods make eating an interesting activity.
