Best Early Finger Foods for Baby

Use this list of safe, nutritious, and easy to eat finger foods for baby to help you know exactly what to offer at meals and snacks. Plus, find the best first finger foods, tips, and visuals broken down by food group!

After baby starts solids and is ready to move onto finger foods, it can be hard to know what to serve and how to serve it.

This list of finger foods for baby will cover some great first finger foods to start with then set you up with plenty of healthy options from each food group.

Each of these baby finger foods are easy to prepare and serve. They are flavorful and nutritious too, increasing the chances that baby will actually enjoy eating them!

(You may also like more info on starting solids here and the best foods to start with if doing baby-led weaning foods or purees with baby.)

Best First Finger Foods

When baby is around 9 months, you’ll notice that they’re able to pick up smaller pieces of food with two fingers. This is known as the “pincer grasp” and is a sign that they’re ready to start finger foods.

To be clear, when I say “finger foods” I mean small pieces of food that a baby (or toddler) can feed themselves.

Here are some of my favorite ones to start with that are all super soft, safe to eat, and easy to pick up.

TIP: You can serve the tofu, ground meat, or meatballs in veggie puree from a pouch or a simple marinara sauce for extra moisture and flavor. Learn more about how and why to introduce peanut butter.

Finger Foods for Baby: Fruits and Veggies

Some of my favorite early fruits and veggies to serve babies including the following ideas.

TIP: A good rule is to serve pieces of food that are about the size of a pea to start and soft enough that they are easy to squish between your fingers. This will be easy for baby to pick up and eat and will also reduce chances of choking.

Finger Food Ideas: Carbohydrates

Offering complex carbohydrates can provide fiber, a variety of textures, B vitamins, and more. Try these with your baby.

Finger Food Ideas: Proteins

Offering proteins will continue to expose baby to a range of nutrients. These are my go-tos for babies newer to finger foods—and toddlers, too.

Best Tips for Success

I’d love to hear any questions you may have, or if you have foods that your babies enjoy that I didn’t include here. Chime in below in the comments!

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First Finger Foods (choose 1-3 per meal)

Whole Grains and Carbohydrates

• For each meal or snack, choose 2-3 foods from a mix of food groups. Aim to include some fat in most meals and protein in many too.

• Prepare the food, cutting into small pieces and/or mashing as needed to make the food easy to eat.

• Start with small portions and allow more as baby indicates according to their hunger.

• Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the fridge.
• Many foods you cook for your family will work as baby finger foods—just be sure they are easy to squish between your fingers and the pieces are small and easy to chew.
• Babies normally make a lot of faces when they eat, so don’t assume they don’t like something just because they scrunch their nose!
• Flavors and textures can take time to learn to eat, so continue offering foods in small portions even if baby hasn’t liked them in the past—and make sure they taste good to you!

Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 164mg, Sodium: 81mg, Potassium: 344mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 9857IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 1mg

This post was first published January 2020.