In my admittedly limited experience as a parent, it has occurred to me that a lot of new moms and dads struggle with how and what to feed their babies and toddlers. Many of us assume that we have to feed our children what's available in the baby food aisle and simply don't realize that there are other options. We are new at this, and we are busy, so why not just go with what we think everyone else is doing, right? Well, for one thing, those pre-packaged finger foods are pricey, especially if you're trying to buy foods that are "healthy" and organic. Plus, most of them have very little to no nutritional value and are laden with salt and sugar–yes, even the stuff for babies. Of course, it's no big deal if you have to rely on some of those packaged foods for whatever reason, but if you're trying to find something different, something more affordable and nutritious, below are nine easy, healthy finger foods you can prepare for your baby or toddler.
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Frozen peas. This probably sounds totally bizarre, but I've been feeding my son frozen peas right out of the freezer since he was about six months old. He absolutely loves them! We even have a song about them and now at age 2, he practices counting when he eats them. This is a great snack, since it requires the most minimal amount of effort and packs a lot of nutritional punch. Frozen blueberries are great too.
Grated apple. Of course, a baby with no molars can't chew from a whole, sliced, or cubed raw apple. That wouldn't definitely be a choking hazard, but if you use a box grater to shred the apple the same way you do cheese, it's perfectly safe and tasty too. Especially if you sprinkle on a bit of cinnamon.
Diced fruit. You can literally dice any soft, ripe fruit into tiny pieces and serve them up to your baby as is. Just be sure the pieces are no bigger than the aforementioned peas. Some of our favorites are bananas, avocados, mangos, peaches, kiwis and tomatoes. With fruit that doesn't oxidize, you can just cut up a big batch early in the week and pull some out each day. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Carrot sticks. I wouldn't suggest giving a baby or young toddler raw carrot sticks, but you can either grab a bag of baby carrots or cut some regular carrots into finger-sized sticks and steam them in a bowl in the microwave with a bit of water until soft. This should take between three and five minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Again, do this once and serve them up all week. You can do the same with zucchini and sweet potato.
Cottage cheese. Large curd cottage cheese is easy for little fingers to grab and provides a great dose of calcium. Look for cottage cheese that is at least four percent fat and lower in sodium. This one can get messy, so just be prepared for a little clean up afterwards.
Deli meat. Once your pediatrician okays the introduction of meat into your little one's diet, pick up some all-natural nitrate-free sliced turkey or ham and cut it up into half-inch squares. This is a super-easy way add in some protein and get them used to the texture of meat.
Pancakes. Make a batch of pancakes and cut them up into small squares for your baby. You can freeze whatever you don't use that day and just pop them in the toaster the next time you're looking for a ready-made snack. There are lots of variations on the pancake, including whole-grain versions and versions that include veggies, so experiment a little. You can also try homemade french toast sticks or cut up waffles.
Shredded chicken. Roast a whole chicken at the beginning of the week and thinly shred up the meat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and serve it up at snack time or with any meal. If you're short on time, pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and do the same.
Hard-boiled eggs. One your baby is old enough, you can hard-boil a big batch of eggs and keep them on hand for snack time. Just cut each egg into six to eight small pieces before serving.
Image via Shayne Rodriguez Thompson
