When babies start feeding themselves — a task many enjoy — they begin exploring new tastes and textures. By 9 months old, most babies develop the fine motor skills, like the «pincer grasp,» which allows them to pick up small pieces of food between their forefinger and thumb. Though clumsy at first, this skill improves with practice. Encouraging your child to self-feed is important. While you’ll still need to help by spoon-feeding certain foods like cereal, finger feeding promotes independence and helps babies develop healthy eating habits.
Benefits of Finger Feeding
Finger feeding, and later using utensils, gives babies control over what and how much they eat. This process teaches self-regulation, as even small children can recognize when they are hungry or full. Letting them feed themselves helps them respond to these internal cues.
What Should a Baby Eat?
As babies start joining family meals, they can try more table foods. You can often adapt family dishes for your baby. For example, if you’re making zucchini, cook a portion longer until it’s soft and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Other good options include ripe bananas, well-cooked pasta, and small pieces of chicken.
Before offering a finger food, check for the following:
- Does it melt in the mouth? Light cereals and flaky crackers that dissolve easily are great options.
- Is it soft and easy to mush? Well-cooked vegetables, fruits, and canned options without added sugar or salt are ideal.
- Can it be gummed? Soft foods like ripe bananas and well-cooked pasta can be easily gummed by your baby.
- Is it cut into small enough pieces? The size of the food should be appropriate for your baby’s ability to chew or gum it safely.
If your baby doesn’t like a food at first, continue offering it during future meals. Some babies need to be exposed to new textures or tastes multiple times before accepting them. For instance, some babies might reject meat initially. Try starting with well-cooked ground meats or thin slices of deli meats like turkey.
It might take 10 or more tries for a baby to accept a new food, so keep introducing a variety of options without forcing your baby to eat.
Finger Foods to Avoid
While finger feeding can be a fun and rewarding experience, it’s essential to avoid certain foods that could pose choking hazards or lack nutritional value.
Choking Hazards:
To reduce the risk of choking, always supervise your baby during meals. Avoid offering:
- Raw vegetables or hard fruits
- Whole grapes, berries, cherry tomatoes (instead, peel and cut into quarters)
- Raisins and dried fruit
- Peanuts, nuts, and seeds
- Large scoops of peanut butter (use only a thin layer)
- Whole hot dogs and sausages (peel and cut into small pieces)
- Untoasted white bread (it can clump together)
- Large chunks of cheese or meat
- Candy (hard candy, gummies, jelly beans, gum)
- Popcorn, pretzels, corn chips, and other snack foods
- Marshmallows
Avoid Sweets
Though your baby may love the taste of sweets, it’s best to avoid cookies, cake, and other desserts at this stage. Babies need nutrient-dense foods, not the empty calories found in sugary or high-fat snacks. It may be tempting to see your baby’s reaction to sweet treats, but now is not the time. If others, like grandparents, offer sweets, kindly explain that your baby isn’t ready for these foods yet, and you can always cite your doctor’s recommendations.