Around the age of nine months, your baby has the motor skills required to grab small objects and put them in his mouth. If you offer him food in pieces, rest assured that he will get hold of it! Purees have had their day and your child will be happy to eat bits of food like you!
Too bad for the clean little fingers and high chair: encourage him to eat with his fingers. You will promote motor skills and make him try new flavours and textures.
We suggest a list of nutritious and varied foods that your child can easily eat with his fingers… under the supervision of an adult. Don’t forget to keep an eye on him at all times when he eats because the new textures and food density could cause a choking reflex.
Fruit pieces
- Berries: raspberries, strawberries and blueberries
- Quartered grapes
- Pieces of ripe bananas
- Apples and pears, peeled and chopped
Vegetables, cooked and chopped
- Peas
- Squash
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Cucumber (not cooked…it is an exception)
And all other foods
- Cooked fish, easily cut into bit-sized pieces
- Ham: ask the deli counter employee to cut a thick slice of his less salty ham. Once cut in little pieces at home, you will have enough for the week.
- Pieces of cooked chicken or turkey
- Cooked pasta: macaroni, rotini…
- Scrambled eggs: and why not add small pieces of cooked vegetables, a bit of cheese and flaked ham. You will have a complete and rich meal!
- Pieces of toast: it should not be too dark, not to be too dry
- Rice cakes
- Cheese cubes
- Oatmeal
Be careful
You should avoid the following foods until your child’s molars appear:
- Raisins
- All nuts like peanuts, almonds and cashews
- Popcorn
- Marshmallows
- Hard candy, lollipops, jelly candies and chewing gum.
