1. Fun With Finger Foods Press the Enter button to advance to the next slide

2. Fun With Finger Foods sually around 9 or 10 months of age your baby will be ready to eat foods from the table. You can tell when he’s ready because he can mash up pieces of food using his jaw and gums, and he may have a few teeth. He can pick up bits of food with his thumb and first finger. He will enjoy trying to feed himself.

3. Food to Try Fun With Finger Foods Dry Cereal ( such as O-shaped oat cereal) Small pieces of toast or pita bread (soft bread becomes pasty and hard to swallow) Dry Pancakes, cut into bite-sized pieces Diced Cheese cubes Diced soft meat Pieces of tofu Diced soft-cooked vegetables (sweet potatoes or carrots) Diced cooked apples, peeled Diced soft fruit (bananas, papayas or kiwi) Pieces of cooked whole-wheat pasta Pieces of graham cracker Breadsticks

4. You can also feed your baby some table foods with a spoon at this age. Fun With Finger Foods Cottage Cheese Yogurt Mashed Potatoes Mashed or refried beans Well-cooked mashed vegetables Mashed, soft fruit Creamed soups Macaroni and Cheese Applesauce

5. Food Allergies Fun With Finger Foods The younger your baby, the more likely he is to have a food allergy or sensitivity. Doctors recommend that you wait until after your baby turns 1 year of age before giving him certain foods. Until he is at least 1 year old do no give your baby: Eggs Peanut Butter Fish Soy Cow’s milk Citrus fruits or juice (such as orange juice) Honey If allergies run in your family, talk to your healthcare provider. You may want to avoid other foods as well.

6. Healthy Eating Fun With Finger Foods You are helping your baby learn to like healthy foods. Avoid giving your baby the following foods. Sweets (such as candy, cookies, cake or donuts), Soda or sweetened drink mixes, salty snack foods (such as potato chips), Drinks with caffeine (such as coffee and tea)

7. Fun With Finger Foods Most children have a natural desire to eat foods that are sweet, salty, and high in fat. They don’t have to be taught that. They do have to learn to like most other foods, and the best way to teach them is to give them many opportunities to taste, touch, and smell them. Parent-Child Activity: Let’s have a picnic You and your child pack a nutritious snack or lunch to take outside. As you pack the picnic basket together talk about the foods that are being packed and what they taste like. You can extend this activity by asking, “What else should we take?” (blanket, plates, napkins, spoon or forks, etc) Introducing foods and sharing them in a fun environment creates a positive feeling about eating and tasting a variety of foods. Take a book to the picnic and have a fun afternoon.