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With my first baby I was all about the homemade baby food. I spent hours and days cooking different foods and pureeing them into baby food. My baby had a wonderful and healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. With my second I was flabberghasted when she wouldn’t eat ANYTHING with a mushy texture! I thought for a bit that she just wasn’t ready, but after we passed the 7 month mark I started trying some new things and figured out that she loved finger foods, she just wouldn’t eat anything mushy. With my first I didn’t do table food until much closer to one and so I really had to think to figure out what finger foods would be appropriate for a new eater.
When you browse down the aisle at the store they offer a multitude of baby finger foods in a can, but I just couldn’t justify feeding my baby a diet of puffs and the equivalent of baby cheetos. Some of the other issues I had besides health was that I needed something that was equally healthy and easy, and since we are constantly on the go I have to have something I can grab quickly and take with me just like you can a jar of baby food. After some trial and error we have found some great alternatives for for me to feed her that were 1. Healthy 2. Easy and 3. Portable. That made us both happy! So whether you are trying out baby led weaning or you are at the stage where you are moving from puree to more table food this is a great list to keep handy to keep it healthy and keep it easy.
Everything on the list below is EASY! Also, most of it can be prepped ahead of time and frozen so when you are on the go all you have to do pop a container out of the freezer and jet out the door. Freezer cooking baby style! I try to introduce a variety of healthy foods to help form a well rounded eater. Also, as we mentioned in our Easy and Healthy Toddler Snacks post, it can take up to 10 introductions for a kid to try a food, so don’t give up on healthy foods if they don’t like it on the first couple of trys! Also, Check out our post on Spicing up Your Baby Food to see how to incorporate new flavors for your little one! Remember that you should only offer your baby foods that are cool, soft, easily mashed and age appropriate. Also, babies should always be supervised while eating any food.
Freezer Friendly Foods:
- Cooked Carrots- I microwave baby carrots in a bowl covered with water and chop into small bites (16oz for 6-8 min)
- Cooked Peas- I use canned, no salt added because they are the most mushy
- Cooked Green Beans- I use canned, no salt added because they are the most mushy, diced
- Cooked Black Beans- I use canned, no salt added because they are the most mushy
- Other Cooked Beans- Anything soft, although if they are larger you might need to dice them as well
- Cooked Corn- I use canned, no salt added
- Cooked Broccoli- diced
- Whole Wheat Bread- diced
- Cooked Sweet Potato- Wash and leave in produce bag, microwave in bag for 4-6 min, diced
- Avocado diced
- Soft Cheeses- cheddar, mozzarella, colby jack, provolone etc diced
- Cooked Pasta- diced
- Cooked Butternut or Acorn Squash- Cut in half and microwave until soft, diced
- Eggs- scrambled and cut into bits
- Brown rice- cooked
- Very Ripe Pears- diced
- Very Ripe Mango- diced
Other Great Healthy Finger Foods:
- Banana- diced
- Blueberries cut in half or slightly mashed
- Kiwi- soft and ripe, diced
- Peaches- soft and ripe, diced
- Very ripe tomatoes, diced without skin
- Cheerios
- Baby Mum Mum
- Watermelon- diced with no seeds
- Other very ripe Melons- Cantelope, Honey Dew etc. Diced
- Graham crackers-very small pieces
- Organic Puffs
Since these finger foods are our main source of nutrition (outside of breast feeding), I like to fix myself ready to go packages of freezer foods. I can prepare a lot at once by freezing them in meal sized containers. I have quite a few of the plastic Gerber baby food containers saved that are perfect to use. Also, Glad and Zip Lock both make 4-8 oz reuseable containers which I used when I made baby food with my first and are also perfect for this. I prep all of my food then fill the containers with it so I can have a variety at each meal. I will put veggies mixed together in a container but obviously things like bread and cheese should be packaged by themselves. I use snack sized zip lock bags for this. If you need more ideas the Wholesome Baby Food website is a great additional resource on what to feed baby and your preparation options.
See… That was easy! Now to make it even better, here is a free printable sheet to stick to your fridge to remind you of all the healthy meal options available for baby. For more great posts on food for little ones and printables, check out Easy and Healthy Toddler Snacks and Spice Up Your Baby Food!
***UPDATE- This post has been SO popular I did a whole new post with even more ideas specifically for veggies you can use for baby finger foods! See the update here!
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DeAnna says
So, do you warm it up before feeding it to your baby, or just let it thaw?
Kimber says
I warm it just a bit so it’s not cold but there would never be a chance of burning little mouths
Stephanie says
I don’t feel that this is a healthy diet for a baby under 12 months. Canned beans and packaged bread have tons of sodium. Sure you say that you’re using no salt added canned veggies, but you say you’re using them because they’re the mushiest (not because salt is really bad for infants). Infants’ kidneys cannot handle extra sodium in their diet. I feel that if one is looking for convenient food to feed their baby (that isn’t a puree), one should opt for frozen veggies that do not contain sodium.
Kimber says
Frozen veggies are a great option too. Feel free to use whatever you think is the best option for your family. For us canned worked well, but anyone who is changing diet for their baby should consult with your child’s pediatrician when changing to solids and follow their recommendation. All of my children were breast fed until a year, so I don’t really see the solid food as a primary source of nutrition, but rather something that helps them to learn about textures and how to eat solid foods.