Both of my girls were late teethers. SofÃa’s first tooth came in at 10 1/2 months and Bella’s first tooth came in only a bit before that. So when it came down to food they could eat that was not pureed, it became a bit tricky.
Or so I thought.
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Finger Foods for Babies with Few Teeth
A lot of fruits and veggies are already soft enough that baby can just gum them and they’ll be just fine. I always cut them into really small pieces (less than 1/4” dice), and I take the skins off some foods as well.
If you’ve already introduced a food to your baby as a puree and there was no allergic reaction, let them try that food in a different way. Bella loves finger foods because it keeps her busy.
Without my monthly feeding schedules for Bella, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with a long list of finger foods you can feed your baby. All of these finger foods Bella has tried or will try very soon. If you follow a feeding schedule, your baby will have tried at least 50 foods by the time they are one if you start them on solids at 6 months.
The foods below are listed according to whether they need to be cooked to soften or if baby can eat them raw.
No Cooking Required
Avocados
Bananas
Plums
Peaches
Blueberries
Pears
Melon
Grapes
Raisins
Apricots
Dried apricots
Peas
Kiwi
Cherries
Prunes
Tomatoes
Dried cranberries
Cucumbers
Mangoes
Tuna fish (canned)
Pineapple
Oranges
Cheese
Strawberries
Olives (green, black, etc.)
Raspberries
Papaya
Chocolate
Celery
Cooking required
Apples
Sweet potatoes
Parsnips
Carrots
Butternut squash
Summer squash
White potato
Zucchini
Chicken
Bell pepper (red and green)
Green beans
Pumpkin
Beef
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Turkey
Cranberries
Black beans
Garbanzo beans (a.k.a. chickpeas)
Onions
Rutabaga
Turnips
Beets
Cabbage (red and green)
Lentils
Fish
Eggs
Pasta
Corn
Mushrooms
Eggplant
Asparagus
Edamame
None of these foods should present any kind of choking hazard if you cut them into small pieces, remove skins, soften hard foods, and watch your baby as she eats. Take it a day at a time, and if you notice whole pieces of food in the diaper, go back to puree for that certain food if you feel like your baby isn’t gumming it well enough.
If you’re particularly worried that your baby could choke on a certain food, you can start by using these food feeder that are also great for teething babies. I’ve used another brand for my girls that used mesh, but these are supposed to be better since they are so easy to clean and are safe for baby to gnaw on. I plan on getting a couple myself with my next child!
With dried fruits (raisins, apricots, dried cranberries, etc.), you might want to put them in a saucepan with some water for a few minutes until they are softer. Just use your best judgment based on your baby’s age and how well he chews or gums his food.
What foods could you add to the list?
Check out all my homemade baby food posts here.
What a great printable! I wish I had something like that when my girls were little. I just wrote stuff in a notebook.
I love your finger foods list. Avocado is THE best. My girls still go crazy over it.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Thanks, Jennifer 🙂 Can you believe my toddler doesn’t really care for avocado?! Ever since I introduced it to her, she always spits it out. What a shame, huh?
Uncooked mushrooms? What kind? All mushrooms I know must be cooked even for adults..
I have always eaten button mushrooms raw, but upon further investigation I have found that it may be better to cook them. Here is the article I came across in my research: http://www.superfoodsrx.com/healthyliving/benefits-of-mushrooms/. Thanks for commenting, Lucia, so I could change the mushrooms to the cooked category!