First Finger Foods for Babies

Foods that squish easily between your fingers are a safe bet for babies and younger toddlers. Think cooked peas, raspberries, chunks of banana, diced avocado, and soft cheese. Aim to cut food into small pieces—roughly the size of a pea or two—as they start eating finger foods to give them plenty of chances to practice eating and chewing.

Always adjust sizes of foods to suit the age and eating experience of your own child and add more complicated textures as they grow.

Finger Foods for Toddlers and Babies: Fruit

Fruit is a wonderful finger food for kids since it’s often very flavorful and usually needs little to no prep. Below are some of my favorite fruits for kids, along with serving suggestions

• Apples, shredded or cut into matchsticks, or steamed until soft
• Bananas, broken up and sectioned (these are easier to pick up than slices, which can be slippery)
• Blueberries, halved if large
• Raspberries, halved if large
• Blackberries, halved if large
• Strawberries, diced
• Clementines or oranges, halved or diced
• Grapes, sliced in half or quarters vertically
• Kiwi, diced
• Watermelon, diced or in sticks
• Cantaloupe, diced (make sure it’s very ripe and soft)
• Cherries, pitted and chopped
• Honeydew, diced (make sure it’s very ripe and soft)
• Mango, diced (make sure it’s very ripe and soft)
• Pears, very ripe and soft served diced with or without the skin or cut into matchsticks

Finger Foods for Toddlers and Babies: Vegetables

Most raw veggies will be too hard for little ones to chew, so read the suggestions below for easy ways to cook them—and for advice on which work well served raw.

• Avocado, cubed or sliced
• Squash Butternut, steamed or roasted until soft
• Broccoli florets, steamed or roasted
• Carrots, shredded and served raw to toddlers over 18 months or diced and steamed or roasted until soft
• Cauliflower florets, steamed or roasted
• Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• Cucumbers, sliced or diced (you may want to wait until over at least 18 months and then remove the skin)
• Snap peas, diced fresh for kids over 2 or steamed for younger eaters
• Sweet potato, peeled, diced and soft, or roasted whole until soft and served in pieces.
• Thawed frozen peas (or still frozen for older toddlers!)
• Thawed frozen corn
• Thawed edamame, cut in half as needed
• Zuchini or yellow squash, diced or sliced and sauteed, steamed, or roasted.