Blog
Best finger food recipes for babies
Once your baby is accustomed to purees you can start introducing finger foods, usually at around 6 to 8 months. Finger foods are an important part of your child’s food journey, helping them develop biting and chewing skills and developing their coordination and motor skills.
CREAM CHEESE DIP
Little ones love dipping! This dip is super versatile – use Squish 100% Fruit Puree if you’ll be serving it with fruit slices, or add Squish 100% Veg Puree if you’re opting for savoury. Make this dip using any already open Squish 100% Fruit or Veg pouches you have in the fridge – feel free to mix and match flavours. Squish 100% Fruit and Veg Puree pouches come with a resealable lid, which cuts back on food waste when you are introducing new tastes and textures to your baby, and just want to try a small amount at a time.
Ingredients
½ cup plain cream cheese
½ pouch of Squish 100% Fruit or Veg Puree
Lightly steamed vegetable batons or slices of apple or pear
Method
Place cream cheese in a bowl and add your child’s favourite Squish 100% Fruit or Vegetable Puree. Stir well to blended.
Finger food tip: Cutting food into wedges or batons is best. Make them around 7cm long so that your baby can hold in their fist. It is essential to steam or roast crunchy vegetables so that they can’t break into large chunks and become a choking hazard.
SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene and vitamin C and their natural sweetness makes them an excellent choice as your baby gets used to new flavours. These pancakes are made using a pouch of Squish 100% Sweet Potato, Apple and Cinnamon Puree. They freeze well, so you can have them easily on hand when you need a tasty meal for your little one. Squish 100% Fruit and Veg Purees are made using quality fresh fruit and veg and are free from nasties like preservatives, flavourants and colourants.
Ingredients:
160 g (1 cup) cake flour
5 g (1 tsp) baking powder
2 eggs
125 ml (½ cup) milk (you can switch this out for breastmilk or formula)
1 x 110 ml Squish 100% Sweet Potato, Apple and Cinnamon Puree
15 ml (1 Tbsp) oil for frying
Method:
Sift together flour and baking powder.
Whisk together eggs, milk and Squish Puree.
Whisk the Squish mixture into the dry ingredients and beat to a smooth, thick batter.
Heat the oil over a very low heat in a non-stick frying pan.
Add spoons of the batter and shape into circles.
Cook until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake, then flip over and cook on the other side until the pancake is firm to the touch. Repeat with remaining batter.
Finger food tip: Sometimes little ones can ‘store’ food in their mouths. At the end of mealtimes give their mouth a quick check to see they have swallowed all of their food.
VEGGIE-LOADED SCRAMBLED EGG
From around six months it is safe to introduce eggs into your child’s diet. Although you might not think of scrambled eggs as finger food, your little one with love picking up the bits of egg and eating it. Just make sure when you’re scrambling that you don’t break the egg up into pieces that are too small. This scrambled egg has Squish 100% Veg Puree added to it – we used Squish 100% Mixed Veg Puree, but you could try different flavours too, including Butternut + Carrot or Pear + Sweet Potato. Serve with toast cut into fingers.
Ingredients
2 eggs
50 ml (½ pouch) Squish 100% Mixed Vegetable Puree (or any flavour you please)
45 ml (3 Tbsp) cheddar cheese, grated
Method
Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add Squish Puree and mix well. Melt a blob of butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the egg and puree mix and cook, stirring, until just cooked. Stir in the cheese.
Finger food tip: When your baby first starts on finger foods you need to ensure the food is soft. Your baby should be able to squash the food between their fingers.