Finger Foods for 9 Month Old
Myra is going to turn 9 months old in the next few weeks. The preparations are on to celebrate her monthly birthday as has been the tradition, since her first month birthday. But her mother is about something else. She wants to start feeding Myra solid food, but does not know, all that she can feed her. At the same time, Myra has now become a BIG girl and wants to eat on her own. Hence, her mother wants to know finger foods, that can be given to Myra.
Is your condition similar to Myra's mother? Then you are not the only one. There are many mothers, who go through this problem all around the world. The child can be introduced to baby food from 7 months of age as well. The cue is, when the child begins to grab food and start eating on his own. While feeding the child may get messy, but remember it's the learning phase. The child will eventually learn on its own. We will now see some healthy and safe finger foods for toddlers.
Healthy Finger Foods for 9 Month Old Babies
Around the age of 9 months, the child can have good appetite, but may not necessarily have the required equipment to have hard food. Yeah! I mean teeth. Hence you will have to start with finger foods for babies, which he can break with his gum or which may dissolve easily in his mouth.
Bread or bagel can be given to the baby. You may want to spread some pureed vegetables on it. This will give some added nutrition to the baby. Like bread, you can also give the baby rice cakes or crackers. However, you will have to bread them into pieces, to make it easy for the child to eat it. You can also try giving the child well cooked pasta spirals. The shapes can fascinate the child and the child may take liking to it. Small pieces of cheese, tofu or cottage cheese are also good baby finger foods. But make sure that the pieces are real small. You can coat it either with a little sugar or salt. Cereals are also one of the solid foods for 9 month old, which can also be given to the baby.
Fruits make food for healthy adult as well as baby finger foods. You can give the baby tiny pieces of fruits like banana, mango, seedless watermelon, peach, pear, papaya, etc. Likewise you can also give the baby small pieces of well cooked vegetables like carrots, zucchini, sweet potato, potato, broccoli or cauliflower florets, etc. You will have to use the trial and error method to find out, what is it that suits your baby's taste buds.
Well cooked lean meat can also be one of the finger foods for toddlers. But make it a point to give very tiny pieces of meat to the baby. So that even if the baby does not chew the food well, he should be able to digest the food well. It is recommended, that give either boneless chicken or fish pieces to the baby.
Along with these finger foods for 9 month old baby, make it a point to give your baby sufficient quantity of water as well. There are some foods, which are not recommended for a baby are peas, nuts, etc. as they can choke the wind pipe. It is better to avoid giving the baby raw vegetables. Citrus fruits are also not recommended for the baby less than 15 months old, as the acid in these fruits may be too harsh for the baby. Before you start giving finger food to your child, it is better to consult your baby's pediatrician. He will be in a better position to recommend the right finger foods for your baby.
