Most children prefer to eat with their fingers by the time they reach their first birthday. While the mess is not easy to watch (or clean up), it’s good for toddlers’ development — and it frees up mom and dad to eat right along with their little ones.
While I’m still in the messy-eating toddler stage, I wanted to compile a list of my all time favorite finger foods. This list takes into account nutritional needs at this stage, appropriate textures and ease of preparation.
1. Sweet potatoes: High in both vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes pack a nutritional punch and sweet taste. To prepare, poke both sides of a washed potato several times with a fork. Cook in the microwave for 2-5 minutes on each side. Smaller potatoes take less time while bigger ones take more time.
When done cut the potato in half and let cool. Spoon out the soft insides and top with butter if desired. Cut into small pieces and serve.
2. Frozen peas: A good source of fiber and several vitamins and minerals including iron, green peas make a great food for growing toddlers. To prepare either cook according to the package directions or let the peas thaw on their own. It doesn’t get easier than this.
3. Soft meat: The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a report saying 15% of kids under 3 don’t get enough ironwhich is essential during the first few years of life. It’s important to remember that the type of iron in meat is highly absorb-able making it an ideal food for little ones.
Tough meats are not only a choking hazard but are not appealing to small children. Try cooking meat in the slow cooker to keep it moist. Good choices include drumsticks, pork and ground meat.
4. Fish: A child’s developing brain needs essential fatssuch as omega-3s DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). Since these fats mainly come from marine sources such as fish, it’s an important part of a toddler’s diet.
Try low mercury sources of fish like salmon, light canned tuna and tilapia, which are also soft and easy to break up into little pieces. You can also look for fish sticks made with salmon such as these from Happy Baby. For more on feeding kids fish safely, see Kids Safe Seafood.
5. Eggs:With high quality protein, iron, choline, B12, riboflavin and other key nutrients, eggs are the perfect food for toddlers. You can scramble them with added veggies like sautéed spinach and mushrooms or boil them ahead of time. Either way, eggs make a quick and nutritious protein source for growing children.
6. Soft fruit/veggies: Fruits and veggies make great additions to any meal. Cut soft and ripe fruit into small pieces. Make sure to include at least one vitamin C-rich fruit and veggie daily such as cantaloupe, papaya, mango, kiwi, broccoli, cauliflower and strawberries.
Steam veggies until they are soft and cut up into small pieces, season and serve. Make sure to include at least one vitamin A-rich veggie or fruit daily such as winter squash, carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and spinach.
7. Grated apple: Apples are usually left out of toddlers’ diet because of their hard texture. But by peeling the skin and grating apples, you get a nice finger food that, thanks to its soluble fiber content, helps boost kids’ immune systems.
8. Grated cheese: Add grated natural cheese to veggies, beans, eggs and fruit to round out a meal or snack. Cheese is a good source of protein and calcium and it contains fat which is especially needed the first 2 years of life.
9. Beans: Rich in protein, B vitamins, iron and fiber and easily picked up by little fingers, beans make an excellent substitute for meat at meals. Make sure they are soft and cut larger beans in half. Serve with avocado and a vitamin C-rich fruit or veggie to help increase the absorption of iron.
You can cook straight from the can or soak dried beans overnight and cook them in the crock pot. Either way, beans are so nutritious and filling, you’ll want them to be part of your child’s diet for years to come.
10. Whole grains: From pastas to iron-rich cereals (like Cheerios) and pieces of bread, there are many whole grain choices to include at mealtime. Remember that whole grains contain all parts of the grain including the germ and bran, which contain fiber and plenty of nutrition. Look for “whole grain” as the first ingredient and the Whole Grains Council stamp to let you know you have a winner.
And please don’t forget about choking hazards.
So tell me, what are your favorite healthy and easy finger foods you feed your toddler?
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I think Cheerios make a good finger food.
My younger daughter did not like any babyfood-style food. No cereals of any sort, nothing pureed. Around 8 months she started eating Cheerios and b/w 8 and 10 months that was her only solid food. Cheerios and breastmilk. Then she started eating more. All regular table food. She totally skipped the babyfood thing. I was kinda worried at the time, but she was growing fine and it’s not like I could force her to eat the other stuff.
But because of that -I think of Cheerios as the perfect finger food.
Some babies are just not into puree food. Cheerios is great. My kids still eat it!
Quick question…I have a 15month old infant…is it possible for him to choke on peas???
Cathy — peas, especially when they are cooked and soft enough, are not usually considered a choking hazard. In general, foods bigger than a pea need to be cut up. Grapes and hotdogs that are bigger, round and hard are choking hazards.
This is the BEST list of toddler-friendly foods I’ve found!! So many websites are not mentioning foods like fish, eggs and kidney beans. My daughter just turned 1 and she eats a wide variety of foods. She will eat anything!! Thank you for adding the info about serving vitamin c rich foods with beans to increase iron absorption. Good to know!
Thanks Amy!!
A great help! My son just turned 1 two weeks ago. Since my mom won’t come for babysitting anymore, I desperately need more help!!!! So good to find this website….Still need helps though.
Great list! Meat is always a struggle for my 14 month old. I saute ground beef ahead of time. When cooled I refridgerate. When completely cooled I crumble it inside a ziplock and freeze.
When I need a quick lunch for Jace I heat a couple of tablespoons of meat with some grated cheese the spread onto bread. Fold and dice it up viola! Cheeseburger sandwich. Some sliced carrots and diced banana and avocado and we are good to go!
I would add tofu, especially Trader Joes Teriyaki Tofu!
GREAT list! I hadn’t thought of grating apples.
My daughter LOVES avocados. She would eat an entire one at every meal if I let her! I didn’t know that they helped with iron absorption from beans, but that is great news, because she loves beans, too.