FINGER FOOD IS FUN

Once your baby is able to chew and shows an interest in bringing things to her mouth, it’s time for the next big step: finger foods. Your baby doesn’t even need to have teeth for this.

■ START WITH SOFT FOODS that melt in the mouth, like cubes of watermelon (with pips removed). Avocado and banana are also good options.

■ STEAM VEGETABLES AND HARD FRUITS like apples to make them easier to chew. As your baby gets more proficient with finger foods, give her grated cheese, chopped hard-boiled egg and strips of soft meat.

■ TEETHING BISCUITS AND RICE CAKES are also great finger foods. Intrepid eaters will also love chewing on toast fingers and baby biltong. Babies with good fine motor skills can dip steamed veggies, cooked pasta or homemade potato chips in a nice sauce.

You can also try combining purees and finger foods in a sitting.

Give your baby a small plate of finger foods to tuck into while you feed her bites of softer food from a spoon. One more tip: finger foods can get messy, but don’t let this dissuade you. This kind of food has major benefits that make it a necessity. Finger foods introduce your baby to yet more variety, and chewing them is important for the development of her mouth and jaw (and so aids speech development). This all helps to decrease fussiness. On top of all that, finger foods encourage a baby to be an adventurous eater, to develop healthy eating habits as she decides when she’s full, and aid her overall development (think of all that fine motor exercise and hand-eye coordination).

And lastly, keep the camera ready and take lots of cute pictures of this new milestone in your clevel little baby’s life. ●