Finger Foods - Somerville,MA

cherrioes, gerber puffs (a fav for my daughter), cooked frozen peas ( I just pop them in the microwave- I do the same w/ corn, and green beans), 1/4 of a mini bagel, grapes cut in 1/2.

Some foods can be really hard for them to manage, and they can even choke if they get too big a piece- hot dogs and grapes are in this category. How about some cubes or stripped of "pulled" chicken? You could poach a chicken breast or tenderloin (so it stays soft on the outside), then pull it into shreds or cut it into cubes like for chicken salad. If you want to try a little flavor, you can try those pre-cooked and flash-frozen chicken breasts - I get the mesquite ones from BJs. You could try deli sliced turkey if it's not too thin - she might be able to pick that up. It's a little slippery, but if she can manage pasta then maybe she can manage that. You could also try it in a sandwich and cut it into slivers like the grilled cheese. Laughing cow makes a soft cheese - in the little foil wedges. It gets soft and gooey at room temp but it's probably a good consistency when it comes out of the fridge. Switch off the types of pasta too, so she gets used to different textures. Try the rotini (corkscrew) shape or some otheres. What about potato gnocchi, usually found in the frozen food section but sometimes in the vacuum-packed clear plastic packages? Cucumbers? Blueberries - I know they are expensive now. Butternut squash cubes - that cooks up quickly in a little water. Zucchini? Sweet potatoes - You can cook them with the chicken (above) or oven-fry them in a light coating of olive or canola oil - good for the rest of the family too, and she can start to experience eating with you and sharing foods.

It's great that she is so curious and that you are interested in introducing her to so much variety. Good luck!

Here are a few ideas that worked well for my daughter.

sweet potato, nuked, peeled and cut into strips
any type of cooked bean (black, kidney, soy), mashed a little so they aren't too slippery
banana bits rolled in wheat germ (messy but easier to grab)
veggie burger cut into appropriate-sized chunks
blueberries
cooked apple strips or chunks (peel, cut up, then nuke until soft, but not too soft)
hummus on small pieces of pita
Kashi bar, cut into pieces

Hope this helps!

L.- you don't say how old your daughter is, so some of these suggestions may not be appropriate, but you decide.
My suggestions would be pieces of Am. cheese or cheddar, cut up pieces of firm or extra-firm tofu (my kids loved it, and still do at age 9!), grapes cut in half vertically, cut up bologna or other cold cuts, frozen blueberries (but not too many, these can be very irritating when they poop them out!), pieces of cooked sweet potato, banana pieces. Have fun as she tries out these new items!

pre- packaged/jar food is never a hit. would you want it???? think about what you like and try smaller pieces
our 3rd child loved frozen peas, straight from the freezer (our sitter, a nurse) gave us this tip. It is especially great for teething children.
edamame, honeydew or cantalope in small pieces, raisins,
for protein, try pieces of chicken--- if you dont want to cook it yourself for just one person, the perdue original roasted chicken strips ( probably designed for salad topping) are excellent and a favorite of my 2 yr old (but she started eating them at about 9 mos) cottage cheese or yogurt, (dont under-estimate what your child can do with a spoon) or pieces of a soft-ish cheese like monterry jack are good
good luck! the more foods you try the more your child will like!!

The jar stuff was not a hit my daughter either. She loved pancakes. We also would put chicken and other meats in a blender and chopped it really small and she would eat the meats. She did really well on the meets after that. Gerber also has some Puffs, nad Veggie wheels that she still loves and she is 2 1/2. Good luck

I give my daughter whatever I'm having. As long as it's cut up in little bits and soft it shouldn't be a problen. She'll eat whole pieces of chicken nuggets and take little bites. she's been eating crackers and slices of cheese. I just kake sure the food isn't seasoned too much. My daughter just turned one and has been eating like this for a couple of months. She likes everything so far and we skipped the stage 3 foods. She eats of a spoon and fork too.
How old is your daughter?

My daughter really started to enjoy hummus at this stage. It is messy but she liked "dipping" crackers or peices of bread into the hummus (pita bread or a thicker bread she could re dip over and over). SDhe still enjoys it now at almost 3 years old. I give her all kinds of food butI like to expose her to different tastes.. right now Cheetos are her fave just to prove we are not 100% healthy eaters all the time. We were actaully at Six Flags and I asked her waht she wanted to eat (with all the yummy but unhealghty options) she respoonded that she really wanted hummus. The other parents heard her and started laughing knowing there wa sno chance I would find that in the Amusement park. My daughter "settled" for a hotdog but she really wanted hummus.

an easy, quick, and nutritious finger food that my girls love - chickpeas! Open the can, rinse well, and there you go!

Isn't this such a fun age??? My girlie loved beans, avocado, bananas, cheese, grapes (cut-up of course), scrambled egg whites, and frozen bagels -they go from frozen to mush, so no worries, and are great for teething. Enjoy this age!

If she doesn't like meat, go through the veggies and fruit, how old is she? Try mango, avocado, apples, celery, etc all cut into smush-able sizes for the soft stuff and matchsticks or thin slices for the stiffer things. My kid (14 month old boy) is pretty adventurous and wants to each whatever we are having...which is good b/c it makes us eat healthier. Hope it helps, nat

When my son started finger foods,he used to like very soft meatballs mashed up. Another thing you could try is finely chopped pieces of chicken breast. That was another thing he liked when he started finger foods.

Your best bet is to try to incorporate the foods you prepare & eat yourself into her diet. So whatever you are eating try to modify it to her needs and smash or cut it into finger foods. This will allow her to get used to the foods you eat and get a taste for it. Many of my friends only gave their children "KidFood" and are forever caught in the trap of having to prepare 2 different meals! This gets tiresome after a while especially when life gets busy. Kid food is often not so healthy either so now is a great time to get her used to healthier foods so you are not struggling in the future w/ a kid that only eats a couple of foods like hot dogs or nuggets. You can't live on that forever.

When my kids were in the finger food stage I gave them avocado cut up into bite size pieces, cheese, noodles, cooked frozen mixed veggies(a little easier to chew than fresh), cheerios,cottage cheese, bites size pieces of whole wheat bread...the list goes on...and some of whatever we were eating. Sometimes they didn't like something, but I kept introducing the foods and eventually they got a great diverse list of foods they liked. My kids both eat just about everything now and are not pickey.

You didn't state how old your child is, so there are still some things little kids should not have incase there is a chance of developing a food allergy, like peanut butter, shell fish, eggs... so just read up or check w/ the pediatriction on any foods that should be off the list 'til she gets bigger.

Hi L.
I have a suggestion for a different approach. Try giving your daughter a nutritional supplemnt for kids (even safe for infants) that is so complete it is feeding kids in third world countries keeping them from starvation.
This way you don't have to be as careful with what she is eating.
She will already be getting all that is needed from her drink.
Also-it tastes great (Van or Choc) making your life easier.
Happy to share and get you in touch with other moms and their stories.
J. H