Soft Finger Food Suggestions

we used to do a lot of scrambled eggs. Beans (like pinto beans, kidney beans). Pasta (elbow macaroni). LOTS of cheerios.

My brother did that with meat -- he'd suck on it for hours until it was white (GROSS!). Tofu is a nice alternative to meat - it is a great source of protein and calcium, and it's super soft, with a mild taste for kids. You can cook it a variety of ways, from pan-frying to baking to simply heating up in broth. Edamame beans are also packed with protein and somewhat more palatable than meat. I'd advise avoiding the junk foods commonly given to little ones, like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macncheese, french fries. If they eat it once, they will likely demand it always, and that starts some very bad habits, leading to some future troubles. Luckily at this age, kids love veggies - colorful and tasty. A favorite of mine was the frozen sliced carrots - very soft and easy to make. Also, perhaps when he's a little bigger, try grilled cheese with whole grain bread, cheese and cooked broccoli cut up very small to fit inside the sandwich. This became a favorite with my everyone - including older siblings and grandparents. Also, in restaurants, when facing a kids menu of junk, a good alternative (best being just steamed veggies) is macncheese with a side of broccoli and/or carrots cut up into the pasta. Since they don't eat much, it's important to make every bite count and be as nutritionally dense as possible. Good luck!

I'm having a similar dilemma with my 11-month old, and I just keep trying different things. She LOVES cheerios, so they are usually her "appetizer" while I get her dinner ready. The foods that are working for us are sweet peas, soybeans (shelled edamame), bananas, green beans, cooked carrots, avacadoes, broccoli. I have read that tofu is a good choice for this but have not had much success. I know that things don't always work out the way I think, but I am really trying hard to avoid the hotdog, chicken finger, mac n cheese foods that it seems so many children will ONLY eat. We'll see how that goes! Hope that helps, good luck!

Try fish sticks, french fries, spaghetti(with a spoon it helps them with coordination), peas, green beans, most foods at his age he will want to use his fingers anyway. I didn't do heavy meats with my kids when they were that age but just about anything I cooked they ate. He is still getting the nutrients he needs even if he doesn't swallow the food. Children are resilient and their little bodies realize the adjustment. Keep veggies in front of him and also try the lunchables with the meats and different cheeses. Don't worry too much about his use of his fingers. He will have more fun with it. Get a BIG bib.

its ok if he sucks on it, my daughter did the same thing and it drove me crazy. so i just sat it in front of her and left her alone to eat while i did the dishes and such and after a while she realized how to eat it, rather than suck on it.
here are some hints.
Grill cheese sandwich
cheese
lunch meat (ie balogna)
french fries
peas
chicken cut in cubes
vianna sausage or Hotdogs
waffles
strawberrys
toast
french toast
crackers
muffins

I cant think of any more right now but GOOD LUCK!

My soon to be year old is the same exact way. We giver her a lot of cheese. We still haven't given her meat, so I can't be of any help there. I don't give her those ready made toddler foods because they are packed with sodium and all sorts of other ingredients I don't want my little one consuming. Some things I feed her are: grilled cheese, cheese quesidilla,pieces of cheese, beans (green, baked, black, pinto), beets, noodles, pease, carrots, cherrios, avocados, bananas, fresh fruit,asparagus, brocolli. I also give her cottage cheese, yorgurt, other stuff I need to feed her. I just let her play with it too. I know it makes a mess, but oh well at least she is eating. If he doesn't eat meat, that's fine just give him high protein like cheese, tofu and beans. I am sure the texture phase will pass shortly, just like any other phase!!!Good Luck !!

we are bit of health nuts over here, and my son doesn't eat meat or dairy, but we love finger foods:
my sons'favorites are
steaming up mixed veggies..carrots, peas, broccoli
you can buy already cubed tofu, perfect self feeder!
beans
cubed sweet potato or sweet potato fries
cut up whole grain bread, we put a little bit of peanut butter or cashew butter on the top, not too much so it won't be sticky
avocado cut in squares, a little messy, but hey, he's a kid!
rasins
our Ingles have in the organic cookies section "Barbara's Raspberry figs" they are low in sugar, whole grain and delicious, my son and I have a race to the end of those!
Edamame is perfect finger food and full of protein
Eden also likes to spoon his own (soy)yogurt, I mix veggie powder in it to boost nutritional value.
we have given our son alternative meat hot dogs twice, and he choked both times, I don't suggest hot dogs or anything with similar texture.

At this stage the texture of the food is the problem and it's normally temp. and just trial and error is what it's about!So what your feeding him now he will, once he gets over the texture thing, like later! But I found my kids liked the carrots and peas mixed, multi-colored goldfish, lil'smokies sausages cooked till juciy then cut into peices,or venna sausages, I also like to do chicken tenders I get from wal-mart and I cut them up and toss them in their favorite condiment just enough to put flavor on them, eggs with chopped ham scrambled, baked beans drained for less mess, sometimes they just liked deli meat chopped up! I just went through the whole texture thing w/ the twins and now they eat pretty much anything I put in front of them, right now they are in love with the macronni salad I buy in the box at wal-mart it's like $1.20 a box and it lasts all week, in the mornings I give them a sippy cup full of milk and I add Carnation instant breakfast (lots of good stuff in that and they dring all their milk too) They like the frozen waffles and mini-french toast oh and homemade too! Good luck I could probably go on for a while if your wantin more ideas let me know!

When my son was your child's age, I gave him Gerber Turkey sticks, Chicken Sticks and Meat Sticks. He loved them, particularly, the Turkey sticks. The Turkey ones contained tryptophan which made the boy sleep like there was no tomorrow.

Good Luck,
D.

My daughter won't chew and swallow her meat either - she just kinda sucks on it until it loses flavor (I guess) then spits it out. However, she will eat cooked pasta noodles. Her favorites are the shells and cheese and cooked Rotini in sauce. I also cut up small pieces of mango, strawberries, kiwi, etc ... any soft fruit and she gobbles it up. She isn't too into veggies, but she loves peas. Also, small cubes of cheese is great, especially with bits of crackers to go with. And a big favorite for breakfast is a fried egg cut up into manageable pieces (the kid likes to eat but is skinny as a rail, lol). Good luck with your little one!

Try tofu if you're worried about him getting enough protein. My son and I are vegetarians. He loves it. Buy the extra firm, cubed kind and it's pretty much ready. My son likes it straight from the fridge, but you can also warm it a little in the microwave or in a pan.

Grilled cheese is by far the best soft finger food ever, and turkey and cheese roll up ( you just roll the two up, no bread or anything)quesidillas are good as well, tortilla with cheese, olives, or whatever you/she likes heated in the microwave makes for a soft dinner idea. She won't choke on the olives or tomatoes if you dice them small since it will be soft due to the microwave. A. M (real estate agent McDonough, GA)