Choosing Appropriate Finger Foods for Babies and Toddlers
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be given finger foods only when he or she can sit unassisted and is able to bring food up to the mouth. First finger foods should be soft, easy to swallow and cut into small pieces. However, many prepackaged foods labeling finger foods may be unsafe and a choking hazard.
Cooked or soft fruits and vegetables, wafer-type crackers or cookies, scrambled eggs, cooked pasta and cooked chicken all of which should be cut up into small pieces are generally safe. Some products however that are labelled as ‘melt-away’ or dissolvable are not so under certain conditions. These products can be affected by humidity and by how fresh the produce is. Under certain conditions they can become gooey or marshmallowy or rough and dry. To ensure that your baby or toddler will be able to swallow the produce, parents may wish to test out piece of the food in order to ensure that it will indeed dissolve correctly.
May 23, 2016