Easy to Chew, Nutritious Finger Foods Tips for 1-2 year olds?

DK in NJ

It's too hard to feed L with a spoon anymore.....she wants to self feed but hates everything = torture!  Some of you already know about L's feeding issues.

I need some new ideas from what I am already giving her (too much cheese, lol): mac and cheese, bread and cheese, cheese cubes, grilled cheese, creamed cheese and bread, hummus and crackers, meatballs galore, shredded chicken, baked veggie fries, veggie pancakes, omelettes. That's about it....

Any nutritious, soft finger food tips?????  L still has NO teeth!

ADDED:  My "unique" daughter (with feeding challenges) doesn't drink formula, breastmilk, or milk --- only water from a straw--- so I need to make her super nutritious finger foods.  We are working on whole milk in the straw, but she's fiesty and still refuses.

brideinOC

Where do you get baked veggie fries and pancakes?  Claire enjoys too many bread foods-regular pancakes, waffles, french fries.  At daycare, she's started eating lunch meat.  I've tried it in the past, but no dice.  I think that she sees the other kids eating and goes along with it.  You can also give her either frozen fruit or fresh fruit in a mesh feeder.  What about bananas cut into tiny pieces?

onu2006

That's a much bigger variety than we feed Shaun (he eats a lot of cheese too)! 

Does she have any interest in utensils?  We've figure out with Shaun that if you put a bite on a fork, he will grab it right above the tongs, and we can direct it towards his mouth, so he'll take it off the fork himself (and think he's doing it all himself).  It's still a little messy and time consuming, but he can eat mostly what we eat this way.

Jessica

firsttogo

Nolan loved pieces of avocado, soft fruit like pears, bananas, ect.

veggie wraps made in to a quesedilla, I will try to think of more. 

AvaLikeLava

How about the small dehrydrated fruits? I get them from Target. They have apples & strawberry/banana. The chunks are really, really small -- 1/2 the size of your pinky's fingernail, and get soft in your mouth.

DK in NJ

onu2006:

That's a much bigger variety than we feed Shaun (he eats a lot of cheese too)! 

Does she have any interest in utensils?  We've figure out with Shaun that if you put a bite on a fork, he will grab it right above the tongs, and we can direct it towards his mouth, so he'll take it off the fork himself (and think he's doing it all himself).  It's still a little messy and time consuming, but he can eat mostly what we eat this way.

Jessica

 

LOL!!!!  Thanks for the tip, but as it turns out that is exactly how Lily eats too! 

madhatter2003

diced fruits..pears, bananas, etc.

french toast sticks, pancakes ( there is an awesome sweet potato pancake mix out there...I make big batches and freeze)

We also love the dehydrated fruits and yogurt melts at target and those places.

DK in NJ

brideinOC:

Where do you get baked veggie fries and pancakes?  Claire enjoys too many bread foods-regular pancakes, waffles, french fries.  At daycare, she's started eating lunch meat.  I've tried it in the past, but no dice.  I think that she sees the other kids eating and goes along with it.  You can also give her either frozen fruit or fresh fruit in a mesh feeder.  What about bananas cut into tiny pieces?

I bake the veggies fries --- sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini, carrots, etc --- cut into sticks, toss with olive oil, season with herbs or sweeten, bake.  Pancakes --- shred veggies, mix with egg, flour, touch of baking powder and pan fry -- usually use carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, potato.  She hates the mesh feeder and bananas are the only fruit she will eat for now. 

LSUBride3

Asparagus from the can melts in their mouth

manda429

yogurt melts are a staple and actually not too bad nutrition wise.

canned veggies, such as peas, carrots and green beans

soft cooked beans cut in half

Jake will only eat bananas too.   I haven't had much luck with other fruit.

pasta pickups are a good on-the-go food, also canned soup, because everything in it is usually soft (i just give him the solids, not the liquid part of the soup)