Finger foods for your baby
By this age, most babies are quite keen to get in there and have a go at feeding themselves. Here are some great finger foods to get them started.
At this stage, your baby's two big jobs are to learn to chew and to start feeding himself (or herself). Your baby may not have any teeth yet, but those little gums are quite hard, so gnawing on some soft finger foods shouldn't be much of a problem now.
Ideal first finger foods are either a bit soft (like steamed pieces of veg) or will break down easily in your baby's mouth (like rice cakes or toast soldiers).
A word of caution
Food is a wonderful adventure for your baby, but you'll still need to be careful with hard foods that could cause choking and make sure there is always someone with your baby while he or she is eating. It can take babies a while to learn to deal with lumps, and they may spit bits back out or cough them back for more chewing. This is perfectly normal and doesn’t mean they are choking.
If your baby does choke, then calmly lift them up and turn them upside down (on your lap is a good place to do this). Try to do it gently and without panicking so that you don't frighten them. Give up to five back blows between the shoulder blades to help dislodge the object, then check to see whether this has helped (it usually will). There's more good advice about choking on the NHS website.
