If youโre moving toward finger foods, the question becomes: how big is safe?
For 6-8 months, think long and soft.
Babies this age use a palmar grasp (their whole hand), not a neat pincer grip yet. So food should be cut into pieces about the size and shape of two adult fingers- easy to grab, sturdy enough to hold, and soft enough to squish between your fingers.
Think:
โข Steamed carrot sticks
โข Thick wedges of roasted sweet potato
โข Broccoli florets with a โhandleโ
โข Soft strips of omelette
Avoid small, round, hard pieces. These are the same shape as their airways, so we want all food going in to be ripped off from a long piece of food, so they can manage the shapes all on their own.ย
Youโre not aiming for perfect bites, youโre supporting skill-building.
Messy is welcome here. ๐งก
