Healthy Finger Foods For Toddlers (25+ Ideas)
- February 13, 2020
- Last Updated: March 24, 2022
- 1 Comment
- baby led weaning
Need inspiration for healthy finger foods for toddlers? These toddler picky eater food ideas will help you feed even the choosiest of toddlers!
Let’s face it, the challenges of feeding toddlers can be real. One day they like something, the next they hate it. Finding foods for picky toddlers can be so draining!
But, you still want to make sure they’re eating healthy, even if they won’t finish their peas and you don’t just want to serve them only chicken finger food for toddlers.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, these healthy finger foods for toddlers will help.
Or, if you need more specific snacks, using sweet potato for baby finger food can be explored in so many ways, for toddlers too!
It’s a really neat concept watching your little one start to feed themselves. It makes you feel all the happy feels as a parent, but you want to make sure you’re serving them safe and nutritious options.
Plus, I try to model intuitive eating as a mom so my daughters can have a positive relationship with food! I share more about this in my post about intuitive eating for kids as well.
So, we’re sharing several options of finger food recipes for toddlers to help you reduce the stress of finding the perfect recipe to feed your child.
Making Healthy Finger Foods For Toddlers
Healthy finger foods are a great place to start with toddlers because they have the ability to grab and grasp onto foods and feed themselves.
In my experience, this makes it more likely that they will actually eat something, especially if they are fun finger foods.
Good finger foods for toddlers are awesome because toddlers enjoy being mobile and walking around holding their food and we also have several toddler snack ideas.
I love crusting things in flax seed, breadcrumbs or even quinoa (check out these quinoa recipes for toddlers) because they add extra nutrients, a crunchy coating and make it more fun.
Finger Food Ideas for Baby Led Feeding
Typically, you’ll try to include “healthy” foods and ingredients in finger foods. Sweet potatoes are one of our favorite finger foods for BLW because baby led weaning sweet potatoes are so easy and variable!
All of these ideas work for babies, as finger food snacks for 1 year old, finger foods for 2 year old and all kids in general.
Many of these are also good road trip foods because they can hold and eat these without making too much of a mess. Again, portable finger foods being the key idea.
- baked/sauteed fruits (bananas, apples, peaches, mango)
- cutting any vegetable into a “fry” shape and coating it with bread crumbs/parmesan cheese
- string cheese
- baby meatballs
- grapes or tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- french toast or pancakes (made with oat flour or whole wheat flour)
- healthy toddler muffins
- whole wheat toast, cut into strips
- whole wheat or bean based pastas
- hummus or guacamole
- potatoes
- cucumber slices
- asparagus
- green beans (can make from air fryer frozen green beans)
- parsnip fries or carrot fries
- hard boiled eggs
- avocado strips
- peas (frozen or fresh) or edamame
- vegetable chips/sticks
Make sure to follow food safety tips for infants and toddlers when serving food, like making sure eggs, meat and seafoods are cooked thoroughly and avoiding raw, unpasteurized foods and ingredients.
Many healthy finger foods for baby will include fruits and veggies in them, so you don’t have to stress and scramble for finding additional ways to add those healthy foods in.
Furthermore, they can be soft, mushy and low in added sugars.
Finger Foods For Picky Toddlers
Is your toddler picky about what he/she will eat? Many babies and toddlers go through these phases, but we have plenty of ideas for finger foods for picky toddlers, including partyish foods.
- Firstly, know that you’re not doing anything wrong. The best thing you can do is keep offering foods. Don’t feel too discouraged if you are sick of chicken finger food for toddlers.
- Try serving foods in different ways (baked/fried/pureed/raw/cooked) and see if one is more preferable to another. For example, try mashed sweet potatoes one day, and then bake them into fries another.
- You could also serve them diced on another occasion. Same food, just different textures and different presentations!
- Pair a food they like and know with a new(er) food. This provides them a sense of familiarity, rather than everything being new and thrown at them at once.
Several of these toddler finger food recipes will appeal to even the pickiest of eaters and many are some of the best finger foods for baby led weaning.
Sweet potatoes were our favorite food for our baby led weaning foods at 9 months, and they continue to be popular today.
These sweet potato recipes for toddlers are also weekly staples for us!
Tasty Toddler Finger Food Recipes
Whether you need some high protein finger foods, healthy fish sticks, or healthy vegetarian finger foods for 1 year old for toddlers, this list should get you started.
And don’t forget you can always make extra to freeze – for a more complete list of freezable foods for toddlers, check out toddler friendly freezer recipes.
Finger Foods For Toddlers
Healthy finger food ideas for toddlers and high protein finger food ideas - vegetarian, vegan and meat-based!
These crispy chicken nuggets are made with a hidden vegetable: sweet potato! They are delicious, nutritious, oven-baked, and extra crispy! Try the sweet and sour sauce for dipping.
Healthy turkey meatballs made with rice
Frozen cookie dough bites made with sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, peanut butter and maple syrup are the best homemade cookie dough bites. Just take them out of the freezer and enjoy these no bake cookie dough bites frozen!
These Gluten Free Alaska Fish Sticks use a breading with almond flour and quinoa to make a healthy baked fish stick for kids, served with a delicious honey yogurt dipping sauce.
These bacon and corn fritters are too good to put down. Crispy on the outside and cheesy and sweet on the inside, these corn fritters with bacon work great as an appetizer or easy meal.
Air Fryer Parsnips are an easy and healthy side option, ready in just 20 minutes. Honey mustard parsnips combine honey, dijon mustard and a handful of spices for a healthy veggie side.
Ever think to add spinach to a turkey meatball? Great way to add in some greens!
Photo Credit:
crayonsandcravings.com
Turkey Apple & Cheese Kabobs for Kids (Kid-Friendly Lunch Idea)
A fun lunch or snack ideas for all kids! Add whatever fruit or cheese's you'd like.
Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Zucchini Muffins are a tasty, portable snack option for your little ones. These zucchini and sweet potato muffins are full of veggies and provide a dairy-free option for those who need it
Trying to get your toddler to eat more fish? Toddler friendly fish recipes and fish sticks should do the trick.
This BBQ Bison Meatball recipe is the only bison meatball recipe you need. Instant pot bbq meatballs are delicious as is, or paired with rice or pasta.
Mini quiche recipes are great for breakfast or snacks on the go! Fill them with veggies too.
Vegetarian and Vegan Toddler Finger Foods
Whether you're looking for vegan toddler finger foods or vegetarian toddler options, these finger foods will satisfy your plant-based little ones.
These Spinach Sweet Potato Tots are a fun way to sneak in vegetables for your toddler. Packed with iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and carbohydrates, this veggie tots recipe is great for meal prep and the side to any meal.
These vegan lentil nuggets are perfect for feeding your picky toddler (or adult), made using wholesome ingredients.
Maybe your toddler likes a crunchy outer layer. These veggie bites are perfect!
Crispy, savory, vegan and gluten free Zucchini Fritters recipe that takes less than 15 minutes to make.
Cauliflower Fritters with Garlic Dill Aioli – an easy, healthy cauliflower pancake recipe that works for breakfast, brunch, as a side dish, or afternoon snack.
Adding ricotta is an easy way to sneak in extra protein and nutrients to these soft pancakes.
This family friendly Crunchy Roasted Eggplant Fries recipe is a great way to use up or introduce your family to eggplant.
These Garlic Turmeric Crispy Parsnip Fries are the perfect "fry" shape and sprinkled with cheese and herbs. An easy parsnip recipe for the whole family and a quick side to any meal.
If you’re not a big fan of carrots, turn them into flavorful carrot fritters because they're delicious with only 5 ingredients.
These Cheesy Zucchini Tots are a fun way to get the family to eat some veggies with a smile! They are simple to whip up and perfect for dipping into your favorite sauce!
Photo Credit:
www.nithisclickncook.com
Grilled Broccoli Recipes | Perfect Grilled Broccoli | Roasted Broccoli
Throw grilled broccoli florets on a kebab stick and season however you like them.
Want to know the best things about these butternut squash fritters? They are crazy delicious and super easy to make, they are crispy on the outside and soft inside.
Sweetened lightly, this complex carb treat is Paleo, Vegan, Plant-based, GAPS and AIP friendly
Baked Broccoli Bites, a deliciously healthy snack or appetizer that even broccoli haters will love.
Finger Foods for Picky Toddlers
These finger foods for babies and toddlers are naturally sweetened with fruit and offer a fun snack idea for even the pickiest of eaters
A healthy, crunchy snack for babies and toddlers alike!
Add any fruits to these mini pizza's and let the kids decorate them.
While it might sound strange, yogurt bark is simply a frozen sheet of yogurt that is mixed with your toppings of choice.
These homemade crackers are flavored with herbs and are a delicious and nutritious snack for the entire family.
Baby Cereal pancakes are soft and flavorful and appropriate for babies, toddlers and kids!
This Gluten Free Fruit Pizza is a perfect healthy fruit pizza that works as a snack or dessert. The almond flour crust is gluten-free and topped with fresh fruit and a chocolate peanut butter frosting.
Baby French Toast Sticks are a healthy, tasty way to introduce eggs to your baby. This protein french toast can be topped with fruit, peanut butter, hummus, yogurt or milk!
Unlike traditional popsicles that are usually made with a fruit juice base, these fruit popsicles with greek yogurt to create a creamy treat.
Sweet potato is a great starter food for baby led weaning and your baby will love to grasp and taste these cookies!
Sarah Schlichter is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition. She specializes in sports nutrition and intuitive eating, and recipe development. She also co-hosts the podcast, Nail Your Nutrition.
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Cannot wait to try spinach sweet potato tarters. They look really yummy! Hope they dont come out try for me.