Finger Foods for Toddlers

I am not sure if its a blessing or a disaster, once your toddlers can use their own little fingers to eat. On one hand, you can keep them busy with food while you are busy. On the other hand, they create a great mess with the food, thereby adding to your chores of work. There was a phase when Anushka refused to be spoon fed and just wanted to experiment everything with her fingers. The moment I brought the spoon near to her mouth, she would turn her face in the opposite direction, as far as away from the spoon. Either she wanted to have her own way or it was hunger strike. It was a terrible phase, but passed away like other phases did.

I felt its good to let Anushka eat on her own but only those foods which I thought she could manage. So I would make her sit on her high chair, spread a big plastic mat under the chair and give her food to eat. This way even if she made a mess, I would only need to clean the mat. So here are a few ideas for Finger Foods as well:

1. Any soft fruit cut into slices or bite sized pieces
2. Cheerios
3. Biscuits
4. Cucumber slices
5. Cheese cubes
6. Boiled pasta shapes
7. Hard boiled eggs cut into bite sized pieces
8. Boiled Chanas (soft and mashed)
9. Boiled carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes (tenderly cooked)
10. Bread butter mini sandwich
11. Dhoklas/Idlis
12. Parantha/Roti/Uthapam cut into bite sized pieces