Baby Led Weaning Finger Foods On The Go

When you first start baby led weaning it’s a huge learning curve for the baby and you. There is so much to be figured out in terms of meal timings, meal ideas, and nutrition for baby. Going out with a baby is tricky in those early baby led weaning days. Here is a list of baby led weaning finger foods for when you are on the go.

Hopefully, these ideas will help you navigate the initial months of baby led weaning when your baby is still learning how to eat.

BABY LED WEANING MEAL SCHEDULE (6-12 months)

This is what we did;

1 meal a day at 6 months,

2 meals at 7 – 8 months

3 meals at 9-10 months

4 meals at 11 months

and finally 5 meals a day at 12 months (3 meals and 2 snacks)

Now, there are families that jump right into 3 meals a day at 6 months and add meals every month at a faster pace compared to the route we followed. Feel free to choose a schedule you are most comfortable with.

The WHO recommends breastfeeding on demand for 2 years and beyond along with;

2–3 meals per day for infants 6–8 months of age

3–4 meals per day for infants 9–23 months of age plus 1–2 additional snacks as required;

The entire idea is to add complementary solid foods gradually alongside breastmilk/formula.

BABY LED WEANING GEAR WE USED ON THE GO

In case you are wondering, how do we serve homemade baby food on the go? read on.

We always travel with a booster seat in the car. You can read more here about why I selected these baby led weaning essentials.

In my diaper bag, I pack lots of;

1. wet wipes
2. organic cotton cloth napkins
3. crumb catching bibs
4. ziplock bag (to collect all the food messes neatly in the bag once he is done eating)
5. sippy cup

These essentials help me easily offer finger food to baby on the go. For more on how to pack a diaper bag, read here.

BABY LED WEANING  FINGER FOODS IDEAS (6-9 months)

When we first started complementary feeding, I planned my time outside the house around meal times. We would make it a point that we feed baby solids before stepping out so that outside the house it was convenient to simply breastfeed.

However, there were situations when we needed to be out for longer than 2- 4 hours. For such trips I carried the following finger foods for baby;

1. Steamed veggies like broccoli or cauliflower
2. Boiled/Baked sweet potato
3. Baked potato fries
4. Patty made with potatoes and veggies cut into rectangular pieces packed in an airtight container. Here are quick lentil patty recipe for babies,  chicken patty for babies, and chickpea patties for babies.
5. Food pouches – these reusable pouches can be used to carry homemade oat porridge or dal khichdi on the go.
6. Oat Pancakes
7. Ragi Pancakes
8. Theplas
9. Parathas – Keep the ratio of potatoes more compared to the wheat flour for younger babies to be able to easily bite into.
10. Fruit – steamed apples, pears, oranges, sweet lime, bananas, and watermelon are all travel-friendly. Prep them before leaving and pack them in an airtight container.
11. Avocado slices – to make the avocado slices non-slippery, dip them in shredded coconut or roasted ground flaxseed powder.

BABY LED WEANING FINGER FOODS IDEAS (9-12 months)

With the development of the pincer grasp and advanced chewing skills, you can now carry more food options for baby when you hit the road. Include all the above-recommended ideas plus the following finger food for babies 9-12 months old;

12. Homemade cottage cheese.  – Sauteed and cut into finger-length pieces. If you have a family history of dairy allergies talk with your doctor before you start baby on cheese.

13. Pasta

14. Boiled or Baked taro/sweet potato

15. Wheat and ragi pancakes

16. Protein pancakes for babies

17. Quinoa egg fingers – cook an egg omelet and add cooked quinoa to it. Stir and mix quinoa into the egg mix as it cooks. Place a lid on the pan so that the egg cooks completely. When the omelet is ready, cut it into finger-shaped strips.

18. Idli (Steamed rice cakes)

19. Uttapam

20. Dosa

21. Thalipeeth – Make a thalipeeth flour for baby sans the spices, only using coriander powder

22. Homemade Muffins

23. Gram flour (besan) pancakes

24. Boiled peas – always smush the peas and serve

25. Fruits like blueberries and raspberries that are cut appropriately for babies.

26. Chappati with ghee or nut butter

27. Homemade hummus with falafel balls

28. Homemade baby friendly cookies

29. Homemade waffles with nut butter – carry the waffle and nut butter in separate containers.

30. Boiled egg – If an egg is tolerated well, you can start carrying boiled eggs on trips outside the house. Talk to your doctor about when and how to start eggs for babies.

For more baby led weaning snacks ideas and recipes you can buy The Easy Toddler Snack Book. The book contains our favorite snack recipes for 6 months to 99 years.

These recipes are built using Whole Foods ingredients, you can modify them for baby led weaning by skipping the salt and honey.

I made sure to include healthy wholesome ingredients that can fill in the nutritional gaps as children enter the picky eating toddler years. 

For the first year, it is best to stick to homemade and natural foods, without processed ingredients and added sugars.

There is a lifetime for your baby to try restaurant foods and packaged snacks. Focus on introducing wholesome and home-cooked meals in the first year. Thereafter, gradually you can introduce other family favorite foods to the baby.

Always keep in mind young babies need a lot of vital nutrients for their proper growth and development.

Use this phase as a chance for your family to eat healthier and share in the joy of healthy meals.

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Hopefully, these baby led weaning finger foods ideas can help as you pack your diaper bag for your next outing with baby.