It is around the age of 8 months old that the world of food really begins to expand for babies. As their gums become stronger and capable of “chewing”, they begin to enjoy more textured foods. More textured foods for your baby means more foods taken straight from the dinner table or the snack table in this instance; life just became a wee bit simpler!
In this luscious after-school snack, I cut up pears, peaches, plums and kiwi. These fruits, when very ripe, are nice and soft and would easily mash up between baby’s gums. I would recommend removing the peel on these fruits early on but use your own judgement. Many babies are able to mash soft peels and skins from around 8 months old but there are always exceptions and every baby is different.
When cutting up fruits for finger food for babies, be sure to make the pieces about the size of “O” cereals or peas or corn kernels. You may also want to try to offer baby a larger hunk or slice of a fruit. Fruits such as apples and firm pears are better choices for larger slices as they tend to be more difficult to break off. You could even just peel and apple and let baby gnaw on it!