4 Finger Foods Your Toddler Will Grasp Willingly

Since toddlers practically live off of finger food, it's important to have a little variety. However, that can sometimes seem impossible for finger foods. They can sometimes get repetitive and boring for your toddler, leading to picky eaters and those who seem to lose interest in eating. Sometimes those two problems can be solved with a bit of creativity. Here are four creative options your toddler is sure to grasp willingly.

Graham Delights

This is a graham cracker square with plain yogurt (or all-natural fruit yogurt without artificial flavoring or coloring) and 100% fruit spread. This is best served during snack time. Each graham square should contain one swipe of plain yogurt across the square and a small dollop of fruit spread in the center. If you'd rather avoid the fruit spread, a fresh slice of your child's favorite fruit can replace the spread.

Frog On a Lily Pad

This simply consists of wheat crackers, sliced ham, sliced cheese, a pickle, and an olive. The cheese should come first. Next is the ham. Place a hamburger dill pickle slice on top of the ham (the lily pad). Next, place the olive atop the pickle (the frog).

Alternative: To hold them together, you can use a small rectangular cube of cheese, and slit holes in the ham and pickle. Take the pimento out of the olive. Stick the cheese rectangle through all the holes in order and place the concoction atop the cracker.

Rice Krispies Rolls

Dip sliced bananas, kiwi, pineapple, and strawberries in cream cheese or yogurt. Then, roll them in the crisp rice cereal. Try cutting all the fruit in the same shapes. Toddlers will love being surprised at the taste they get. These are great for snacks or to accompany a meal.

Pizza Sticks

For this one, you'll need pizza dough, spaghetti sauce (we like Prego), shredded mozzarella cheese and a pepperoni stick. First, prepare the pizza dough by rolling it flat and cutting it into squares that are about 4" x 4". Preheat the oven to 400F. This temperature may need to be adjusted. I have found that for some ovens, 350F is better. Set the squares on a cookie sheet, pre-treated with your favorite cooking spray. Next, dice the pepperoni stick into very small squares. Set those aside. Spread the sauce onto the middle of the square. Sprinkle a bit of cheese over the sauce. Next, place some pepperoni dices atop the cheese. Then, fold all sides of the square over about ½ inch. Now roll the squares into sticks, moving from left to right. No sauce (or other contents) should be leaking out. Once all your sticks are rolled up, place them in the oven for about 7-10 minutes. Each toddler will generally eat 3 or 4 of these. Some toddlers will enjoy dipping these in ranch dressing.

*Allergy Note:

Please remember that some children have allergies to milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, artificial additives, monosodium glutamate (msg), and other foods. Always check food labels to ensure your child is not allergic to any of the ingredients.

**Medical Note:

Please note that the author is not a nutritionist or medical professional. Always consult your pediatrician about your child's nutritional needs. Not all children have the same nutritional needs, restrictions, allergies, or requirements.

*To read more from this author or subscribe to her content, simply click on her name or avatar picture above.