By Jo Lenz, Registered Dietitian (HCPC registered), in conversation with Mulu, founder of V&Me · Published July 2026
Jo Lenz's top three first finger foods are avocado, lightly steamed courgette and cucumber. The test for whether a finger food is safe is simple: it should mash between your thumb and forefinger, and you can check by pressing the end of a knife into it. Whether you are doing baby led weaning or starting with purées, Jo recommends finger foods as early as possible, because they build the texture experience and self feeding skills your baby needs. Here is her guidance in full, from her conversation with V&Me founder Mulu.
Why offer finger foods so early?
Two reasons come straight from the conversation. First, self feeding: babies who have been used to picking up toys and taking them to their mouths will do the same with food, and the more you allow self feeding, the more those skills build. Mulu found this transformed her own mealtimes: once her boys could feed themselves, she could stop watching every swallow and get on with her own meal, which is itself a good experience for the baby to watch. Second, texture: finger foods give babies real experience of managing food in their mouths, which is the foundation of the whole texture progression journey. There will be mess, of course. The mess is great, embrace it.
Jo's top three first finger foods
- Avocado. Soft and suitable from the start. It can be a little bit slippery, so leave half the skin on, which helps babies grip onto it.
- Courgette. A really nice first finger food. Cut into finger shapes and lightly steam, roughly five to nine minutes. Steaming matters: boiled vegetables absorb a lot of water and can become too squishy for a baby to pick up.
- Cucumber. A perfectly suitable first finger food, and you can take the skin off if you are a bit more nervous about it.
Beyond the top three, any soft cooked vegetable in a finger shape works well. What you should not offer at this stage is chunks of raw vegetables. It is soft cooked vegetables, in a shape that is appropriate and going to minimise the risk of choking.
Free texture progression guide download
A simple guide designed by Jo Lenz, ready to be printed and stuck to the fridge.
The squish test
Jo's rule for checking a finger food is ready: it should be mashable between your thumb and forefinger. She also tests with the end of a knife, pressing the tip in and squishing the end just to make sure it is the right texture. If it resists, cook it a bit longer.
Why bitter vegetables should come first
Babies have an innate liking for sweet foods, an inbuilt desire for sweetness. There is research around introducing bitter tastes right from the get go, so bitter vegetables like courgette are a deliberate first choice, not just a convenient one. Your baby might pull faces. That is just them getting used to something different. It does not mean they do not like it, and it is not your sign to never offer it again. And if you did not start this way, do not feel guilty or worried. It is simply an evidence based head start if you can do it.
Do I have to choose between purées and finger foods?
No. Jo says a lot of parents do a combination, a purée alongside a finger food at the same meal, and a combination is often quite a nice way of doing it. Whichever way you start, the direction is the same: keep offering, keep progressing. Our month by month texture progression guide sets out the full path.
A word on gagging
Some gagging with finger foods is very common and it is a protective response, not a sign anything is wrong. Prepare foods to the squish test, always be with your baby while they eat, and stay calm. Our full guide to gagging is here.
Finger foods, ready for London doorsteps
Every V&Me meal is cooked fresh each morning in our Battersea kitchen, with vegetables cooked to exactly the point Jo describes: soft enough to pass the squish test, in shapes small hands can hold, delivered across London the same day. See what is on this week's menu.
FAQs
Q: When can babies have finger foods?
A: From the start of weaning at around six months. Even if you are mainly doing purées, offer finger foods alongside as early as possible.
Q: What are the best first finger foods for a baby?
A: Avocado with half the skin left on for grip, courgette fingers lightly steamed for five to nine minutes, cucumber, and any soft cooked vegetable in finger shapes.
Q: How soft should baby finger food be?
A: Soft enough to mash between your thumb and forefinger. Steam rather than boil, because boiled vegetables absorb water and become too squishy to pick up.
Q: Should first vegetables be bitter or sweet?
A: There is research supporting bitter vegetables first, because babies already have an innate liking for sweet foods. Faces pulled at bitter tastes do not mean dislike.
This article is based on a recorded conversation between Jo Lenz, registered dietitian, and Mulu, founder of V&Me. It is general guidance, not a substitute for individual medical advice. If you are concerned about your baby's feeding, speak to your GP, health visitor or a paediatric dietitian.
Jo Lenz is a registered dietitian with 19 years of experience, including 13 years in the NHS, and has worked with V&Me since it began. V&Me cooks fresh baby and toddler meals every morning in its Battersea kitchen and delivers across London.
