A good rule of thumb to follow is the younger the baby, the bigger the piece of food. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the bigger the piece of food, allows your baby to hold onto it while chewing and sucking on it without posing as high of a choking hazard. For babies 6-9 months, you will want to cut food into 2-3′ strips or sticks roughly the size of 2 adult fingers. For babies 9-12 months, you can shred or cut food into ‘pea’ size pieces.

6-9 MONTHS

• Bananas: cut a banana in half and trim off 2 inches of the peel furthest away from the stem, so your baby has an easy-to-grip handle.
• Avocado: cut avocado into thick slices and leave half of the peel on, so your baby has an easy-to-grip handle.
• Meat: cut a thick slice of meat that is the size of two adult fingers or serve your baby a piece of meat on the bone – drumstick, rib, etc.
• Sweet Potato: cut a sweet potato into thick wedges and then steam or roast until tender.
• Broccoli: steam or roast bigger florets until tender.
• Eggs: serve strips of omelets or quarters of hard-boiled eggs.
• Apples: cut into slices and steam or sauté until tender.
• Pancakes: serve baby a small or cut in half pancake.

9-12 MONTHS

• Bananas: thin strips of banana that can be rolled in crushed baby puffs or O’s cereal.
• Avocado: thin slices or small chunks of ripe avocado.
• Meat: shredded, thicker strips, ground meat, or long strips of meatballs.
• Sweet Potato: thick wedges or chopped smaller pieces of steamed or roasted sweet potatoes.
• Broccoli: smaller florets or chopped pieces of steamed or roasted broccoli.
• Eggs: serve quartered or chunks of hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs
• Apples: cut into slices or chopped into small pieces and steam or sauté until tender.
• Pancakes: serve baby a pancake cut in half or chopped into small pieces.