If your little one loves throwing their food as much as eating it, you need these easy baby finger foods that are healthy, delicious, and won’t make a mess!

It could be yesterday’s porridge, mashed banana, or yoghurt of any flavour, but if you have a little one who is transitioning from milk to solids, chances are you’ve had at least one of these smeared across your kitchen floor. Even though making a mess is all part of learning and exploring new flavours and textures, it can leave you feeling seriously stressed at the thought of the post-meal cleanup. To take the stress out of the mess, we’ve put together our favourite baby finger foods that are healthy and delicious, but also make cleaning a breeze.

Frozen Banana Yoghurt Bites

There’s nothing better than a cool treat on a hot summer’s day and these frozen banana yoghurt bites are the perfect baby finger food as the weather is heating up. Simple mash one ripe banana with 150g of your choice of yoghurt, pop the mixture into mini muffin trays, freeze overnight and you’ve got yourself an easy snack that is also perfect for little ones who are teething. Best of all, a quick wipe down with the Oates Microfibre Cleaning Kit’s specially designed kitchen cloth will have any drips sorted in no time. These are so good you’ll want to make extra for yourself!

Healthy Toast Soldiers

Toast can be a great way to expose your baby to different flavours through a variety of healthy spreads, but more often than not, it can end up face down on the floor. Our tip is to make healthy toast soldiers using a French toast style recipe. All you’ll need is some wholemeal bread, an egg, a banana, and your baby’s usual milk. Simple dip the bread in the mixture, fry lightly in a pan until firm but still soft, and cut into easy-to-hold soldiers. They taste great and best of all, there will be no more soggy bread on the floor! If any of the French toast batter makes its way onto your stove, the Oates Anti Bacterial Sponge Scourer will make sure it doesn’t stick around for long.

Roast Veggie Strips

If the thought of puree on your floors and walls is enough to make you consider abandoning the veggie struggle for good, opting for a roasted option can get things back on track. Choose a selection of veggies (sweet potato, carrot, and parsnip are all good options), cut strips in a size suitable for baby finger food, roast with a light drizzle of honey or oil until they are cooked but still soft enough to eat, and watch your little one go! This can also make a healthy snack option for busy mums on the go. Who knew veggies could be such a crowd-pleaser? At worst you’ll have a little extra honey or oil that can be easily wiped up with your Oates Microfibre Cleaning Kit.

Baked Tofu Chunks

When it comes to easy baby finger food, it doesn’t get much simpler than baked tofu chunks. Tofu is perfect for little ones as it is soft on the inside and can be a good alternative for those with allergies as it is dairy, gluten and nut-free. We prefer cutting the tofu into large chunks rather than small cubes so your baby can easily hold it and to reduce the risk of choking. Just season the chunks with some olive oil, pepper, and a small amount of garlic, before cooking in the oven. You can also cook the tofu plain and serve with some hummus for fussier eaters. While we can’t promise there will be no mess, this is definitely a great option for a quick snack when you’re out and about.

Being a little messy is an important part of baby-lead weaning; it allows them to explore texture, learn to self-feed, and, most importantly, enjoy the experience! That being said, we totally understand wanting to avoid a full-scale kitchen disaster after every meal, so with these quick and easy baby finger foods that keep mess to a minimum, you might even have time for an afternoon snack for yourself – wouldn’t that be nice!

Have you got a no-mess baby finger food idea that your little one just loves? SHARE it in the comments!

We are proud to be working closely with the Oates team to bring you this article. We love that Oates is Proudly Australian with quality products and prices that mean all of us can make light work of every mess. Whatever mess you’ve got – big or small – clean up is easy with Oates.