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A unique child nutrition: Finger foods -Chew it over

'Finger foods' have important implications for a child's development that may be overlooked in today's lifestyles, as Karen Faux discovers.

The Daily Mail recently reported the case of a toddler who will eat nothing but yoghurt and consumes an astonishing 14 pots a day. While this may be an extreme example of a child who has failed to make the transition to chewable foods, it reflects what many health professionals believe to be a growing trend - a resistance on the part of babies and young children to pick up their food and chew on it.

Lifestyle factors seem to have a lot to do with why the move to finger food is often problematic. It is easy to understand how hard-pressed, working parents may prioritise on getting food down their children as swiftly as possible, depriving them of the opportunity to experiment with it themselves.

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