My 9 month old will NOT eat jarred baby food anymore. He'll still eat from the spoon, as long as it's something "good" like applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, ect. but he now rejects the baby food everytime. He'll still eat veggies, but only if they're cut up and put down for him to feed himself with. What are some good, healthy, easy to make foods that he can safely eat?
No need to give babyfood at all. Cook veggies until they are soft and let him feed himself. Same with pasta. Whatever you are having for dinner, you can cut into very small bites and put on his plate for him to feed himself. This is the easiest way to do it, and healthier than babyfood anyway.
My oldest was like that, as soon as she got a taste of real food she wouldn't eat baby food. So I fed her real food.
by the time she was a year old she was eating Mongolian beef.
She will still eat anything ( unless she's in a mood, she is almost 11, gosh I love tweens) anyway back to your question.
um I'd just try different things, little pieces of cheese, noodles , little pieces of ham cut up, and try him on a fork. forks are so much easier to eat with you can stab food with it instead of worrying it will fall off. Don't waste money on baby food.
He's ready for some texture. It's okay. You are doing the right thing by cutting food up and letting him feed himself. Give him some of the food that you eat - don't add salt. He's ready for real food now.
Dawn
Both of my boys were like that. It was pretty much an "I do it myself" situation.
I just gave them whatever I was eating. Try not to worry too much about the mess, because chances are he's going to be messy :-)
Congratulations, you know he won't be one of those babies that hate texture! My oldest was this way. He knows what he wants and is determined to get it. I used to microwave a potato and cut it up and cool it.
Make sure the veggie is soft enough ans small enough and he can eat it. Just about anything canned is ok but rinse the salt off of it and it's best fresh.
It sounds like he is moving into the textures phase. You don't say which level of jar foods you've tried, but he sounds ready for the stage 2 and 3.
mini macaroni
diced cooked carrots
diced cooked green beans
cheerios
yogurt puffs
cheez-its -white cheddar is less messy :)
Gerber meat sticks
just mash up what you are eating and give him that. Sometimes meat is trickier, but I used to give my daughter SPAM or the vienna sausages from the can (gross) but they do have protein, so they aren't worthless. You just have to watch the salt and fat content in the rest of what they eat at the same time.
Sounds like its time to start transitioning away from jarred baby foods.
Just start giving him what you eat. Overcook brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, etc so they're mushy and put them on his tray. For meats, you have to be creative. Chop up tender parts of chicken or fish or whatever into SMALLER than bite sized peices. They should be tender enough to smash up so he can gum at them.
We always cleaned off chicken legs and gave them to baby to gum on. Be sure to get that little sharp bone and any loose cartilage. They LOVE teething on bones.
My youngest never liked packaged baby food. He pretty much went straight to table food.
Anything that isn't an allergy concern or choking hazard, they can eat. Whatever you eat (assuming it isn't junk) he can probably eat a smaller or smooshier form of it.
Anything you eat (besides choking hazards and allergens) that is soft enough/small enough for him to eat is fine. Honestly, good for him for rejecting that nasty jarred stuff that is void of flavor and nutrients.
Just take your own dinner and chop up some of it for him to eat - steamed veggies, small, moist pieces of poultry, browned ground meats (beef, pork, turkey), pasta, meatballs, mashed potatoes, rice, scrambled eggs, cut up waffles, pancakes, toast etc.. When I didn't have time to make baby/toddler food from scratch, some go-to quick items were organic, low-sodium canned chunky soups - I would drain off the broth and serve the veggies, chicken and noodles as finger foods.
He really needs to have his formula or breast milk then be offered foods at this age. Baby food has minimal nutrients in it. It is a tool to teach a baby to chew and swallow, NOT provide them with nutrition. The baby food companies assume every mother knows they aren't really supposed to be feeding their babies a lot of baby food instead of formula or breast milk.
The companies assume all mom's know this information so they only use the baby food to supplement to formula or breast milk.
Your baby should have his bottle or nurse then be offered baby food. If he doesn't want it then it doesn't matter.
As he gets older he will start showing more attention to food. Right now he wants those nutrients so he can grow.
My son didn't like baby food at that age either. Your baby can eat any veggies, fruits or meats that you grate or chop small enough for him. My son used to eat the dinner that we ate. He'd scream if we didn't give him the same food. He'd use his finger, mash it onto the food and pick up the food stuck to his finger to eat it.
As long as he is drinking a good amount of formula/breast milk, then he doesn't need to eat a balanced meal the way we would. It is great that he has an interest in eating cut up veggies, so try with cut up every thing else! I used to buy frozen veggies and cook up a little portion for him to eat for the day. Frozen peas are great because I didn't even need to cook them. Once defrosted, I just gave them to my son. He also LOVED blueberries and sweet potatoes, which are super foods!
Would _you_ eat babyfood in jars, if you could avoid it? I wouldn't. Most jarred baby food smells awful.
He's totally ready for most table foods. Feed him what you eat (well cooked and chopped small).
