Introducing New Food

Hello,
I have an 8 month old and make all of her food, but even if you don't make it, you might find some help at www.wholesomebabyfood.com. I go there a lot to check out some estimates on when babies can have certain foods, as they have charts for when you can introduce them, as well as sample menus. It's jam packed with info and explanations on why introducing some foods may be more 'controversial' than others. At this point, I'm still giving her mostly pureed foods that are pretty conservative as well, though I'm starting to try and figure out what I can make for us adults that she could eat as well (to save time making food!), i.e. cooking spicy chicken breasts for me and my husband and one plain one that can be pureed for our daughter. She also has been eating the Puffs for a while now, as well some similar rice-puffed biscuits and the harder biter biscuits (I was nervous watching her eat these, but as long as you monitor them, they're fine, and super with new teeth coming in). Another option is to offer kernels of cooked corn, or cut up fruits (like honeydew or banana) rolled in crushed cheerios (to make them easier to handle). This has been a very successful way to introduce finger foods to my daughter, and show her that us grownups eat them like this, too (okay, without the cheerios!).
Hope that helps!
Jen

Hi, our pediatrician told us to go through all the foods, like go through all the stage 2 foods and if tolerated well then move on to stage 3. Personally we didn't give our daughter veggie puffs until like 9 months or so. I'm a little conservative also so I never moved on until the doctor gave me the ok. Plus every baby is different. My son is 7 months old and still doesn't really have a whole lot of interest in baby foods at all, so we will take it a little slower with him. If you are in doubt you can always check with your pediatrician.

I have 6 children and every one is different. My youngest in 12 months old right now and he already has 10 teeth. He began eating the puffed veggies when he was around 7-8 months old because I knew the consistency of the food was easy to swallow. He also began eating table food around 8 months (he already had 8 teeth), a little at a time. It all depends on the child's behavior. My son saw the rest of the family eating table food and wanted some. He refused to eat his food when he saw others eating something else. You need to use your judgment since you know your child best. My son stopped eating baby food around 9-10 months completely. He currently only eats table food and snacks on oyster crackers, goldfish, etc. I do occasionally use the puffed veggies, etc. but since they are costly, I usually let him snack on his 4-year old brother's snacks, as long as they are not huge-sized snacks. Again, you are the best judge for your children's needs.

A.

Hi A.,

I would go through all of your stage 2 foods as well. We started our daughter at 4.5 mos. We got the O.K. from our ped. We started very slow. When we graduated to stage 3...some foods hardly have a difference between stage 2 & 3 (i.e. sweet potatoes, peaches). Some stuff is a tiny bit thicker (i.e. bananas, green beans w/ rice). When you get through the 2's buy a few #3's at a time to test it out. The Gerber Puffs....my daughter loves. They melt in your mouth. I broker them up in pieces at 1st. I bought those Gerber pinwheel type things...I thought they we too hard. Biter Biscuits are good. They like to suck on them and rub it over their gums. Now at 10 mos....she gets rice, little pieces of chicken, green bean & carrot pieces by Gerber, cheese, Yo Baby yogurt, fruit, cheerios, etc. Pretty much anything you eat, but with caution.

I'm reading What To Expect Your First Year. Each month gives you a 'where you may be' at each point. Try the Gerber website as well.

Good luck...