Organic Snacks for My 9 Month Old

My daughter loves Tofu (soft kind) and beans (white ones, lentils - overcook them a bit) Both also have lots of fiber and protein which is good for them.

Trader Joes has some great things. I like giving my son A Fig Walked Into A Bar cerial bars. They also have some pre-seasoned tofu, whole-grain crackers, falofel, etc. You can put peanut butter or cream cheese on a piece of toast too. My son also loves fruit. I can take a banana to the store with me and feed it to him a piece at a time or sit him in the high chair with cut up mellon. Grapes are great too, but at that age I would peal the skin off so it was easier to chew (although it's not that necessary). You can also buy dried fruits, I know that Costco has a box of dried snack sized pears, peaches and apples that is yummy. Edemome beans are also very healthy and easy for him to eat, and easy to cut in 1/2 if you like.

Steamed tofu (great protein, my daughter LOVES it), edamame (soy beans), steamed apples, carrots, pears (great for regulating potty), basically any organic veggies/fruits that may be too hard to chew. We can not live w/out the steamer. You can find it at William Sonoma, Le Creuset (at outlet), or half the price at the Japanese market.

It's wonderful that you're going the healthy route, I support that 100% because it builds a great foundation for the rest of his life! keep up the great work!

-J.
(first time mom to an amazing 14-month old)

I experimented with tofu from the soft to the extra firm with a touch of salt. They really loved it and still do. Just cut it up into little squares. It is not an on the go food but it will help when you need to make a meal or unload the dishwasher. Also at Costco there are apple and peach Crisps. It is by Brothers-All-Natural. It comes in a box of 20 bags for around $12.
Good luck,
Mom of twin 15 month old boys.

Ever read "Super Baby Food"? It's a great book with some fantastic ideas for you. I'd buy it on Amazon.com....save yourself some greenbacks!

I recently bought some "Earth's Best" snack bars for my 13 month old and he loves them. They've go Sesame Street characters on the box and you can find them at Albertson's or Target (probably anywhere). He's not real good at taking bites yet (wants to shove the whole thing in his mouth) so I break off little pieces and let him put them into his mouth.

A friend of mine that used to live out here was a vegan and very careful about the foods she fed her son. She used to go to Whole Foods to find snacks for him that were organic and gluten free. She spent a fortune there, though. I think she spent $700 a month on groceries for herself and her son (her hubby traveled and didn't eat home much). Anyway, I know they have a good selection there, but it isn't cheap.

Soft fruits and steamed veggies are great - you want him to develop a taste for healthful foods. Firmer fruits like apples can be steamed, but try giving him thinly sliced raw apples and see how he does with them.

We also did grains like brown rice and couscous as well as organic brown rice pasta. Toasted bread is good too. We also would put organic mini bagels in the freezer for our little one to chew on when she was having a rough time with teething.

Another more portable and less messy option is puffed rice or wheat.
It kind of reminds me of those puffed snacks that they sell for toddlers but without the sweetener or artificial colors and preservatives.

Try fruits cut up small, avocado, watermelon, banana and spaghetti is pretty harmless

My kids love Mrs. Mays Fruit chips. They aren't organic, but there is nothing artificial in them. And once they get in your mouth, they start to melt.

Also Snyders's organic pretzels. They are hard enough for kids to teeth on and then slowly gnaw them. My DD loved them when she first started teething. And still does. At 18 months she only has 8 teeth, with more coming in everyday.

I also freeze organic grapes. Then take them straight from the freezer and cut them into mini bite sizes and give them to her.

I order a lot of our packaged organic and wheat free stuff through Amazon.com's Subscribe and Save program. You can set it up to be delivered every month, 2 months, 3 months or 6 months. They give you an additional 15% off of their price (shown once you subscribe to it) plus free shipping. So after factoring the money I save on gas, it usually ends up being a little cheaper than if I bought the same item at the store on sale.

You should also try the Ian's fish sticks or "chik" nuggets. I just cut them into smaller pieces for my daughter. Both my kids LOVE them! My son likes to dip them into ketchup (organic of course, from Amazon.com). My daughter will just eat them plain.

My kids also love eating fresh berries. So when they are in season, I stock up on them and freeze some for later. Plus they are easy to pack for outings.

I would also give my kids at your sons age Celery or carrot sticks to gnaw on.

We eat mostly organic as well, so I understand the frustration of trying to find organic food for your son to eat at this stage. But don't underestimate how much your son with his two teeth and powerful gums can "chew" through. He can eat just about anything you eat, but in smaller chunks or in a softer texture. It would take my kids about an hour to gnaw down a carrot stick when they had only a couple of teeth.

Check out
www.weelicious.com

I love her stuff and have made a lot of it! My son has loved everything!

Is there a whole foods where you live? I shop at Vons, they have a much bigger organic area then most stores. They have their onw organic line, from fruit to chicken and even cereal chips, etc etc. I have also seen in ads that Albertsons has an organic line. Good luck and nice to see more moms concerned about what they put in their childrens mouths!

Safeway has their own organic line, called "Organics", and their logo is just a big orange stylized "O", like in "O" for Oprah.

Here is their link about it:
http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/o-organics

They make baby products and foods too, including finger foods. I like this line a lot, and it's quite good. Better than some name brands, and it's easy to get, since it's just at the Safeway grocer. And the prices are good, your aren't paying over the top high prices for "organic" foods, like in specialty shops.

They even have a line of organic milk, and ALL kinds of other stuff... you'll see it all as you go up and down the aisles... as their "logo" is not easy to miss.

Other than that, just buy anything "organic" as you prefer, but just make sure it is appropriate for your son's "eating" ability. One example is: buy organic bananas & chop it up in bite sized/finger sized pieces and feed it to him (2) buy any soft organic fruits or avocados and chop it up into small pieces and feed it to him ** at this age, for SAFETY guidelines, pieces of food should NOT be bigger than a pea**

The smaller the pieces the better or they will choke. ALSO, NO "hard" chunks of food. AND, the food should be able to "dissolve" well in the mouth. OR, buy "organic" type Cheerios, and let him eat that. At this age and older, choking is a real hazard... you must supervise when they eat. Even a 3 year old can choke.

If anything, ask your Pediatrician.
Good luck, hope this helps,
Susan

My daughter used to love the Organic Cheddar bunnies from Annies (available in box or single serve portions). She also loved the Earths Best Sesame Street cookies and crackers. She only had 3 teeth and chomped on them just fine. Oh also the organic puffs from O organics (available at Vons) just like the Gerber puffs and I believe I saw a version of them at Ralphs. Gerber also has organic dehydrated fruit that my daughter loved!!!

I don't think you'llfind anything much ready-made for this age. My daughter is 10 months has 4 front teeth (but no chewing teeth) and I cook her organic finger foods: beans (cooked, black, kidney, navy, etc.), boiled potatoes (cut to small size), pasta (rotini are easy to hold and break apart readily to be "chewed"), apple and asian pear grated, any ripe, soft fruit cut in small triangle wedges. She eats beans and potatoes and fruit nearly everyday so she always has a finger food at meals or as a snack, alongside other foods that I mash/puree and feed her.

J.,
I'm only mentioning what hasn't already been covered by lots of other great responses (and yes, Von's/Safeway's Organics line is good and a great value - often on sale!):

my daugther loved:

~ cubes of organic tofu, (1/2 inch or smaller) -
~ cubes of baked sweet potato (via microwave or a regular oven)
~ organic cheerios type O's cereal with little pieces of soy cheese stuffed in the middle - she'd suck on them until she could chew/gum them down

along with lots of the aforementioned items from other Moms

happy trails!

My son loves whole wheat mini bagels from Trader Joes. I keep a bag in the car, the house, etc.. the perfect snack and teethers!- www.weelicious.com

do you have time to cook? Get the Super Baby Food book or go to Weelicious.com.

I never have time to cook the snacks, but a friend does, and my boy loves them! If you have no time, what about pieces of steamed carrots, yams, peas or even organic O's? I also used to cut up the sticks of organic string cheese for him. Have you introduced dairy?

the other foods I served him at that age were kinda slippery: avo, mango, Kiwi, etc. good luck!

Not having teeth shouldn't really limit much. My son only has two teeth and can eat meat as long as it's small pieces. You should try some things that you don't think will work. Just watch him closely to make sure he chews it the first time. My son can also eat whole grapes without any problem. Their gums are harder than you think.

Any sort of fruits or veggies will work. Just cube them and steam them until they are soft. Anything with a thick skin (like apples), just peel them (and core them!) first. They are really good steamed.

In addition to organic, I try to feed my kids "minimally processed" stuff. So lots of "whole" foods like meats, veggies, fruits, potatoes, rice, etc.... When my kids were little, I just made sure to cut it up small and then not leave the room while they were eating. My older son gagged a lot and had purees for a long time but my younger son was eating chunky stuff by the time he was 8 months old. It really varies from child to child. If you child is a gagger, smaller pieces and steam it longer.

:-)T.

He's so young, most of his foods shouldn't be processed, anyway. You can buy organic generic cheerios at Trader Joes and Henry's, along w/applesauce and other fruit sauces. You can give him diced canned fruit packed in its own juice---I'm guessing that you can buy that organic, as well, but don't know for sure.

Frozen cubed vegetables that are thawed.

Here are a few snack ideas that I did with my son at around that age.
Apple slices, apple sauce, apple chips
Banana (you can also freeze them when they start to ripen too much and makes a great snack especially when he starts to teeth)
After he turned a year, I started to dip the apples in almond or sunflower butter.
Yogurt or Kefir (ok, it's not finger food, but a good snack)

I did quite a bit of home cooking/baking and made banana breads, pumpkin breads & muffins using organic ingredients and spelt flower or other gluten free flour. Tried to use natural sweetners like agave nectar wherever possible, etc.

Best wishes,
C.~

www.HelpUstayHome.com

My son liked grapes (cut in half), cut up apples, and pea pods. I got them all organic at Trader Joe's.

If you're looking for some packaged snacks for on the go - Annie's organics has some great ones. They have organic cheddar bunnies, organic fruit snacks (kind of like gummies, but all organic), mini-pretzels. They were great.

Also, check-out this link, although your son may be a little young. It provides links to organic lollipops and things of that nature, including some snack items like organic stretch fruit. I order some for halloween for my kids classrooms. http://www.bluedominoes.com/healthier_holiday.php

You would be surprised how much he can eat, even chicken. Their gums are really strong so they can mash down a lot of different things. I learned this on my second child after seeing a mom give her young child normal food. Just cut anything up really small and they can mash it the rest of the way.

I've read the other responses, and all of the suggestions sound great! We did tofu, carrots, apples (cooked) and many of the other suggestions with my daughter and she responded well to all of them. One thing that she loved (and still loves) that I introduced when she was teething is frozen mango. I buy a bag at Trader Joe's and cut the chunks up into more manageable chunks, and she just gobbles it up. She also loves frozen peas and green beans. I love watching her snack on organic frozen veggies and because the mango or veggies is frozen it feels good on her gums. We also gave her a lot of beans during that stage of her life. Have fun experimenting!

Of course there are tons of fruits and vegetables... I used the website wholesomebabyfood.com for ideas.

I also give my kids the Annie's brand of crackers - they are organic, little bunny shaped crackers that come in a few different flavors!

I bought Nature's Path Organic Rice Puffs at Sprouts for my son when he was that age. I also get Barbara's Organic Breakfast O's (like Cheerios). They're very lightly sweetened with fruit juice. I also gave him cubes of tofu. In fact, I still do. He's 18 months and tofu and beans are his main sources of protein... He doesn't like most meat. Anyway, I coat the tofu in wheat germ + cinammon, or wheat germ + cumin, etc. I also steam sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes. Those are also good coated in wheat germ + cinammon. And that makes them a little easier to pick up when they're younger.

Brother's All natural freeze dried fruit from Costco. They usually have a combo with apples and either peach or pear. I read that it has the same antioxidants as fresh fruit! :D It's very handy to have around. They usually have it in the section with snacks such as candy.