Solids, Meals Etc

My daughter was late in getting her teeth, and I felt the same way, it's scarry to give them anything more than baby food...but I worked my way into giving her more. First, I gave her the inside of fat frech fries, or mashed potatoes. Then I graduated into pasta cut up really small, so small that she shouldn't need to mash it. I gave her canned peas b/c they are really soft...go with what feels right to you...Good luck!

My son is 7 months old & no teeth as well. I have given him only cereal and stage 2 foods. I had asked my doc about the Gerber "puffs" which say they dissolve and my doc sid they were ok, but to monitor the baby & make sure only one in the mouth at once. She said to be careful with the teething biscuits because pieces of of them could break off and they could choke. She told me not to even consider offering table food or "pieces" of anything until I go back for my 9 month visit. She is very worried about babies choking. And she said if they get a taste for real food they will not want their cereal or bottles. The 1st year they NEED formula and cereal, the fruit and meat is just for taste/texture, not nutritionally necessary. So just take it slow. With no teeth I am real nervous with anything! I am taking my docs advice and waiting. Good Luck!

I actually just took my six month old son to the doctor today, and we were discussing foods. My son has no teeth yet, either, so I was a little unsure about things like meat, teething biscuits, etc. The doctor told me that, basically, from this point forward, my son can have anything that a.) doesn't pose a choking hazard, and b.) isn't hyper-allergenic (cow's milk, peanut products, honey, shellfish, etc.).
She said that he could even start eating "table foods", like steamed vegetables, as long as they were mashed up REALLY well, and obviously not to add things like salt, butter, or sugar to his foods. But, she said things like mashed potatoes (even if they have a little bit of cow's milk in them), mashed up veggies, soft chicken or fish mashed really well, yogurt (she recommended only the "Yo-Baby" brand, saying that the dairy wouldn't hurt him and the bacteria would be good for his digestion), and things like that are all fine.
I would just keep an extra close watch on him while he's eating these things, and make sure there's no possible way he could choke, as I'm sure you will obviously do. :)
Hope this helps.

J.,

Baby food is totally appropriate at his age. You might want to try the step 2 stuff if you haven't yet, because there is more variety in tastes and some more lumpy texture for him to learn to handle.

At this point, when it comes to finger foods and such, it's really more about honing his fine motor skills than it is anything else. The Gerber stars are wonderful for this, because they dissolve very quickly, so he's unlikely to choke on them, and they are good for little hands to pick up. He'll start by raking them into his fist and shove them in his mouth, but will over time develop his pincer grasp, which will allow him to pick things up with his thumb and forefinger. I like these better than Cheerios, because they dissolve faster. The Gerber Wagon Wheels were a big hit with my son at that age, too, because they are nice and big and he could get a good grip and gnaw away.

As his teeth start coming in over the next 3-5 months, and his motor skills get better, you will want to start giving him finger foods to pick up, like well cooked pieces of vegetables, pasta noodles, some cut up (finely) chicken, etc. He'll let you know when he's ready. At right around the time he is ready to feed himself, he'll start doing obnoxious things like raspberrying the pureed stuff, refusing to eat, hitting at or grabbing the spoon, grabbing for your plate, etc. When it's time for table food is never really a secret!

Jess

When my daughter was this age I was surprised to find out that she could have grahm crackers. I was worried she would choke on them but the saliva just made them sort of disinigrate. There are also toddler foods that you can give that disolve quickly.

Hi, my name is S. and I have an almost 4 year old and an 18 month old. Both of my boys were eating 2-4 stage 2 jars of food per meal by 7 months, so I started giving them things like crackers, diced canned peaches, and canned veggies like peas and pieces of green beans. My boys also wanted to eat what I was eating, so I let them try anything on my plate I thought they could handle eating. They now eat almost everything, including broccoli (voluntarily!), chinese, salad with or without dressing, basically anything they see us eat. That was the whole trick to avoiding fussy eaters - let them try anything they wanted and not forcing them to eat.
If you're concerned about what he is physically able to eat, you may want to consult your pediatrician or a book like 'What to Expect the First Year.' That book was a helpful reference for me.
I hope this helps! It worked for my boys, but not everything works for everyone. Good luck!

I understand your concern, I thought the same thing about my first son. My second son is 6 months old and has cut 2 teeth. I make his baby food, carrots, squash, breads (small pieces) applesauce, green beans, peas, sweet potatoe,and I know I shouldn't but a few tastes of my yogurt when I'm eating (he practically begs for it)*smile* I just started chicken ground up in a food processor and added formula for texture. Plus the cereal in the morning with some fruit. My son has a hearty appetite, 6 months old and 20lbs, but he's 28 inches long (in the 95 percentile)
But try one food at at time as the doctors suggest to make sure he does not have an allegic reaction. Good Luck to you!