Transitioning to "Real People Food"...

Hi S. I liked what Terri had to say. And another point to getting little ones to eat unseasoned food they should also wind up liking the way vegetables taste as is. I make a lot of drinkables
Not so Green Drink
1/2 lb organic spinach
glass of water and blended in blender
3/4 c blue berries blended smooth
1/2 c organic strawberries - Only after there 1 years old though
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 raspberries
1 banana
you can add a 1/2 c raw cashews blended first for protine
All blended smooth, I thin it and strain the seeds out for my kido still.

A. H

Ha on the soylent green reference. Gave me a good chuckle this morning. My daughter never took to purees and always wanted to eat whatever I was eating. I rarely salt my own food when I prepare it - leave it up to each person's individual taste. So I started to give her some of whatever I was eating, seasoning and all. Of course she had some introduction to food by this point, but trying to follow the rules was starting to make my head spin!!!

Some of my daughter's first real people foods where cooked beets - they are in season now - so I would just boil them nice and soft cut them up into tiny peices and let her explore. The only warning is they are messy so I would always make sure she is sparingly clothed when eating them. Asparagus - I would "peel" this and let her have the sweet tender insides. These are two of her favorite foods now. She is almost two and eats just about anything. So as I first started introducing her to what was on our plates, it was the veggies only. As she got better at picking them up and feeding herself then we started to introduce other stuff on our plates.

It isn't an easy decision because it can be difficult finding out what they are allergic too if there is a reaction, but if you make most of your own food from scratch and not prepared mixes you can keep out the sugar and salt naturally and get your baby used to flavor from natural herbs and spices.

I had a little food grinder that I used to further soften crock pot food (meat and veggies). My guy loved boiled carrots (the primary veggie in my crock) so I could give it a whirl and then cool it and it was ready to go.

If he's breastfed, well, even if he's bottle-fed, he's not really getting much nutrition from the food, he's just learning about 'real' food. Why can't he do finger foods? We didn't try solids at all, even cereal, with Fiona until she was old enough to grab at things. At 7mo, she'll gum a cracker, mush a banana, anything soft. We do watch her closely so she doesn't get a big bite mushed off and choke. I love the mesh feeders, you can put anything soft in there and they can hold onto it a little easier. She does make a holy mess with it, but we have some BIG bibs, and a washcloth. No big deal. She'd much rather touch her food anyway, which is part of the learnign at this point, so we don't spoon feed her yet. When she is ready for the chunkier food, then we'll feed her more.

As far as allergies, our kids have never had problems, so I've gotten more and more lax with trying things one at a time. Particularly if your baby is breastfed, he's been getting what you're eating all along, so if you haven't changed your diet drastically, he should be fine eating it on his own! I'd watch the more common allergy-triggers like milk, eggs, peanut butter, but other than that, have at it!

Hi there!

We started on 'table food' basically from the beginning. The only 'baby' food that our daughter gets is cereal. That being said... you can give her just about anything. There are some things to stay away from until she is much older.... most of them are common sense. Nuts for example. No nuts. No raw carrots until she can REALLY chew them up. Strawberries can be a high allergen, so typically none of those until 12 months or later. But, I know some moms who introduced earlier and baby was just fine.

As for what to give... as already suggested just little bits of what you are eating. We don't salt our food, so that isn't a big deal. Baby really shouldn't get 'extra' salt in their food...their bodies just can't handle it. But, our daughter does get other soft herbs and such. If you breastfed, then it is more likely that your baby will be just find with the herbs you use since they were already introduced through breastmilk.

Now, the best way to give baby the food is to cut it up into 'stick' shapes. MUCH easier for little hands to handle. Zuchinni steam cooked until it is soft is great. Not round shapes, but stick shape. Like a french fry. Brocolli is great for this as well because it has a handle already built in.

If you google 'baby led weaning' ... you will get some good information. We do all sorts of soft cooked veggies (although now that my daughter has a few more teeth I am not cooking as many veggies as before and just giving them raw) Fruits, like melon and banana, Organic O cereal. Scrambled egg yolk (egg allergies tend to be with the egg whites not the yolk). TONS of options. Just try it and see what she likes. Remember you may have to introduce a food more then a few times particularly since baby is used to the purees. I wouldn't worry too much about introducing one at a time since you've already done purees.... unless it is a food baby hasn't had in any form at all. Then, introduce it with nothing else just to make sure on the allergy thing.

My daughter began 'real food' at 7 1/2 months when she refused to eat baby food anymore. We began with things she could pick up by herself and gum (she only had 2 teeth): pasta, avacado (great one!), deli meat sliced thin, egg yolk (scrambled). We also had permission from our pediatrician to start some dairy: yogurt and cheese.

Good luck!

I make all my own food to and have a 10 month old.

I do not introduce things one at a time - we have no allergy issues in the family. My baby LOVES herbs and spices. We give him everything we eat regardless he LOVES feta and spinach :) He has had curry and several other yummy foods! He eats the homemade baby foods for breaksfast and lunch and his dinner is always what we are eating. (this makes it easier for the nanny!) Well he eats yogurt plain with babysauce and cut up fruit or vegis in the day too and crackers and rice cakes etc) we dont have white refined sugar in the house so accordingly it is not in our food. Occasionally he will get a bite of ice cream out and about but thats about it - we went to Big Boy for dinner one night and he ate the cucumber and carrot from my salad and a little onion ring and burger with bread! Ok so a little off our all organic home meals but hey he is well rounded!!

Feel free to message me to chat if you like :)

I don't think there is much worry about food allegeries (unless you have a family history) at this point. That being said, avoid peanut butter and eggs and honey until 2 years. I try to avoid salt in general and avoid certain spicy food with my 8 mos old (e.g. no tacos or thai food). Other than that we let her eat whatever we are eating and that she can handle. E.g. small bites of spagetti, chicken, watermelon, other fruits (cut small), veggies (I leave hers in the steamer a few minutes longer to make them softer and then cut really small), little pieces of cheese... We still use the baby oatmeal mixed with fruit in the am.

I try to avoid lunch meats b/c they are overly processed and am holding off on yogurt until 1 year.

My daughter doesn't always feed herself completely--we have to use a fork.

S.,
One way to make transitioning easier is when you are making your meal, try to leave a few things out for baby. Like if you are making a pasta dish, leave some cooked pasta plain just to feed to the baby. If you are making vegetables leave some out and steam them to a bit overdone, that will make them easier to eat. Just remember to cut things up small.
We always fed the kids off our plate but we started them on table food a little older (about 1 year).
You can still feed them what you are eating, just take out their portion before you put in the seasoning, it has been my experience that babies like things a bit on the bland side (in the beginning anyway). Good luck to you.

Hi S.,

I used a really good cookbook called 'The healthy baby meal planner' by Annabel Karmel. Being a 'food snob' you will appreciate that it has the tastes of England, which are a little more varied than the American diet. As far as the allergies are concerned, you can try soft foods like eggs, but watch for reactions or distastes, if they won't eat it, it could be that it is too soon, and reintroduce in in a couple of months or so. Honey is the one thing to avoid because of botulism. If Xander can't grab yet with his thumb and forefinger, it may be easier for you to puree some foods and feed them to him. You can try soft foods like mushed fruits and mushed veggies, and as his tastes evolve, if he wants to eat what you are, why not? How he progresses is all based on him, the protocols are loosely defined. Have fun with it!

We slowly made the food chunkier until it is in small bite size pieces. Go from the chunky that you have now to small cut up pieces, making them a little larger after a few days until they are the size that you are comfortable. As he gets older, obviously you will want to make the pieces bigger, but right now his mouth and throat are tiny, so you want tinier pieces that he won't choke on.

Allergies - typically I think it's just in the beginning, with plain unseasoned foods. That is of course, unless there are known food allergies in your family (back to Aunts, Uncles & Grandparents of the baby), then you want to avoid that food until he is older. However, our children got all the same spices and herbs we did - including a hotter curry, small jalapeno's and warmer spices. If you notice an allergic reaction to something, then you'll want to look at what you fed him to see if there was something there that was a first time. Doctor's can help figure out what it is at that point as well.

Go to www.superbabyfood.com and check out the Super Baby Food book by Ruth Yaron. It has been my 'bible' for making food for my babies through to - well my oldest is now 5 and i still refer to it !!! It is fantastic. I like that she uses 'normal food' is very careful over allegies and is VERY healthy. There is a huge section in the back with recipies and food ideas that work for the whole family. You can also buy it in bookstores or on amazon. I have recommended to all my friends with babies and they all rave about it too......so I know its not just me :)

Our son isn't quite there yet but I do know it's important to introduce a new food every 3 days due to allergies. Food I know our nieces & nephews got at that age were lunch meat turkey in small bits, shredded cheese or crumbles, and applesauce. Do you have one of those food strainer things from Sassy? I don't know the exact name but we put watermelon in there for our son and he loves it. Plus it has a handle so they can feed it to themselves.

Hi S.---Have fun with your little one. I have been studying nutrition and health for several years now and most good research would say that allergies shouldn't be a problem unless your baby's immune system is compromised. The way to keep that from happening is to choose foods based on what will promote optimal health, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes. If you eliminate processed foods with the accompanying additives, he'll have a good start. I would not give him milk, it is a huge allergen. You can read more at www.pcrm.org and www.strongbones.org.

I do believe that with a little one, one food at a time is a good idea. We started with vegetables first so that our kids didn't get a taste for the sweet stuff and then not want to try the more healthful veggies. Sugar and salt can be issues, but the source of those substances is the more important story, for example, sea salt has far less sodium than regular table salt and it contains healthful minerals as well. Another important piece for our health and for disease prevention is to consider a high quality, whole food supplement. I highly recommend Juice Plus+ as it is 17 fruits, veggies and grains, juiced, dehydrated and put into capsules, gummies or chewable form. Independent research shows that it strengthens and balances the immune system and it also enables the body to protect and repair DNA.

I have a wealth of information I can share with you if you'd like. As a part of my business, I offer wellness education events in your home for you and your family and friends at no charge. Good luck feeding that baby. He should be able to eat most anything you eat so preparing different meals shouldn't be an issue. Remember to eat for health and you will choose the correct foods for your family.

In health, D. ###-###-#### www.dianeshealthed.com

S. -

My boy will be 10 months on Sunday. He's been eating baby food since he was four months, and eating bits of "real" food since six months. Since my husband and I don't have any food allergies, we were not as cautious with the foods we let him try, but we were still careful.

For the last three weeks or so, we've been feeding him the food right from our plates, both when I cook and when we go out to eat. He's tasted a variety of spices, and hasn't had a problem with it. I like to think that he thinks he's finally tasting the food that alters the taste of my breastmilk (he still gets breastmilk 6-8 times a day). Look at it this way - other cultures cook with all kinds of spices and feed them to their children, so why can't we? I think doctors' warnings are TOO cautious sometimes.

If you are ready to feed your child more "adult" food, and he's ready too, introduce him to new things. Start slowly, by only feeding him one new item every week or so, letting him try that item a few times in that week so he can get used to the taste and texture. He'll have trouble picking up the food - my son still does sometimes. His pincer grasp isn't perfected yet, but the more they practice, the better they become at it. It'll be messy at times, but that's all part of the fun and learning. Make sure the finger food is cut up into baby-friendly chunks, but not too small because he may not be able to pick it up and he may choke on something too small because he'll have trouble manipulating it in his mouth. I practice a "rule of thumb" - the chunk of food can't be smaller than my thumb, from the tip to the first knuckle (the one closest to the nail). :) Cook and cool hard foods, like carrots and celery, so they're soft and easier to eat. Give him a few pieces of cooked and cooled curly pasta or elbow pasta to experiment with. He'll probably mash the majority of it but it's all in fun and learning. Give him seedless grapes cut into halves or quarters - but don't be shocked if you see the skins intact in his diaper. Babies can't digest the skins of grapes (or bell peppers) yet (and neither can dogs! Ha!). Try chunks of bananas or very ripe peaches or nectarines, tomatoes, etc. ALWAYS use your discretion when choosing to feed your baby something. Be prepared to react to a small cough or occasional small choke; IT WILL HAPPEN. But it's okay, as long as you're there watching him and able to react quickly should something go wrong.

And if you or someone in your immediate family is allergic to ANY food, I'd hold off on giving it to your baby until he's at least a year old, possibly two years. As for my son, he's already tried peanut butter, tomatoes, soymilk, eggs (whites and yolks)...I will NOT let him eat raw or pasteurized honey, because of the bacterial content, but if it's cooked in something as part of a dish then I don't mind.

I know this was a long post, but I hope you can glean some good information from it! If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.

Hope this helps!