What to Eat?

"Solids" refers to anything other than breastmilk or formula. This includes rice cereal and jarred purees. Babies are usually developmentally ready for this around 6 months of age, although anyone with a family history of food allergies or digestive problems should wait longer.

Best thing to do is introduce foods one at a time, 3 to 7 days apart, and watch your child for reactions. If you buy something that has multiple ingredients, you should have already introduced everything but one ingredient so you know if that one thing bothers her. If you give something with 5 or 10 ingredients and she reacts, you'll have to try them all one by one to see which it was.

She's probably ready to self-feed some simple finger foods, like well cooked pieces of carrot, chunks of banana, etc.

My daughter's 21 months and still can't do citrus or tomatoes. Some babies tolerate them earlier.

Have you ever seen the book Super Baby Foods? I don't think it's the ultimate guide to baby feeding, but it's got some pretty good points. ;)

Hi E.,
Well, what I realized with my 10 month old daughter, is that I should never take advice from anyone else. The reason I say this is because every mother has given their children completely different foods at different times in their lives. So, my suggestion is follow your daughter's guidelines. Try a food and if she's not ready for it, don't give it to her again until she's a bit older. I have given my 10 month old acidic foods all the time. When I eat oranges, she wants it so I peel her a piece and she sucks the juice out of it. So, again, I just listened to her and her body. Good luck!

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http://www.mysteryshoppercoach.com/
http://www.marketviewpoint.com/
http://www.aboutfacecorp.com/index.html

Most often you can take your daughter with you while on the shops, so no need for babysitting etc.
I hope you find this helpful.
Best of Luck!

HI E. , I AGREE WITH SOME OF THE OTHER LADIES. MY DOCTOR (DR.ANDRES KOVACS) HAS NEVER TOLD ME NOT TO GIVE THEM A CERTAIN FOOD. HE HAS TOLD ME TO MAKE SURE I CUT HOTDOGS AND STUFF LIKE THAT REALLY SMALL SO THEY WONT CHOKE . I HAVE BEEN FEEDING MY SON WHOS IS NOW 17 MONTHS OLD SOLID FOOD SINCE HE WAS 9 MONTHS.. HE IS A BIG EATER AND THE BABY FOOD JUST WASNT CUTTING IT.. HE WOULD STILL BE HUNGARY .. SO I STARTED MIXING THE VEGGIES WITH MASHED POTATOES AND GIVING HIM TINY PEICES OF MEATS LIKE HAMBURGER AND HOTDOGS. I ALSO GIVE HIM PEICES OF ORANGES AND OTHER FRUITS. BOTH OF MY CHILDREN LOVE TOMATOES AND THEY EAT THEM WITH NO PROBLEMS AND ALWAYS HAVE EATEN THEM SINCE THEY WERE LITTLE.. LIKE SPEGETTI IN LITTLE PIECES .. THE KIDS LOVE IT. THE ONLY THING I HAVE EVER SEEN OUT OF MY KIDS THAT HAS GIVING THEM A PROBLEM IS JUICE.. IT GIVES THEM DIARREA SO I PUT HALF WATER HALF JUICE AND THEY ARE USUALLY FINE .. BUT ORANGE JUICE AND APPLE JUICE EVEN WATERED DOWN STILL GIVES THEM DIARREA AND A RASH. AS LONG AS YOUR CHILD LIKES IT AND EATS IT WELL .. WHY NOT GIVE IT TO HER. IF SHE KEEPS IT DOWN AND NO REACTIONS THEN IT WILL BE FINE. GOOD LUCK

Hi E.,

Our babies were born in February, also! (Boy/Girl twins.) I don't know much about the stages of jarred baby foods, because I'm making our baby food (if you're curious, a great book is "Super Baby Food"), it's easier than you might think! (and it's SO much cheaper!!! I can get 28 servings out of a bag of frozen peas ($1.59), and save about $14.00!!) The book lists what they can & can't have each month. I've been going easy on the spices and putting their food in the blender, then pouring the extra into ice cube trays and freezing it for future meals. The vegetables are really easy, I just prep (or use a bag of frozen) and microwave them til they're soft, then puree with a hand (stick) mixer or in the blender. For foods with protein, I've made chicken soup, brown rice with lentils and carrots, or sometimes I just mash tofu into their veggies. They also say the babies can have egg yolk, but no egg whites, so I've made boiled eggs and mashed them up a bit for finger food...was really quite dry, though :P. The food that they love to pick up and eat themselves are cheerios or zweiback toasts. Tried plain pasta the other day, it got stuck in my son's throat and made him gag...will probably try a different shape next time ! :)

I go easy on the juices, just diluted apple, white grape or pear; but a the first sign of bumps on their bottoms I go to just water for a day or so. (these bottled juices also have ascorbic acid in them, but I guess just less than orange or grapefruit? who knows?) Haven't tried any tomato sauce yet, my daughter has really sensitive skin, so I'm going to wait until they're a year or so. I know other moms who have given it at this age without any problems.

I would give a little bit, then wait a couple of days to see what happens...if there are no bumps or signs that it was a bad idea, then go with it.

Hope this helps...let me know how it goes! Does Alexis have any teeth yet? Is she scooting around? Cassidy is all over the place, but Andrew is still just doing the log-roll thing. It's wild to see the differences between boys and girls. She babbles away while he hangs out and listens!

Different people have different ideas what is right to give an 8th month old baby, including doctors! It also really depends on what kind of eater your child is... What does she do with the stage 3 foods? Just swallow it or does she try to actually chew it? If she's actually trying to chew it, I would say just start giving her anything you guys eat that's softer. Well, for that matter you could give her everything you guys eat if you want to put the effort into mashing or processing it... As far as the citrus or the acid... Unless she has shown a negative reaction to that kind of stuff I wouldn't worry about it. My son couldn't eat tomatoe products up until recently, he just turned 2!! My daughter, will be 1 soon, can and will eat anything without a problem!!

Hi E.,
My name R. and I also have a 8 month old son. I have been feeding him the same thing you have, but I have given him juices like orange juice and other kinds of juices. And he has been fine. I also mix the juices into his cereals. I also give him spaghetti when we have it (cut up into small pieces). I also did this w/ my daughter when she was a baby..she is now 2 years old. My doctor (Dr. Jason Walker) has always pushed all kinds of foods in all stages of growth. He has never said not to feed them certain kinds of foods. I have also started my son on whole milk already. My doctor doesn't like them to have milk till at least a year old but my son has adjusted to it just fine.

A little about me:
I am 35 years old and I am also a stay at home mom with a 2 year old and 8 month old son. I also have a 13 yr old and 15 yr old from a previous marriage. I have also looked for a stay at home job but haven't had any luck.

Hi E.!
Wow...what an exciting time it is for you and your baby!! Trying foods is so much fun. It sounds like you are on the right path. Adult foods we fed our children would be mashed potatoes, applesauce, smashed peas and carrots, yogurt...anything soft. Be sure to watch after each food to make sure she doesn't have an allergic reaction (like the yogurt, perhaps). Scrambled eggs was always a favorite. Whatever you are cooking, consider how you can prepare it for your little one. You could even take your chicken and chop it in your food processor. Then mix it in some mash potatoes, maybe even with a little gravy!!! YUM! Have fun exploring!
Yeah, and about tomato based stuff...just try it and see how she reacts. Some kids can handle it, some can't. As far as juice, I've only given my kids apple juice (diluted half with water) until they're about 2. Then they would get it full strength. Any new flavored juice (like grape), I would dilute it with water to see how their little bodies react to it. My doctor was funny about juice. He would say, no juice at all because then they won't want their milk. Well, my kids love their milk and their juice. (I just didn't tell the doc!)
Hope I've been help to you. Let me know how you do!!!!

E.,
I didn't feed either of my kids 'baby' food with the exception of cereals & juices. My 7 month old eats pretty much anything as far as fruits and veggies go. The soft stuff just gets mashed real well. Firmer stuff gets cooked in water and then mashed. He's getting to the point where he is feeding himself. Whole peas and cheerios are his favorites. I buy frozen veggies (much easier to take just what I need from!) and applesauce. The rest of the fruits are fresh. Mott's makes a sugar free applesauce. The only added ingredient is Vit C. As far as acidic stuff, you're only going to know if you try it. My oldest and I are both very sensitive to citrus/acidic.

One last thing, you can feed your daughter a lot of the same things you eat at meals. Just set a small portion aside before you season your food.

Good luck!

My son's doctor was telling me that babies get no nutritional value from solid foods until about 10-12 months of age. He said the solids just help them to learn how to swallow better, but that it's best to keep to formula or best milk and not rush the solids.

I have always had my children about where you have your daughter. My son is four months old and we are staying away from solids until about six months and then he can have the cereal and stage one foods, it's really your call in the end though, I guess you should just watch for allergies.

this is the first i heard not to feed them citrus fruits or acidic foods until a year? my daughter is 10months and she eats the lasagna and mac/beef, etc and also eats the fruits like pineapple etc... never had any issues with that and for 7-8 months she had "sandifer's syndrome" (a.k.a. "silent reflux" GERD disease). i mean it says on the jars that it's meant for babies from ages 6mon and up or for the stage 3 8mon and up?? anyway, not sure what the book really meant but i hear alot about babies not eating "solids" until after 6 months old meaning the jar foods.... my kids started fruit/veggies at 4months old (and cereal before that for their reflux). so maybe that is what the book means?

I'm sure what she is eating now is fine (along with formula/breast milk)... i give my daughter the stage 2/3 foods (meats, veggies, fruits, desserts, etc) plus if we're eating something i think she could have like mashed potatoes, pieces of well cooked veggies, bread, egg yolks, cheese, etc etc and of course she gets her formula/cereal in the bottle still... i stay away from peanutbutter/nuts, seafood, honey, etc...
check with your doctor though b/c each child is different.

I have a 4 year old who was a unique eater. She always hated squishy foods such as applesauce, hot cereals, and mashed potatoes. She also would not put things in her mouth so it made a hard transition from liquid to solids. Just do what works best for her she can eat anything you can (except strawberries, peanuts the allergy prone foods) just put it in a baby food maker (you can buy little hand held ones rather cheep)you my be surprised at what she likes blended up. Once she gets teeth start with tiny pieces of her favorites they love new textures. I have friends that started feeding meats and other foods earlier than the Dr suggested and it worked for them. Just play around and find whats right for your child.
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I started feeding my youngest regular food when she was two or three months. She never had baby food as I had a really bad problem with my oldest daughter not wanting to come off of baby food. With my oldest I went by the book, introducing certain foods one at time, feeding her baby food. She developed a severe bowel problem and I ended up taking her to Children's Hospital in Philadelphia even though I followed everything by the book. Their advice was to take her off of the baby food and make her eat regular food. They need the roughage, fruits, and vegetables to help their bowels.

With my youngest, I am so relaxed. I started at two or three months giving her mashed potatoes and gravy. That was easy to get if we went out for lunch or dinner, also. I bought some frozen squash and took a little out and microwaved it. I have a little Black and Decker chop chop, so I would put broccoli, green beans, carrots--you name it right into it. I never gave her anything with seafood or peanuts until after the age of two, though. I didn't want to chance an allergic reaction to those, as they seem to be severe when people have allergies to those. I also steered away from hotdogs as a lot of children have choked on them.

If she has teeth, then she should be able to chew a little now. Just use your own judgement. Get your chop chop out and just chop anything else. My youngest is a very good eater and I never had trouble with her not liking too many foods or the textures as she was used to them and didn't know any different.

In response to your st home job question...I have found a very helpful yahoo group that I have joined. They have a ton of lists of LEGITIMATE work at home opportunities. You have to answer a couple of questions to join (to weed out the spammers and such), but I think it's very cool! Plus, they have lists of companies/offers that are known scams to avoid...if you'd like to check it out, the link is: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/RealJobs_FromHome/

Hope this helps!
J.

Dear E.

I have a 6 1/2 year old daughter and a 4 year old son so baby all this baby stuff is old news for me. I know that at 8 months I started giving my babies rice with bean gravy in it and also chopped up pieces of meat. Mashed potatoes, spaghettis are also good. Small pieces of bread. What ever you give her make sure you're sitting with her watching her and make sure you give her really small and mushed up pieces. Just make sure you crush and mush everything because they can choke on little things like rice. Just give her a little at a time and don't try to stuff her mouth.

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I see everyone elses responses and I am right there with them. I make all of our baby food so that I know what my kids are getting, I have 3 4, 1 and 1/2 and 5 months. I would just make sure that when she is eating the she is chewing on the foods. If she can handle the stage 2-3 foods then she is able to mash. Try some of the fruit snacks in the infant aile. If you hear her chewing it then I would just put her on table food so that it is easier for the family and she will be able to start to feed herself since it will be pieces of soft food instead of pureed mess. The citrus and tomato products I wouldn't worry to much about. My daughter was eating table food spaghetti at 7 months with no teeth. You just cut it up really really tiny and they can gum it to death. Hope this helps.