When to Feed What???

What does his Dr. say? If the food you have been feeding him is satisfying him and he is not gaining too much weight too fast then it sounds like you are on the right track.
You are lucky he likes the variety and not a picky one who likes nothing. Hope this helps alittle

It sounds like you are doing just fine. My son is almost 10 months and at his 9 month well-baby visit, the doctor said that most babies this age are still mostly eating baby food! He said I could try giving him just about anything (you know except the things you know about like nuts, honey, egg, anything that's a choking hazard like popcorn, etc.), but we give him most everything we eat -just chopped up very small - spaghetti (he loves it), veggies, potatoes, pasta, chicken, fish, he loves rice and beans (mush up the beans), you can even give dairy - cheese, cottage cheese. just not milk yet. Also, until they are a year old, they get most of their nutrients from breast milk or formula. Good luck.

when my kids were 9 months or older they would eat pretty much what I ate, only I was careful with things they could choke on or things that were not healthy.

He loves french fries! and rice, from what i hear.

I think the more variety the better as long as he enjoys them, they're in tiny bite size pieces and don't cause him any allergic reactions give him whatever!

T.,

It is tough, isn't it? There are tons of resources for starting solids but not much about "then what." Check out these:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/finger-foods.html

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/nutrition/index.asp

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040100.asp

:-)T.

start the whole grains next - but make sure nothing he can choke on.... Start with Cheerios they are great for his small motor skills and they melt in the mouth really fast.... Here's a trick - test anything in your own mouth first - NO TEETH and suck on it for a few seconds - if it doesn't start to dissolve within 5 seconds - don't give it to him... Also stay away from anything round - too easy to choke - if you want to give him grapes - have to peel the skins off and cut them into 4 pieces each...

Good Luck and have fun washing his little face!

When my daughter was 9 months I was giving her small cut up food like banana, peaches, pears, cooked carrots, etc. Anything that could be smashed up with her gums. Or mashed potatoes, cooked sweet potatoes, cheerios, those little stars. Gerber has jars of cut up carrots & green beans & peaches that you could try..... But make sure you talk to your doctor, but mine told me as soon as my son could pick up food and get it in his mouth to start on that type of stuff....

I LOVE this site. It has helped me tremendously!

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babymenub.htm

i think that if it wasnt the right thing for him, you would know. he would choke, and refuse it. it sounds to me like you are on the right track!

You should ask your doctor. But it's really up to you and how your baby responds. You should give him whatever is healthy , but never nuts or any type of fish. But when he is about a year his diet will change a little and he will no longer take formula. But for now I would feed him baby meals and if he still has a big appetite, give him a bottle between meals.

With my son, when he was ready to move to solids I simply started him on soft stuff. You can take fresh vegis and cook them slightly so they'll mash. I would try everything mashed at first. They have to get used to texture and you don't want to give him anything that requires extensive chewing until he has lots of teeth.

Try the Gerber Gradutes cut up fruits and veggies. My daughter is 10 months and she loves them. I also started giving her some table food, however my daughter does have 8 teeth. Good Luck!

If he's eating and has no allergic reaction, then you're doing just fine. I would just continue to explore. My son pretty much eats what I eat, just on a smaller and mashed up scale. How is he with juice? What about different spices and international foods? My son loves Chinese food. He loves all food. But I seldom feed them to him because they are not as nutritious.

Don't worry about what books say. Your the mother. If you're feeding him good food that are not choking hazards, then you're doing just fine.

I think the next step is to teach him how to feed himself with a spoon. My son will grab the spoon and guide it into his mouth. I lightly hold the end of the spoon because he lets go as soon as it hits his mouth, but he's getting there. He's 9 months also.

T.,

You are doing just fine. At 9 to 11 months is when you start to introduce foods to your baby. Make sure that it is one flavor at time. Make him what you eat just mash it up a little. Vegetables and fruit with rice cereal are a great way to start him on good eating habits. He will tell you if there is something that he is not ready for. You can get a good vitamin for him on my site if you are no longer breastfeeding or using formula. And make sure your juices you give him are 100% juice. If it says cocktail on it, it is loaded with sugar.

Call me if you have questions.

L. C
Personal Nutritionist
www.herbalmom.com

Hi T., from what my doctor said at his 9month checkup, he can eat all stage 3 baby foods, white bread, egg yokes, baby yogurt, string cheese, pasta noodles. My son loves to eat and just turned 11months. At his 9month check, he only had 2 bottom teeth and the doctors said it was no problem to give him these thing. Somethings were harder than others to eat, but he learned fast, just be patient. Good Luck! He is at a fun age!

I think that if your son wants to eat it within reason let him at it. My daughter started with the stars, cheese, small pieces of fruit and egg whites. The pediatrician suggested I stay away from the yoks until she was closer to a year and we knew she could break down the protein in the yok, the same with fresh milk. Cheerios are great and cream of wheat is a good substitute for the baby ceral and a little bit goes a lot longer then the box of baby rice cereal. But double check with your pediatrican before giving him to much. Try one thing at time.. My daughter love green beans.. who would have thought..
Good Luck.......Have fun with it.
P.S. watch out for allergy foods.

T.: It is scary being a first time mom -- always questioning what they should eat and when. I run a small daycare and according to food guidelines -- between 8-12 months -- your child should be eating all fruits and vegetables (#2 and #3 on baby food), crackers, puffs, bitterbiscuits, etc.... Babies are really smart - when they are full, they stop eating. Not like us -- we may be full but most of the time adults continue to eat.

My the time my children were 9 months, I actually fed from the table - like spaghetti sauce, mashed potatoes, carrots (I'd cut them up really small), peas....

By the time the child is a year old, baby food should be gone and the child should be eating directly from your table. When I had my first, I continued on baby food (#3 and the small dinners) up till he was like 15 months... but I didn't do that with my other two.

It's your choice.... If you have any other questions, let me know.

hope this helps you.
Tammy

our son has been eating what we eat. i'm trying to stay away from typical children's staples like chicken nuggets and mac n cheese dishes so he doesn't get hooked. He has normal chicken breast, fish, (not shellfish!). The only thing we have avoided is red meat because we have a family history of digestive problems and a lot of red meat upsets my tummy. so I'm just holding off on that for awhile. have you checked out any cookbooks by anabell karmel? i love her cookbooks and the children's recipes are things we would eat as a family... very yummy! also, there is another website called wholesomebabyfood.com that i enjoy... hope you can find some fun recipes... good luck!

I give my son whole peas, cooked carrots and other veggies diced up small. soft pizza crust, small peices of bread, and small peices of apple diced. He is 10 months now but I started giving them when he was about 8.5 months. He loves peas when he eats them whole but hates them blended, go figure. Oh cut greenbeans ae great from a can they are already very soft.

Good Morning. I just thought maybe some of my information would help and decided to respond to your question. My son is now 1 and believe me when I say he eats everything. I believe I started my son on mashed fresh pinto beans at 6 months and soft bread when he got his first teeth. I had also given him rice and mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, I definately gave him the little stars that melted. My son was always a big eater and loved all kinds of food. Just go with your instinct every child is different. Hope this helps.

Hi T.,

I would start giving your son just about anything he wants. My son ate table food at that age. I just cut everything up really tiny and let him go at it. My son didn't even have any teeth until 10 months and he was able to eat table food before that. He would just gum it down. My son loved crunchy toast that I cut into tiny squares. If he sucks on it long enough it will disolve. My pediatrician said Cherios are ok because they will disolve before they could even choke on them. It's a lot cheeper to buy a box of Cherios than one container of the Gerber stars. My son loved tiny pieces of cheese cut up too. You could also do little chunks of banana or soft fruits (pears, peaches). You don't really need to buy the special baby varieties, but I would look at the ingredients and make sure what you're giving him doesn't have added sugars or too much salt. Good Luck and let your little man have fun exploring new food.

L.

um try fries, chicken nuggets, soft but more filling things. Bananas from the fruit section. regular bread, basically the softer foods known as table food. have you tried regular crackers? IF he has teeth theres really nothng he cant have in moderation. And giving kids table food before a year is non sense. Trust me he will sleep longer at night. JUst remember give it tohim in moderation. DO jello and mushable fruits from the fruitsection. Mandarin oranges have no seeds. Try those that way he can also feed himdelf. But bewar it will be messy... LOL put a towel or an older sheet undre his chair and let him go. This way the floor is not ot messy....

let me know how this goes.....

Hi T.,
My only advice is to be spontenous and do what you think is best. My daughter is almost 11-month now and it's been a while already I give her cooked pasta, bread, toddler cookies, cooked veggies, cheese cubes etc. and she is happy and fine! I started when she had 4 teeths and felt she was ok to chew.

I don't really follow any rules of pediatricians here that I find to strict and rigid. It's like you need to protect your little one from everything and to me it's b/s. (excuse my french ;)

Take care!!
Caro

Dear T.,

Talk to the doctor or nurse when you take him for his regular check ups. Also, when you give him something new, then just give a little to him and watch to see if he is allergic to it. If it makes him breath funny, or throw up, or break out in a rash. If they are going to be allergic, then the reaction may not show up right away. It seems like you are one lucky mama. It is really hard to have a picky eater.

He will slow down at some point and almost stop eating, but just don't fuss at him, if his body needs it, he will eat. Please do not make meal time a time to force anything. It doesn't hurt to ask if he is going to eat something after he has had a chance to taste or eat it, then respect his nod or head shake or no! Take it away,without comment, and offer something else, if you can easily do that. This is not spoiling, and tell the first person who tells you that I said so!. (not a sweet)

Also, during those times when he doesn't eat so well, give him a snack inbetween meals if he asks or wants it. That is not spoiling either, just be sure that it isn't a sweet. Give him something healthful, fruit, raisins, dried fruit, a healthy home made cookie so you can control the amount of sugar, a lot of times I put in 2/3 or 1/2 of the called for sugar and no one ever knows. Or .... you know what to do.

Remember, their tummies are as large as a small fist. Something like that, anyway. Quite small. Have fun, C. N.