what do you feed your kid???

Shelby - posted on 02/28/2011

My daughter eats...
Avocado sandwiches.
Pasta of every kind.
Chicken.
Pizza crust.
broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, and squash.
pear, apple, and mango slices.
quinoa.
Just about everything we eat :D
She is about to be 14.5 months

Jaime - posted on 02/13/2011

We've been giving our daughter our food since she's been physically able to eat it. Once she got down the whole eating from a spoon and swallowing, we began giving her anything that was small and mashed that we ate, like mashed potatoes. Or I would put stuff in a food processor and mash it up so she could eat it. About 7-8 months I started giving her small finger foods like cut up fruits, steamed veggies, soft meats, breads and pastas. The more proficient she got at eating and the more teeth she got, the bigger and harder to foods became. With her 1 year molars in, she now eats whatever we eat, just cut up. We've also been giving her toddler forks/spoons and letting her take a go at using them (she's about a 50-50 shot of getting food on it and getting it in her mouth). With the exception of the tough meats that she still can't chew just yet.

I wonder if your son is beginning to talk yet? I'm a teacher, and kids who do not eat a variety of textures may develop speech delays. The eating/chewing/swallowing of different textures helps to build the muscles of the mouth that are also required to be able to speak. Also, being given the opportunity to practice with silverware is important in developing his motor skills.

My personal opinion, and I what I would do, is start giving him what you, but cut up small. If he doesn't eat it, he doesn't eat it. He will eventually get hungry and eat what is given to him. If you are worried about his nutrition, you could supplement with toddler formula. It's what we do with our daughter. She usually eats well, but she goes through picky periods, and when that happens and she doesn't want to eat what we're eating, I put it up for lunch for her the next day (and if she still doesn't eat it, then I throw it out). It will also help so that you don't inadvertently raise a picky eater. If for no other reason, how annoying to always have to cook your child his/her own seperate meal! As my mom used to say, "This isn't a restaurant!" haha :)

Jessica - posted on 02/11/2011

Hello Mary. I had the same problem with my 13 month old a couple weeks ago. He would just keep the food in his mouth for about an hour or so, it wouldn't even be meat. I bought the Gerber pasta dishes and ravioli's but he wasn't to fond of them. I've pretty much decided to take what i KNOW he likes and work with it. I've given him our food before and taken from that as well.
For breakfast: Eggs with cheese, yogurt or apple sauce/ Peanut butter and perserves on wheat bread, yougurt/ pancakes dipped in applesauce with small diced fruit/ Oatmeal with peanut butter and preserves is always a hit too. Always with juice or milk. I've also made him "smoothies" using his sippy cup add a half a fruit yogurt and juice, place the lid, shake it up and he loves that.
Lunch- I make a light cheese sauce and add the really tiny alphabet pasta, smushed peas and pieces of cheese/ Really thin deli sliced turkey with vegetable crackers and diced fruit/ He likes hummus with torn pita bread/ smashed beans with rice etc.
I hope this helps. For a while I was begining to feel desprate not knowing what he liked or didn't but slowly were figuring it out. Good luck!

Tonya - posted on 02/10/2011

Mary,
When you give your son the jar food do you feed him or allow him to feed himself? I ask this because my son will only play with his food if left to feed himself. He knows how to do it and can feed himself just fine when he gets a snack but meals he likes to play with. I usually allow him to have his own spoon to play with and take a few bites on his own but then I feed him as well and he eats great. My son will spit out foods he does not like or when he is not interested in eating. He is going through a stage right now where he does not want veggies. He use to love green beans and peas and would eat them so well, now those as well as any other veggie I have to hide in his food so he will eat them. I do not know where it came from but I guess it is just a stage he is going through. I hope that he starts eating his veggies again soon.

Tonya - posted on 02/10/2011

My son is 13 months old and he too will hold food like chicken and ground beef in his mouth after he chews it. As long as he has chewed it I do not worry much. When I go to give him another bite he will swallow it before taking another bite. He also uses he juice to wash it down. My son will not eat baby food anymore he will only eat what mommy is eating lol. I think the meat thing is just because they think they have not chewed it enough or just like chewing on it. I feed my son anything that I eat that is not too spicey. He loves toasted cheese with green beans between the cheese lol. He likes pasta, sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, pretty much anything that is not mushy lol.

Darlene - posted on 02/09/2011

My son eats everything we eat, from pizza to steak. He only has one tooth but it doesn't slow him down at all!!

Kristy - posted on 02/09/2011

Alexandra is almost 14 months old and she eats all table foods and some Gerber snacks. She took herself off baby food several months ago. She just refused to eat it for several days and I gave up trying...that was between 9 and 10 months. She had 8 teeth and I just let her eat soft meats, cheese in small cubes, cheerios, fruit, crackers, pasta, and she LOVES veggies (green beans, carrots, broccoli, corn, peas, and most beans). Now she is an expert at self feeding and eats just about everything we eat--including meats. She likes chicken the best but will eat groud beef and pork every once in a while. She also likes fish. Her favorite dish is spaghetti. She has developed a taste for tomatoes (both raw and cooked). Bottom line...if we eat it she wants it, LOL!

What we are working currently is keeping our food in bowl or on a plate and using a spoon/fork to eat with. She is ok with a spoon, but not at all good with a fork. I don't expect much, but it is never too early to start.

We are just really blessed to have such a good eater. She LOVES to try new things and is so easy to feed. She isn't too picky yet, but getting there.

Mary - posted on 02/09/2011

i still dont get how your kids can eat steak. i saw ppl on here saying they were giving their kids steak 6 months ago!
i tried to give him a little bit the other day (it was super tender) and he gagged on it. i freaked out!

Candice - posted on 02/08/2011

My 13 month old seems to eat anything and wants anything we have. He'll have casserole, chunks of vegies either stemed or baked, stir fry (vegie or chicken one - with no sauces), piece of steak to chew, bits of meats, an array of sandwiches (spreadable tuna, cottage cheese, cream cheese, vegemite, cheese, tomato, ham). We are lucky he eats well. I got him onto finger foods at 7-8 months which helped him eat so well I think.

Danielle - posted on 02/07/2011

I'm having the same trouble. I try different things with my son. Most of the time he's been throwing on the floor for the dogs to eat. He still loves his 2nd and 3rd stage foods. He'll feed himself Cheerios, puffs and cheese. Sometimes he'll eat other things but recently has gotten very picky. I keep trying but it's hard not to get frustrated. He will eat the Gerber Raviolis, too. They are pretty tasty. lol

Tiziana - posted on 02/07/2011

That what my son did at the beginning, he would just mush everything on the tray and then throw it, I would get soo upset, and I would end up giving him jarred food. You just have to be patient and just keep offering him regular food first and then give him the jarred. The texture for him is so new he just needs to get used to it, it takes some tries. My son still refuses to try certain foods but I keep offering it to him until he at least tries it, after that if he still doesn't want it I dont offer that particular food for a while, maybe he doesn't like it.

Mary - posted on 02/07/2011

i tried to give him noodles and mashed squash tonight (from our dinner), he smooshed the noodles around on his tray and spit the squash out. but when i gave him stage 2 gerber squash he ate it right up. smh.

Tameka - posted on 02/07/2011

I've always given my daughter normal foods. I gave her jar food once and she vomited it up about half an hour later and was sick for a couple of days. She has always hated pureed foods as well and me waving a spoon at her. When she was little I gave her steamed vegies. They were so soft that they would almost fall apart when you picked them up. For the last few months she has had the same as the family but I've made an effort for my children to have a lower fat, lower salt and lower sugar version.

Perhaps your son cant chew properly? I know my daughter struggles with meat sometimes as she doesn't have enough teeth. I give her soft meat in very small pieces which she can manage. Also, your son is still getting good nutrition from the meat in his mouth. He may not be swallowing it but is still getting the juices from it.

Tiziana - posted on 02/07/2011

My son is 14 months old and eats mostly what we eat. Up until probably 2 months ago he only ate the same as your lo. I just kept giving him whatever we were eating that was appropriate for him. Sometimes he would just throw it.