Ideas on meals...

Anna - posted on 06/12/2009

Quoting Cathralynn:

Quoting Brittany:

If you have the time and are up for it, go through the baby food aisle and see what they offer, and then buy the ingredients yourself. My daughter didn't ever take to the jared food, for whatever reason. She just wanted to feed herself, but with no teeth, that was hard. So I pureed things (like sweet potatoes) and each week, we would make the consistency a little more 'chunky'... like with chunky applesauce. It took a little more effort, but even with only her two bottom teeth, my daughter can eat just about any table food. Hope all works well for you two!

My daughter was the same way, she refused the jar foods right off.  We went straight to soft finger foods and she does really well with food now.  My question is: How did u get her to eat pureed foods feeding herself?  Did she just lick her hands (sounds sooo messy!) Or can your daughter use a spoon?  My daughter won't do that for anything, occasionally she'll let me feed her with a spoon but only foods she loves, definately not jarred baby food!

Look for a product called "rafferty's garden" ( www.raffertysgarden.com) excellent stuff. A bit pricier than the usual stuff but it's worth it, they dont add water so it doesnt taste so watery.

They also have an organic range.

I just chop up some banana and add a bit of that packet stuff and that;s my son's breakfast.

Sarah - posted on 06/07/2009

Now that your son is one, he can pretty much eat what we eat (with the exception of highly allergenic foods & foods that are a major choking hazard) Just break things up into smaller pieces & watch closely. Babies love to feed themselves, so he may find this wonderful =] The Graduates toddler meals are wonderful & my daughter loves them. The raviolli & mac and cheese ones are a favorite. Also, try the Graduates snacks. Those are wonderful. Try new foods & see what works & what doesn't. My daughter still eats baby food mixed in with oatmeal, but other than that, she eats mostly what we eat. Good luck =]

Cathralynn - posted on 06/05/2009

Quoting Brittany:

If you have the time and are up for it, go through the baby food aisle and see what they offer, and then buy the ingredients yourself. My daughter didn't ever take to the jared food, for whatever reason. She just wanted to feed herself, but with no teeth, that was hard. So I pureed things (like sweet potatoes) and each week, we would make the consistency a little more 'chunky'... like with chunky applesauce. It took a little more effort, but even with only her two bottom teeth, my daughter can eat just about any table food. Hope all works well for you two!

My daughter was the same way, she refused the jar foods right off.  We went straight to soft finger foods and she does really well with food now.  My question is: How did u get her to eat pureed foods feeding herself?  Did she just lick her hands (sounds sooo messy!) Or can your daughter use a spoon?  My daughter won't do that for anything, occasionally she'll let me feed her with a spoon but only foods she loves, definately not jarred baby food!

Brittany - posted on 06/05/2009

If you have the time and are up for it, go through the baby food aisle and see what they offer, and then buy the ingredients yourself. My daughter didn't ever take to the jared food, for whatever reason. She just wanted to feed herself, but with no teeth, that was hard. So I pureed things (like sweet potatoes) and each week, we would make the consistency a little more 'chunky'... like with chunky applesauce. It took a little more effort, but even with only her two bottom teeth, my daughter can eat just about any table food. Hope all works well for you two!

Judy - posted on 06/04/2009

I've been giving my son the Gerber baby food since he was4 months old. I started with rice cereal and applesauce. Then moved on to the oatmeal with pears, peaches or any kind of fruit. Then gave a vegetable for lunch about a month later. Trying new ones every couple of days. He loved it all. I started table food not to long ago. Little peices of pasta, pastina, i make steamed vegetables. Especially broccoli with a little american cheese. Cook it until its really soft. They love it. They also sell these lil chips for them. They are called Crunchies by Gerber. They disolve so quickly. He loves them. I was confused to with the food but my doctor told me that its ok for him to eat what we eat. Tiny pieces for now, but try it.

Alison - posted on 06/04/2009

Did anyone say green peas? This is one of the first things I gave to both girls. They are so yummy! I stick them in the microwave, or just in some hot/warm water for a minute and voila!

Remember that chewing is important for muscle development related to language development... it is important!

Stephanie - posted on 06/02/2009

There have been a lot of good suggestions so far... for us, we figured we'd be cooking her food for 18+ years so we didn't see any point in not starting right away. We cooks soups, etc a bit longer and mush them a bit, or puree steamed/baked/roasted veggies and meats. I've always been a bit surprised about how much water I've needed to add to get a consistency that she'd swallow easily, especially when she first started eating food. We keep berries in the freezer and mix them with yoghurt, other fruits, or oatmeal.

If you're looking for good finger foods for practicing chewing, I can't say enough good things about avocado! I puree it for her to eat with other fruits and cut it in small cubes for her to practice picking up and eating chunks of food. Small (very small at first!) cubes of grapes or ripe pear have been a hit too. I also thought my friend was crazy when she suggested it, but things like pizza crust or bread crust have been great for her to gnaw on! Soft-cooked pasta has been a hit, especially mixed with things like squash and cheese. We've just started giving her things like rib bones with most of the meat chewed off them to gnaw on (she's teething) and raw veggies, carefully supervised.

If you're basically just starting food (which it sounds like), I wouldn't stress about the fact that other 1 year olds are eating this or that... You're starting a bit later (which I don't think should be a big deal, personally) but I wouldn't rush the natural time he needs to get used to swallowing, chewing, etc. I was worried about our daughter being behind on solids since she didn't get in to it until almost 8 months but then read something that put me in my place - pick anything and eat one bite, paying attention to exactly each thing you have to do to maneuver the food, chew it, move it to the back of your mouth and swallow. There's a lot going on it there and these little kids have to basically figure it out alone!

Kim - posted on 06/02/2009

I find it a little odd the dr and health dept would say keep him off food until he's one, unless there was some reason specific to him. We started our son on baby food at 6 months as recommended by our ped and by all our friends. He caught on to it pretty easily. They have to learn how to mush it in their mouth, swallow, bite with their teeth, things like that, so just keep at it. We started off with the baby food and things like Gerber puffs, cherrios, Ritz crackers, things that dissolve quickly. As he mastered those, we moved on to the next stage of baby food. I think the important thing is to make sure it's not a choking hazard, so break them up into small pieces and keep an eye on them. My son likes to shove a handful in his mouth all at once. He just turned one and is pretty much completely on table/grown-up food. I love the Gerber meals that come in the tubs. He loves the ravioli's. I just cut them in half. He also loves mac and cheese. It all just takes practice, but they catch on. And if he doesn't like something, just try again another time. It took like 10 trys before my son would eat Yogurt or fresh fruit.

Cathralynn - posted on 06/02/2009

Quoting Cassie:

I never thought about Kix. I bet he would like those. Normally I would be afraid he would get choked on Kix though. i will Def. try the Motts Applesauce. Thank you so much!

Allsion had trouble with kix, same with chex.  Coughing and such.  It really worried me.  But then I realized if she's coughing she's clearing her own throat.  That's an important thing to learn for them.  So don't forgo certain foods if you think they might be difficult.  Don't give them choking hazards either, kix dissolve no matter what. Just always be around when they eat to help.  I always have a cup of water handy.  And when she coughs offer it. Allison is really good at moving food around in her mouth now and asks for water if she has trouble.  Its all a learning process, good luck!

Cassie - posted on 06/01/2009

I never thought about Kix. I bet he would like those. Normally I would be afraid he would get choked on Kix though. i will Def. try the Motts Applesauce. Thank you so much!

Renee - posted on 06/01/2009

My son loves any kind of noodles! I give him the soy chix nuggets, but take off most of the breading (healthier than real chix nuggets). Kix cereal is another easy finger food, it mushes easily in the mouth. Motts Natural applesauce (it comes in a lot of different flavors) I started cereals and baby food at 6 mos old. He turned 1 on the 2nd. He still mostly eats baby food mixed with the cereal though. I think all the teething he is doing right now he just doesn't want to chew anything.

Cathralynn - posted on 06/01/2009

I'd say just keep up what your doing. I started baby cereal and baby food at 6mo, but my daughter didn't catch on til 8mo or so and then refused sppon feeding altogether and I offered her finger foods. She changed the amount of bottles I offered on her own as she got more comfortable with foods. So just keep offering things and then see what happens. You don't have to offer "table foods" as in what you eat, if you don't want to. I feed from the food groups. At every meal I offer fruit, veggie, cheese, and a cracker or bread. Let the baby pick how much and what to eat. It will work out. For starters you can just drop bottles, by giving him formula, or milk in a cup and see if that works. He might just eat more food or drink the same amount from a cup. I think that docs are more worried about bottles and their teeth, also the switch to whole milk than how much food they eat. You can do it at your own speed. Good luck!

Cassie - posted on 05/31/2009

Thank you so much!

Anna - posted on 05/31/2009

Hi, I was lucky, we were seeing a dietician (my boy has allergies). Cook your vegetables until tender and have them in small cubes eg carrots. this is suppose to be for practice with chewing. Or if you're cooking something for you like spag bolognaise, beef stew etc just lightly blend some and he'll get the hang of chewing.

Try fruit, start with stewed fruit with his cereal or on their own. Kids love hot chips (fries in US i thinks...)

Jelly is good too, but be careful giving him too much sugar, it's hard work trying to get a bubs to brush their teeth!

check out www.cyh.com They have a good nutrition section and they tell you how much is in a serve and how many serves kids are meant to have.

I get paranoid about Max choking on his food too but all the best.

Cassie - posted on 05/30/2009

Yeah I have been feeding him those to.. I am getting a little better day by day... trying some new things!!! Thanks for the help!

Tisha - posted on 05/30/2009

With Courtney, I gave her those cereal thingies they have in the baby food isle at wal mart. They dissolve in the mouth, but I broke them up into pieces anyway, just because I was worried like you are. Mashed potatoes, oatmeal and stuff like that she seemed to like. I fed her baby food forever though, just because I was worried that the newer stuff wouldnt hold her over until her next meal. It's just different for everyone.

Tisha - posted on 05/30/2009

With Courtney, I gave her those cereal thingies they have in the baby food isle at wal mart. They dissolve in the mouth, but I broke them up into pieces anyway, just because I was worried like you are. Mashed potatoes, oatmeal and stuff like that she seemed to like. I fed her baby food forever though, just because I was worried that the newer stuff wouldnt hold her over until her next meal. It's just different for everyone.