Baby Food vs. Table Food

Hayley - posted on 03/06/2010

my son was never a fan of jarred food, so i gave him the same as what i would eat, he was fine. i give him what is suitable for him to eat, i dont give him steak or anything like that but he loves eggs,pasta, easy things to prepare are good

Tracy - posted on 03/06/2010

personaly myself i would never buy babyfood always make it myself my first child was always hungry wouldnt sleep so started out with farex in her bottle she was 1week old about 3 weeks old she was eating weetbix ,3 i might add lunch she would have her vegies and they were only mashed, she was a very greedy baby , i was told shouldnt feed her that, but hey they were getting sleep i was not. she was a very content child once she was full.. every child is different use your own instincts ,no one knows the right way!

Katherine - posted on 03/05/2010

Hmm I wonder is his birthday the 16th? That is my daughter's b-day and she'll be one!!! Yay!!


My daughter has been on table food since she was 9mo. She wouldn't eat baby food. I say do what you think is best, you are the mom :) At this point he can eat anything except nuts, honey and I would watch berries and melon. Everything else is fair game. AJ eats everything we do.

Sheree - posted on 03/05/2010

I never fed/feed my daughter who is now 8.5 months any jarred baby food. Imade everything myself, I personally find it to be more healthy, I know whats in it and its a LOT cheaper. The only things I ever pureed was apples and pears as she never liked them cooked, everything else I would just mash with either a fork or potato masher. Now she eats everything we eat. Its great. She loves all her fruits and vegies and loves feeding herself. If you want a list of everything I give her, im happy to give you one :)

September - posted on 03/05/2010

We never fed our son baby food. I homemade all of our sons meals when he starting eating solids at 6 months. I started with fresh veggies and just pureed them and then moved onto fruit and then meats. I think that your son is old enough for table foods but then again you know your baby better than I do. I would just stick with your gut feelings and introduce table food when you feel the time is right. Good luck!

Melissa - posted on 03/04/2010

When my son was 1yr old he was eating homemade pureed food until he was atleast 1 1/2 yrs old as he got older we would mash instead and gradually started giving him table food cut up into mini bite size pieces - why not make it a gradual process and see how he goes and what he prefers - as long as he is eating healthy it doesnt matter in which form this takes :)

Peita - posted on 03/04/2010

I only feed my babies from jars if we are out and about!! I usually make my own vegies and fruit, puree them and then freeze them! As my children get older, I start mashing instead of pureeing and then when they are fine with that, I start cutiing the food up instead of mashing! As long as you eat healthy meals, there is nothing wrong with giving your baby what you are eating! If you don't think they are ready, then keep going as you are!

Susan - posted on 03/04/2010

If you go back to when our grandmothers were feeding their babies it was straight from the table, no preservatives, nothing artificial and there was less food allergies in those days aswell - maybe theres a link? So when I had my children 12,10 and 1, I thought I'd go with this idea and feed them just about anything we were eating. I still keep a few jars a food in the cupboard for when I'm lazy but no meat - if it doesn't taste or smell any good to me I wont feed it to my baby. Babies are very smart and generally know how to spit food out if given a piece too large. It is a joy to watch your baby holding and eating a piece of fruit, even when half of it ends up squished and up their nose, in their hair and on the floor. I encourage anyone and everyone to feed real food over pre-packaged food but all mums need to do what they and their babies are ready and comfortable with. Enjoy eating with your baby Amber.

Coleen - posted on 03/04/2010

When my kids were that age, trying to get them to eat a healthy meal of "adult table food" was almost impossible. I would give them food from my plate, and would pay attention to what they ate and didn't eat. If I saw that they didn't eat any of the vegetables then I would feed them some of the jarred stuff, if they didn't eat enough of the meat then I would feed them the jarred stuff. Its all a matter of making sure they are eating properly, and finding foods that they like, without forcing them to eat from the table before they are ready. There is no set date that a child has to be eating from the table...and if there is they need to throw it away! Each child is different, and just because, as soon as mine had an upper and a lower tooth his paternal grandmother was feeding him pizza (I am still going to kill her for that! What a mess they made! LOL) it doesn't mean that your child will be ready for that kind of spicy food. Just like you know that your child will eat this kind or that kind of baby food, learning what kind of table food they like will take a little time. Just make sure they are getting their "full servings" a day, by supplementing with the jarred stuff until they decide they are ready for table food.

Gwen - posted on 03/04/2010

Amen Cheyenne! All this gimmicky "toddler" food, snacks, etc. makes me crazy. A box of generic cheerios and some ziploc bags are a heck of a lot cheaper than pricey snacks in cute containers. I can open a can of cocktail weiners and call them finger food too, but no one's gonna pay me a million bucks, lol! :-)

Cheyenne - posted on 03/02/2010

Babies thrived long before corporations started making baby food. The move to "Baby Food" was simply designed to make corporate entities richer. As long as your table food consists of food and not processed convience food then he will be fine on table food.

Tracy - posted on 03/02/2010

You know what, don't worry about the other kids and the other moms. If you don't feel your kiddo is ready to go on just table food, then don't. You can overcook a small portion of whatever you're having until it's soft enough for him too. Don't worry about the "others"!

Karrie - posted on 03/02/2010

My daughter ate baby food for a very small amount of time she just didn't like it at all. So like other people have said I would just seperate hers from ours before I seasoned it, and when she was really little I would throw it in my magic bullet a puree it up. But you as a mother follow your instinct for what you feel it right for your little guy.

Francesca - posted on 03/02/2010

When my dear Ella started to eat at 6 months, it was an uphill battle. She only ever wanted to eat what we eat. And at 10 months. She eats baby food maybe 5 or 6 times a week. Its a back up, when we are on the go. She is a stubborn girl though. She primarily eats a variation of what we eat, we just seperate it before seasoning. Still no shellfish, nuts, honey or milk. She loves over steamed veggies, and even home made raviolli. And oatmeal with fresh fruit is a hit with everyone in the house :) But thats just my little monster.



If you don't feel that your baby is ready, don't do it. Only you know what is best for your little monster.

Danielle - posted on 03/02/2010

Since my daughter was about 12 months she had mostly table food, unless we were going out or got home to late to cook. I always kept a few jars of baby food in the cupboard,lol...

However with table food you have to be careful with what you use to cook. I know ive gotten used to not having salt in a lot of my meals,lol...even when boiling potatoes i dont put salt in..

But then again i used to cook my daughter food when she was a baby,,i pureed my own meals a lot for her ( unless i was feeling way 2 lazy) So my daughter never really had a diet of baby food...

IF you feel he is too young then dont put him on just table food. I think baby food usually goes upto 18 months doesnt it?...just wait until you are comfortable. Each child is different, Some dont have a good reflex gag, cant chew properly etc..so wait till ur ready.

Amanda - posted on 03/02/2010

In my opinion, food is food. If it is nutritious, then who cares if it is pureed. You can introduce table foods in small pieces if you are worried about choking. I was more concerned about sodium so I would separate the babies food before seasoning it. They also have toddler meals that are similar to table food but really soft.

Nicole - posted on 03/02/2010

My daughter is 14 months old and I still give her jarred baby fruit sometimes. I do always offer whatever we are eating (cut in pea sized pieces) and if she doesn't go for it, I go back to old reliable. I don't give her any jarred meats because they just taste gross.