feeding my 8 month old

Cathralynn - posted on 11/30/2009

Go with the finger foods I think. I started baby food at six mo and every meal time was stressful. Then my daughter absolutely refused spoon feeding. I googled baby led weaning. Best thing for us. I gave her finger foods at every mealtime with cups of water and fed bm on demand. AT 8mo she strated replacing bm with solids and we never looked back. Once I started giving straight finger foods and she could feed herself there was no more crying. They don't have to have teeth either. Get more info. It was really easy to offer balanced meals and let my daughter be in charge. Soft fruits, steamed veggies, crackers, bread, pasta, dry cereals, freeze dried fruits/veggies, scrambled egg whites, tofu, cheese, yogurt, I could go on and on. Good luck! Talk to your doc, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this method. And I find "baby foods" not as nutritional.

Amy - posted on 11/30/2009

hey dear,
it is quite normal for babies at 8months to get a little funny with there food. Have you ever tried that stuff in the jars??????? well for the 6-9 months and even older??? yick?!?!?!? Dont blame her.... I would just keep at what ur doing.. give her what she wants... even if she dosnt take the jarred food, she takes the finger foods so dont worry about that... and eat with her... expect her to eat what u are eating... so which means hahah that you shud eat healthy tooo.... lol what a bonus!!!! just keep on with the pureed stuff and finger vegies and fruit...... whether about or not...

Lindsay - posted on 11/28/2009

My daughter loved her baby food too, but when it was time to move up to stage 3 foods(for her that was 9 months) she refused them. I ended up just going straight to all regular food and she has been a very happy eater ever since. When she got to this point the only food she would take on a spoon was YoBaby Yogurt or Organic applesauce ( not the baby stuff, the regular stuff).I only gave her organic baby food, so the additves and preservatives were not an issue for us.

Lori - posted on 11/28/2009

I dont agree with Liane Clark because at 6-7 months my daughters doctor told me i can start her on table foods such as mashed pot,bannans,and such.Now she is 9 months old and at the end of her 8 month i was giving her mashed pot,pancakes(cut up into small pieces)and such...So Kim blake dont listen to everyone ask ur doc

Lori - posted on 11/28/2009

At first my daughter was the same way she would spit it out but i kept putting it in her mouth Not forcing but wiping it off her mouth and puttig it was in and she is now taking to it.Also another good way to get her to eat it is if u are at a rest that has mashed pot ask if u can get a little or if u are at a buffet grab some and mix it my daughter is 9 months old and thats what i have to do..And yes those grad puffs and the little cheese jacks from Gerber grad is really handy...I now carry them when we go to a local buffet because if the french fries are nasty i give her them and she feels like she is eating with us

Karin - posted on 11/28/2009

Let her lead. :) If she's spitting things out, it means she's probably not ready for them. Not necessarily that she doesn't like them. I also agree with whoever said that carrot and celery sticks are not a very safe idea. Definitely cooked, but not raw. You can't really control the size of the chunks she bites off and she can't mash them with her teeth and gums.

Jar food is just as safe and healthy as home made food. They don't add any artificial ingredients or preservatives, so what it says on the label is what you're getting.

Have you given her bananas or avocados? My son used to love them @ that age.

She'd rather have a bottle because it's what she should be having. Breast milk or formula should be the primary source of nutrition until 12 months of age. She'll eat solids when she's ready. Watch for cues like not using the tongue thrust as much to push foods out of her mouth. Good luck! :)

April - posted on 11/28/2009

Once a baby has table food you can forget jar food. It doesn't have much flavor to it so they prefer the table food. my little girl has been eating table food since about 8 month. i just made sure that it was small enough or smooth enough for her to eat it.

Kimberly - posted on 11/28/2009

I would just go ahead and follow her lead. If she likes finger foods and she will eat off your plate. Then let her have at it . She's eating and that's what counts.

I wouldn't worry about jarred baby food if you need to give it to her. I have never seen any contain MSG(which is just a flavor enhancer) Nor do they contain any other preservatives than ascorbic acid(which is just a fancy way to say vitamin c.)

Liane - posted on 11/28/2009

As she is only 8 months old, you should not really worry about her eating tons of baby food. Her main source of nutrition should still be coming from breastmilk or formula. She's awfully young to be eating table food and/or chunky style baby foods yet. I defintely agree with Valerie that carrot sticks and the like are major choking hazzards for a child her age.



If you decide to make your own baby foods you can use an ice cube tray to portion and freeze it. Then you have one serving ready to go whenever you are! I read an article somewhere recently that pointed out most jarred baby foods are, on average, 3 years old before you purchase them to feed to your baby. That fact kind of grossed me out so I will definitely be serving only homemade baby food to my child this time around!

Katt - posted on 11/28/2009

I use to use the jars of food with my daughter but once I got to the "dinners" the ones witht he chunks she started to really smell from them I couldn't even stand to change her. So thats when I started cooking her own food...I make her anything pasta and a meat sauce, chicken with veggies, Roast....Anything she eats whatever were eating unless its chinese food or something that she can't have....I use spices to flavor her food, not salt!!

Valerie - posted on 11/28/2009

I would feed her what she likes. the first foods, not chunky are perfect at her age. teeth don't mean that she can chew...choking is probably scaring her...i would also not feed her any carrots or celery as these are major choking hazards until a toddler...she also can't digest well at this young age so the simpler the better..blended table foods with salts, butter, etc are not in her best interest either...go online for some great guidance...google baby first foods

Amy - posted on 11/28/2009

i would try her on ur food...u could even get little tubs make lots of them up and freeze them and then u can take them out and about with you...try potatoes and vegtables blended
u can freeze them and use them when u want!

my little one is 15months and eats all veg and most fruits

Jessica - posted on 11/28/2009

try giving her real food mashed up really good. My litlle boy is 9 months and he only eats real food. Also try those graduates pick ups they are very convienient to use. It is good for her to get the bottle still but food is better. try oatmeal and mashed up bananas.

Brandy - posted on 11/28/2009

Try Beech Nut brand. They have so many more flavors and they are so creative and their textures are way better than gerber or any of the other ones. Believe me I tried them all with my daughter and Beech Nut worked. She had texture issues too and I think there were only 1 or 2 of the Beech Nut that she didn't like and they have such a huge selection.

Debora - posted on 11/28/2009

you can make your own foods they can be placed in small mason jars or tupperware dishes for traveling .this way you know she`s not getting all the chemicals that many baby foods have in them to keep their color or help for longer shelf life.,since it hard to find msg free .