At what age can table food be served to babies?

Rachel - posted on 02/24/2011

google baby-led weaning. babys can eat food as soon as they can sit unaided, put it in their mouth, chew and swallow. my second child has had no purees and at 7m can handle most foods we eat, although I'm avoiding giving him anything very saucy just yet because of the mess factor and avoiding salty and processed foods. he can eat a WHOLE pear by himself, and just now is having a grilled cheese sandwich and cucumber.



unless they have/you suspect allergies you only need to avoid salt and honey and whole nuts.



if your baby has had purees they are used to sucking rather than chewing so they might gag a little more, and you may need to introduce textures more slowly - starting with soft cooked veg and building in chewier things over time. maybe introduce finger foods alongside puree so he doesn't get frustrated, and once he gets going, phase out the puree over time. before 1yr they get all they need nutritionally from their milk, so don't worry too much.

Latasha - posted on 02/23/2011

my son eat both started at 6 months and he is 14 months now as long as the baby is able to eat the foods I say et he/she eat it until they don't want it anymore. He still likes the fruit, veggies and cereal.

Shantel - posted on 02/23/2011

clearly everyone has there own thoughts on it .
my son enjoys eating what I o - the only thing I don't recommend is fast food - no chicken nuggets or salty fries .
I don't believe in giving your child fast food until there much older then 3. yogurts , lunch meats , fruits , apple sauce , raveoli.. are great for trying as first foods .

Lika - posted on 02/23/2011

After introducing the cereals, which I used the Gerber baby cereals. But when it came to food, I only used the store bought baby foods for when we were sending baby to the sitter's for the day. Other than that, my son got table food right off the bat. I fed him right off of my plate, or had baby section plates and I gave regular apple sauce, mashed up a half a pear, banana, green beans, carrots, etc... Mashed up version of what I ate. When he started teething, of course I'd make them tender (but not mushy) but then he started getting stuff like cooked baby carrots, brussel sprouts, etc... and then regular strawberries too. Just cut small enough to eat.

Kavita - posted on 02/22/2011

Hi, i think tht this is the time when u start normal food which we eat , such as rice, little veggies etc, try to mash foods and give him little taste, i m sure he will like it.I start with my baby when 6-7 months.

Kristen - posted on 02/22/2011

My baby started around 6 or 7 months.

Jamia - posted on 02/21/2011

If he is healthy and you are comfortable then start small. Things like mash potatoes or mashed up mac and cheese. We started giving our son cereal at 4 weeks and he did very well. Remember, start small and he is your son and it is your call. Our son is 9 months now and he eats everything that can be mashed or cut into small pieces. The stuff in the jars are just table food in a jar. Good Luck

Lindsay - posted on 02/21/2011

I started all four of my kids on table food at about a year. I supplemented baby food with rice cereal and formula bottles until then.

Sherry - posted on 02/20/2011

My DS has gotten table food since he was about 6.5 months old. I just made sure he was able to pick it up (pincher grasp) and it was small and soft (or disolvable) enough. Spices are FINE!!! Your LO just can process excess salt and sugar yet, so try to avoid adding extra salt and sugar into your babies food portion. Also, as long as your family doesn't have a history of allergies, it's okay to give your baby some of the foods that were previously no-no's. NUTS are good to give earlier now. They think the delay in introducing is actually a CAUSE of the increase in nut allergies. In countries where they eat lots of nuts, babies are introduced nut way earlier than ours and have less instances of children with the allergies.
Of course HONEY is out until over a year. Be sure to look for things that have honey in them as they still may not be safe. And I personally avoid shellfish until 2 years as I do have an Uncle who is allergic. My DS has had eggs too with no problems. However, if you are concern, feed your LO the egg yolk only. It's the egg white that contains most of possible allergens.
Good luck! I say give it a go and see how your LO does. My DS LOVES to eat banana in the morning. I just slice up a ripe one and let him at it.

Lisa - posted on 02/19/2011

My daughter never had baby food. At 6 months old she was eating fruit and potato. A friend had tipped me off to a great baby accessory. They are nets on a handle. Since it was summer, I would put in watermelon, cantelope and a variety of other fruits and she would chew on them. It also helped with teething pain as they can be used for ice/juice pops. The nets have small holes that allow small amounts of food to get through, but not any chunks that can cause them to choke. They are awesome.
My daughter who just turned 3 now eats everything we eat. Her favorite food is chicken nuggets, but she also eats, every berry, watermelon, apples, bannanas, oranges, kwiwi, steak, hamburger, chicken, porck chops, hummus, broccolli, green beans, and the healthy list goes on. Her favorite is hummus with broccolli dipped in it.

Zoe - posted on 02/19/2011

My bubba's born on the 10th of june and she has everything we eat, some people have told me i shouldn't feed her but shes love food especially her fruit and veg! She hasn't got teeth yet so i have to party mash it but she will still eat chunks of chicken and what not. but obviously there are some foods we dont feed her, e.g very spicey etc... but other then that she'll eat anything and its the same with my eldest she didnt get teeth untill 17months and she was already eating everything, she just worked out how to use her gums to bite bits off small enough to swollow...

Cassie - posted on 02/18/2011

i started feeding my son table food when he got 4 teeth.

Sara - posted on 02/17/2011

A baby needs to know how to chew not just up and down put circuler also. would be great if they new how to use a spoon and should have the pincher grip down pat. I guese alot could depend on the childs readiness.

Shantel - posted on 02/17/2011

see carter JUST got his two bottom teeth but we've been feeding him foods for a little over a month noww.

Tracee - posted on 02/17/2011

My little one is the same age. She's had teeth since she was 5 mos old. Once she started reaching for our food, we started trying different things with her. She enjoys shreded chicken, sloppy joes, cherrios, bananas, apples with no skin and alittle on the mushy side. LOVES yogurt to!

Shantel - posted on 02/17/2011

my son is 8 months old tomorrow , & I have already started giving him table foods , since he was 7 months old..
balogne , yogurt , mashed up fruits , cooked carrots , corn , patatoes , peas .. apple sauce, raveoli .
I still give my son jared foods , pablum & 4 bubbas a day . He doesn't get up throughout the night & hasn't really ever.
If hes getting up throughout the night you should really consider letting him cry it out , fill him up before bed , make sure hes had a bath & that his bums clean .. then let him cry it out.. honestly - it works .
Carters had the often night hes gotten up at night , but I turn off my monitor & let him sooth himself back to sleep .

Natalie - posted on 02/17/2011

My son is 8.5 months. He has been eating "table food" in the way of mashed veges, yoghurt, weetbix, pasta,mince etc for a couple of months. The only things he doesnt eat are the ones not recommened until they are 12mnths, for e.g. cows milk, honey, egg whites (yolks are fine now). I have also been told recently to avoid rice cereal for a number of reasons but luckily both my boys wouldnt eat it.
Mine and my friends parents alway laugh when we talk about what babies are allowed to have when. When we were babies there were no restrictions and parents just used common sense. We all survived with no problems.... I think as long as you are sensible and ensure your baby is getting enough nutrients and keep an eye out for allergies you should be fine. All the best.

Tiffany - posted on 02/16/2011

If you mean table food as in the stuff we all eat, after 1 year old. Due to all the spices/salt. You can however seperate a portion of food for your baby that is unseasoned.

Babies up to a year old still rely a lot on milk for their nutrition so don't stop that yet. Use infant formula, not fresh milk. Your child can drink fresh milk as main source of milk after 2 years of age.

In order not to have your child develop allergies in the future, usually the rule is no eggs until 1 year old. No seafood/shellfish and importantly PEANUTS until 2 years old.

Foods do not need to be mashed. However be careful about your baby chocking on big pieces of meat.

Remember the food pyramid. Carbohydrates, lots of fruits and veggies, some meat/fish and as little oily foods as possible. Please don't start your baby on MacDonald's/KFC/junk foods etc. The best is still home cooked food for the baby.

I pack food for my baby when I'm eating out until he was 1-2 years old. Don't risk your child getting gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and vomiting) from eating comtaminated/unusual foods from outside. And remember to get the rotavirus vaccine before they turn 6 months old.

Jodie - posted on 02/16/2011

My son is a year old now, but I gave him what I ate in small quantities from 6 months up. I made sure that I watched him carefully to make sure he mashed it up and didn't choke. It was easier and he like eating what Mommy and Daddy were eating instead of yucky runny stuff lol. Its really at your own discretion as long as you still give them formula up until 1 year before giving them milk. This makes sure they are still getting all the nutients they need :)

Pat - posted on 02/16/2011

Every child is different and depends on when they get their teeth. Soft foods like yogurt (make small ones for babies/toddlers), mashed potatoes or bananas can start as early as 6 months. Introduce items one at a time for 2 to 3 days to determine if your child has any allergic reaction. Once they have teeth, small cereals like Rice Krispies, Special K, Cheerios, or oatmeal can be introduced with or without milk. My little girl did not get teeth until she was 11 or 12 months which is when we started introducing more table food. At this age, I tried scrambled eggs, meat and steamed vegetables cut up very finely in small pieces. Then fruit, and desserts. She is almost three and I still cut things into small pieces for her, especially meat, vegetables and fruit. Good luck.

Dawn - posted on 02/16/2011

you can be giving your baby table food now this will make things easier when he is older as he will be used to them by then
when i used to cook a sunday dinner i would make an extra small plate and then blend it up and freeze it in small boxes then you could pull out a different meal ever day they love them
Good luck with your baby
Dawn xx

Navneet - posted on 02/16/2011

thnx everyone for takin' ur time & responin'....love u all!!

Danielle - posted on 02/15/2011

Oh I almost forgot, contrary to popular belief babies don't have to have teeth to eat table food, as the few front teeth that they get at first are for tearing, not chewing. The gums are very good at mashing food up. Children don't get molars until into their second year and up to age 2. My 10 month old only has 4 teeth and can mash up EVERYTHING that we eat. I give her small bits of everything and shred the meat. I wouldn't giver her hard crackers or things of that nature until she had a molar or 2.

Danielle - posted on 02/15/2011

My daughter is 10 months old and my pediatrician gave the OK at 6 months to start trying table foods, but avoiding shellfish and wheat . At 8 months old she said that the baby could eat what we did at meals( being mindful of the salt that we added to recipes). The dr said that most spices were good for the baby to expand and explore different tastes. There is nothing that she won't eat, although I don't give her any fried foods,pizza or things of that nature. She will eat any veggie, fruit and meat that we are having, the possibilities are endless. My baby will eat anything and everything, things that my 10 year old won't even sample. The earlier you start them on a full variety of what you are eating the better eaters they will be when they are toddlers and older, and not be stuck on the "toddler diet".......chicken nuggets,hot dogs,mac and cheese, grilled cheese.

Safiyyah - posted on 02/15/2011

Hi There. I Started feeding my baby normal food that we eat from 6 months of age!!! my baby did not like the purity so she used to eat our normal food now she is a year and is loving it. i feel instead of cooking special food give them our food so that they get used to it from small

Amy - posted on 02/14/2011

We started mashing up or own table food (Mashed patatos, squash, bananas) right away as our son hated the "liquid" baby food found in jars. Once he got two teeth we started to give him a little more. By 8 months we gave him his first teething bisket.

There are a few foods that they can't have until a year (or later). I believe eggs is one of them.

We also gave our soon over cooked pasta that he loved. By 9 months he ws eating everything we did from the table except the few things he wasn't allowed to have yet.

AND I strongly suggest not giving rice cereal, many babies don't like it and it's very constipating. We are starting our 4 month old on oatmeal cereal before bed.

Alexandra - posted on 02/13/2011

As soon as babies have teeth, they can be given UNSEASONED, small portions of soft table foods. Real veggies, cooked soft, and a little mashed up, are good choices to start with.

You can also try:
Applesauce, Mashed Potatoes, very small pieces of shredded chicken.

Just be careful not to feed any wheat products. Rice is still best, to avoid serious allergies later. This includes cereals, crackers, toast...etc.

If you feed him a little rice cereal before bed, he won't wake up hungry in the middle of the night, and you'll get more rest.