How Do I Start Feeding Table Foods?

I have 10 month old twin boys and boy do they eat. I was very apprehensive at first giving them anything. I was paranoid even the smallest amount of food would choke them. Gradually, I overcame my fear and started with fruit. I'd hold a really ripe Nectarine or Peach and let then bite off of it. They had no problems. I broke off pieces of banana and they had no problems. We have moved onto almost everything I eat, I let them have small bite sized portions of. I will note both my boys have about 8 teeth and have no problems biting or swallowing.

I just monitor what I feed them and have a sippy cup nearby. Just incase...

My daughter just started liking food at a little over 11 months, and we've pretty much only done finger foods. She didn't like baby food much. I started with avocado (a good ripe one is so soft for them, it doesn't matter how many teeth!), banana of course baked sweet potato cubed, really soft cooked carrots, soft green beans, baked potato with a little cheese sprinkled. In fact, cheese is one of my baby's favorite things. I use Gerber puffs when we're out and about just in case there is nothing else appropriate for her. She loves yogurt (though that is not a self-feeding food!) too. Now that my baby has turned a year, I give her scrambled egg and soft cooked beans (she LOVES black beans) that she can pick up and eat on her own. She also likes whole wheat pasta cooked soft, cut up, with a little parmagiana or mozzarella grated on top.

I've been giving solids since 7 1/2 months (my baby still nurses just as much as always, despite how much "food" she eats) but DD just started really liking them at 11 1/2 months! Now she is 12 1/2 months, and she eats almost everything we do. She loves tomatoes and most fruits, and broccoli (I just cut off tiny portions of the "leaves" and she can pick them up), green beans, soft cooked red pepper strips....I still think the breastfeeding is #1, and so we still nurse on demand. It's full of protein and calcium. Plus, she is getting the benefits of all the food I eat when she nurses so that fills in any gaps.

I hope this helps you. At this point, his digestive system can handle a lot. I would just watch out for the "allergen" foods (they generally say to hold off on citrus until 1 year, and pork for a while. those are just a couple of examples).

Since my babies were EBF for so long, and then nursed as much after (DS nursed until 2, while DD is still going strong at 12 months), I refer to the kellymom website a lot. It's got great information that is research based for breastfeeding, and all that entails...including starting solids. Here is a link to finger foods: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/finger-foods.html and this is a link to the page about allergen foods, and the suggested ages for introducing those. http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/first-foods.html#all...

On a personal note, I did give my baby strawberries and blueberries shortly before she turned a year, and she loves them both. But she is not particularly sensitive to foods, it appears.

Hope this all helps, and is not overload! Feel free to message me any time you have breastfeeding and solids questions!

If your baby loves the cheerios, and is picking them up on his own, I would try to go ahead and give him some super soft finger food - try canned pears cut up small or cooked carrots, peas, etc. Things that will mush or dissolve in his mouth easily. This may get him used to new flavors. French toast cut up into squares, a soft-boiled egg with "soldier toasts" for your baby to dip in the yolk will be messy but very popular. Cubes of Gouda cheese - in fact cubes of anything will be popular and good for your baby's development at this stage.

How fun!!! I just loved it when my little one started feeding herself - so funny to watch.
Let's see, some of the things I feed her are shredded cheddar cheese, shredded chicken or lunch meat (turkey), rice, pasta, whole grain waffles, carrots, green beans, black beans, baked beans, rice krispies, avocado. Basically, I give her anything healthy as long as it is in small pieces and relatively soft. If you cook dinner, just take what you are having and chop it up.
Also, you may want to give just a little bit at a time, or he may shove it all in his mouth. About the nursing all the time, my little one just turned a year and I feed her three times a day and she still wants to nurse often. Some babies just love to nurse. Have fun!!

This is about the time that my daughter "agreed" to eat something besides breastmilk. Get creative and offer your child a wide range of foods--these are the years when you are shaping their taste buds. Avoid the "allergy" triggers--especially if there is a history of food allergies in your family. Breastfeeding has given your son the very best start.

One big lesson I have learned is to introduce foods over and over again. They don't love everything the first time around--mine rejected avocado for the longest time and now she can (and will) eat a whole one.

Offering more substantial foods (with fat and/or protein) will fill him up more than carbohydrates and will help you make the transition to solid foods.

Also, avoid canned vegetables unless they are the low sodium variety. Steaming frozen vegetable until they are soft will avoid overloading your little one with salt. Even though they are more expensive, crackers/cookies made for babies generally have more vitamins/minerals and lower sodium. I've been really happy with Beechnut products. I also buy a lot of organic products--I'm not so concerned with the organic part, but these products won't have high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated fats.

This is an easy one. Cheerios- I used to coat them in yogurt so they would stick to the kids hands easier. Very messy but made eating them easier! Avocado pieces. Cheese pieces. My kids LOVED canned peas. Cooked carrots cut up. Babies do NOT need teeth to gum things to death. Anything soft that you can mush down w/ a finger- they can eat. Make sure you cut everything into small pieces first. My oldest went straight to table food at 9 months-once he figured out he could feed himself, I was excused...he had no need for me! Spaghetti! Fish sticks! You'll be amazed- and this is probably the most adventurous they will be in eating department. My ten year old won't touch seafood now but when she was one she followed me around the kitchen as I fed her boiled shrimp bite after boiled shrimp bite. Just no honey...and start slowly- adding one thing at a time. My husband was so amazed the first time the oldest ate a french fry that he drove thru the drive thru at McDonalds 3 times in one day- and the kid finally threw up. So don't try that!

Hi M....I don't have alot of time, so this is going to be short. I have a son who is 11 months (who has refused any baby food since he has started table food) and a daughter 2 1/2 years. You can cut-up any soft fruit like ripe peaches and blueberries work well...also grate apple with a coarse grater. You can also cook apples to make them softer. Watermelon works well, too. And avacado is a good one. I steam veggies so they are soft and cut them or mash them a bit (carrots, green beans, peas). Cheese shreds are good as well as Ritz crackers (they seem to get soft pretty quick). The plain graham crackers (without honey) get soft quickly, too. I am not a big fan of the jarred foods, but the Gerber meat sticks are really soft. Also the Gerber puffs just melt in their mouths-they are a good snack. I also give him little pieces of cut op chicken. Lastly, noodles or mac and cheese...I use the bigger elbows or spirals and cut them up. Good luck!

You should try the gerber baby food stage 3 it has small soft pieces of food that is soft enough for a baby to smach with their gums. They have a variety of dinners and fruits. My 11month enjoys them and if you want to try a snack they also have gerber puffs that melt as soon as they go into the babies mouth to avoid any choking. These also come in a varity of fruit flavors

A few things I can think of are small chunks of avocado, small bites of cheese, Gerber puffs (they sort of melt in their mouths, so may be better than Cheerios until he can chew). Also, you could try some cottage cheese, although he couldn't really feed it to himself. Biter biscuits are good too, but a little messy. My daughter stopped eatiing baby food at 9 months and weaned herself from nursing not long after that, so I know where you're coming from! Good luck!