'nother soild food question

well, Leane has been eating solid foods for about 2 or so months now, and we've done basically all the veggies and furits and are on our way to the meats soon.
I have been giving her the fruit or veggies or whatever it is she's eating in the afternoon, then rice cerial at supper time (which she loves). I stayed away from all the other grains, like wheat and oats, etc after everything you guys all told me about them. I never asked about musli (sp?), though. I was looking at the cerials the other day, and since the wheats and stuff all had 6 months + on them, and that is wrong, I didn't know what to trust and what not to. Should I even keep bothing with the cerials or start giving her something else at supper time? Oh, and when can I start increasing the texture of the food?

 

at this point, it's all about what your baby wants to eat. My oldest never would eat anything pureed, had to have texture. She started out just eating whatever I was eating, after I mushed it with my fork. Some babies don't like food with texture. Just experiment around, making sure not to introduce too many new foods at a time, so if she does have a reaction, you'll know what caused it.

 

At about 9 months old my kiddies started munching on cheerios and an organic teething toast. Before that, they couldn't have cared less about table food. I went by what their interest level more than anything else. When they started showing an interest in food, we started giving them "baby-fied" versions of what we were eating. Unless she has an overactive gag reflex or still can't do things like bring things to her mouth, I'd think she's ready for some fun finger foods. Hand her a spoon, but don't be surprised when she bangs everything in sight with that, and uses her fingers to eat with.

Do you have a baby food grinder? I got mine 10 years ago for $10 and used it for literally everything. I'd probably still be using it, but the metal grinder part was lost on a camping trip. You can pretty much take anything that hasn't been seasoned too much, and run it through there. I used to take about 1/3 cup of whatever we were eating and set it aside before adding spices for my babies so they could eat what we were. Things like pastas are pretty easy to feed too... just cut any bigger noodles down to size & let her feed herself.

She's going to make an absolute mess of herself, and anything or one within about 15 feet. And she is absolutely going to love it. But it's all part of growing up. And it is soooo funny to watch a little one spray mashed carrots across the room! If you're worried about the mess, I'd highly recommend a $2 shower curtain. You can hose it off or even toss it in the wash!
love,
mom

 

do you think that i could just use a blender to puree the foods we're eating?
We just finished basically all single fruits and veggies, and she doesn't appear to be allergic to any of them.
I was actuslly planning on starting to mix the foods we were eating and pureeing them for her, omitting the spices of course.
I still think she's quite a bit too young for cherios and stuff. She watches us and makes chewing movements with her mouth, but I don't think that she actually knows what she's doing. I shared a piece of watermelon with her the last few days at lunch. She grabbed it and gleefully munched away.....she just loves it, and it also probably feels pretty damn good on those little teeth.
She's been grabbing the spoon and trying to feed herself since basically the first day that we started to feed her soilds, lol. And yeah, what a mess!lol
She's been showing an intrest in our food since she was 6 months old, which was around the time we started soilds...no doubt, she loves having the extra flavours and stuff.

 

IMO, babies don't need meat until they can deal with it on their own. When I used to Nanny, I tried some of that babyfood meat in a jar. The baby I was taking care of hated it. So, I tried some. OMG, I almost hurled. Then, I said I would never feed that stuff to my kids.

Meat isn't all that neccesary, so you don't need to worry about it, unless you really want to, and the baby shows interest in it, when you eat it. I remember some of my kids just grabbing a chicken bone (a large leg bone) or a rib and gnawing whatever was left on it. Meat takes lots of teeth and some practice, so there is no reason that an 8 month old can really handle it herself.

For texture, let her try some steamed or boiled, cubed apple, pear, potato, sweet potato, or plain, cubed banana (I would, at this age, put some rice crispy crumbs on it, because it sticks to the high chair tray and the baby tends to get upset if he can't pick it up. I would cut up the banana and put it into a small plastic bag, with mashed up brown rice "crispy" cereal crumbs (just the regular rice crispies they sell at the store, you don't need it special for babies) and use it like Shake and Bake. The banana would be covered and the child could eat it herself.) Babbies her age love to self feed, especially at family meal times, as long as they can do this without choking. (every baby is different.) When the time comes, if she shows an interest in meat, you can cut up little tiny pieces of it, and let her feed herself. No reason to buy it in a jar. Blah. Or, you could wait on it, she really doesn't need it at this point. And many people eat no meat at all. It is your decision.

 

humm, that was originally what I thought....herdoctor was actually the one to suggest the pureed meat...even before fruit. which i didn't agree with.
if we're having a meal, and I want to give her some, should I puree everything seperate or all together?

 

You can use a blender. It works fine, but with the tiny amounts it gets to be a real hassle getting it out sometimes.

I puree things separately. I can't imagine the thought of eating my pears & my pasta together
In HIS Love,
Marcy

 

Jimmy has never had meat or dairy in his life. He does however greatly enjoy tofu! He's just a week or so younger than Leane. He eats banana chunks, organic baby foods mixed with cereal. We get these fabulous freeze dried fruits and veg at Whole Foods called "Just ____" (insert fruit or veg, they have apricots, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, tomato, corn etc.) They're great because baby can basically disolve them in their mouths. He eats dinner with us every night. We just mash or crumble anything that isn't too heavily spiced. For instance, tonight we had mac'n'chreese with broccoli and TVP sloppy joe. He eats the noodles just fine. I cut the broccoli "branches" off the stem and he can handle that fine. And he just messes around in the joe and licks it off his fingers. I would say if she can use her pincer grip well enough to get a cheerio sized bite then she's ready for table food.

 

By the way, I never gave Jim cereal straight. I do about half a jar of fruit or veg ( the level 2 stuff) and add only 2 or 3 BABY spoon spoonfuls of cereal. So it's mostly fruit. I like to mash a bit of banana in it too for texture. He likes it just fine. Oh! Avocados (sp?) are wonderful too! I think I recall that they could be an allergen if nut allergies run in the family. I could be mistaken, they don't bother J at all.

 

avocados and bananas are not recommended if there is a latex allergy in the family. I am allergic to avocados, and my oldest child cannot eat bananas without it giving her constipation, but my little one loves them.

 

My girls LOVE Gardenburgers. Cut or crumble them into small pieces and they're in heaven.

My rule is if I won't eat it because of the taste, I won't feed it to them. That being said, I really have enjoyed many of the Gerber Organic jarred foods.

 

I would be careful about the whole not giving a baby something to eat "because I personaly think it tastes terrible" thing. Alot of times children become picky eaters because the parents are and impose their eating limitations on the children. What if you can't stand the flavor of all fresh green veggies? Do they then miss out on a whole category of nutritious fresh foods? Do you withhold tofu because you personally find it bland? Response to the flavor of food is learned! An infant is capable of enjoying a great many different foods and becoming attached to them so that she will enjoy them later in life. This goes for BAD foods as well as the good ones!
Just my humble opinion!

 

I DO hear what you are saying though. Maggie, some of those meat baby foods taste like dog food! Maybe I'm biased bacause I'm vegan! Also, this is kind of unrelated but, Jim has been eating solid foods heavily for over a month and his poops still smell like a newborns! Not putrid and farty at all. I just wonder if this is related to us eating no meat or dairy and him being breastfed? I'm really interested in the science of it all! Not trying to be all "My babys poo smell like roses, so ha!".

 

Jayzz, I totally agree. I meant that if the food really tasted bad, like those meats, then they don't pass my taste test.

 

actually, yeah, Leane loves prunes for one....i think they smell like bbq sauce and can't stomach them. I don't much like the taste of carrots, either, and Leane loves them.
So I can start giving her some 'chunky' stuff like brocolli now? I'm just so scared she's going to choke....do you boil down the brocolli first?
oh, and when i was asking about pureeing the foods together, i meant like mashed potatoes and veggies, not mashed potatoes and pears! lol:&

 

Oh yeah, potatoes & veggies ought to go fine. I had a friend that threw literally everything into a bowl together for her kids though, and that always turned my stomach.

My kiddies both love lima beans, but I think they're awful. And my son enjoys meat that I won't touch. BUT the few times I bought baby food, I did try them myself... and if they were just nasty I wouldn't feed it to them. The one that sticks out most in my mind is the rice cereal. After trying to give it to my son like a good little mama, I tried it. It tasted like kindergarten paste so I gave it away & waited until he was old enough for oatmeal before trying cereals again. So I guess I do a little of both

Other than allergens use your own judgement on what & when to give her. Mamas aren't always right, but... well we do know our babies better than anyone else.
love,
mom

 

Although broccolli is fine for a breastfeeding mom (the "gas" doesn't get into your milk) giving cruciferous veggies directly to a baby CAN cause gas. Wait until after a year, and then only a little at a time.

If you are going to puree stuff, (The few times I did it, I used one of those hand baby food grinders) she can have the entire meal IF she has already been introduced to all the food in it. Say you have brown rice, and carrots for dinner. If she has had both those foods, with no side effects, they can be given together. If you are having a cassarole with things (more than one) that she hasn't had yet, don't give them to her all at once. If she does have a reaction, you won't know what it was which caused it.

Other things to stay away from before a year:
Egg Whites
Tomato
Melon
Citrus
Dairy (in dairy allergic families, wait even longer)
nuts, peanuts and nut butters
large amounts of onions, garlic and other sulfur containing foods (it's OK for mild seasoning, but some babies will get a tummy ache if given large amounts of this directly, although, again, it is fine in human milk)
Other cruciferous veggies, cabbage ect.
Stuff you or her daddy may be allergic to

 

Oh, and honey too - no honey.
love,
mom

 

thanks for all the info--you read so many things that contradict eachother when it comes to babies....it's a little mind-boggling.
why can you not give tomato, melon or citrus?
cruciferous- what are those?

 

highly acidic foods (like tomatoes and citrus) will burn baby's guts and cause a nasty diaper rash...in most babies, but not all of them. You want to start with something easily digested and not too harsh. Why they put peaches in "stage I" baby food is beyond me, neither of my babies could handle them at first, and my second child still cannot eat them. www.askdrsears.com has great tips on feeding solid foods, so does www.kellymom.com