Snacking

try different snacks. gerber makes some wonderful snacks that actually dissolve in the mouth. My daughter had feeding difficulty at that age and we had to experiment with different snacks until we found what she could handle. soft cooked diced vegetables work very well too and are healthy

One thing I didn't see on here is there is a little mesh thingy that you can buy and put fruit in it. Then the baby can suck and gnaw on it and taste the fruit, but nothing comes through the mesh.

At seven months, your son isn't ready for things that require chewing, which is why you had the choking scare. When starting solids, it's best to stick with cereal prepared with some breastmilk, formula or even just water. You want it to be soupy at first, and then as he gets used to it, you can make it a bit thicker.

It's usual to start with rice cereal because it tends to cause the least allergic reactions. One of my kiddos would eat barley, the usual next step; the other despised it and went right on into oatmeal.

Please, please, save the biter biscuits until he's at least toddling! He doesn't really need any solids at all until he's a year.

At 7 months your Son should be getting solids 3 times a day, at every meal. He's still little so it's not a big deal but he needs the practice to prepare for other foods like biter biscuits and cheerios. I liked to give my Son these little gerber snacks. They are kind of like puffed snacks that come in different flavors. I can't remember what they are called but they are in with the baby food. They dissolve really quickly and are a great first treat that you don't really have to worry about choking.

The biscuits you have to watch out for. cause the kids can get them apart. I suggest trying applesauce or jello that is not so solid. anything that will go down smooth instead of big chunks. I hope this helps

I would try offering him cheerios or gerber makes little bite size grain snacks they are fruit and veggie flavored that dissolve right when they put them in their mouth...my son is 17 months and still loves them

Hi aleisha,
I also have a 7 1/2 month old baby boy who is anxious to try new things. I give him solids three times a day, oatmeal or rice in the morning/evening was recommended to me and then a fruit or vegetable in the afternoon. Most importantly his breastmilk or formula first! (At their age the milk is still most important.) I have just started my son on Gerber Puffs, like the others have recommended. Even those he gagged on at first, not being used to something more solid. They learn quickly though... now he is working on using his "pinchers" to pick them up and get them in his mouth on his own! I can tell the Puffs are encouraging him to "chew" also. He as to move it around in his mouth differently then with applesauce or something. Try the Puffs, you wont get stressed!! :)

Hi!

What I gave my daughter were the little fruit puffs by Gerber(tried generic but she liked the Gerber much better). They melt in their mouths pretty fast and it starts teaching the thumb and forefinger grasp. I think it was about 10 months when I started giving her the biter biscuits and the toast. As far as feeding I think it was around this time or a little older when I was giving her cereal with fruit for breakfast and jar food for lunch and dinner with bottles in between. Hope this helps!

Try Gerber fruit or veggie bites they disolve in the mouth with no chewing ... also they are a great way to get some fruit and veggies in his diet. they are usualy in the baby food isle in the stores. Good luck

I think around that time...we tried the Gerber Graduates Fruit puffs, they have vegetable puffs too now...they are very small crackers and there supposed to dissolve in their mouth. Very scary that your dad had to give the heimlich already. Just watch him very carefully.. and if he's not ready...just wait. Hope everything goes well!

My sons has a half brother who is 7 months old. They are only giving him a bottle (up to 6 oz.) between meals for a snack, but he is eating "solid" baby food at all three meals. I know he eats 2 jars at each meal. They do not do oatmeal with him often though because he did not like it. I'm not sure if this is right amount or not, I do not remember from my son. I do remember every one saying that my son ate A LOT at day care for his age (and still does!)

I think every child is different when he/she is ready to start solids. My son cut teeth around 5 months, so when he was seven months, I tried giving him foods he could hold so he could start learning to "gum" foods. Our pediatrician gave us the okay to start solids when he was six months: a fruit and cereal in the AM and a veggie and cereal in the PM. Now, at 8 months old, he eats a fruit and cereal in the morning, some fruit and some veggie in the afternoon for lunch (sometimes I give him a "finger" food to snack on), and a veggie, a little meat, and cereal at dinner. He breastfeeds throughout the day, as well. He did have problems with the finger foods at first. I have the "What to Expect the First Year" book, and it suggested good first finger foods as frozen bagels or plain rice cakes. My son loves the bagels, but I had to supervise him closely, at first, and he never eats the whole thing. Rice cakes are good because, like the Gerber puffs, they dissolve a little on the tongue. He does okay with them, too. I'm thinking of trying the Gerber puffs, soon, so he can work on his pincer grip. I suggest that if you're really concerned about what he should be eating, you can talk to your son's pediatrician. The doctor can give you the best advice for your child. Good luck!

I would hold off on the biscuts until he is around 8 or 9 months old. I hated those things and they were so messy! lol.

I gave my daughter some of those Gerber Puffs and they have a ton of different products that will dissolve. As for solids, I think you need to up the intake to 2-3 times a day. What I did was feed my daughter those little stage 1 gerber baby foods. She would get fruit for breakfast with a bottle, then veggies at lunch and night. I think around 7 months babies should have about 24 ounces of formula, so solids are used as a substitute, not in place of at this age. By 7 months, I think she was also up to the meats. Definitely start feeding more solids though. Your son may not eat a whole jar, but try to up it to 2x a day, then 3 within the next couple of weeks. Also, feed smaller peices of food...bananas are good(I literally fed my daughter a smidget of it until she was ready to handle the bigger peices) and if you still aren't feeling comfortable, they sell hand held mashers to put the food in. I can't recall the name, but they sell them in the baby aisle of most stores (Meijer for sure carries them). They were invented by a parent when their own child starting choking on food.

Get the baby poofs they melt in the kids mouths almost instantly. They have a lot of flavors, two our babies loved were banana and sweet potato. Haven't had a problem with choking either with these.

Where did you read to start snacks at 7 months old? I Never read that. If your only feeding him solids once a day I doubt hes ready for table food. All kids are ready at different ages. I wouldnt rush it. Your son just may not be ready to eat table foods. My daughter didnt start til 11 months. She just wasnt ready. How many teeth does your son have? That may be a factor as well. Also, Bread is a bad choice of a snack. It can clump and he can choke very easily. If you still feel that you want to try snacks Gerbr has these snack puffs they dissolve right in the babys mouth, Thats what I started out on and I would reccomend that to anyone!!!!!!!

I understand you worry - my son choked on a banana when he was a year old. I did want to feen him anything for a long time. Til my mom told me to get a grip! ( She is an infant preschool teacher.)

First off I would hold back on the "snacks" until maybe 9 months. Also, by this time he should be having at least solids twice a day. Mid morning & late afternoon. By 9 mons he should be able to handle snacks (maybe on in addition to his solid meals). Personally I was never a fan of biter biscuts. I gave my kids gerber grads - star shaped puffs they come in diff. flavors, broke pieces of banana flv cereal sqrs & cheerios are great too! Bananas cut up pretty small are also a nice choice. This way he can work on feeding himself too.

Have fun with it. Just don't give him too much at one time. Good Luck!

Hi Aleisha! I would ONLY offer snacks to a seven-month-old that are easily swallowed....Cheerios, Gerber makes these great little flavored star things that come in a plastic canister-looking container. My niece has been eating these since she was about 6-7 months old, and she LOVES them!!! Also these type of snacks help GREATLY with their motor skills!!

My daughter was eating solids 3 times a day by that time. She is now 1 1/2 and her first tooth has started coming through! She refused baby food about 7 months and would only eat what we were eating! I was a little scared but had to feed her and she has never choked. Try Gerber Graduates fruit snacks, they are really soft (unlike regular fruit snacks) and melt in the babys mouth. Also try those Gerber puffs. My daughter really liked them and they melt realy easy almost like cotton candy! You just have to go with your gut I guess! Bread is pretty soft and they usually wont choke. My daughter eats steak and everything else so I guess you just really have to go with your own instincts!

Aleisha,
I am a first time mom too. I would never give my daughter anything extra that her doctor didn't tell me it was alright to do.
I found out that my mom and the sitters where giving her all kinds of things to eat.
I must say that the puffs are great. My baby girl just loved those.
She is almost 3 now and things are just as scary as a new mom. Just diffrent things.
My advice is enjoy them while they are babies. Time flies by so fast.
Don't get me worng. I am having a blast watching her grow. She is so much fun. I just miss those baby days sometimes.
Good luck and don't worry so much. Just follow what the doctor says and what you feel is right for you and your baby. I kept her on stage 1 foods a little to long for some people liking, but I just wanted to make sure she could eat the next stage.
Good luck

First of all I am amazed that those biter biscuits are still on the market - every child I have ever seen with one has choked or come very close - ditch them! Zweibeck is the best, preferably the nabisco ones, not gerber, they don't break up nearly as much. Cheerios and the gerber fruit puffs are great and they encourage fine motor skills. As far as solid feedings, I would be offering them at least twice, cereal and fruit probably in the AM and a vegetable and maybe a fruit in the PM. Your pediatrcian should be able to offer a good schedule.