Advice for 9 Month Old

I like to bake chicken and make a lot of roasts with carrots and potatoes at this age. They are very soft and easy to cut up and let them eat with their fingers. Snack food doesn't have to be "snack" food. Snacks can be anything they like and is healthy :)

Very common for them not to hold their own bottle/cups at that age , she may not do this for a few more months yet. As for the puffs or yogurt melts , if she gags then hold off on those for a little while and giver her other things that she does not gag on , leave it a few weeks and then offer them again and see what happens , it may be that she just does not like them

Since she seems to be a little ahead of the curve with walking, you might have to disregard the milestone suggestions on the Gerber products and go a little slower for her. She'll get comfortable with the puffs eventually. For now, try small pieces of soft, wet foods instead. I thought blueberries would be harder for my son than the puffs, but he really went after them. He just liked that wet texture better. We cut them in fourths. Strawberries, string cheese, and avocado bites have also been big hits. Good luck!

Aren't babies funny? My little guy is about the same age (9.5 months). He's the same way.... He only holds his bottle when Daddy wants him to... not for me. (I think he instinctively knows I want to keep him a baby longer) I think you're doing great! Table food is probably better than those yogurt puffs anyway... (everything is all processed now... ) Usually I share whatever I'm eating with my son... (little pieces of waffles... yogurt......apple sauce......even little spoons of rice krispies...) He's losing interest little by little in processed baby food or formula...
You're doing everything right! You'll find what works for your daughter.

I wouldn't worry. Sounds like your baby is a smart cookie letting you do the work of holding the bottle. My two youngest kids had a terrible time transitioning to table food because of the choking/gagging reflex. My son would find little crumbs my older child would leave behind and try to eat them, gag, and then throw up his whole stomach. I never thought they would eat table food, but they do! It might just be too soon for your little one. Just keep offering different things and she'll get the hang of it. Also try offering the sippy cup with snack, maybe you can get her to hold that since it's different then the bottle. Good luck!

Too funny, I just had a conversation with my 13 year old (who refused to hold her bottle, cup or feed herself for two years) about lunch. She wanted beenie wenies, and "needed" me to go open the can and cut up the wennies...which she can do with her eyes shut. Sometimes it is just personality.

If she gags on something, feed her what she likes. If chopped table food is working, then chop more table food. We used a slap chop for our youngest child, she ate everything we did, never liked baby food, but as soon as she heard the slap chop at work, she came crawling...then running! So find stuff she likes, and if she can eat chopped stuff, you probably don't have a feeding issue!

M.

She may be gagging because the puffs and yogurt melts pretty much dissolve in her mouth - she may not like the consistency. I'd hold off on those for awhile. As far as table foods, we feed my son anything that is soft enough in pea sized bites - chicken nuggets (inside of meat only), turkey bologna, ham, cooked veggies, shredded cheese, cheerios, cut up fruit (he loves bananas!), etc. I have also bought canned vegetable soup and just given him that on his tray - kinda messy/sloppy but good because it's so soft! Just keep giving her stuff that you are eating and see how it goes.

As far as the bottle - she may not be ready to hold it, or she may not hold it because you are doing it for her. Put her on the floor and put the bottle next to her. You could also try a sippie cup and maybe because it's 'new' she'll do that by herself!