Information About 8 Month Old Feedings

If you aren't comfortable don't give it to him. I started off with the Gerber puffs becasue they dissolve and then didn't give him "solids" until he was closer to one. so don't feel bad and if you aren't comfortable don't give it to him!! Good Luck

There is no reason why an 8 motnh old needs to be eating solids, but if you are concerned you could try the baby puff things that melt in their mouths or teething biscuts, they disove easily and are a good place to start adn they will hopefully keep the questions to a minimum.

There isn't really a "supposed to be," but I would say at 8 mos you could certainly try some solids with his baby food. I started my kids with puffed rice cereal, and canned fruits and veggies cut very small. (I used the canned as opposed to fresh because they are so soft.) My son was on all table foods by 8 mos because he just lost interest in baby food, but my girls were still eating baby food (with some solids) at a year. Every kid is different, but you could definitely start introducing them. Good luck!

First off you shouldn't be giving him whole milk. His body is not ready to digest anything but breastmilk, or formula. Its not good for him.

Secondly, there is no reason to follow the 'Gerber plan'. Neither of my boys had processed jarred baby food, ever. I made all their babyfood homemade. They started solids around 6 months, and by 8 months they were both eating table foods, whatever we were eating for dinner. Jarred babyfood, while convenient, is very bland, and not nutrionally sound as its processed and vacuum sealed into the jar with preservatives.

Start with small soft foods, Cheerio's will melt in his mouth, soft cut up fruits (cut up banana's and roll the pieces in crushed CHeerio's so they are easier for him to pick up), soft cut up veggies, crackers.... all of these things are fine for him to eat.

Again rethink the whole milk.... its not a healthy option at all.

I would say that yes, you should be introducing solids at this time. Try starting with Cheerios or those Gerber puffs, they just dissolve in the babies mouth. I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say you haven't gotten him to finish all his stages of food yet? Like he hasn't tried everything that comes in them, or that he isn't finishing a whole jar yet? Either way I'd say it would be safe to let him try something like Cheerios, as long as he hadn't had an reactions to the baby wheat and grain cereal. Also, I would be cautious about giving him whole milk. It is not recommended that he have that until he is a year old. I would just stick with formula for now.

Yes C. - solids would be great. Don't worry about choking...if you focus on soft foods first (soft fruit and vegetables) he may choke now and then or may not. Mostly, he'll be eating a more varied diet with more nutrition for his body and his brain. Think 'brain development' to get you past your fears.

Lots of people nurse only for the first year, so if you decide not to feed a lot of solids untl then that is just fine. What you are comfortable with and your baby is satisfied with should dictate more than other's advice. A mother knows best when her child is well and content. Thinking on this subject changes regularly (what I was told with my first is different than what I hear with my seventh!) so go with your gut. If you are really concerned, check with your pediatrician.

SAHM of seven

Go with your gut instinct. If you don't think he is ready than wait. By 9 months he should be able to eat soft table foods. He doesn't need teeth to chew. His gums a very hard and capable of mashing soft food.

I would reconsider the whole milk until he is first birthday. There is virtually no iron in cows milk and giving it to an infant can lead to anemia. It can make their stomachs bleed which also causes anemia. He is also more likely to develope an allergy to milk. Giving cheese or yogurt is okay because of the processing it doesn't have the same risks.

I followed the "Gerber program" with my first child, too - but it's completely optional :) My second didn't care for pureed food and started eating fruits, crackers, etc. at about 6 months when she got her first two teeth. She'll be one year next week and still only has the first two teeth, but she eats everything I do now, just cut up or mashed a little. She never gagged or choked on anything I tried - but I know some kids do. Start slow and watch closely. Have fun!

L.

C., I have an 8 month old as well and she's been on solids for about 3 months. They start solids as early as 4-6 months so I think your parents might think he needs teeth before solids and that's not the case. He won't choke as long as it's #1 or #2 foods. My daughter doesn't ahve any teeth yet either but she's on #2. She chews with her gums and is fine. If he's crawling and can hold foods between his thumb and index finger, he's ready for some small table foods to start feeding himself. I also give cottage cheese, small pieces of bread, yogurt and some #3 foods already - per my pediatrician but babycenter.com also has food guidelines. Also, I am wondering why you are giving him whole milk? THat shouldn't start till they are a year old - very high risk to develop allergy and their stomachs aren't ready for that yet. Consult your pediatrician for more information. Good luck!

Babies learn to chew long before they have molars (which can be well into there second year). So even if there are no front teeth - which you don't use to chew - you can begin feeding your son small pieces of soft food. Chopped up bananas are really good to start, avocados, halved blueberries, chopped up pieces of toast, any well cooked veggies or fruits. As he gets used to chewing food you can move on to harder foods like crackers. Cow's milk isn't recommended until a baby turns one, for allergy reasons and because of the fat/protien/sugar composition is different from formula and not ideal for infants.

You can start feeding him softer fruits n veg. Small pieces or mashed and see how he does. He doesn't have to have teeth to eat solids their little gums are pretty hard and will smoosh up alot.

Remember that when our parents feed us we were eating cereal when we were a month or so. Baby food soon after. Different generations feed their kids differently. Plus it's been along time since she had a baby that she might not remember when they eat solids.

Personally I would stick away from the Gerber plan. It teaches kids to eat bland food. It's better to feed them what you are eating. Of course I use Gerber because it's so darn handy, but I've found that with my 1st baby (Mostly gerber) he's a picky eater but my 3rd baby (not too much of a gerber baby) will eat just about everything. Could be the difference in kids though. You never know.

My daughter just turned 9 months. Up until than she really only ate her cereal and baby food. She wouldn't really take anything else, she didn't like the texture. We even tried the Gerber puffs but she didn't like the texture. The week she turned 9 months she totally changed. She now eats, cherrios, puffs, diced soft fruits, cooked veggies, ground turkey, cheese and other soft foods.

They say to start introducing finger foods around 9 months. Just do the same thing with introducing solids as you did with baby food - wait 3 days inbetween introducing new foods.

As far as I am concerned...he IS on solids. Anytime you're feeding anything more than formula, or even rice cereal, it's solids. On the other hand, in my opinion, I don't think it is a bad thing to take some of the same things you're giving him now...veggies, meat, etc in the stage 2, dice it up REALLY small since you're worried about him choking and let him eat it with his fingers. He'll discover texture in his mouth and fingers. We are expecting #7, so I am comfortable with this, and beyond getting frustrated with everyone else's opinions about what we SHOULD be doing all the time! :) No one knows your baby like you do, so do what YOU'RE comfortable with. Hang in there!!!

Remind the grandparents that if he does not have teeth, he cannot be on solids! It is as easy as that! You can give him teething biscuits or other harder things to qnaw on and he will probably love them. He could have bananas or pears for example because he can pick them up and put them in and "gum them". Be encouraged! You are doing a fine job and go with your instincts!

B. C

Eating stage 2 foods is just fine for his age. My 8 month old is at the same point. I do also give her cheerios and some little bits of toast, but that's about it. You're better off finishing your stages of foods first. Also, it isn't recommended to give a child under the age of 1 year any cow milk. Their stomachs aren't developed enough to digest it well. Milk-based formula is good enough.

Good Luck!

C.,

I never bought my babies canned/bottled food. I mushed/mashed/pureed stuff I was cooking for the family (or just for them) and fed it to them. They were on table foods by 9-10 months (plus nursing). I think if your son can handle any of the foods you are cooking, you can feed them to him, just smash them up for him.

I used a book called Super Baby Food to have an order of what to feed (by age) as far as when I introduced certain items. It was very helpful.

I have one boy who eats anything, and one who is super picky... both fed the same things as babies, so I think that a lot of what they like is because of their personalities, not so much what you feed them.

Good luck!
J.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer when it comes to starting solids. It depends on the child. My daughter was interested in table food at around 6 months and got really angry at her baby food. We started cheerios, crackers, and other things that she could mash in her mouth around that time. My friends have had children who would not even think of putting something solid into their mouth until around 9-10 months. It doesn't hurt to try solids now. If your son likes them, great! If not, not a big deal.

What exactly do they mean by "solids"? In our house, we say "solids" for anything other than formula and oatmeal, but perhaps we are not using the term as it is widely understood.

If your son doesn't have teeth, he should only be eating mushy stuff, like pureed fruits and vegetables, cereals, perhaps yogurt, applesauce. Tell your in-laws he can't chew if he doesn't have teeth!

Also, keep in mind that people used to feed their babies food MUCH sooner than they do today. My husband is 52, and in his baby book, it is recorded that his mom started feeding him bananas and baby cereal at 6 weeks! No one would do that today. Your in-laws may not have realized that things have really changed. Your little guy isn't ready for steak and potatoes just yet!

My son ate stage 2 foods at that age, along with cereal and formula. He didn't start any "real" food until 9 months, as his doctor suggested. His DR didn't think it was worth the choking risk to start earlier. I think he can have baby food or cereal 3x/day. Babies should not have whole milk until age 1 year!

my son is going to be 6 months august 5 he has been eating stage 2 food for almost 3 weeks. he also eats small peaces of meat, vegetables, and mashed potatoes with gravy. he chews(no teeth) and has no problem, if your son is not having any problems with the food he is eating he can have them. do what is working for you and your son. I have heard not to give cows milk to baby under 1 it doesn't have the right nutrients he should be only on formula.

Our baby is almost 9 months now and our pediatrician recommended starting solids (anything other than breastmilk/formula)at age 6 months. I went to wholesomebabyfood.com and downloaded a $5 book (which ended up being 600 pages my husband printed and bound at work). The web site and book have been VERY helpful in answering all of my questions and giving me LOTS of recipes for homemade baby food. It is super easy and much less expensive than any store bought baby food. It also allows me to mix the foods I give our baby without any waste.

I have also been dealing with my MIL on this topic so I understand. She wanted us to give the baby cereal in her bottle at 3 weeks of age and wanted her eating table food at 3 months! I had read over and over again that this isn't the best idea and I've stuck to my guns and am glad I did.

Good luck!

Kathy,
I myself have a almost 9 month old. While I know my son is a little older, i am sticking to the gerber stages. I now have him on threes. The threes have little chunks of food in them to introduce them to chewing. My son is also teething and though he has quite a few teeth, i am holding off on solids for a little bit, while he gets used to chewing with the stage 3. Everybody seems to be in such a hurry to feed them table food. Thats the way it is with my family. He will be ready soon enough.

My daughter did not start on solid foods let alone milk until she was 1 year old. Check with your pediatrician as to what they suggest and then let the parents know that the Dr. doesn't think that you should start on solids yet. One of the main reasons for this is that 1. Not enough teeth to chew the food 2. Will not get the full amount of nutrition from solids.

Good luck,
Shel

In my home "solids" is anything other than formula. My daughter, almost 7 months, has been eating Gerber baby food since she was 4 months old. My son, now 19 months, started eating at 3 1/2 months and started eating food that requires chewing at about 9 months. My ped recommended that my daughter start chewing foods at 9 months regardless of having teeth because there is a lower chance of choking after 9 months. However, my daughter seems to be more interested in chewing food than my son...he loved the gerber food, he even ate the fruit baby food for dessert until he was about 13 months. I let my daughter try things that are easy to chew, like nibbling on a dinner roll or teething biscuits. Let your child be your guide, if he is grabbing at your dinner plate he wants to eat real food.
However, this is the least of your problems...my concern is that you are giving your son whole milk. Children should not drink cow's milk until their 1st birthday, no exceptions!!! They should be drinking about 24 ounces of formula a day plus solids rich in DHA for brain development. Once he is 1 he could start drinking whole milk and I recommend organic whole milk because it is free from hormones and antibiotics. Good luck and please do not give your son whole milk until he is 1!!!

I did not start either of my children on solids until they both had at least their first 4 (top and bottom two) teeth. I started out with mooshy things, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, maybe some peas, nothing that I would have to worry about them choking on. Tell the grandparents that you will feed your son on his and your schedule, no one else's!!

If he's not ready for solid food yet then he's not ready for solid food. There's nothing wrong with that! And a carrot is a carrot whether it's cut into little chunks or it's pureed and put into a baby food jar. Just as long as he's getting something from each food group each day he should be fine. Every baby is different. Some never eat jar/pureed food and some don't start eating solids until 15 months. Whatever he does and whatever you decide to do will be ok. Don't let others opinions influence or bother you it's your child and your decision!

Hi C.,

It is really up to you and your baby if he should be on solids. Is he showing signs of readiness? Babies sometime do gag a bit when trying thicker-consistency foods--it is their way of learning how to handle it. There is a difference between gagging and choking though. You just have to try new things at a gradual pace. There are great feeding guides online at babycenter.com and askdrsears.com. My concern for your little one would be that he is already drinking whole milk. This is not recommended until children are 1 year of age because of the sodium content. I would definitely talk to your doctor about that one... Good luck to you!

sorry i didnt see you had already "finished" needing responses. anyway, heres mine.

there is NO reason that babies NEED solids until after a year. there is no reason that babies need anything except formula.

whole milk is a bad idea because milk allergies can be created if you give dairy too soon. so i would back off on that... i guess its your choice. formula is the ONLY thing that your baby nutritionally needs until a year old. so dont rush anything. they will eat you out of house and home soon enough.

you can however, at 8 months give very small chunks of ripe pears, peaches, bananas... however beware of bananas because they are a constipator (as well as formula... have your heard that babies on formula need 8 ounces of water a day? and constipation is not the absence of stool, it is hard, thick, difficult to pass stools.) the best thing you can do if you have tough stools is to give a bit of milled flax in babies cereal. and dont be afraid of it being something that you have to give every day - we need those kinds of things to have proper stool habits! :D its fiber. we dont digest it, but it soaks up liquid, and that makes stools softer and easy to pass! :D

if you need any more info, just shoot me a note.

I know that alot of doctors tell you to start introducing solids at 8mo and others say not until they are 10mo or right at a year. Its really on what you as a mother is confortable in doing and what the child can handle.. Any new type of texture that the child tries will somewhat gag because it is new.. YOu just really need to watch carefully and you will learn what your child can handle at what age.