My little girl is just 12 months, which seems like the magic age for all foods. Just wondering if uncooked fruits and veggies are ok at this point. I have cooked them until now but would like to do raw apples, pears etc. Also I read in another post that someone mixed breastmilk and cow milk to ease the transtition. I asked my pediatrician about it because I though it would be easier anf she said not to because it would taste bad. Just wondering if anyone tried this with success. My daughter isn't really cracked about the cows milk. Thanks
At 12 months old my boys were able to eat all uncooked fruits and vegetables unmashed, but cut into small pieces. My daughter is 8 mo. and eats any fruit that I can mash, i.e. banana, pear, berries. Raw fruits and vegetables are SO much better for us than cooked ones!!
About milk. With my boys I quit formula at 12 months and gave them milk. They just had to get used to it. I didn't force them to drink it, but kept giving it to them.
I'm not sure about raw veggies, I think they would still be considered a choking hazard at this age, but I could be wrong. I have given my son some of the softer raw fruits like bananas, strawberries, pears, peaches and recently pineapple. I think as long as she is good at chewing she should be fine with those things. My son only has two teeth and I am too nervous to try harder things like apples. I heard a story from a friend whose one year old choked on an apple.
As far as mixing cows milk with breast milk, that is what I do and my son (13 months) seems to like it okay. I started with just giving him cow's milk for one feeding and he took that fine. Now we are down to nursing only at night, but I still have a lot of frozen pumped milk that are stored in 4 oz. portions. I didn't want it to go to waste so I usually use one bag and mix it with about 3 oz. cows milk for breakfast. I like doing it that way so I know he is still getting breast milk twice a day. Good luck.
Hi
This is a great time to try fresh fruits. I let them ripen well so they are nice and soft. I have fed my 9 month old avacado, pears (no skin), grapes quartered, honey dew melon, mango (fresh or frozen), blueberries, bananas and kiwi. As for the vegtables I would contine to cook them.
A.
Hi B.!
I started my daughter on raw fruit and veggies when she was 7 or 8 months old and she was fine. As long as your child has teeth, go for it.
Good luck!
I NEVER cooked any of my daughter's veggies or fruits when she was a baby. I just made sure it was clean and washed and not a choking hazard. The only time she eats them cooked is if their suppose to be like corn,green beans, and carrots they taste better cooked.
I would mix the milk just to prevent allergic reaction. I switched my little one from formula to 100% whole milk all at once and he broke out in hives. Then the Ped. told me to do formula for another month and then slowly introduce the milk with the formula over a couple of weeks. Worked like a charm.
As far as the fruits and veggies. I have never cooked them, I just chop them up into pieces that could be swallowed whole. That way if he decides not to chew he won't choke either. I peel the apples but not the pears. With the veggies I just use the frozen mixed veggies and take out the green beans (canned green beans work well, I just rinse them in hot water). They are all cut to the right size and he loves them. I also get the big bags of frozen peas. Just put a bunch in a bowl and run under hot water to thaw and they're ready but not too hot. I give him a handful and then put the bowl in the fridge for later. They're great cold too for teething. Frozen corn is also a great one and good for the finger skills because it's smaller and harder to pick up.
Happy Eating,
J.
Your daughter should be able to handle chewing at this age, for apples and pears, you could try it in chuncks or you could cut the apple into wedges and cut each wedge into very thin wedges and let her try it that way, she might like holding onto it better than just putting a bite into her mouth. We went cold turkey with the cows milk and my son loved it. I dont think he even knew the difference. Good luck
I would give little pieces of apple without the skin and pear skin is softer so I'd try small bits of that. I'd stay away from hard carrots, celery, etc.
My DD was 1-1.5 when she choked on an apple skin and she also choked on a raw carrot.
Use your own judgement but from my experience I'll be cautious with DD #2 when it comes to raw fruits and veggies.
Raw foods are great! Pears, apricots, peaches, grapes, bananas, zucchini, cucumber, mango, etc. My 14 mo old loves most of those. We try apples sometimes, but not too much. I usually give her a slice and sit with her while she wittles away little pieces. It makes me nervous if she gets too big of a piece, so I hover pretty closely with the apples. The rest, she's great with!
We had trouble with the milk too. It took a little while. We switched from breastmilk to milk about the same time you are and she didn't really start to like milk until about 2-3 weeks ago. She actually liked soymilk (plain) better than cow's at first and I thinks its probably better for her anyways, so that's what she drinks now. At first, I made it fun for her. I warmed it just a bit and let her use a real straw while I held her and the cup and straw. Then she gradually learned to like it and now I have to restrict her to 3 small cups a day. She chugs it almost without taking a breath and then asks for more. So it just took a little time.
Good luck!
J.
My daughter is 15 months now and eats everything. We started out with banana's, and moved onto berries. They are more of a "mushy" fruit and she absolutly loves feeding herself. She has graduated to apple slices, but we take the skin off. I don't think we have given her any raw veggies, as I feel they may be *too* crunchy, with the exception of some grape tomatoes. (But that could just be me being overprotective 1st time mom, since babygirl has 12 teeth. ;)
The cow's milk thing is tricky. We have given her a little bit everyday since she turned 1, and we probably wasted most of it. She did not like it at all, she looked at us confused. We keep trying regardless, like we did when we introduced solids, because at first she was not having it. I did not mix the milk with breastmilk because for some reason I am not pumping enough milk out. It has been 3 months and she *is* starting to warm up to it. She has yet to drink a full sippy cup, but she drinks at least an ounce or 2 of it daily and that is a start. I think the cow's milk is heavier. I am trying to wean her from "the tap" but it is taking some time. I imagined she would love cows milk, oops! :)
Good Luck!
Mixing breastmilk/formula with whole milk is exactly the right way to transition. You don't want to give all whole milk all at once, this will irritate their little tummies more than likely.
As far as uncooked fruits and veggies, you have to do what your child is ready for. Does your child have enough teeth to chew up raw veggies/fruits? Transition slowly. Dont worry about what other children this age are doing.
Hope this helps
I wanted to let you know that I mix my sons cow milk with breast milk and he likes it much more. To me breast milk tastes really gross but my son thinks its a special treat. Now on the other hand frozen and thawed breast milk makes him puke.You will just have to try and find out what works best for your child. You should start with the softer raw foods like pears and then try harder ones. As long as your child chews well she should be able to handle just about any raw food that is cut into little bites. Best of luck!
A.
