Seeking Advice on When to Start People Food

Hi K.,
I'm a Mom of 4 too. My Pediatrician told me to make my own baby food from the start. It's actually fresher that way. I would just make his portion first before putting in the salt etc. to keep the "gas" down to a minimum.

Hope this helps?

A little about me: I'm a work from home Mom of 4 married to my best friend. I have a home based business that my kids & husband like to help me with. www.trisharaycandles.scent-team.com
I. B.

Hi K.,

I usually hear about people who want to start foods way early ! So you are a refreshing change ! Most doctors recommend around 6 months. If your didn't say anything at his 6 month check up, I'm wondering if he had one ??? (Or maybe your doctor just assumed you were an old pro and didn't tell you ? i.e. do you need a different doctor?)

I also wondered if your son is trying to sit up or not ? Usually by 5 months they are trying to sit up, and somewhere around 6 - 7 months, they are sitting up by themselves. I used to let mine sit on the floor with pillows behind them, cuz they would lose their balance and tip over onto their backs. I'm hoping the rest of his motor activities are good, so this isn't a concern. but if he isn't sitting up and moving around by 9 mnnths, I would definately call and ask the doctor.

Anyway, food. When you start "real food", you should start with one food at a time, because that way you can watch for allergies. i can't tell if you've started cereals or not, yet, but usually they recommend rice cereal first, and then add fruit with it, I used to mush up a banana, or buy regular applesauce and mix it in with the cereal. (it helps with the bowel movements that firm up on food)

If you have a blender or food processor, you can grind up the meal you are feeding the family, and let your son eat that. You may have to add a little water when you do that, to some things -- like meat which can get kind of pasty. But all in all, the "real" people food will have a whole lot more flavor than the babyfood stuff, and it's a cheaper way to feed him.

Does he have teeth ? If so, whole grain cheerios are a great way to help him practice picking up food (say from his high chair tray), and putting them in his mouth. I think I may have given them to my kids before they had much for chewing, but they can gum them to death, and they have fun picking them up and feeding themselves.

Kids like to grab for the spoon, too, so I had a plastic spoon ( a baby one, not a regular one, so it wouldn't break or splinter) for the baby to hold. They can't navigate it to the mouth very well, but it made them feel like they had something to hang onto.)

Your doctor's office probably has a nurse who would be able to provide a whole lot of info on starting foods. Nurses have more nutritional training that doc's, so that's who I would ask.

And, wow ! Your household sounds busy !!! I had four kids, too, but they were spread out in 2's. Have an awesome day !

Barb

You don't mention it, but I am guessing you are currently giving him baby food from a jar? If that is the case, then there should be no problem with grinding up & giving him whatever the rest of you are eating. If you are just getting started with solids, it still shouldn't be a problem giving him what you are eating-just be sure to make it a consistency he can handle. (No need to start with rice cereal if you don't want to.) It's actually better to start with vegetables, then add fruits, and move on to other foods from there. I say start with veggies first because most kids love the sweetness of fruits, and it can be hard to get them to eat their veggies after that.
With my 3rd baby, I never gave her any pureed baby food or baby cereal. I started her around 9 months with finger foods- whatever we were eating that was soft enough for her to 'gum'.
Remember too that he is probably still getting the bulk of his calories from formula/breastmilk (whichever you use), so he probably doesn't need a whole lot of other food. Put him to the table with the family in some sort of reclining booster if you can, and feed him whatever veggies you are eating (grind them) & he should probably be fine.

If he is on baby food, as he should be by seven months, then its not problem to start him on people food, but you must do the grinding/pureeing. You can pulsate the food in the food processor to get the consistency best for your child. Start it out with the typical consistency he eats and over time let the food become a little thicker. You may need to add some water in the beginning to certain foods so its not too pasty. Sitting up is a must so don't do anything too solid until he is sitting upright. FYI, my third began eating table foods (not ground up) at 8 months old. Its not the nutritional value, its the ability. From my experience, they see their older siblings and ditch the baby food early. Good Luck!

Well K. congrats!! You have the right idea on grinding up the food. I started table food with cereals and veggies. Just avoid using spices that we are used to salt,sugar etc. You can use natural juices even baby juice to sweeten cereal or chicken broths to add to mashed vegetables.Introduce some veggies at dinner along w/junior meats and gradually they will digest it. Stay away from large spoonfuls or chunky, dry meats, they'll grow into that later as they learn to chew (with teeth... smile) It can be fun!Wish you the best.

I would stick to just baby food/baby cereals or single foods for a while longer. For example, pasta is often made w/ eggs and babies shouldn't have egg white until after one year, I believe. My 2 yr old is allergic to eggs and I often think it's because he was introduced to it too early. Now we have to avoid anything w/ eggs in it...birthday cakes, pastas, etc. So proceed w/ caution. You never think food allergies will happen to your kid, right? However, you can start to mash up/puree the veggies, fruits, potatoes, etc that you're eating. Just make sure you're aware of the ingredients before you give it to him. I don't mean to sound too preachy :)
BTW...I was shocked to read the ingredients on a package of "cheese on wheat crackers" (sounds harmless) to see that they contain peanuts! Because my son has a food allergy, we now were told to stay away from peanuts until age 4 or 5 to avoid that food allergy!

If he's already eating baby food successfully, you can probably puree whatever your family is having. Does he have teeth yet? Just watch out for allergies--introduce O. new food at a time.

Hi K.,

You can start him on "people" food at any time. It is the consistency that is important, so as long as you make it soft or cut it up real small, he should be fine. If he can't chew, them you can stick it in the food processor - but there is no need to give him baby foods - just make whatever you are eating the right consistency for your baby. It is probably good not to introduce more than one new food at a time still - so that you can watch for potential allergies.

J.

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K.,
So far as I know, all pediatricians allow regular food starting by 6 months. Many babies start real food at 4 months! I think it's very helpful to have your little guy at the table with everyone and eating what they eat. Mush it well until he is used to it and let him try finger food.
Remember, your job is to teach him how to grow up. Let him be a big boy like his older siblings:)
And then cuddle him lots because he will grow up fast not matter what you do!

Definantly. If he is watching what you are eating and looks interested in what you are eating. My son is nine months old and i still feed him baby cereal but also feed him table food. put in in the blender or food processor. be careful of course of dairy,seafood. put him in the highchair and feed him. good luck

if he can hold a french fry and suck an it he should be good. there is no set age it all depends on the kid. i have a 9 month old girl and she has no teeth but she has been eating food since she was 5 months old all you can do is try it and see how he does.

First we have a lot in common! I have four boys, 8,5,3 and 8 months and have been married for 9 years!
My little 8 month oldboy sits up, crawls etc. I tried gerber 1st foods and then 2nds and then I have a baby food mill and and tried to give ground up veggies to him. He kept gagging. I tried to add liquid to it and he still gagged.
I'm taking it that hes not ready for more corse textures yet and I'm still giving him gerber food (#2). He eats them fine but struggles with coarser textures. To help build him up to more chew food, I have been adding cereal in his meals to make it a little more textured to gradually help him learn how to eat from the baby food mill. So thats my experience with the baby mill.