Switching Babies to Table Food

My kids were all on table food by 8 months. These are what i used to transition them: Campbells Chunky Chicken noodle soup, peas and carrots, grilled chicken, beef stew,cherrioes. Pretty much what is in the baby food but in real food that is in small pieces. Rule: make them small enough that if they swallow it whole they won't choke on it (size of a pea)Feeding time is about to get fun and very messy!

Some of the best money I spent when my youngest was ready for table food was 5 bucks for one of those food choppers at Wal-Mart. You can find it in the 'household gadget' isle. It's a glass jar with a screw on cap that has a plunger with blades attached (hope that makes sense lol). Anyway I would simply take whatever food the rest of the family was eating and cut it into small pieces then put it in the chopper and chop away. Gabby ate everything we did, I just didn't put the seasoning/spices on her portion while cooking. Oh and she had about 6 teeth when I started and never had any problems.

Hi B.~
I found the website www.wholesomebabyfood.com and that has helped me with nutritious meal planning. It even gives some nutritious recipes that takes the place of ordinary foods, like wholesome pancakes made with whole grain products instead of just milk and eggs. I hope this helps you. Also if you happen to have picky eaters (or in the future) I've seen a book that has every day children's favorite recipes but it helps you "sneak" in healthy additions, such as adding carrot or cauliflower puree to mac and cheese. I can't remember the name of the book (and I just tried to search for it on Amazon.com) but I recently saw it at Border's. Good luck!
Paula

B.,
My children are now teenagers, but when they were little I made my own baby food. I used a blender to whip down veggies and fruits (with none of the salt that manufacturers add in). As they became older and at an age of feeding themselves - I added brown rice to the mix. Cook a big batch of brown rice and puree your veggie mix (or fruit with a bit of honey) and add to the rice (keep rice bowl in fridge and resteam with a bit of water for to heat up). I continued to use the blender on veggies for a while and just didn't puree as far (so it was a chunkier veggie). The rice "starches" up the meal so it is easier for them to feed themselves. The skies the limit on the veggie mix up. Please note, to this day the kids favorite SOUP is my half eaten bags of frozen veggies cooked in chicken broth and pureed down to a soup...almost exactly the same meal as they had when they were babies.

Good luck and have fun making the veggie combo's......

I had a premiee also, but he was 2 months earlier. So I understand what you mean. My suggestions is that you start with mash potatoes, green beans, chicken, carrots, beef hot dogs and stuff like that. I would cut the food up in little pieces so it is easy for them to pick up and eat without chocking on it. It will take a little time for them to catch on and they will because they will be getting foods that they are not used to eating at least not like your cooking. My son is now almost 4 years old and he is advanced past where he should be for a premiee. He is a strong boy that eats everything. He likes ham, turkey, chicken, fish, green beans, ribs, corn, salad, mashed potatoes, bread, steak, carrots, tomatoes, crab, beef hot dogs, pork chops, spaghetti, potato salad, macaroni salad, all kinds of fruit and of course he likes the goodies. Good Luck

You would be surprised at what they can already eat!

My DD (13 months) eats pretty much everything we eat. She loves veggies - green beans, carrots, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, peas, asparagus, etc. Fruits we do strawberries, bananas, pineapple, small pieces of apple, you could do melons (we're staying away from them for a while bc of family allergies), blueberries, etc.

Other things she likes...breads, cheeses, macaronni and cheese, pork ribs, meatballs, spaghetti, ravioli, deli meat (bologna, ham, turkey), chicken breast, pizza.

Like I said, we feed her just about everything we eat. She only has 8 teeth and has been eating table foods for about 5 months now. You didn't mention how old your kids are but if they are wanting to feed themselves and one has 16 teeth then I would think they are old enough to eat most of what our DD eats.

Hi B.,
My daughter ate from the table very early with just a couple of teeth. I fed her what ever we ate, was just cautious with cutting it up to small bites, or mashing it. She never ever had a problem with it. Most kids won't swallow intentionally if they can't chew it up. They might accidentally, but watch them and you might see that. She had such a variety early on and now at 20 yr. old she eats anything. Stuff that I won't even eat. I would think at 16 1/2 months old they could eat just about anything you gave them that they can hold in their hands. For instance green beans was one of my daughters favorite and she would pick one up at a time and eat it. Meat should be cut very fine though, or anything like that, that might be a little harder to chew. Any soft stuff such as mashed potatoes, meat loaf and such they should be able to eat fine. You shouldn't be limited at all by this age, so just give them a try on what ever you are eating.

You are blessed, and I can relate to you. I tried for 12 years to have a baby, then at the age of 30 had given up, and all of a sudden turned up pregnant. I now have a 20 yr old beautiful well rounded daughter. I too thank God for her, I know she was a special blessing from HIM, and no other. You will do just fine feeding yours. They are big enough to eat almost anything. Good Luck and God bless!

Start with fruit sweet yummy tasting food and go from there.One thing at a time just incase you find an allergy...good luck..
S. B

Hey there I am a peds nurse and you can feed them alot of things. Carrots cooked, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese you can chopped it up, sweet potaotes. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Jennifer

My 15 month old eats anything and everything, as long as it is cut up. Cheese, black beans, broccoli, avocado, crackers, strawberries, yogurt, banana, waffles, etc. That's just what she's had today. Your kids can eat whatever you eat with slight modifications (e.g. steam the veggies until soft).

Hi B., when my youngest went from babyfood to table food we gave her just about everything just cut up real small. Canned fruit like fruit cocktail I give her and I cut them all up real small, she had a lot of teeth too so it was pretty easy for her, we give her 1/2 sandwiches, torn off into small small pieces, mashed potatos, mashed up carrots with some texture for your daughter Emilee, nutra grain bars torn off into small pieces, meats, cut up extremely small. I hope this helps. Good luck with everything. J. A.

Beechnut makes great banana cookies that melt away. They're pretty nutricious but definately snacks/treats. My son also ate fruit in a mesh feeder. It's a little mesh bag wtih a handle that you can put any food in and they gnaw on it and get the taste of the food and the nutrients but not any large pieces that they can choke on.

bananas are good, cheerios are good, Gerber also makes a fruit puff that melts really fast. When they get the hang of chewing, sometimes it's hard to get thme to eat meat or sometimes they can't -- black beans are a good source of protien and easy to eat.

With that many teeth, they are good to go with most foods. Just be sure things are cut up small & you supervise them. Cooked veggies, meat cut in tiny pieces etc, cut up fruit, french toast/waffles.

IF you want them eating everything you eat, but are unsure about texture for them use a baby food grinder, such as the one by Kidco. We had one, it runs about $13. Most stores carry it (Target, babies R us)

If you're feeling unsure about giving them things, you can start off with canned veggies (with no salt). They are very soft, and they can easily pick up peas, green bean, or carrots. You can also try baking peaches, appes, or pears until soft. Cottage cheese is soft, but they still have to do some chewing. You can try making sandwiches or toast using the baby food meat as a spread. My daughter really likes brown rice, sweet potoatoes, mashed white potatoes, and small pieces of banana. She also likes the goldfish crackers a lot.

When my baby first started eating table food, he ate a lot of fruit (bananas, peaches, oranges, etc), yogurt, brown rice, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, peas, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Before he got a lot of teeth, we would also made his food and grind it up for him. He loved chicken and rice, sweet potatoes and beef with rice, pot pie, noodles cooked in chicken broth, macaroni and cheese, carrots and sweet potatoes with a little brown sugar, spaghetti with zucchini and squash, etc. We just used one of those salsa makers to grind it up a little or mush it with our fork and then would freeze meal-sized portions. Once he got a little older, he would just eat what we eat cut up in small pieces- well, until he was 18 mos and then decided he would be a picky eater! I found a lot of recipes online by googling them out, but I am sure there are books out there.
Good luck!

Congrats on your babies! The best guide I've ever seen to how to feed babies, toddlers and young children is a book called Feed Me, I'm Yours. It has recipes, serving sizes, and all kinds of kid friendly suggestions.

It looks like you have many good food suggestions. If you're trying to ensure a wide varieties of nutritious food, my biggest tip is: eat the foods with your babies. When we started solid foods, my son was initially a little picky, but anything he was given off my plate was a special treat. So I started eating breakfast and lunch next to him and I eat a snack at his dinner time. With new foods, I use the "some for mommy, some for you" method and he rarely refuses it. Not only is he a healthy, adventurous eater, but I'm eating healthier now too!

My son's first favorite soft solid food was baked sweet potato. One healthy alternative that was also a hit was good quality oatmeal bread toast(cut up) instead of white toast .

My son is 15 months old and still only has 6 teeth. As long as the pieces are cut up, he can eat most food. The small amount of teeth isn't as big of a hurdle as some might think. Just ease into the firmer food and watch your daughter's reactions- I have been amazed at how many things my son enjoys eating.

Of course, with any thing that is brand new (that they haven't had as baby food already) be sure to continue the 3 day rule.

I hope this helps a little. Just remember, trying new foods isn't a chore- it's fun!

all fruits can be cut small enough, but you may need to peel a lot of them. apple peels are hard for babies to eat. also veg. like peas and carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, are great, but they meed to be cooked a lot longer than you would want to for you. i put frozen veg. in a pan with enough water to cover them, then cook until all water is gone. they are super soft and easy to eat. my son is able to eat small pieces of chicken, steak and such, but my daughter was almost three before she could chew those. also baked potatoes and rice are great. my son is 11 months old and has been on all table food for 3 months now. he only had one tooth when he started.

I feed my 13 month old pretty much anything that's not a choking hazard. Here are some things that my son likes to eat:
mandarin oranges (canned), cottage cheese, egg salad, scrambled eggs, blackberries (he loves blackberries), diced grilled chicken, steamed brocili and coliflower, meatloaf and diced ham.
Hope this gives you some ideas.

Actually any vegetable that is small enough to fit into a infants hand, once cooked where softened can be enjoyed by the infant. I always picked the salad carrots, snap peas, sliced cucumber (remove seeds), corn (salad cob), ect. If it needed softened, I steamed it, if not, I let my son gnaw on it to remove any juices from it if possible and get as many small bites as possible. As far as other food..... small bites & tender were a good choice for us. Rice (plain or seasoned), mac & cheese, baked potato, cottage cheese, even ABC chicken noodle soup (drain broth) soft & chewable meats (usually in infants section), bananas (really funny to watch & they can hold them & peel them), melon, orange slices, fruits that are easy to eat. And if you are not afraid of a mess try any pasta & sauce such as ravioli, spaghetti, ABC 123 pasta with meatballs. My now 3 yr. old son had a jaw lining problem that enabled him to really chew his foods, so I had to really watch & make sure he chewed & swallowed. My mission was also cause & effect~soft =squishy, crisp=crunchy. But giving him a variety really paid off because he like all foods now, especially fruits & veggies! Good luck.