Eating Real Solids

FEED ME I'M YOURS by Lansky

My daughter skipped stage 3 foods altogether. She would eat stage 2 just fine, but didn't like the chunks in 3, and for some reason, that stage made her choke. She went directly to table food and the Gerber meals from stage 2 baby foods. He'll get there, don't rush it.

Don't feed it to him, but rather offer it to him to play and manipulate and try at his own pace. It can take time for them to get used to it, but I would keep trying (you don't want to be buying jars for the rest of your life), offer something with each meal. Try things like mashed potatoes, over cooked veggies (canned ones work good too, they're usually softer - look for the "no salt added" varieties). Hope this helps

H. - It sounds to me like your son might have a texture issue. My husband has that same thing (he won't eat fruits b/c he doesn't like the texture of the food). Like some other posters suggested; maybe try Cheerios (although, I would not do anything with honey in it since he is under 1-year-old), yogurt, puffs, etc. See how he does with those textures. GOOD LUCK!!!

He might be just a little sensitive to the texture. Try some food that he can stick in his mouth himself. Cheerios is good or the foods you can buy in the baby section that are like cheerios. They disolve in the mouth right away. You can also wait a couple more weeks and then try again. Every baby is different when it comes to starting solid foods. Yogurt, banana, mashed potatoes are all great to start out with. Let him get used to different tastes b4 changing the texture of the food.

My daughter is 20 mths old and I am still having a hard time with table foods. Dont push him with table foods. He will let you know when he is ready. Stage 3 is a good start. Good luck

Have you tried using a food grinder? Munchkin make sone for about $10 and it's in the baby section at Target. You can put anything in it at the table and hand grind it (it reminds me of the Fuzzy Pumper Barber Station from Play-doh if that helps). It turns everything into teeny tiny pieces that can be spoon fed to your little one. The more wet stuff you put in it (like fruits and veggies) the sloppier and more baby food like it is. You could gradually change what you put in it and make the texture less like baby food and more like solids. It's also way cheaper in the long run to use this than to continue buying baby food.

BTW, my son was on baby food FOREVER, like until 18 months or so. It took him a very long time to transition to solids completely. My daughter however is not quite a year old and only eats baby food when I need to feed it to her for one reason or another (traveling, etc). So every kid is different, regardless of what you do. Maybe your child isn't ready yet.

Does he like Cheerios? All of my babies LOVE them, with Milk, without Milk, regular, Honey, and even Multi Grain. As with all foods, you just have to keep offering him the things to try. You could also try the pincher foods in the baby food section, like the Stars....and my kids love the Walmart brand just as much as the Gerber...Best of Luck!

Is he on the Stage 2 or 3 foods? If he's on Stage 2, I would move him up to Stage 3. They are chunkier, but still very very soft. You can also use a food processor to grind up anything you are eating. If you add a little formula, or milk, it will make it fairly smooth. It won't be like baby food though. He may just need a slower transition. Hopefully the chunkier foods will get him used to chewing. Also, you can put things like Cheerios, Gerber Puffs, Bananas, etc on his tray while you feed him his baby food. Eventually, he'll pick them up. If it goes on much longer, you may want to talk to your ped. He could very well have some sensory issues.

I would just start by putting it on his high chair tray and letting him pick it up himself. At some point babies want to and need to do things for themselves, feeding can be one of those things. It will be messy and he will throw the food but he will eventually get the hang of it. He will more than likely try a bigger variety of things if you just put it on his tray and let him choose to eat it. Start with just a few pieces of the one food you want him to eat and give him a baby spoon to hold. If you are trying to get away from baby food you may have to puree real food so he can get used to the taste difference before going for a texture difference.

Ack! The thing they don't tell you about using over-pureed, watered down foods is that it can be hard to get them off of it once they are used to it. I'd make your own and start pretty smooth and make it chukier and chunkier as you go. Stick to things your baby really likes and don't try anything new for a bit.
Also, try putting things on the tray in front of him so he has the novalty of feeding it to himself, it might work better. A glop of sweetpotatoes, over-cooked or canned peas, stuff like that. He may just make a mess at first, but he's bound to get some in his mouth and realize it's fun.
Next time, just skip the purees ;) They are meant to "teach" and baby to eat when he's too young to know how - it's leftover from people starting at 4 months or earlier. Wait til 6 months and you don't have to worry about purees or cereal!

What have you tried with him? My DD (8 mos) loves anything with ground beef in it- I'll take a few tablespoons and grind it in a food mill, and mix it up with a veg puree like sweet potatoes etc. She is also into self feeding- puffs, tiny pieces of meatloaf or banana, last night she had spaghetti cut small and I spoon fed it to her, she couldn't get enough. They say that you have to try some foods 10 times before they will like it, so keep trying. Try taking his fav veg and mixing it with ground beef. If you don't have a food mill you can get one for like $12 online. Keep your head up and keep trying!

I wouldn't push it. He's only 10months. Let him enjoy baby food for awhile.

Hi H.! What about giving him things that he can eat on his own... like soft cheese or Cheerios that have soaked in milk to make them soft, lightly toasted bread with baby food fruit on it, a pile of mashed potatoes that he can put his fingers in and lick off of his hands, tiny banana pieces, oatmeal, stuff like that. Maybe he is just an independent boy and wants to do it himself. My daugher is almost a year, and she turns her nose up to food sometimes, but if I hand her the spoon, she eats. Go figure! Food and babies this age can make you crazy!! Good luck!

I would say that if it's possbile to small his food up as little and smoothly as possible, then do that. I would also try giving him things that he can hold himself. He would probably be more interested in the things he can actually hold and more likely to try them. I know that's the way both of my kids were. Good Luck.

i use a mini-food processor for my daughters meals & add more formula(if needed) to make it alittle more creamy. she'll be 11 mo. on the 26th. I buy her michellina's dinner & give her those for lunch & supper(she has weight issues & they are higher in calories than jar food), I love her processor, it blends everything small enough so she does't choke but her food still has texture to it. have you tried giving foods to your baby that have more flavor than the jar foods? good luck & God be with you.