Starting Table Foods

At 10 months he should be fine to eat table food. He may prefer it with an older brother. All of my kids started table food around 8-10 months and the younger ones were earlier. Try meats, rice, pasta, canned soup, canned fruits and veg, etc. These are easier to eat (cut up small, of course). My kids didn't start using a sippy cup until 10+ months (water). And they dropped feedings from there and were weaned around 13 months. He will be eating well and weaned before you know it!

Hello M. M,
When I went back to work I had to put my daughter on a bottle but she didn't like regular bottles either,even though she could drink from them.So I went out and found at Babies R Us the First Year Wideneck Bottles that are designed to be like the natural breast.And that worked for my lil miss paticular.I also use the playtex drop ins and those aren't as close to the breast but they still work well.Then once I found a bottle she liked i began alternating breat-bottle,beast-bottle for about a week and then when I went back to work she took the bottle no problem!!I hope this helps you out if you any other questions just ask me.Good Luck.

Try gerber graduates and sit him on his high chair with a sippy cup. Then at night, you can breastfeed him so he can fall asleep. Weaning needs to be done slowly, though, so he does not notice the change. I hope you have a good night.

My son is the same age & also watches us eat & grab at our food. We've also had issues with his eating. I find he's much better with stuff he can pick up & feed to himself - stuff like cheerios, baby snacks, noodles, green beans, peas, carrots (I buy canned & diced & rinse really well). He'll also eat peaches & mango from a fork from me - especially if I eat some first. That worked for a little girl I babysat too (she'd eat anything I ate first). For a while my son would only eat cheerios & baby snacks, then I started adding the others & now I've started adding baby food (I usually add baby cereal to thicken it - he likes it better thicker) & he's now taking to the baby food much better. I wouldn't bother too much with a bottle. He's old enough to use a sippy cup, and by the time you get him on a bottle, you'll just have to wean him off of that. I like Nuby soft spout. Good Luck!

Hi-

When my son started table foods I started him on the Gerber Little Graduates...he loved them because they looked like big people food! You might also try smaller cut up portions of what you and the rest of your family are eating. At 9 months my son didn't want baby food anymore, so we weaned him onto big people food and it was the best thing ever!! He was so happy!!

Good Luck!

It might be good for your little guy to start on a real cup. (They have some colorful little kid-sized cups at IKEA.) You could start with pumped breast milk or water or diluted juice. My kiddo was really excited to drink like mom and dad.

Hi M.. I can try and give you an example of what I did with my 9 month old daughter. Feed her table food with an adult fork or spoon. I found that ice tea spoons work really good because they are narrow and can fit in baby's mouths easier. I also use the small fork to feed her pieces of chicken and tri tip. I'm luck that my little girl is a good eater. Have you also tried Cherrios? That may get him used to feeding/eating by himself. If all else fails, let him loose with a kids fork and spoon and let him figure it out. Just make sure to put down a sheet or towels becuase I'm sure it will go all over the place. I hope this helps and you find a solution fast. Good Luck, J.

My son is 16 months old and he's been eating table food for what seems like forever. Why not just let him eat table food, just cut up in small enough pieces so he doesn't choke? Or if he doesn't have many teeth, blend it.

My son has been grabbing at our table food since he was 3 months old, I'd take it and run with it.

Go with the table food is my advice.They sell those little food choppers that u can leave on the counter for quick use.start out with a finer grind.then use less process time for a coarse cut. get a suction cup plate and let him go.He sounds like he is trying to assert himself food is one of the best ways you can let him have some say.The cost savings is another point to think about.I have 5 kids and they were all different.But most took to table food better than baby food, table food has flavor!Just try to stay away from high allergy type foods at 1st.Strawberries ect.I have also found that eating what everyone else does keeps them from being such picky eaters when they get older,they get used to what everyone else eats and the transition from baby food is easier.Good luck

M.,

When my boys were that young the doctor told me that if they began reaching for table food than they were ready. Of course, the type of table foods you feed him maybe limited (food allergies, seafood, and small food that could be dangerous if the child doesn't know how to chew solid food yet). A very good book that guided me through the young years was "What to Expect in the first Year" and they also have books for the toddler years.

When introducing table foods to babies the process can be trial and error. It's always a good idea to consult your Pediatrician first to be safe. Good luck!

PR

My son wouldn't eat homemade baby food. But he loved Gerber and Earth's Best baby food. Try Gerber fruit or vegetable puffs for snack, meat sticks for iron, add some flavor to some of his foods. Try the graduates meals.

Or if that doesn't work, try cooking some of what you feed your older son, but more softer.

We tried cheerios first. They melt in their mouth so they can't choke on them and my child liked to play with them. So we would put him in his high chair when we were eating and spread some cheerios out. Sometimes we would upt them in his mouth and other times we would just let him try. Now he eats them all the time.
Good luck