When Can a Baby Have Crackers, Solids, Etc..

Updated on November 03, 2006
E.W. asks from McKinney, TX
12 answers

My daughter is going to be 9 months on the 20th of this month and I was wondering when do you usually start giving them crackers, teething biscuits, solids, etc.. She has had 2 bottom teeth since she was 3 months old, and now she is cutting 4 on top (which is a nightmare, 4 teeth at once!!). Is she old enough for anything other than baby food and formula. What is your experience, I am just scared that she will choke if I give her crackers.

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S.R.

answers from Dallas on

Gerber makes these crackers and things that practically dissolve in their mouth. Start with that and see how she does. She should be getting ready for that type of transition food.

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M.F.

answers from Dallas on

When a baby can sit unassisted and actually pick up the food and get it to her mouth, she's ready to eat it. Gerber makes fruit and veggie "puffs" that dissolve in the mouth so there's no choking hazzard. Graham crackers also turn to mush, so they're a good starter. You can bust them into tiny pieces if you want. And Cheerios is the old standby, of course! Canned veggies and fruits are usually softer than fresh or frozen. Often a baby will pick up food pieces, but can't get it out of their fist and into the mouth. Something like a teething buscuit (soooo messy) or graham cracker stick is big enough that they can hold on to it and gum it to death quite happily.

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E.R.

answers from Dallas on

hello E.. i am a mom of 3 kids and when they have them frist two bottom teeth i always let my kids have those biscuits at 6 month of age and the crakers the same age and i would also find the fruity stars or something . if you are on wic they will tell u all these thing or you can ask your doctor . so i think it is ok to give it to her buy now. i was always told never give them anything smaller then their pikney. i know the fruit snacks are safe to give them cause they melt in the mouth. so are you giveing her baby ceral also? it helps to keep them full in the morning. if you got any more qushtions you can just ask me or someonelse.thank e

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M.R.

answers from Dallas on

I heard that as long as your baby can crawl and sit on their own it is fine, I know that is what it says on the zweiback(sp?) toast box.

I would definitely give him food that will dissolve easily at first or even puree/mash the foods.

Good Luck

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

Go ahead and start her. It'll help her with her teeth.

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Y.D.

answers from Dallas on

I think that she is probably ready for soft fruits and easy to chew crackers, but please be extra careful if you give her teething biscuits because my son got off a big chunk of one and choked and it was really scary. My doctor says this happens alot and he doesnt reccomend them to anyone. Just take this into consideration when choosing your crackers because there are so many other better options.

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T.J.

answers from Dallas on

GOOD MORNING. I HAVE A 17-MONTH OLD DAUGHTER AND I STARTED GIVING HER SOME GERBER FINGER FOODS, SUCH AS THE BITER BISCUITS AND FRUIT PUFFS AT THE AGE OF 8 MONTHS. AS LONG AS THE BABY IS SITTING UP IN A CHAIR THE BITER BISCUITS WERE THE BEST. THEY ARE REALLY MESSY BECAUSE THE CHILD SUCKS THEM, BUT THEY ARE GOOD FOR THE TEETHING AS WELL. THE GERBER ITEMS ARE FOUND IN YOUR LOCAL GROCER IN THE BABY/TODDLER SECTION. I HOPE THIS HELPS

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C.

answers from Dallas on

The answer depends totally on how well your baby chews & swallows. My daughter was completely off baby food & cereal by 8-months. She only had 2 teeth but she is a second child & she chews and swallows very well. Try doing soft solids like pasta, sweet potato, kiwi, any canned fruit (bec. it is soft) to start & see how she does. For crackers, etc. try to steer clear of really hard ones that do not dissolve in their mouth or break up into small pieces.

Good luck!

C.

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E.C.

answers from Dallas on

Hi,
we had good luck using one of those mesh feeders that kind of look like a pacifier with a mesh bag on one end you put food in. I did mostly frozen fruit & veggies in it-although I did learn to never put bananas in it as you will never get it clean! This way they can't get any chunks of food-i think i heard somewhere it was invented by a dad whose child choked on a teething biscuit. You can buy one at target or babies r us. Also, avacado bits, banana bits, refried beans, shredded cheese, gerber puffs, cheerios, peas (I cooked frozen ones, but served them room temp or cold) were all popular first foods. I have a copy of a book called "feed me, I'm yours" that I got at 1/2 price books for about $4.00 and it has tons of first food ideas & now that mine is a toddler, it has great toddler ideas as well-all super easy & doable!
Hope this helps.

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S.B.

answers from Seattle on

Teething biscuits are a nightmare! They are so messy and the slobbery-gooey-biscuity residue that gets EVERYWHERE turns to a glue-like substance within seconds! Plus, it is possible for the babies to break off a large piece and choke on it.

By 9 months, both of my girls were eating solid foods. Cheerios are awesome, almost over-cooked peas are great, small chunks of cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, peaches, pears, apples (peeled and cut into small pieces.), all kinds of great things. Start slow. Gerber makes some great fruit and veggie puffs that practically disolve in their mouths. Crakers are okay, too, but not really hard ones like Wheat Thins. Saltines, Ritz, Club crackers, Graham crackers, those kinds of things. Pasta is another great idea. I would start with the veggie or fruit puffs because they are so easy. See how she does with those and then you can start adding more things. This is when it starts to get really fun! And, once she gets it down, Gerber makes jars of diced fruit and veggies. They are great...especially for traveling when you aren't able to cook and dice your own carrots (or whatever)!!

Good luck! Have fun!
S.

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K.K.

answers from Dallas on

Yes she can have crackers. My eight month old, with NO teeth yet, loves club crackers and ritz crackers. I hand them to her whole (of course after close observation we went from pieces to whole). She has had waffle, french toast stick, etc. I don't care for the teething biscuits due to my oldest choking on them, but soft crackery stuff is fine. It will depend on you kiddo. My oldest has a sensitive gag-reflex so she was older before handling non-baby food items. My younger one, however, is trying to convince me she is a big girl and does not want baby-food anymore. SHe likes canned fruits and veggies (they are softer than frozen), pieces of chicken, pretty much anything we eat except milk, cheese, peanut butter, honey, fish, etc. Mostly it will depend on your child. Have fun with this stage. I never thought I would get so much reward in seeing my lil' ones eat. I could watch them all day.

K.

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A.K.

answers from Dallas on

Well, I see you already had a good response load, but here's a great website that I used when my son was a baby. I just printed out the age appropriate pages and stuck it up in the kitchen. Here's the link: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm . Of course, a lot of the site is about making your own baby food and I never really did that.

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