When to Start "Real Food"...

I started my daughter at 6 months and she did great! At eight months I started real veggies, just boil them to soften them and then they're ready to go! Also softer fruits like peaches and watermelon. Now my daughter is 10 months and can almost eat anything!

Start with the cheerios like most of us do. When you feel comfortable then you can slowly add in things. I gave my son yogurt at 9 months, which is about average from what I have read. Eggs... double check on what the other mother posted... most of the allergens in an egg lie in the whites and not the yolks. The Yolks contain the fats and cholesterol important to brain development. It always worked great for me because I would make myself the egg whites and give my son the yolks! I lost weight.. he gained!! WIN WIN! Woo hoo. Just remember to cut things up small. I never panicked when my son would gag... which WILL happen... they all have to go through that in order to learn how to eat. But some parents freak out and cut everything up so small... go at your own pace and remember to space things about no less than 3 days apart to test for allergies. Keep in mind any food allergies in your family as they are more common to be in your offspring and postpone those foods.

Your baby is only 8 months old... thus, you have to be aware of what foods are 'safe' for a baby.
For example, you CANNOT feed a baby egg yolks, only the egg whites up through 1 year old. NO citrus, until after 2 years old. NO spinach until after 9 months old, NO nuts or peanut butter until after 2 years old etc.
The first 2 links below are VERY important.

Here are some links:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...
http://www.babycenter.com/0_foods-that-can-be-unsafe-for-...

http://www.babycenter.com/0_foods-that-can-be-unsafe-for-...
http://www.babycenter.com/0_introducing-solid-foods_113.bc
http://www.babycenter.com/0_food-allergies_12409.bc
http://www.babycenter.com/408_when-can-my-baby-take-bites...
http://www.babycenter.com/0_buying-guide-solid-feeding_10...
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed...

You can also try "stage 3 foods" IF you feel your baby can 'eat' it, without choking.

Stay away from "hard" foods (a choking hazard) or any foods that are "gummy/chewy" as these can get stuck in the throat and cause choking/suffocating as well. Some babies can also choke on Cheerios, even though it "melts" in the mouth and breaks down quickly. I have seen this first hand with a friend's baby. Some babies also have the tendency to stuff too much in their mouth... and it can get lodged in their throat. As always, supervise when they are eating. Even a 2 year old can choke.

You also have to gauge your baby... if he still has his gagging reflex or tongue thrust reflex...then this is a cue that he may not be able to "eat" or mash foods in his mouth.

Ultimately, ask your Pediatrician. All babies are different. For example, my daughter eats anything...even though we were conservative in food introduction. My son on the other hand is super picky even though we were less conservative with foods with him. Each child has their own disposition... it is NOT always due to the manner in which you introduce foods and how quickly.

All the best,
Susan

I never give my babies food until they have teeth, that way I know theior digestive system is ready for it.

Dairy, eggs, corn, wheat, tomatoes, honey - all the major potential allergens are best not to give until after a year.

That being said, my 4.5 month old had 4 teeth and reached out to grab my chile relleno burrito with black beans and salsa verde and couldn't get enough. He never had baby food. Currently, my daughter is 1.5 weeks from and jsut got her first 5 teeth in the past 4 weeks. She's not interested in food. They are all different.

Starting with veggies rather than grains and fruits will encourage them to like them.

I started my now 1 year old on real food around 8 months or so. She still only has 2 teeth but can eat little bites of steak, chicken, pasta, cheese, eggs, yogurts, veggies. She is a GREAT eater and we really havent found anything she wont eat!! They can gum food pretty good and I think introducing a variety has really helped her not be a picky eater. I know other moms who have waited and they have really picky eaters. Good Luck

No dairy products or cow milk until after 1 year. Other than that, let him try the soft foods he is snatching off your plate, cooked peas, or other cooked veg. and fruit. Watch for choking of course, keep pieces small. Look at teh "graduates" foods in the store and try to match the size, softness, lumpiness of those in you home made foods.

I'd wait until he has some more teeth to give him food like pasta and things that really need to be chewed up, but meanwhile definitely you can try and offer him baby snacks that are easier to chew and dissolve easily in the mouth like gerber stars. I started to give my son the baby yogurt called yobaby at 6 months and he loved it. You could probably give him eggs though and anything else that is easy to chew at this point since he seems interested. As soon as he gets more teeth or once you figure out how good he is at chewing with his gums then you'll know what you can and can't give him. It's a lot of trial and error at first. Good luck! V.

If your little one is grabbing at your food, it's a great sign that he's ready for something beyond purees. You can give
*yogurt
*whole wheat bagels (great for teething)
*egg yolks mashed with a little water (incredible source of iron)
*other foods that are steamed and cut into tiny pieces.
-www.weelicious.com

Hi C. - of course, so many opinions!!

You can TOTALLY introduce dairy products before age one, just not liquid milk. Below is an article about why yogurt and cheese are okay. I have asthma, and so I held off on these until my DD was 8-9 months (that's what I read as a recommendation), but many say these are fine after 6 mo. Babies should have whole milk products though, so avoid "light" and non fat versions. We do Organic plain yogurt mixed with fruit puree and DD loves it!
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/tipYogurt.htm

One important thing - someone on here said to give the egg WHITE and NOT the YOLK - that is incorrect!!! You may give the yolk only until age one, the white contains the allergens. Here is an article that talks all about egg allergies.
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/eggs.htm

When I first did egg yolks, I did them hard boiled to make sure there was no white. However, the flavor wasn't awesome, and it was so crumbly it couldn't be easily eaten by hand. Now, I separate the yolks out, add a little water and shredded cheddar and scramble it. I cook it kind of "omlette-style" and cook it VERY well. DD loves to eat this, and it's good for them to have protein.

We did wait until 11 months to introduce meat - I'm of the mindset that if a child doesn't have enough teeth to eat meat in small chunks, she probably isn't ready to digest it, but that is STRICTLY my opinion. When she did have enough teeth, I pureed chicken and mixed it with veggie puree just so she could get used to the taste, and very quickly after we started just giving small shreds. Up to you!!

Mac-n-cheese is a hit here, but to keep it cheap, I often just cook noodles and stir in a little butter and shredded cheese - just as tasty and not quite as messy for hand feeders!

HEre's another great link for allergenic foods:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/forbiddenbabyfood.htm

One last word...I kept in mind things that I (or other family members) have sensitivity to and delayed introduction of these items. So far, we haven't had any allergic reactions (keeping my fingers crossed!!) :)

Take care!

Hi C.,

My 8 month old daughter loves cheerios, small pieces of wheat bread (not seedy), whole milk plain yogurt, soft but pasteurized cheeses (we just tried these - she likes 'em!). We're going to try little pieces of cooked pasta too (she likes the chunks it the stage 3 baby food, so I figure we'll try it fresh). We haven't yet tried egg, but plan too soon. Our pediatrician suggested waiting until 9 months for meats/fish/poultry. Plus little pieces of berries, bananas, avocado, etc . People have already listed the big things to avoid for now. Pretty much anything else that he can mashed up with those gums/will disolve will do. If in doubt, I try it myself to see if it will break down without chewing with my teeth. Have Fun!

Start NOW - don't make the same mistake I did with my first - always giving him purees because he ate everything so well mushed up. He is now 5 and just about the pickiest eater on the planet. My younger son is 1 - we started him with cheerios at 6 months when he didn't have any teeth. He now only has 2 teeth on the bottom in the front center, but eats everything! Turkey meatballs, cheese (loves colby jack and string cheese), peas, potatoes, Ritz crackers, chicken, EVERYTHING we put in front of him! I know that no two kids are alike, but I totally attribute it to us giving him tons of different textures from a young age. It is amazing what they can chew with their gums. Of course we make everything small (about the size of your pinky nail), but he does fine with it. Yo Baby yogurt is great. I think you are supposed to avoid egg whites until after a year - we haven't given him eggs yet. If he is interested in your food, but all means, give it to him. You'll benefit in the long run, believe me from experience!

Good luck!
R.
mom to Jared (5) and Xander (1)

No honey until over a year. Check with your doctor about the eggs, they can be hard for kids to digest. No grapes until three, no hot dogs, they break up funny (choking hazard). Feed him off your plate, and he will eat what you eat.

There are new studies out that not exposing kids to peanuts early is more likely to result in peanut allergies. I gave my daughter tastes of peanut butter on toast as soon as she started eating, and have had no problems. talk to your doctor.

Over cook the pasta a little bit, they love love love the carbs... I still use pureed baby food as a dip for pasta, sneak in the veggies, and my daughter loves to dip...

Good luck
R.

It sounds like he is ready, just check with your Dr about foods to stay away from. (I was told no eggs or whole milk products until the first birthdsy - they may be eay to swallow, but hard to digest and more likely to cause allergies when started early).

Every one seams to have an opinion. But We gave my 1 grand son mashed potatoes at 6-weeks because he wouldn't eat the baby cereal & was hungery just on formula. I'd say try him on the pasta or maybe a eggs. But would probably hold off on the yogert because that is a milk product & they say they are not supposed to have milk products before they are 1 yr old. I think alot of the interest in your food may be the texture & taste. Because baby food is pretty bland & taste less. Maybe try also not making his food quite so pureed.