I'm just curious what other moms have fed their 11 month olds? I usually give my son the Gerber graduate meals like the mac and cheese, pasta pick ups, turkey stew with veggies, etc. He also still eats fruit purees and yogurt grains or oatmeal. I will give him cheerios or baby goldfish and puffs for snacks. Should I start giving him whatever my husband and I are eating? How do I know if he's getting enough nutrition?
I gave my son what we were eating as long as the dr. said he could have those foods at that time. I didn't give him anything with honey or nuts. I would give him small pieces of chicken, soft meats such as a roast. We never did the gerber foods except for the When they are finished eating that's when you know they have had enough nutrition. just offer and see if the baby will eat it. good luck! feel free to contact me.
C.,
Children can eat table food from nine months on if they can chew it. You can stick with the softer stuff (no steaks unless cut up like ground meat, very small with a bit of sauce or gravy to soften it futher). My children never ate a bite of baby food, I made them ground up regular food right from five months on (I used a food mill on whatever we were eating) and then transitioned them to cut up food and soft foods (well cooked veggies, stewed or soft meats, pasta all make good transitions to regular food). As a result, my children eat well balanced meals and love their fruits and veggies.
On fruits, skins must be removed but apples and peaches work good (as does watermelon). My kids also loved grapes. The kids also loved softer cheeses like colby.
The only things you need to watch out for are salt and spices. My kids (who never had formula either - they only had breastmilk and water - no juice) love slightly spicy foods but no hotwings or curry.
Give your little boy small amounts and then offer him more. When he is full, he will stop.
Oh, I had to take my then 10 month old daughter to Vegas and she ate directly from the buffets, no special food at all at that age. And they both use their proper eating utensils at the ages of 4 and 2 (my daughter, now 4 is on teh autism spectrum so this is quite an accomplishment.)
Basically, just try it out.
PS My stepmother gave me some of those gerber meals and they are really horrible tasting. My daughter refused to eat them. I threw them all out. Real mac and cheese and real turkey are so much better.
Both of my girls were eating what my husband and I ate by 10 months. You can offer small pieces of almost everything you eat! For example, if you're having chicken, potatoes, & peas, make up a plate of the same, just cut up in smaller pieces. You can offer cut up pieces of fresh fruit - I'd start with softer fruit like bananas, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Things like carrots, I'd soften, and take the skin off of apples, pears, etc. until he's older and can fully chew. If you're offering nutritious meals throughout the day, you can rest assured he's getting enough nutriion.
Best wishes!
My son is almost 13 months old and we have been giving him whatever we eat for several months now. It makes things so much easier! We still use some of the toddler snacks. If your meals are balanced (getting fruits and veggies, protein, etc.) he'll be getting the nutrients he needs.
Hi C.!
I feed my 11 month old whatever we are eating... unless it's something spicy. She's not very picky though so it makes it easy to do that. My first daughter would've never survived that way - lol! If your little one is gaining weight and healthy, he is probably getting enough nutrition. Just keep the foods varied... lots of fruit, veggies, protein. :) I'm sure you know that already. Best of luck!
Hi, don't worry about it. Give your son whatever your eating just cut up very small so he can't choke. If your still worried about nutrition I would continue to give him some of the baby foods, like cereal and fruits. He'll be fine though and before you know he'll be eating you out of house and home, lol. Take care.
My daughter is now one, but we gave up on babyfood around 10 months - she's just been eating small pieces of whatever we eat ever since. SHe's very good at feeding herself with her hands and on bath nights we also give her things she needs to eat with a spoon :-)
I try to make sure these days that there is at least one thing that she can eat and that my 3 year old would eat as an option on the table. Things she eats are:
cut pasta
meatballs
meatloaf
pretty much any soft vegetable
small pieces of chicken
rice
cheese
pizza
pancakes/waffles
any casserole
small pieces of other meat (though some of it is too tough for her)
hamburgers
small pieces of hot dog
vegie burgers
baked potatoes
strawberries (she would eat these all day)
any other fruit
etc.
Enjoy these days when they are willing to eat almost anything! My son changed around 14 months or so to be a little more picky and that's a little bit more of a pain.
Give him what you are eating. cut it is small pieces so he can eat it. save your money on the gerber graduates. you would save more money giving him kraft mac and cheese and feed him what you eat. puree your own fruit. in small pieces he can eat some bananas. also make sure to feed him some yogurt like the yobaby yogurts. cheese sticks he may like. cut them up small. the puffy things that melt in the mouth are good and so are cheerios.
