Need Ideas for First "Real" Foods!

Mine are 10 months old.
strips of - grilled cheese, toast with cream cheese, toast with eggyolk and sour cream, pork strips, beef strips, strips of burgers (made without eggs), brisket, watermelon, cheese, cucumber, the chewy or brittle stuff I tend to cut in small strips.

small foods - cheerios, ritz crackers broken in half, macaroni and cheese, chilli-mac, the shredded chicken on the inside of enchiladas,

whole peaches, pears, nectarines and plums -watch for seeds on the plums. I also love the whole skinny green beans (varicot) and asparagus -although that can be tough sometimes.

chunks of avocado, kiwi, beets (they love beets), sweet potato, curried potato, blueberries cut in 4 or 8, peeled grapes cut in 4-they love broccoli and cauliflower crowns -just like I'd eat - just about anything goes -they will surprise you. Seriously.

Couscous and a white sauce is good - I can make those into little cheese balls. I also boil potato chunks and then peel and toss it in olive oil, garlic powder and parmesean and bake it -they LOVE those. Baked sweet potato is a good starting place too.

I try to watch the salt and sugar because as adults we eat way too much of that stuff.

It's very scary - but know there is a difference between gagging (which they will do) and coughing (also something they need to learn to do), and choking. I had one time where we had to grab my son out of his high chair - he was coughing hard, but he was fine - we just panicked.

They can also feed themselves -load up the spoon with something a bit sticky (not too sticky to be a choking hazzard) -oatmeal, lentils, rice and something to help hold it together (e.g. eggplant or bok choy -might need to whirr that in the blender) etc and they will be able to get the spoon into their mouth remarkably well. Will it be perfect -no -but they'll get the hang of it really quickly.

HTH

Hi D.,
Babies that age love to pick up foods with their fingers and guide them to their mouth! So any finger foods are great. Not only does it expose baby to new tastes and textures but he perfects the very important fine motor skills, plus he is so proud of himself when he succeeds. Don't worry about learning to use a spoon yet.
My 15 month old grandaughter will eat nearly anything as long a she can do it herself! Gerber makes a lot of nutrious finger foods, but there are less expensive things you can offer. Hot dogs cut into thin slices and then quartered---round items are 'chockable'--same with cooked carrots. Try well cooked green beans--canned are ok. Seedless grapes, also cut up. Lots and lots of things he can pick up with his finger and thumb and guide to his mouth when you give it some thought. Don't be discouraged if he refuses the chunky baby foods. Once he sees what Mommy and Daddy are eating he wants to be like you. ---Oh yeah! In every way! We are 'onstage' from the day we bring that baby home. That is the scary part isn't it? :)?
Just keep in mind the chocking potential. Round things can get stuck in his throat--he doesn't know to chew well and doesn't even have enough teeth!! Avoid things that tend to stick to the roof of the mouth. Just relax, use your common sense and enjoy every minute.
God bless you and your family.
D. C. (Mommy, auntie, grandma, great-grandma many times over.

I hear you on the not cooking (luckily, I married a man who does!). One of our standby's is firm or extra-firm tofu, at first cut into small cubes, now we're up to strips (my DD is 16 mos). It's firm enough that the little ones can hold it in their hands, but soft enough that it will mush up in their mouths so they won't choke. It's also super healthy, too. My DD loves it!

Mashed potato's. macaroni and cheese are big hits with little ones and very safe for them to eat. If he has enough teeth where he can chew things then that is great you could also do fresh fruit and cutt into tiny pieces but big enough for him to pick up with his two fingers and eat. I would suggest cantalope, strawberries, peaches,a nd oranges because they are all some what softer. You could alos do canned veggies such as grren beans, pea's, and carrots. You could cutt each green bean in half or just leave them whole he will take one bite at a time and they are all pretty soft. Once he gets a taste of "real" food he will LOVE it and then you will starting noticeing which are his favorite...Good luck and God Bless!!

you're in luck because grilled cheese is a great first food. It's yummy and soft. I have an almost 13 month old, and she eats grilled cheese, spaghetti (I mix the noodles in some olive oil after they are cooked) and meat sauce -- just cut it up into smaller bites, the gerber graduates are a great starting point. I've also gotten some bags of frozen mixed veggies and "steamed" them (in the microwave) with some butter and/or cheese to help her like them a little more. I love gerber's diced apples, peaches, and carrots. They take the work out of giving them good food. Fruits are great if you have the time to cut them up into small pieces. Otherwise just buy them cut up already. Same with veggies. I worked at a day care one time and the kids this age ate almost anything (except for whole grapes...just cut those up if you want to feed them to your baby)...cut up potatoes are great also. Hope this helps!

So I had the same dilemma with my son and then just realized that I could cut smaller pieces of what we're having. He eats cinamon toast, bananas, cantelope, watermelon, grapes with the skin off, peas-at first i took the skin off now I don't, grilled cheese, beef ravioli, speghetti, chicken, ground hamburger. the possibilities are endless. just don't give him alot on his tray at once and watch him closely like you normally would. He'll be fine!!

My baby is almost 10 months old and eats these:

cinnamon toast, torn into small pieces
cheerios, diced apples (cooked), cooked carrots (diced), steamed green beans, pasta w/out sauce, gerber puffs, grilled swiss cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread cut into small pieces, sliced bananas, gerber lil' sticks (these come in chicken, turkey and chicken with carrots), my baby LOVES them. They're real mushy. She also loves raisins and graham crackers, and whatever we're eating generally, she wants to eat half of mine. She has 9 teeth already though and has been on table foods for about 3 months.
Learn the heimlic, and start giving the poor child some REAL food! :)
Good luck!

I used to work at a day care with little ones who were eating solids for the first time.

If your baby is going to get used to eating WITH you and your hubby, then just take whatever you and he are eating and cut it into tiny peices (about the size of Cheerio's). Or mash things with a fork a few times until the baby is used to eating solids. The more teeth babies have, the less you have to do this. Baby food is only to get the food before babies have teeth. If they have teeth, they need to learn to chew.

By that age, I think my boys were eating toast too (just tear it in half to reveal the softer, buttered center). I even cut hotdogs into 4 strips length-wise and then diced them. Scrambled eggs are a great treat, too. Other foods included (all cut into bits): plain noodles (break before boiling), black olive, any cooked veggies or fruits, crackers, any meats, etc.

If you are making instant mashed potatoes, take the baby's out before adding the butter or cheese or bacon bits to your own. (This is a great opportunity to teach self-feeding with a spoon because mashed potatoes stick to a spoon very easily.)

A person's asophogus is the size around of their little finger. This should give you an idea of choking hazards. Also, just provide a cup and always have an extra handy.

Think variety and make it simple. One meat, 2 sides (fruits/veggies), 1 bread, and milk. Or you can substitute juice for one of the sides and replace the milk with yogurt.

Hope it helps.

Blessings,

P. <><

with my son i used to give him canned vegetable soup and minestrone soup, drained. i would drain the broth and rinse the veggies and just heat up a little. buy the lower sodium versions as the soups can have lots of sodium. his favorite was minestrone...veggies and beans in that mix and good flavor. i tried it with my daughter and she hated it! lol a very quick lunch served with little crackers :)