Feeding Question

Cheerios!!! The perfect first food. Just put it in front of her and let her experiment.It is frustarting and takes time, but she will get it.Get rid of the bottle and try a sippy cup,she may be more interested in the cup!!!You can feed her anything in small amounts. Stay away from nuts and grapes.You want things that will almost melt in her mouth.gerber makes great first time finger foods.

Some kids just arent that interested in table foods. It takes a while. I started at dinner. I used a grinder and ground up her foods small enough that she wouldnt choke, also this way she was sitting at the dinner table with the family - eating what we were eating. I still fed her with a spoon. I let her play with her food though so she would be interested in it - no matter how messy it was. I also gave her a sippy cup - so she learned that she hada cup w/ her meal.

At 11 mos - feed her exactly what you eat - just make it really smal until she gets the hang of it. If she isnt interested right away - no biggie. These things take time. It can take somethign liek up to 20 times of introducing a particular food to a child before they will accept it.

Have baby food on hand in case she isnt interested in what you give her.

But also at 11 mos - have you tried 3rd foods - maybe the thicker consistency will motivate her. I used to give my daughter at 6 mos her own spoon to play with while I fed her with another. This helped a lot when we were ready to let her "feed" herself.

My daughter never liked to hold a bottle until after she was a year. If she didnt have to - why would she?

Good luck and dont stress over this, she will eat table food when she is ready. Just be consistent and atleast offer it to her, let her take a bite of the fruit you are eating, etc. Go from there. She will let you know what she likes and doesnt.

Just start small till she gets used to it..My 10 month old eats anywhere from toast, grilled cheese, fries, pasta...he only has 8 teeth so it all depends on what they have. As far as feeding herself i would start by giving her a snack time and see how she does with that, put her in her high chair with some puffs, maybe she will realize that you are not going to help her.

Do you leave her with a sitter? How does she eat there? Dont hold her bottle for her. Shes being lazy, as long as you do it she knows she doesnt have too. My youngest did this too. She'll feed herself when hungry enough, tell her to feed herself. Heck, give her her own utensils & let her have at it. She should be starting to use them if not already. Try dry cereal,packaged oatmeal, mashed bananas,scrambled eggs. Cooked veggies to make mushy, carrots, sweet potato,apples, pears,etc. Does she drink water or juice? Theres a few books out there that can help you on ideas. Sometimes it can be frustrating to know what to give them. They dont always like what they're given. My oldest had a thing with textures. Shes a picky eater & wont try stuff. Just start experimenting, try something new every week.

Good luck!

Hi Rachael. I am a SAHM of 3. My youngest just turned 1 a couple of weeks ago and has been self feeding table food since around 9 months. She would start screaming if I didn't put her up to the table with us and she will barely let us feed her, so she never really became a big fan of jarred baby food. The transition is easy. Just simply put her in the high chair next to you at the table. Give her whatever you are eating that is soft. Just put it on the tray in front of her and let her watch you. You may have to put a couple of pieces into her mouth at first. I would probably avoid meats until she gets the hang of it a little. My babies favorites is carrots. I cook them a little extra for her a then cut them up really small but big enough for her to pick up. My daughter eats whatever we eat at this point. She even started using a fork last week.

I would just not hold her bottle for her. Adventually she will be thirsty enough to pick it up on her own. Same with food. Also there is a book and a whole kit by Fresh Baby on making your own baby food. What foods to give at what age and how to cook it. Generally this is a book to use so you can avoid giving your baby store bought baby food which contains mostly fillers. Plus it is a great way to never have to worry about the "transition stage" because as they get older you just make the food chunkier until they are eating it whole.
Good luck.

Hi R.,
I also have a baby, nearly a year. He loves to feed himself and initiated it. Maybe have her taste some food by putting it in her mouth with your fingers. Then the hope is that she will copy you and put it in her mouth also. Here are some that Lucas loves: banana, watermelon, pear, soft chicken, cheese, sliced deli turkey, cereals, french toast, scrambled egg, soft bread (banana bread). Anything that can be mushed in the mouth is best.

My 2 youngest have never had baby food. I simply cut up what we were eating and gave it to them in tiny bites. We've never had a problem.

I can only add to the other posts that it's important to give her activities that can develop her fine motor skills - be sure she has toys that help her develop the use of her hands and fingers, moving small objects (attached so they can't be swallowed) or grasping small and differently shaped items. Those toys you often find in doctors' waiting rooms come to mind - there are differently shaped beads that can be moved along a thick twisting "wire" -- any beaded toy designed for kids her age, or blocks that require manipulation, can help her develop more skill and facility in this area. Things won't be so frustrating for her if she "practices" under the guise of "play".

My son also will not hold his bottle. He just puts his head forward and opens his mouth. He loves sippy cups though! He drops them a lot but you might consider trying it. I just started giving my son cherios and those Gerber Graduate puffs. Also Earth's Best make chunky stage 3 foods you might want to try.

Just put her in her high chair while you're eating and give her stuff off your plate. We all eat dinner together here, so my little one has been going in the high chair as soon as she was big enough to. Feed her the table food yourself, but also put some of the foods on her tray. I think she will eventually pick it up. I used to have to put food in the mouth of my son so he would taste it, but then he'd pick it up himself once he realized it was good. Also, I would offer her table food first, then if you think she is still hungry try the things she has been eating. Just some ideas. good luck.

I start by giving her a big girl sippy cup. go to third foods although i found my kids did't like the lumps.... then introduce table foods when you and your husband eat dinner. mashed potatoes are always a big hit put it on the tray neatness doesn't count yet.....bannanas canned peaches you can also get the mesh food bags. good luck mother of 13 11 8 and 14 mths kimd

As a mother of 3, I have found feeding to be very different from child to child. They have different tastes and preferences for different textures. My 1st and 3rd liked the jarred food, but my 2nd snubbed her nose to all of it and I had to take a completely different approach! So, I've learned, don't stress about the feeding thing to much... follow your baby's lead and experiment. As she is almost a year, you don't need to worry about allergies to much, so that will make things easier. Don't be afraid to let her get messy.... put things on her tray and let her play with it - touch it and experiment with it. cut up soft fruits and veggies to pieces that she can easily pick-up - a little bigger than a pea. Suggestions: banana, watermelon, peeled peaches/soft fruits, soft, cooked carrots, chereoes, rice puffs (not sweetened), pieces of cereal (whole grain varieties preferred), I would sometimes strain the veggies and noodles out of soup for my daughter to eat... carrots are better that way. My 9 month old right now loves rice noodles. She also likes the stage 3 jars which niether of my others liked (the chuncky stuff). My sister-in-law would put rice puffs on the spoonfuls of food to add texture that way, as well. Hope you and your daughter have fun! :-)

hi R.. i have a three year old and a six month old boy. with my first son, i jsut began to put food on his tray from my plate while we were having dinner. i could really only start this once i felt comfortable that he had many teeth, and could chew the food before it went down. of course, i cut it up and it was sensible food in the first place, not walnuts, etc... :) but it worked and he's a very good eater. we'll see how it goes with the next one, each kid is so different, i've got no idea if it'll work that way again!! your daughter may not want to eat fingerfoods for another six months... and thats okay because she may know something we don't. just keep trying

I too have an 11 month old. Cheerios are the best first food from what i've heard and experienced. Actually, I got an organic toasted oats cereal (in natural foods section at stop n shop) rather than cheerios, but they taste just the same. anyway, we put them on the tray in front of her and i think it took her a few days but once she got it she LOVES them.

really ripe pears are a hit, as is well cooked broccoli. Also cheese cubes - monterey jack, mozzarella, cheddar and swiss so far. Her latest favorites are chick peas and kidney beans. We are thus far meat free. Tofu chunks are another good/easy food, also ripe avocado.

be glad she still wants her bottle - we have a hard time getting milk into her. she'll only take it before/after naps/bedtime.

she'll get it!

As far as her bottle goes transiton top a cup make the formula you hold in the bottle taste watery and the formula in her sipp cup normal. As far as eating goes CHEERIOS are Tops or try the Gerber puffs my 2&5 yr olds still loves them.
Make sure meals are offered befoe a bottle or a cup she will be hungrier and more likely to eat. make sure meal are spaced out about 3 hrs. if she is hungry sooner feed her, if not until 4 hours wait. She kinda gets to pick that, you choose what and how much and remember her tummy is only as big as her fist so It doesn't take much to fill it up.

Good Morning R.!
Start by putting cheerios on her high chair,
and let her play with those WHILE you are feeding her w/ the spoon food. And you can set her up in the high chair while you
are preparing dinner, and let her eat finger foods there, too.
Provide her with her own sippy cup of water (or whatever you chose) for her to play with/learn how to use. I leave a sippy cup of water on a low shelf in the kitchen for my son to access whenever he is thirsty throughout the day. Finger food suggestions? Hmmmm: cheerios are great, small pieces of cheese, cut up canned pears and peaches, cooked peas, steamed carrots cubes, cut up boiled/fried eggs, pieces of toast. I have four children, none of them really ate meat until 3 or 4 yrs, so don't be concerned if you daughter refuses meat. Good luck!!!