I am a stay at home mom of 9 month old. I would like to start feeding her lunch with me but am running out of ideas of what I can feed her. She doesn't have any teeth yet, and is not a picky eater. I have given her a little slice of bread with some melted cheddar(as I have gotten the ok for cheese now in her diet)she has had parts of my salads like avocado's and little tomatoes. But I want her to have a healthy meal not just little parts of mine. So any suggestions I would love to hear about them. Thanks for your time!
My 9 month old likes to eat peas and I give her toasted Eggos whole grain frozen waffles and cut them into strips for her to eat, she loves them!
I give my 8 mo the same things my 2 yo eats, just modified...smashed, chopped or steamed. Remember no peanut butter until one...and anymore would you risk it?
One of my favorite things to do is crunchy bananas. I cut up banana and roll it up in wheat germ. They are great for getting in extra nutrients.
Just about any vegtable can be steamed and cut up...anything that you would puree to make baby food can be cut into pieces and if it is slippery I coat in wheat germ.
Once she gets some teeth a quesadilla is the perfect toddler food. you can put all kinds of meat and veggies in with the cheese and then cut it into bit size peices and it is so easy for them to eat.
Ideally I like to get to a point where my kids can eat what ever we are...nothing like being a short order cook and making something different for everyone.
Good luck
can I just say fuzzychild rocks.. I'm going to print her response out and tape it to my fridge.
Have you heard of Baby-led Weaning (BLW) alternately known as self-feeding? You may - it sounds as though this is exactly what you're practicing. I would recommend that you "pick up" the book by that title (Baby-Led Weaning) co-authored by Gill Rapley. (I use quotes because I had to order it on Amazon.com UK as she is a UK-based author).
We've been allowing our daughter (now 8 months) to self-feed since her 6-month birthday and now, she eats everything, including the vegetable biryani and our favorite Indian spot last night. She had leftovers for breakfast this morning as well as baby carrots (steamed in the micro for 45 sec), pita bread with garlic hummus (hummus ended up in her eyebrows) and grape tomatoes (her absolute favorite).
While every baby is different, there is a chance (given she is not a picky eater) that your babe might indulge in everything you eat - the only thing K, our babe, can't seem to tolerate is "hot" food. If we make it "medium" she is fine. If it is extra hot, she tries very hard to spit the hot flavor off of her tongue!
If you know about mothering.com, I could suggest you check out the "baby-led weanig/self-feeding" forum in the "Discuss" of the website. There is a whole thread for the topic, including parents who are just beginning the process now and sharing their experiences with their babies and food!
Please let us know how you proceed and how things work out!
All theses ideas are great - HOWEVER - Eggs in children under the age of 1 is very dangerous.
Please check with your doc first!
I have Fuzzichild's response printed out as a resource (from another time when she responded), and have even given this to other parents. It is a great guide. Just try different things on the list. If she doesn't like it the first time, try it again and again (especially if it is something healthy you would like her to have in her diet). My 13 month old started out disliking steamed, soft carrots, but now she LOVES them after I kept putting them on her tray. And as a splurge now I get the little jarred toddler chicken or turkey weenies, which are really soft. Used to hate them, now eats a whole jar (and that's why they are only a splurge..). I found that cutting out the snacking helped her to have 3 healthier, fuller meals, and she ate things that she wouldn't have normally. Have fun with the process and good luck!
Hi B. - a great way to start is just what you're doing, allowing your daughter to try new foods and tastes. As you start, make her a portion of her own foods to try on her own plate at her chair. Keep it simple, 1-3 items max and small portions that are well-separated. Try giving her finger foods first and then her jarred food if you find that she plays with it instead of eating.
a few ideas: pasta tossed in a tiny bit of olive oil
cheesy bread squares
bananas
cheerios
avocado
soft cooked veggies
thawed green peas
diced meats (size of pinky tip)
tiny homemade meatballs
scrambled eggs
cubed soft-cooked potatoes
best of all things to you and your family!
As you get the different suggestions, keep in mind that most doctors recommend you avoid giving your child peanut butter until they're a year old. My doctor also recommends avoiding citrus fruit until one year. Be careful with apples (very small, thin pieces) and hotdogs.
I think it is great that you are giving her parts of your lunch. I did that with my son and he still is a great eater. Your daughter can eat many things, as long as they are cut into small peices. Try her on pasta, fruit, soft veggies, ground meat, waffles, peas (frozen when she is teething), tofu, beans, mashed potatoes....have fun!
Scrambled eggs with cheese are good, yogurt, exposing her to your foods now is great as they can get picky with bland foods. The #3 baby foods are great, texture but where they won't choke with some more flavor. Chicken noodle was a favorite for my kids. My kids loved the gerber meat stix too.
Macaroni and cheese is good too. Be careful with tomatoes as they have a high acid rate as does oranges and OJ and can cause diaper rash.
