Random Questions That I Have

#3. The spoons are not a good idea. My son had one in his mouth about that age, and babies are still wobbly at that age, and he fell forward a little and the spoon cut his mouth. I was scared out of my mind because the spoon could have gone down his throat or into the back of it. He never played with a spoon again.

1. give him a little handful at a time, maye 2 or 3, 75 seems like a lot too, but it depends on the size/nutrient intake.

2. provide lots to choose from always, if he/she wants to read the same one, that fine, but read others too, libraries have baby sections you can switch out with

3. not dangerous since you are there, just as long as he doesn't put the handle part down his/her throat

4. whenever you feel it is safe for them to go exploring in those areas. toddler will eventually learn to climb or knock them over, so having baby proof locks on doors/stoves/fridge can help if the child likes getting into those things

5. using a small toddler pillow shouldn't effect that. children under a year should not have pillows though

6. give the baby a few at a time, or get those little containers where they dispense a few themselves

7. it's a texture and muscle development thing. the baby will eventually learn how to move the food around his/her mouth with the tongue and use the gums/teeth to chew it, but it sometimes takes a while to feel comfortable with it. also, start to feed more table foods and less jarred foods depending on how old the baby is.

go here to learn more feeding tips for your child by age:
http://www.babycenter.com/search/showResultsForContent.ht...

OK, here's my best shot at your questions.

1. We would put a handful down, and when those had either been eaten or fed to the dog via whatever method of choice (directly giving them to the dog, swiping them onto the floor, etc), we'd give some more.
Puffs were never a big thing in our house, a container could last us weeks and weeks if not months.

2. Depends on the age. We have a lot of books we've accumulated over the years. One kid has his favorites and will still get the board books out (he's almost 4), the other kid (2) is just finding some of them. I'd not worry about switching them out as much as offering variety (shapes, colors, basic words, etc).

3. I'd not worry about it personally (if she's gagging herself, that's a different story).

4. Depends on the child and the environment. We stopped well before their second birthdays because they showed they were good at staying away from certain areas. We have a tall staircase that we trained our kids to go up and down at an early age, but it was probably closer to 18 months that we finally were comfortable.

5. Neither of our kids consistently use pillows - no reason, they just don't seem to need them yet.

6. Only put a few puffs on the tray, plate, placemat at a time.

6. Keep offering the real foods and limit the jarred foods. Our kids stopped with jarred foods around 10 months. They preferred the textures of real foods by then.
With pears, we'd actually buy fresh ears and give our kids slices to gnaw on at that age.

Good luck! Hope that helps somewhat!

You don't say how old your son is, so I'm not sure how relevant this is (nevermind, found it in #3!):
1. I would give my son as many as he wanted - a few at a time. I can't recall even looking at the serving size.

2. Have you found a new book that you like? Add it into the mix. Does one REALLY annoy you? Then drop it (unless it is his favorite). If he is bored, definitely read others. While they like repetition, there are definitely phases too, just read your son and he should tell you what he likes and doesn't.

3. He is learning about utensils! This is a good thing and he is exploring. We tried to keep it to the spoon end, and not the handle end. If you are worried, you can bring along some of your own with the rubber end and let him play with those.

4. It depends what the gate is for. For stairs, only when you are totally comfortable with their ability to go up and down unassisted. For a room, only when you are ok with them going in and out unsupervised. This is really up to you.

5. I have read that people give babies pillows at really young ages. My son is almost 2 and we haven't even thought of offering on yet.

6. Limit how much you put in front of him. Make suggestions like, eat slowly, finish chewing the first piece, etc. Make sure that you are involved in the feeding. It is natural to begin with, but they need to be taught.

7. Are you going from smooth to whole? He may need more of a transition. Also, are the pears steamed? You may want to try using a stick blender and mashing them a bit to help the transition. Oh, you can also try the whole fruit. My son LOVED biting off the pear/plum/whatever at that age, especially if it was mommy's (which quickly became his). I would peel a section and then he would get to munch, usually with me holding it.

1. I don't think it matters. I just dumped them in a pile and most seemed to land on the floor!

2. Just add a new one in every couple weeks but leave the old ones in the rotation.

3. Not dangerous.

4. By the stairs? Until they could walk up and down by themselves, @ 2y/o.

5. IDK? My kids didn't get pillows till they were in their own big boy beds?

6. Remind them to be careful every time you see them stuffing it in. Dole out stuff slowly? Lots of kids do this!

7. It is probably the texture. Just keep offering it, he will eventually like it!

Hope this helps! I had 1 child that was a serious chipmunk...always had to be careful and watch him so he wouldn't choke...they grow up so fast, he is now 15!

Hey there, congrats on the 10 month old! They are so cute at that stage!

1. My boys would eat as many puffs as I would give them (along with anything else) ...so I only gave them one handful each (my size handful, not theirs) and then decided later if I thought they were truly hungry still, or just being lummoxes.

2. We've always gone to the library. We are a homeschooling family and its very important to me to keep them challenged and "ahead of the game" so to speak... My youngest is - well technically my youngest is going to be here in June but my youngest that resides outside of my tummy is 17 months old and I check library books out for him just as much as anyone else. Libraries are wonderful, and the best part is that you can swap out the books on a regular basis. *Remember* for your little one, to wipe down any books you give him to play with independently. I wipe all of our books, cover to cover, binding and I flip through the pages to make sure there isn't anything yucky on them.... there never is. But just check. With board books you can safely wipe the entire book. It sounds like a lot of trouble but... its worth it to me.

3. I've always let mine hold a spoon. Even while I fed them. I get one, they get one. No harm, and it helps them learn a little independence and fine motor skills practice.

4. I love baby gates and I will use them until my children are tall enough to hop over them like any adult can. Even a 5 yr. old has to waddle over one carefully... an easy way for me to buy some extra time to hear racket going on or to ask "Where are you going?"

5. I have no idea on this one. I do know that my 17 month old has had several colds this season, and during a flare up I will put rolled-up beach towels under his crib mattress to elevate him at an angle a bit to help with sinus drainage. This cuts down on his stuffy head, bad night time cough and I don't have to use a pillow (he loves to sleep on his tummy and it doesn't seem comfortable)

6. You can't unless you only give him one or two at a time. If they dissolve, there might not be much harm in letting him have several at once. But I would set out a large handful on a plate or in a bowl and then give them 3 or 4 at a time... otherwise they'd wolf them down in three seconds and be upset that they were all gone.

7. I had the same problem. As a matter of fact, my 17 month old will STILL eat the Stage 2 Bananas - NOT the stage 3 and NEVER real bananas, even mushed up, even pureed.... nothing. I let him eat the Stage 2s because in my opinion... its healthier than pudding. I switched all of mine to table food right around 9-11 months, I'd cook it longer to make it softer and then mash it up with a fork and season it just a teeny bit with salt and light pepper. It tastes better and they liked it a lot more than anything else.

Hope this helps! You should get some good advice on here.. take it with a grain of salt, and toss out what isn't useful!

Best of luck to you!

Regarding the spoon...I would give your child a plastic spoon or some other chewing object.
This a total "freak accident", but I once cracked a tooth because I sneezed with a metal fork in my mouth and the sneeze caused me to bit down hard on it when it was at an angle in my mouth. So I am paranoid about metal utensils being in the mouth unnecessarily.

Lots of great questions, I think I can help with a few

1. Start by giving him about 25 puffs. After they're gone add ten more and keep increasing until he's no longer interested or you reach 85.

2. Your child should have a large selection of books. By 18 months my daughter had arround 100. We'd read 5 to 20 books a day. Some were favorites that we would read several times a week, others would come out for a week or two then make their way back to the bookshelf for awhile. When you think he's outgrown them, don't be in a hurry to get rid of them. Board books that have actual sentences are great for beginner readers.

3. I would not give him a metal spoon. He could stick it down his throat far enough to set off the gag reflex. Also, if he puts the handle side in his mouth he could scratch the roof of his mouth.

4. When he's old enough to try climbing over them, knocking them down, or learns how to try to open them.

7. Keep introducing him to different foods. Rather than the same types that are jarred, try others like cherios, small pieces of pasta, etc.

75 puffs is a lot for a baby.. it is not a meal it is a snack. I am sure if the serving size for cheerioes was in cheerios.. (instead of cups..) it would say 100+ cheerioes but that is also a lot for a baby.. this is supposed to keep him busy while you are feeding him food... there is very very little nutrition in a puff.

I saw your other post on books.. we probably had 50-80 board books.. (2 kids) i had some books near their beds... some downstairs.. book everywhere.. I bought them used at mom to mom sales... and resale stores.. your child goes to daycare and mouths plenty of thngs there - so buy some used books so you wont be bored.

yes the baby can hurt himself with a metal spoon.

stop using baby gates when you dont need them anymore.. probably about 2 or 2 1/2 years.. wehn you can trust the child in another room without you seeing him. when my son could safely get up and down the steps we got rid of the gates.

pillows are fine for babies over 12 months or so..

dont give him too many food at once.. just 5 on his tray make sure he chews and swallows befor you give more... he doesnt know how many will fit in his mouth so you have to be in charge..

it is normal for babies to reject solid food if they are used to jarred pureed food... it will take time to get used to keep trying.. my duaghter stayed on jarred food #2 jars till age 14 months.. hse didnt like texture and gagged on some foods..
she is fine now.