Seeking Advice for 10 Month Old

YOu have so much good advice. I will only add that frozen bagged veggies are a lifesaver. They are inexpensive, quick to microwave, and easy to prepare in small portions.

I'm a SAHM of a 10 month old cutie (son), too! Isn't it fun? This is a great age. Mine did the same - the only babyfood he'll eat now is fruit, and I mix it with baby oatmeal cereal at breakfast, and sometimes plain yogurt too. He loves it! I finally started feeding him what we were eating after a couple of weeks of fixing special things just for him. Of course, I still occasionally get out babe-friendly leftovers when we're having something spicy, etc. He loves diced meat, veggies, rice, noodles (especially spaghetti!). Cheese cubes and sandwich meat torn in chunks makes a great and easy lunch. I usually save the veggies for dinner. I haven't let him use utensils yet as I know it would be futile (for mine, at least). He just picks up food between his fingers and stuffs them in his mouth. It's really cute, and he loves being at the table with my hubby and I. I give him water in a sippy cup when he reaches for it (he throws it if I leave it on his tray).

Let's see, oh - I'm a bit embarrassed about this one, but he LOVES diced up corny dogs. And some things I feed him with a fork - like chicken pot pie (I make it with lots of veggies - frozen, mixed) and he really likes that. And he eats a real breakfast with us on Saturdays: torn up pancakes or biscuits, diced sausage, and scrambled eggs.

By the way, he has formula about 4 times a day; I had to quit breastfeeding at 8.5 months due to his drastic loss of weight. My cuttent pregnancy just sapped the nutrition out of my milk, I guess. He has around 20 ounces a day.
I hope this helps. It's such an adventure and I look forward to doing it again next year. I'm due with #2 in April - thus some of the "convenience" foods for my Isaac - great for when I was feeling really ill. Have fun!

Yep, it's time for finger foods. I gave up on babyfood at 9 months. Don't worry about giving him a plate or a spoon yet. Just put the food chopped up on his tray.
Sweet potato fries, avocado, steamed veggies-green beans, carrots, squash, broccoli, asparagus. I use canned when in a pinch-beans (all kinds), peas, carrots, etc.
fresh fruit-plums, peaches, bananas, are all great
toast, tortillas, rolls, lunch meat, most meats you eat he can try like shredded chicken, hamburger meat, german sausage, fish, eggs-supposedly no whites until 1 year,
I buy frozen meatballs that I can microwave when in a pinch and gerber pasta pickups as well (cut in half).
noodles, rice, pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal (quaker 1 minute works well and sticks together so he can pick it up himself)
shredded cheese, fruit cups, cheerios, gold fish, I waited until 1 year for raisins and my daughter loves the yogurt covered ones, cut in half.
If you make a roast, they love the carrots and potatoes in that
spaghetti squash especially with a little cheese on it,
I slice up egg plant thin, dredge it in egg then italian bread crumbs and bake it for 20 minutes on each side, my daughter loves this.
And like somebody else said...my dogs are great at cleaning up!
Good luck!

Is he teething? Sometimes that affects a childs eating habits. Just make sure there is always healthy foods offered b/c you just never know when and how much they will actually eat. I hate to tell you this, but it continues into the toddler years. I have a 22 month old that may finish her plate sometimes and other times she eats two bites! I know when my daughter was starting finger foods she liked bananas quite a bit. Something she could hold herself and easily chew. I cut it into small pieces though b/c I was so nervous that she would choke. Also, melba toast is always good for teething and is a healthy snack. Cheerios are good. Also, you could give him mashed potatoes; he could eat that himself. Peas are good and are finger foods. Just think of anything that is soft to chew... green beans. I would always test the food by putting it in my mouth to see if I could chew it with my lips. That always told me if my daughter would be able to chew the food with her gums. Anyway, good luck!

Food the first year is an experiment. Try to keep this in mind. They should be getting the bulk of their nutrition from you or formula and NOT solids. So if he doesn't like jarred food, all the better for both of you. ;)

Start giving him finger foods and let him feed himself. He's going to make a mess so try and not freak out. Getting a dog really helps at this stage. Include him in on dinner by giving him bits of (age appropriate) what you're eating. Pasta, baked potato, some veggies and fruits are good. Anything that's not over processed is going to be more healthy. Check out the book Super Baby Foods. It gives a listing of which foods to give them and when and how to prepare them. I found it to be really helpful.

Let him eat the table food. Some of my favorite foods at that age were rice cakes and diced, soft cooked vegetables and fruit. My boys loved to feed themselves. I made my own babyfood and my boys are the best eaters.

he is very ready for table food. cut up soft foods like pears, avacados, bananas, strawberrys, kiwi, ripe mango, thinly sliced mild cheese, cheerios. anything that can be gummed and swallowed easily. i also found some fun rice rusks at walmart in the baby section. mine only ate pureed foods for a couple of weeks and he hated it, so i began to cut up foods for him. he's been feeding himself since 8 mos, he'll be one this week. see if yours is interested in picking things up w/ his little fingers. it's so fun to watch!

I have a 9 month old and he is to the point where he mostly just wants to feed himself. Although, occasionally, he only wants me to feed him from a spoon--they are fickle little things:)

Anyhow, I love the web-site www.wholesomebabyfood.com. I check it every few weeks or so for recipe ideas, and ideas of things to feed him, how much he should be eating, etc.

Good luck, let me know if you have any more questions.

Don't let meal time become a struggle ... he's not going to starve himself. If he doesn't eat a lot at one meal, he'll make up for it later.

If he likes finger foods, let him eat them! By one year, my son was eating most of the same foods his dad and I did, just cut up. I also always start off his meals with chopped cooked veggies (the canned ones work nicely ... they are easy and they tend to be nice and and soft already). Other good finger foods: homemade sweet potato chips, lightly grilled fish, like orange roughy, grilled chicken breast, grilled cheese sandwiches, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, cheese cubes, diced fruit ... and, really, I'd just give him some of whatever you are eating.

You might also get him to eat more baby foods or soft foods if you let him wield the spoon ... it will be messy, but after a while, he'll learn.

good luck!

I totally agree with the other moms. My 11 month old lost interest in baby food at around 9 months. She would always stare and watch us eat. We introduced table food early since she is our 2nd child. Canned vegetables, especially peas and carrots were her favorites. The canned pears, mandarin oranges and peaches are easy as well. I would try Mac-n-Cheese if you feel confident she does not have any dairy allergies.

Changes in appetite are also normal as children develop. I would not be concerned unless there is weight loss.

change him to table foods. My girls were both 9 months old when they gave up baby food all together. they did the same thing would refuss the food until i got them the gerber meat sticks, i peeled them and cut them up and they loved them. they also ate the gerber peas and all the diced food.

We struggled w/the same problems; my son is now 3yo and just now interested in eating again. First, I started him on Juice Plus Gummies. I was leary of substituting anything for food b/c I just wanted him to eat normal foods and like them. I learned the hard way I can't force him to eat. I did, starved him for 4 meals and when he did eat he threw it up on me! I should have had some Godly wisdom! Just slow down and take it easy. My pediatrician asked me how many dirty diapers he was having and when I responded 3-4 a day she laughed and said just wait it out. That is what we have done and it has worked.

At around the same time, my son refused jarred or any type of commercially prepared baby foods. He wanted to feed himself. So I made him a variety of foods cut into small pieces and made sure everything was soft. I found the book First Foods by Annabel Karmel & published by DK. It had great pictures and good suggestions for foods, some I never would have thought of. He was so much happier and honestly, I think healthier for it.

HTH