Taking My 1 Year Old off Baby Food

I think my daughter was a little over 1 when I started taking her off baby food. She didn't really like it anymore. I would say to take her off slowly. If you give her baby food 3 times a day, cut it back to 2 times and give her one meal regular food. Then in a week or two cut it back to 1 meal and so on. It can't hurt her especially if she already eats some regular food. Just make sure you give her a variety of foods so that she is getting all of her nutrients.

Hi J.-
I had that same question too awhile back. I never posted it but just thought about it. My daughter is 11 months and about 2-3 months ago, our housekeeper and mother-in-law would make comments about her feeding. They would say, "Well at her age, I was feeding my kids chicken soup with the chicken cut up into tiny pieces. And at her age, i was feeding my children....etc.etc." Well I thought, "she is my child and I am feeding her the food I make her."

I make all her food. Wholesomebabyfood.com helped me in determining what she should be eating at what age. I started feeding her tiny pieces of chicken and turkey meatballs at around her late 9 months. Also mozarella cheese cut up into tiny pieces. She started getting finicky when I would spoon feed her the pureed foods. She would nod her head back and forth when she saw the spoon coming. Now I just cut up pieces and put them onto her tray. But be careful because they tend to put too much into their mouth. It happened to me and I just put a few at a time now. I give her chicken pieces or turkey meatball pieces, along with cut up steamed brocolli. I guess now I can also feed her white fish. I have not yet tried it though. She loves eating kiwi and strawberries. They are her favorite. I give them to her in little pieces.

I still give her the pureed foods I make for her usually for breakfast with yogurt. Once she started nodding to me, I realized that she likes to feed herself. It has to do with their little independence they are beginning to develop.

Good luck!

I just wanted to post, because my situation is different & it might be useful info for you. My son is 2.5 years old & he will not eat veggies (cooked, raw, or any way), however, he will still eat them out of the jar (2nd stage)??? My friend had the same issue with her son who would not eat solid fruit, just fruit out of the jar. She did approach her pediatrician who told her to give her son fruit or veggies however they will take it.
So I would say as long as you're able to provide a balanced meal, do it. If you can do it without the jars, then by all means do it, otherwise who care how old they are. Honestly, I care more about my child's health & nutrition than anything else.

I've learned with both my kids, that when they are "done" with "baby" food they will just start to reject it. There is really no need to make them stop eating baby food... it's still healthy for them and easy to digest. Also, the vegetable pureed baby foods are great for them and it gets them their veggie intake just fine and it's convenient.
You little girl is at the stage where yes, they eat our table food, and still go for their "baby" pureed foods. No harm in it. I've never really heard of "weaning" off a child from baby food.
Just make sure that her table food is easily digested, is appropriate for her age, and is "safe" for her at her age. For example, peanuts & seafood are potentially allergenic and should not be given until after 2 years old. Citrus should not be given until after 1 year old. Some say younger is fine, but you need to check a food chart so you know what foods are safe/appropriate for each age stage. Oh! I just remembered, KIWI fruit is also actually quite allergenic, I learned this with my daughter, so be very careful. Here is a link about it:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2004/jul/04_101.s...

Good luck,
Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

Follow your instincts. My son eats what we eat, but if we have salad or raw veggies that are hard for him to chew or he doesn't like the taste, I will give him the pureed veggies (or if I'm just in a rush and don't have time to cook).

I had the same question that I asked my pediatrician and he said he took his kids off baby food at nine months. As long as the food is cut up in small pieces to prevent choking hazards and they have teeth to chew it, they should be fine on regular food.

As a daycare provider I am part of a food program. When a child turns age 1, they are basically on the same menu as my older kids. Just smaller, cut up portions and some exclusions for choking hazards. For children at or around age 1, it is important for them to have protein. People think that fruits and vegetables are the important part, while actually it is the cheese, turkey, tuna, eggs, cottage cheese etc. Of course fruits and vegetables are important, but at age one their bodies need more of what is in the breads and meats or meat substitutes (protein). Whole milk is important too if not drinking breastmilk. By age 1, most babies are starting to walk or are already walking. I guess by then they are considered toddlers. Babies (crawling) eat baby food and Toddlers (walking) eat finger food. I know it seems like at age 1 they are still babies, but during this stage they are growing and burning more energy as walkers and food from the 4 food groups is essential.

Good Luck