What Kinds of Foods to Feed My 9 Month Old?

I use this website. It's great! www.wholesomebabyfood.com

They have foods by age, reciepes, etc. So far it has coincided with what my doctor has been saying as well.

Good luck!

You could try giving her finger foods she can pick up, like Cheerios, cut grapes, Gerber Puffs, etc. Things that dissolve pretty well in her mouth. Good luck.

I think it was around that age that I fed baby food and cereal at baby time meals, but at our meals baby would get a sippy of water for practice and bits and pieces of watever we were eating that was appropriate to try and sit with us at the table. Some examples would be noodles, potatoes, bread, soft vegies, crackers, cereal, rice.... anything soft or that dissolves easily. If you feed baby food at your own meal times try giving baby just a little of your food to taste and try when he/she is done eating. They may throw it though if their tummy is full. :)

Hi L. - I am not far behind you so I thought I would see what responses you have received.

A.

You should really get a copy of "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. It is great. Lots of ideas on what to feed your baby and when. What not to give them, where to get it, how to prepare it, how to store it and on and on. It's more of a reference than a book to read. It even has craft ideas.
It is especially a great source for anyone who doesn't want to purchase baby food. You'll save a mint!
T.

Depending on tooth development, swallowing ability, any gag reflex issues, etc. I have always offered a variety of foods and textures over long periods of time and let the kids decide for themselves what to eat. My toddler still prefers some baby foods over table food although he has a full set of teeth and no feeding issues. As long as he isn't losing weight I don't worry. Eventually he'll make the switch. I've had kids that started solids at 3 mos. and then there's my youngest, who still takes a bottle. Kids vary widely.

SAHM of seven, 23 yrs - 18 mos., all with healthy appetites

My son is 8-1/2 months old. A week ago my friend told me about this approach called "baby led weaning." I don't know why they call it that, it's sort of a misnomer I think, but we've been trying it with some good results. Here is a description of BLW from the web url below:

"BLW basically works like this; when your baby starts showing an interest in what other members of the family are eating (usually around six months) give them a chance to participate in the meal. You start by offering small baby-fist-sized, chip shaped chunks of food (do not blitz the food or cut it into bite sized chunks. Look at your baby's fist and use that as a guide). Fruit and vegetable chunks should be soft or cooked until soft and meat should be well cooked and cut into large chunks for baby to suck on. The most important thing to remember is to allow your baby to pick up the food and eat it; shove food into your baby's mouth, even gently, and you've lost the plot completely.

"Of course, the first question most parents ask about BLW is 'won't my baby choke?' Advocates say there is 'reason to believe' that BLW babies are at less risk of choking because the process locks step with baby's natural development; babies can't feed themselves until they've developed the ability to reach out and grab things and only when they've mastered that do they develop the ability to chew and deliberately move food to the back of their mouths.

"BLW supporters point out that traditional weaning methods ignore babies' natural development by encouraging them to suck food off of a spoon and straight into the back of their mouth, which can cause gagging. They also claim that BLW babies tend to grow into far less fussy eaters."

Here is a web site that tells more
http://www.theweaningroom.com/weaning-stages/baby-led-wea...#

It's really fun to watch them eat this way. Like watching their persistence in grabbing that slippery pear chunk. But my husband and I still watch him like hawks to make sure he doesn't choke. We sort of freak out when he takes a bite that looks too big, but he hasn't choked yet and he's been eating like this at least once a day for a week now.

Good luck!

The most important thing to realize is to wait until your baby is ready developmentally. Does she have teeth and eat a variety of baby foods? It sounds like she eats quite a few different types of foods, so if she's got a few teeth, I'd say she's "ready". The important thing is to keep trying. If she doesn't like it at first, keep giving it to her. She may like it eventually. She might not like feeding herself or the different textures at first, but be patient, and she'll adjust. Good luck!

Hi L.-I started my kids on table foods around 8.5 months. I did whole grain pasta (cut-up), soft carrots, sweet potato, banana, whole grain pieces of bread...cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, peaches and squashed peas. I started slow and by about 10 months they were eating almost everything we ate (a smaller version of course). I think once your little one get's past the gag-stage...it's much easier to introduce new, more solid foods. My daughters didn't feed themselves until they were introduced to cottage cheese...it was messy...but they loved it. Good luck. :)

My 8 month old loves to feed herself those little "puff" toddler foods. Gerber makes some, but there are also cheaper brands. They're like cereal, but made with fruits and veggies. They're the perfect size and texture for her to practice her pincher grip, and zero prep time. She also likes bananas and pasta.

1 yr is what the Docs and family experts say for adult table foods. But as she does get older giving her the foods she eats now in small easy to pick up mashable bites works great.

Pastas, Frozen veggies"cook them a bit longer for extra softness", grahm crackers, animal crackers all soaked in milk or juice, steamed apples, peeled quartered grapes. Make great finger foods to start with. Also check out Beechnut foods, Gerber foods and others to get ideas next time your in the grocery store. Good luck

This advice comes from being a mom of 2, and my Father whos and RN in the pediatric ward at the hometown hospital.

Give her foods she can hold onto/grab - Gerber puffs are better than Cheerios at this age because they disolve much faster. Graham cracker sticks are good for the same reason and not nearly as messy as those teething biscuits. My son also loved black beans. Just open a can and drain. They are fun to pick up, a different color and loaded with protein and fiber. Don't give too many or you'll see them come out almost whole in the diaper. Also soft fruit like bananas and grapes cut into quarters. The frozen peas/carrots mix is good because the carrots are nice and small - just cook until pretty soft.

Stop feeding her - she'll eat what's on her tray when she's hungry enough. Include her at the dinner table with the rest of your family. Even if she doesn't eat, she'll enjoy being a part of the family conversation and will soon understand that everyone is eating so she should too.

At nine months she should be encouraged to feed herself. First, stop worrying about her solid food intake ~ she'll eat it when she's hungry. Then, stop making food you can spoon into her mouth so when she is hungry she'll pick it up.

Bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pears, berries, peas, toast, noodles... put a variety of colors/textures on her tray and eventually she will want to explore them.

Girls can often get into the habit of being served, even when they are babies. Help her to take charge of her food intake by offering variety and fun on her tray.

Wholesomebabyfood.org is a great site that my husband found when were were reseaching solids. I highly recommend it.

My nine month old is eating almost everything we eat. I chop everything really small, and he gums it. There are some restrictions. I don't feed him anything that has higher risk of allergies or choking and is recommended to wait until after one year or more. I still feed him some baby foods too if we are having something spicy, for instance. Even though your daughter doesn't like to feed herself I would still provide her with finger foods. She'll eventually pick them up. You can feed her the finger foods as well as baby foods, until she gets interested in feeding herself.

As mentioned already, 9 months is a good time for more variety in the diet. Don't wait much longer, as they really start developing their tastes now.

I'd also recommend the Super Baby Foods book by Ruth Yaron. It has schedules on recommended amounts of foods by age and great homemade but healthful recipes that you can cook and freeze etc. And also check out one of my other favorites, "Feeding your baby and toddler" by Annabel Karmel or anyone of her other books on cooking for little ones. Her website is fantastic too, go to www.annabelkarmel.com.

You can start now-of course ommitting the milk, wheat, egg whites, peanut butter, honey or chocolate - you should wait until 1 year for those.

My second wouldn't eat baby food very well and around 7 monts we started introducing more adult foods, just ground up. Then as he started getting teeth and chewing better we started doing less grinding. he's 10 months now and he pretty much eats our food, I just cut everything that's not super soft up in tiny peices. Then you can just spoon or fork feed her. And if you put some peices on her tray while you're feeding her, it might also make her curious and try some self feeding during the meals too.