When Do I Know Its Okay?

Baby food is table food, just mashed up. Some babies (my younger son) eat very little baby food. He pretty much went straight to table food, as he showed not interested whatsoever in being spoon fed. The food on my plate and his big brother's plate, on the other hand, were increadibly intersting to him :-)

How do you know he's full? He'll stop eating. Seriously, kids do that. It's not always easy, but as a parent we need to trust that kids will eat when they're hungry and stop eating when they are full. If you offer him foods and he refuses, don't push it. He's probably full. If he starts to get really cranky, try offering him something to drink or something to eat. Sometimes kids will get that way.

Just give it a shot and try not to worry. He'll let you know if it's not what he wants.

My daughter never ate baby food...well very little. She wanted what she saw her big brother eating and rejected baby food. She started getting tiny bits of soft table food very early (~7 months) and she did fine. We give her a small plate with some of each kind of food we are eating cut up. Sometimes she is distracted and I will put food in her mouth to keep her eating. Yes, I sometimes worry she is not eating enough bc she is so active and does not want to sit still. So we do multiple meals right now (or snacks with healthy foods- whatever you want to call it). She is almost 2 and is growing like a weed. Don't worry so much! You can't keep them on baby food forever!

I'd say he's probably ready. He will eat if he's hungry. He won't over eat and he probably won't under eat, especially b/c he's still getting formula or milk. If he's on milk, or will be soon, I like to keep my kids on whole milk until 2. This also makes them fuller, so you don't want to give it too much, but it does help to provide nutrients and fill their tummy right before bed.

This is an easy one, if your child is already doing the table food thing comfortably, this is when you try different foods to see what they like/dislike and what could be a potential allergy. Your child has internal instincts like any human and their brain will tell them when they are full. My oldest (now 2 years) is always eating, but he eats healthy snacks and eats every two hours. I make sure he has a well balanced diet. I keep snacks on hand and he knows when it is snack time because he plays hard and his body is used to a schedule. He takes in plenty of fluids as well, which is a huge part of the process. But, trust your child's development and just let the baby food go. My youngest (now a year old) started on table foods around 8 months, and that was fine for him. We supplemented his vitamins that he needed with baby food for snacks. And the occassional Gerber puffs. But, he did well with the conversion. Your baby/child will let you know when it is time for pivotal moments by showing signs, however suttle they may be. My kids would take the silverware and try to feed themselves, so I would allow them. My oldest would ask for a sip of my drink from a cup with a straw, so I made sure to not have soda in the cup and let him try it. Now, he drinks out of his own cups with straws. So, each child will do their own stages, but they will show you they are ready.

Offer him table food and then if he doesn't eat much of it, offer the baby food after as a supplement. See what he does with tiny bits of meat, cereal, pasta, veggies...whatever you are eating. He should still be primarily getting breastmilk or formula til at least a year so I wouldn't worry about the solids as much as if he were 3.

you will know if he is hungry, you can also teach him baby signs in relation to food (more and all done are lifesavers) as well I think it's a good time to remove jarred baby food ... I think we only did it for a few months (I made most of it and do not remember doing it for very long).

He's ready. My two youngest didn't eat baby food at all - just some mashed up "people food" until they were old enough to handle chunkier textures. If he's eating table food, then go ahead and make the switch. Real food is healthier, fresher, tastier, cheaper and easier. Congrats on this milestone!