Transitioning from Baby Food

My son just turned a year old and I give him almost any healthy finger food that can be mashed or swallowed if he does not chew. I have given him sliced cooked carrots, organic breaded chicken, gerber's cheese ravoli and chicken ravoli, macaroni and cheese (you can mix in formula with it), grilled cheese and smoothies (whole milk and yobaby yogurt). He loves blueberries, strawberries and any fruit. I have even given him meatballs and hamburger in swallowable pieces. Start with small pieces and see how he does. I have been giving my son table food since he was 9 months old. Also, the organic freeze dried fruit is great for on the go.

my little guy is almost 9 months but is in the same mood regarding baby foods. i do a lot of toast with butter, mac&cheese, cheese sandwiches, yobaby yogurt, scrambled eggs, cheese sticks, fruit bars, and lots of smushed up real fruits. sometimes he doesn't like the texture of the fruits - i think it's too slippery - so i mix it up with his cereal. good luck and let me know if you get any other novel ideas!
____@____.com

hi. my son loves pasta (he's 14 months old now). the pasta itself can be cooked to whatever 'softness' you like or that your child can manage. it's a great finger food too, although extremely messy, so be prepared! you have a variety of pasta sauces you can use with it to get your child used to different flavours and you can also cook a variety of vegetables and/or meats to get your child used to different textures and to provide them with additional nutrition. my son particularly likes pasta in a traditional ragu sauce with broccoli and mushrooms, sometimes we add chicken. of course all this depends on your child's capabilities and what they are able to digest. he also likes fish fingers, beans, potatoes, ravioli and plenty of fruit, all of which have a variety of consistencies according to your child's level. i hope this helps a little. i realise i waffled a little!!

My daughter is 11 mos also- I just started giving her- Gerber Lil' Entree's I just cut up the ravioli's into 4ths & she loves it. VegeAll- canned veges have no salt or preservatives & are already cut small. Target brand- or Libby's fruit is packed in pear juice- not syrup- those are great to use. Hope this helps.

My son surprised me with what he would eat - with the exception of meats we had him on the table food around this time and just gave him a jar of baby food meat (which is so nasty, why does it smell like catfood anyway?). Anyway - I bet your little man would do the same. Jackson loved peas, crackers, fruits (the kind in the snack packs were nice and soft), baked beans (to sub for the catfood), applesauce, etc. I think they just use their gums to squish the food - so anything squishable works.
Good luck!!

Hi A.,
Neither of my boys (now 18 months and 3years old) would take any of the baby food after #2 levels. So we started them with home made mashed potatoes, whole grain bit size pieces of bread, very small (really small) bits of chicken and turkey. They also liked bannana, carrots, the gerber brand green beans (b/c they don't have the seeds)and spagetti in meat sauce. Cherios cereal and oatmeal for breakfast. For snacks we did whole gain crackers and goldfish. Hope that gives you some things to try.

Take care.
D.

A.,

You'd be surprised... they can eat just about anything if it's cut up small enough. For first foods, try slices of banana (cut into 4 pieces), macaroni or other noodles, potatoes, cooked carrots, melon, scrambled eggs, raisins, even chicken if it's cut up very small. Eventually they gum it up and swallow - it just may take a while for them to figure out how.

You didn�t really mention what �the usual finger foods� are, but he should be able to eat a pretty large variety of things, as long as it is cooked enough (especially veggies), cut into very tiny pieces (especially meats), and he is constantly supervised. When thinking of ideas for him, think of someone who is on a soft diet. You want to give him lots of things that will either melt in his mouth, like Cheerios, or things that will dissolve easily when combined with the digestive juices of the mouth.

Cheerios
Yogurt
Bananas
Steamed-to-very-soft veggies (green beans, carrots, broccoli, etc.)
Very light toast, crusts cut off, then cut into a grid of pieces the size of your fingernail
Crackers
Cheese
Gerber meat sticks (cut up)

These are just the things that I can think of off the top of my head! Good luck!